In this Animating Civic Action lesson, from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Washington State Governor's Office of the Education Ombuds, students listen to the story of Jared, a student experiencing homelessness. Students are asked to examine what it means to be homeless, to identify how homelessness affects people and to and to consider ways they can act to take action against homelessness in their school community.

In this Animating Civic Action lesson, from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, students listen to the story of Esther, a student refugee, about her experience in school. Students are asked to examine what it means to stereotype others, and to consider ways they can act to make their community more welcoming and inclusive.  

Five-day unit plan that leverages the power of the Classroom Circle to teach classroom expectations, recognizing values, self-awareness, emotions, strengths and struggles, teamwork, and empathy. The Classroom Circle is a powerful tool in building a classroom community. It's a way to teach and practice expectations for speaking and listening, as well as creating a classroom that provides a safe place for students to be vulnerable, empathetic, and to build on their own self-awareness.

10-lesson fifth grade unit to build classroom culture focused on identity, diversity and community.

10-lesson fourth grade unit to build classroom culture focused on identity, diversity and community.

Intergenerational Stories
A Lesson Developed and Contributed by Christine Hennig, MA, LMHP, ATR With a Link to Copyrighted Dick Blick Lesson Plan “Home Town Map” www.DickBlick.com

Objectives (Elders):
1. To encourage reminiscence, which has been shown to be beneficial for elders

2. To increase feelings of self-worth by discovering that elders have interesting stories to tell about their lives

3. To increase feelings of self-worth by passing on their wisdom to young people

4. To brighten moods through contact with young people

Objectives (Children):
1. To bring history lessons they may have learned in school to life through contact with people who have “lived it”

2. To encourage respect for elders by discovering what they have lived through and learned from their experiences

3. To increase tolerance for disability and aging

Audiences:
This is a project to complete with a small group of elderly people plus a small group of school-aged children. It is recommended that you have group facilitators for both the elders and the children (i.e., at least two—one for the elders and one for the children). Elders should be high-functioning and be able to tell their stories. Elders with mild dementia, but still good long-term memories, can be involved if there is extra staff or volunteers available to work one-on-one with them and the children to encourage and guide.

This unit, developed by Northshore School District in Washington, contains four days of lessons with suggested extensions that connect with SEL Standards 1, 2, 4, and 5 and Music Standard 2, 3, 4 and 11. The class will create the verses to the song “Floating in Space”. Students will engage in activities where they analyze emotional characteristics of music, practice emoting without words, review “song form” and rhyming patterns, and review space vocabulary words.

This is part of a series of six documents from Mount Vernon School District educators that provide lessons that integrate Washington's Social Emotional Learning and Physical Education learning standards along with educator guidance and strategies.

This lesson is part of a larger body of resources from educators in Mount Vernon School District in Washington state that explores the intersection of social emotional learning and physical education learning standards.

These resources from Mount Vernon School District educators provide lessons that integrate Washington's Social Emotional Learning and Physical Education learning standards along with educator guidance and teaching strategies.