How Can Curriculum Materials Bring Social and Emotional Learning to Life for Teachers and Students?

NEW YORK (December 15, 2021) – As social and emotional learning (SEL) practices become increasingly recognized for their positive impact on student confidence and engagement, McGraw Hill has developed a new resource to help educators integrate meaningful SEL content into their curriculum and embed it within their existing math, social studies, and English language arts programs.

According to The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), students who received SEL interventions that address CASEL's five core competencies – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making – scored 11 percentile points higher on academic achievement tests than their peers who did not participate in such programs. A recent McGraw Hill study also highlights the sharp increase in educator and parental awareness of SEL practices and strong recognition of their ability to help students rebound.

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Responding to these needs, McGraw Hill just released Moments for MySELf, which breaks down the five core competencies of SEL with activities that contribute to students' resiliency and confidence. Using one of the K-6 workbooks, students are given time to do hands-on activities that work towards social and emotional proficiency. There are also interactive foldables for students to use as a ‘check in' on certain activities to assess their progress. The workbooks and foldables serve as a keepsake or scrapbook for the school year and provide opportunity for reflection on end-of-year growth.

"Social-emotional skills and caring for the well-being of our students have never been more important. Over the last year and a half, children have struggled with emotional distress as a result of the effects of the pandemic and many educators have seen students ‘give up' on school," said Shawn Smith, Chief Innovation Officer for McGraw Hill's School group. "With Moments for MySELf, teachers now have a set of tools that can help students set positive goals, feel empathy for others, and solve problems effectively."

In order to further build resiliency and connect students with material in meaningful ways, many McGraw Hill programs are incorporating SEL into academic content.

Reveal Math begins with an SEL lesson that promotes self-awareness, with its first unit asking students to think about what it means to be a doer of mathematics.

McGraw Hill's new grade 6–12 social studies curriculum provides multiple ways for teachers to create a culturally responsive climate in their classrooms. The K–5 IMPACT Social Studies program gives educators tools to support students in developing social and emotional competencies and self-awareness that relates to unique identity characteristics.

The newest version of McGraw Hill's Wonders reading program takes a "Teaching the Whole Child" approach that includes habits of learning embedded into instruction to teach students to be critical thinkers and to challenge themselves. It also provides support to create a classroom culture built on respectful collaboration, a focus on goals and outcomes, and encouragement for students to take ownership of their learning and develop a love of reading.