Books

101 Ways to Teach Children Social Skills

Some children seem to be socially adept from birth, while others struggle with various challenges of social acceptance. Some children make friends easily; others are loners. Some children have self-control, and others have quick tempers. Some are natural leaders, while others are withdrawn.

Handouts

Introduction to Social Awareness TE This handout defines social awareness and explains both the academic and non-academic benefits of possessing a strong social awareness. Prior to reading the handout, consider how you would define social awareness. What are the advantages to having a strong sense of social awareness?

The Power of Engagement – Teddy Stoddard and Mrs. Thompson This handout portrays a fictional interaction between a classroom teacher and one of her students. As you read the handout, think about a time when you made an assumption about a student based on his/her physical appearance and/or an assumption about a student’s parent(s) based on what you perceived to be their lack of participation in their child’s education that later proved to be false.

Additional Resources

ACT (Assets Coming Together) for Youth Center of Excellence connects research to practice in the areas of positive youth development and provides strategies, tools, and lesson plans for promoting all areas of social emotional learning with students in the classroom setting.

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program provides educators with resources and lesson plans intended to promote acceptance of all areas of diversity, including ethnicity, sexuality, gender equality, religion and country of origin.

The Peace Corps fosters an understanding of other cultures and global issues by providing online educational resources and lessons designed to promote cross-cultural understanding.