Social and emotional learning (SEL)

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is embedded in Amplify ELA lessons, classroom culture, and professional development. The rich texts at the heart of the program provide a foundation for SEL, exposing students to different people, cultures, ways of life, and experiences to help them become more aware of and empathetic to differences they encounter in real life. Activities accompanying these texts in the curriculum reflect core SEL principles through a focus on cooperative learning, self-assessment and self-reflection, and competence and confidence building.

Classroom routines and guidelines are woven into the program to support students in improving their self-management skills and building a community of readers and writers.

Examples of SEL principles at work in Amplify ELA:

Fostering empathy Students measure hope and hopelessness as they examine Ji-li Jiang’s powerful account of living through the Chinese Cultural Revolution in her memoir, Red Scarf Girl.

Collaborating Students work together to establish rules and processes for Socratic seminars and develop questions aimed at thoughtful and thought-provoking dialogue.

Writing from personal experience Students write about a specific place and time in their lives, using descriptive details to reveal emotion in their personal narratives.