Undoubtedly, 2020 has been a tough year for many. Our ability to practice what we preach to students — optimism, courage, empathy,…
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At Peekapak, we celebrate educators. These amazing, passionate, and dedicated individuals bring joy to learning every day. We’ve been incredibly lucky to have a special group of educators supporting our growth – The Peekapals: Our Peekapak Ambassadors! Our Meet the Peekapals series showcases their personal achievements, thoughts on education and SEL, and more.
Peekapal: Byron Gilliland
Byron is a STEM enthusiast and innovator and is always looking for new ways to prepare his students for their futures. He believes that learning should be fun for students and should allow them to master core content standards through their own interests. Byron creates a learning environment where students feel safe to express their ideas and value the ideas of others. Follow him on Twitter here!
PEEKAPAK: Tell us about what you are most proud of accomplishing while working in education?
BYRON GILLILAND: During my time in education, I have increasingly focused on what my students will need in the future. I find ways to integrate engineering and computer science within the curriculum in a motivational way. I feel that even though my classroom is filled with 1st graders, they have a path started that will lead them to success in the future.
P: What do you find most challenging about teaching? Most rewarding?
BG: Most challenging – instituting a transformational change in practice to student interest focused in classrooms. Most rewarding – seeing students take an interest in learning new things because they have choices in how they share their learning with others.
P: In your opinion, what is the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL)?
BG: It is a FOUNDATIONAL skill in the classroom and in life. SEL allows students the opportunity to truly learn and apply content at a higher level of thinking.
P: What do you envision for the future of education and how do you suggest we get there?
BG: The future of education (in my opinion) is allowing students to use their interests to fuel their learning. For us to truly get there as educators and as a society, we must first see the value of this type of learning and realize that the world is constantly changing and our practices should adapt.
Are you an elementary educator or leader interested in becoming a Peekapak Ambassador? If so, please read and fill out this form.
Why is it important to teach children about courage?
Throughout the early years of a child’s development, parents and teachers support and protect children as they encounter fear. It is our role to model the power of courage and act optimistically in the event of a risk or adversity. As children develop a sense of independence, they begin to notice the impact of acting with courage and can acknowledge acts of heroism displayed by others. To support this awareness, children need to participate in activities that encourage risk and help them practice managing their fear. Tip: For classroom activities and home discussion questions about courage, log in or sign up for a free Peekapak account at www.peekapak.com.
What does the research say?
Research suggests that students who are open to taking risks and challenging their boundaries are more likely to succeed academically and socially and to develop a sense of confidence. According to Erik Erikson’s stages of psycho-social development, children are learning how to develop mastery of the world around them … and it is through this need to experience mastery and seek out novel tasks (with the risk of failing) that children develop courage, confidence, and independence. Through learning about the impact of courage, children also learn the skills necessary to show compassion and care for themselves and others.
Linking courage with perseverance, mindfulness, and optimism
At Peekapak, we selected courage as our last unit of the year because it’s a great opportunity for students to put what they’ve previously learned about perseverance into action. After all, courage is persevering despite adversity and thinking mindfully about our fears. Courage isn’t something that suddenly materializes when we need it. It’s a choice that we are capable of making and part of a mindset that we can all adopt. It involves teaching children about perseverance, mindfulness and optimism!
When children persevere, they begin adopting a growth mindset – an understanding that it is okay to fail and that challenges can be viewed as learning opportunities. There are opportunities for us to foster this every day with children of any age. For example, when your child knocks over his or her tower of blocks, notice the feelings of frustration that may be triggered and provide support and encouragement on how to continue on with the task. Instead of hearing: “I can’t,” or “I’m too scared,” encourage your child to say: “I’ll try again.”
Mindfulness happens when we focus on the present and develop an acceptance of our feelings, thoughts, and bodies. When children think mindfully about their fears, they are able to manage their emotions from a place of alarm back to a place of calm. Additionally, they develop a sense of self-awareness where they are able to independently see the value in their fear and respond appropriately. For young children, this could mean identifying a feeling and the physiological body changes that come with it.
Understanding courage helps children do what they feel is right (even when it conflicts with the opinions or actions of others) and try new things, despite fears and reservations. It’s important for children to understand that courage can be seen in the actions of everyday individuals (not just superheroes on TV) and that it’s okay to feel afraid!
The next time your child is contemplating whether or not to face a fear, remind them about the skills we’ve discussed today! It’s worth taking the risk!
Looking for a technology-based platform to teach empathy and other social-emotional skills for elementary-aged children? Look no further than Peekapak. Peekapak is an award-winning, social & emotional learning (SEL) platform that leverages engaging lessons, stories and digital games in the classroom and the home. Developed by education experts, Peekapak’s innovative curriculum teaching skills like gratitude, empathy, and self-regulation within literacy, reading, and writing-based learning curriculum.
My name is Sheila McCoy, I teach K/1 (looping) at the Bernice A. Ray School in Hanover, NH. I began using the Peekapak program in the spring of 2016.
Our school works hard to empower children to be positive role models, to develop strong social relationships through communication, and to help them understand that actions have consequences. Understanding how one’s words and actions affect relationships are key to social-emotional learning and help students foster positive relationships.
How I use Peekapak:
The Peekapak program correlates with the 3Rs used at our school: Rights, Respect, and Responsibility. By using Peekpak’s stories and activities, I was able to enhance the school’s current program. I paired the Peekapak program with Michelle Winner Garcia’s Social Thinking language to help foster the 3 Rs.
My students were engrossed in the stories from the start! They liked to hear each story more than once and they all participated in the class discussions. The follow-up activities enhanced the stories and I turned some of the activities into sorting activities. For example, in one activity my class brainstormed character traits for the different characters. I typed up student suggestions and had the children sort them to match the characters. I also used charades and role-playing to practice the skill the story focused on (we were studying the Teamwork unit). My students began saying things like “What would Sebastian do?” or “Remember we have to work together.” We talked about “‘Me thinking’ versus ‘we thinking’.”
Peekapak’s lasting impact:
The Peekapak program has had a positive impact on my students. They were especially excited when we wrote a letter to one of the characters and received a reply. Parents also enjoyed using the “home” activities that support the lessons.
One important observation I made is that my students actually remember the stories and skills taught and continue to use the skills they learned from previous units. I have a looping class, which means that my kindergarten students advance into my grade one class, so my kinders had gone through the Peekapak program last year. Just before this Thanksgiving, my class was having trouble with a math problem and kept arguing with each other. One of my students suddenly stopped and said: “Wait, we need to work together like the Peekapak Pals!” I had some new students who didn’t know what the child was talking about so we stopped and the children shared who the Peekapak Pals were and how they learned to work together to build a robot. I was amazed that my students remembered the specifics of a story read last school year. I can see that the Peekapak program most definitely had a positive impact on my students.
Due to time constraints, I could not complete every single activity in the Peekapak program and I also modified some of them, but the overall impact was hugely successful. My tip for teachers new to this program: Don’t feel that you need to complete every lesson. Choose the ones that are right for your class, and add more role-play and charades to help students engage. Using a program such as Peekapak allows young children to see beyond themselves, to develop the skills needed to support one another, and to build their self-esteem. I highly recommend the Peekapak program.
By Dr. Jennifer Williams, Professor for Saint Leo University in the College of Education
As Peekapak founder, Ami Shah, and I set out to create an immersive and interactive session for our upcoming FETC presentation titled “Trending Topics in Early Literacy: Practices and Tools for the Early Childhood Classroom,” we sought ways to share relevant, research-based information that could guide practice and instruction for early childhood educators. In our work in early childhood education, literacy, social-emotional learning, and educational technology, we look to frameworks and guidance based on evidence from the field of education.
In October of 2016, in response to increased use of technology with early learners, the United States Department of Education in partnership with the United States Department of Health and Human Services published the Early Learning and Educational Technology Policy Brief. As teachers are faced with the need to make decisions on growing amounts of emerging technologies available for young students, including educational apps, digital books, interactive software, and games, this brief offers four primary guiding principles for use of technology with early learners are provided.
Guiding Principle #1: Technology—when used appropriately—can be a tool for learning.
According to the DOE, developmentally appropriate use of technology can be beneficial to young children. As technology enables students to extend learning beyond the walls of their classrooms and homes, it can offer experiences that before were nearly impossible. Recommendations for use include:
- use of technology to meet specifically stated objectives
- meaningful integrations of technology with other hands-on learning tools, including materials and manipulatives in the areas of art, literacy, and play
- technology should not replace interactions with teachers or peers, but instead enhance them
- engagement in deep and active use of technology as opposed to passive use
- follow recommended guidelines for screen time as offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Where-We-Stand-TV-Viewing-Time.aspx
Guiding Principle #2: Technology should be used to increase access to learning opportunities for all children.
Today in education, the topics of access and opportunity for all students are growing concerns for educators and policy makers. Technology also enables access to a world beyond one’s own community and can provide culturally responsive learning experiences for students. The DOE brief indicates multiple activities that can be incorporated into instruction with early learners to help connect different communities and close the digital use divide:
- introduce students to diverse cultures beyond local community
- share learning and stories with the world through content creation
- opportunities to see and hear from people from different ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds
- access resources and reference material from multiple sources
- explicit instruction on technology use for students that may not access in home environments
Guiding Principle #3: Technology may be used to strengthen relationships among parents, families, early educators, and young children.
In recent years, technology has brought considerable focus to importance of building the home-school connection, particularly for early learners. As a third guiding principle, the DOE recommends use of technology to help build and strengthen relationships between educators and families. Though it is not recommended for technology to replace meaningful face-to-face communications, the brief specified several areas where use of technology can help bridge physical divides between home and school:
- ongoing sharing of learning through photos, audio, and video recordings
- help parents to reinforce learning at home by sharing information on learning targets via email, text messages, and social media
- use videochat technologies with parents to demonstrate instruction
- create opportunities for students to engage with family members, peers, and educators through videoconferencing
Guiding Principle #4: Technology is more effective for learning when adults and peers interact or co-view with young children.
With any instructional tool, proper guidance and instruction from an adult or knowledgeable peer is critical for effective use. Interactive discussions with authentic connections to real-world experiences can bring technologies to life for young learners. Within the brief, the DOE recommends that parents and educators use interactions before, during, and after use of technology to personalize learning for the early childhood learner. The following examples were offered:
- provide scaffolded experiences for learners through discourse and emotional responsiveness
- discuss content prior to viewing highlighting specific areas for focus
- co-view content and interact throughout the experience
- extend learning after viewing the content with a related activity, such as singing a newly learned song that was viewed
In efforts to help educators and parents be well-informed on integration of technology to support young learners, the DOE brief further provides an evidence base and call to action for researchers seeking ways to advance current understandings within the field. To review the entire brief, please visit https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/.
We hope you are able to join us at FETC as we further examine the guiding principles offered by the DOE brief in relation to practice and pedagogy in early childhood classrooms:
FETC, Orlando, Florida
Trending Topics in Early Literacy: Practices and Tools for the Early Childhood Classroom
Presenters: Ami Shah & Jennifer Williams
Thursday, 4:20-5:00pm
Room N220G
Also, you can connect with us on Twitter at @amishahdotca and @JenWilliamsEdu.
United States Department of Education & United States Department of
Health and Human Services. (2016). Early learning and educational
technology brief. Retrieved from: https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/
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Undoubtedly, 2020 has been a tough year for many. Our ability to practice what we preach to students — optimism, courage, empathy, kindness, respect, teamwork — was put to the test as we faced the onset of a global pandemic and all of its drastic changes to the way we educate students.
So naturally, all of us let out a big sigh of relief and celebrated as we watched the clock turn from 11:59PM, December 31st, 2020 to 12:00AM, January 1st, 2021 and welcomed a brand new year.
However, it’s important to remember that the turn of a new year can’t magically make everything better. In 2021, we still have obstacles to overcome and areas in which we can all still grow.
The Challenge
Hence we invite you and your classroom to join us in our #Perseverance2021 challenge and learn more about how we can show perseverance in the new year. There are three simple steps to the challenge:
1. Read The Peekapak Pals and the Sounds of Music from our Perseverance Unit & discuss the story with your class.
Perseverance is being steadily persistent and willing to continue on with a task or goal despite challenges or a delay in achieving success. Peekapak’s perseverance unit is all about helping students learn how to set goals, overcome obstacles and have a growth mindset. If you’d like to learn more, please visit www.peekapak.com.
In The Peekapak Pals and the Sounds of Music (found on our website), students learn how different characters in the story reach their goals. Here are some great prompts to drive discussion:
Pre-Story
- This story is called The Peekapak Pals and the Sounds of Music. What do you think this story is about?
- This is a story about perseverance. What comes to mind when you hear the word “perseverance”?
During the Story
- Cody dreams of being a rock star, but he doesn’t know how to play an instrument. What should he do?
- How did Menka and Leo the Hedgehog show perseverance?
- How does Cody show perseverance? How does he feel?
- How do Katy Bearry, Justin Beaver and Wolf-gang show perseverance?
After Reading the Story
- Why is it important to set a goal and to keep trying until you achieve it?
- Share an example of a time you achieved a goal. What was your goal? How did you achieve it? How did you feel when you achieved it?
- How did Cody feel when he achieved his goal?
2. Have your class create a story of perseverance in any form you’d like — short written stories, plays, comics, videos, animations, or a picture board are all accepted!
Get your students’ creative juices flowing by having them create their own story of perseverance using their favourite Peekapak Pals. Click here for printable images of the Peekapak Pals and backgrounds!
3. Share your class’ story with us through social media (Twitter, Instagram or Facebook) or email us at hello@peekapak.com to join the challenge and gain an entry for a fun prize!
We’ll be sharing your classroom’s creations on social media to celebrate moments of perseverance in our Peekapak community. Every story sent to us with the hashtag #Perseverance2021 and @Peekapak tagged, will win one entry into a special raffle for a $50 Amazon Gift card and a Peekapak individual book-set.
Every retweet or person tagged on your post will give you a bonus entry for the raffle!
All submissions must be sent in by February 7th, after which will be randomly selecting and announcing three winners of our challenge!
We’re so excited to see your classroom’s wonderful creations and we hope you enjoy participating in our challenge.
Looking forward to a wonderful 2021,
Ami & The Peekapak Team
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on each and everyone one of our lives causing stress, worry, and uncertainty. It is important to remember that children are also experiencing this, and often need help in learning how to deal with the emotions that they are facing in a healthy way. This is where the importance of SEL (social-emotional learning) comes into play, as it helps students to understand and manage their emotions to navigate these difficult times.
The Impact of the Pandemic on Children
Even before the pandemic began, almost 1 in 4 young children in the U.S. were found to be living in poverty, which is an issue that also disproportionately affects minorities. With mass unemployment and job loss due to the pandemic, the number of children facing significant adversities continues to increase. The pandemic has led to traumatic experiences for many families which result in children experiencing traumatic stress, which has a negative impact on behaviour, self-regulation, and academic achievement. On top of this, uncertainty is at an all-time high, and children may feel increased anxiety due to a lack of information about the drastic changes that are occurring in their lives.
This increased fear, anxiety, and toxic stress can translate to issues in the school environment, as children can’t focus on learning if they don’t feel safe and supported where they are. Furthermore, remote-learning is challenging for many students, and students who are struggling academically are often the most impacted by these learning environment changes.
The Benefit of SEL Right Now
SEL can foster a sense of safety and be used in conjunction with trauma sensitive practices to best suit children’s individual needs. SEL helps students to manage their emotions in a safe and supportive way, which sets them up perfectly for learning success. It also helps to build positive connections and relationships within the classroom, which school closures and remote learning have made much harder to do. These relationships allow students to develop socially, and contribute to laying the necessary foundation for academic learning. Furthermore, SEL can teach students skills that are needed for successful learning like self-regulation or problem solving, which can help address learning inequalities created by an online school environment.
Although we often think of SEL in the context of how it can benefit children, the importance of SEL to educators and other members of the school community should not be overlooked. SEL helps to support teachers and staff by helping them to manage stress, and build trust amongst their colleagues and students. Overall, this serves to strengthen the school ecosystem and results in a better learning experience for students.
Peekapak Coronavirus Lessons
If you are looking for ways to incorporate social-emotional learning into your classroom in the context of the pandemic, look no further! Peekapak has created 8 specialized SEL pandemic lessons, that teaches children about the pandemic and helps them to address feelings of worry, frustration, boredom, and much more. These lessons can be found here.
Acknowledgements
This article was based on a presentation by the Committee for Children, an organization that strives to promote the safety, well-being, and success of children in school and in life. A link to the presentation slides can be found here, and a recording of the presentation here.
Looking for a technology-based program to teach empathy and other social-emotional skills to elementary aged children? Look no further than Peekapak! Peekapak is an award-winning, social-emotional learning (SEL) platform that uses engaging lessons, stories, and digital games in the classroom and at home. Developed by education experts, Peekapak’s innovative curriculum teaches skills like gratitude, empathy, and self-regulation using literacy, reading, and writing based learning curriculum.
As schools reopened amid the pandemic, many educators continue to remain uncertain about the future. This unpredictability is especially true for social-emotional learning (SEL), a relatively new development in education. While there is uncertainty all across the globe of how schools will continue to function, it is essential to address the importance of incorporating SEL into these future education models. Not only does SEL provide an opportunity for students to develop crucial life skills, but it has also been proven to provide a plethora of lifelong benefits. This is why, as educators, we must strive to incorporate sustainable SEL models into our classrooms, even during the pandemic.
What Is Social-emotional Learning?
Before we can understand the importance of SEL, we must first understand what exactly SEL means. In essence “SEL is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions”.
In other words, it is a form of learning that emphasizes the importance of good citizenship. It teaches students valuable social skills that are crucial for being a responsible and empathetic human being. It focuses on understanding emotions and decision making, rather than traditional forms of academics like mathematics or science.
According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL can be broken down into five core components: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Each of these components is focused on an essential aspect of social and emotional development.
Here at Peekapak, we align with the CASEL model in a very unique way. Rather than focus on each of the five components separately, we have adapted our units so that students can learn to draw from different components simultaneously in a dynamic and digestible manner. This is because our units focus on subjects that tend to overlap between these five components, such as honesty, self-regulation, empathy, and teamwork. Our model is presented in more detail in the table below.
Why Is Social-emotional Learning Important?
SEL has been proven to benefit students in a number of different ways. As the CASEL points out, these benefits range from a wide variety of different areas including both academic and non-academic improvements:
- Academic Achievement
A study in 2011 found that students who were engaged in SEL programs showed an 11% point increase in academic achievement.
2. Improved Behaviour
Various studies have shown that SEL leads to “decreased dropout rates, school and classroom behavior issues, drug use, teen pregnancy, mental health problems, and criminal behavior”.
3. Improved Life Outcomes
Lastly, studies have also shown that SEL can lead to better life outcomes for students: “SEL decreased the likelihood of living in or being on a waiting list for public housing, receiving public assistance, having any involvement with police before adulthood, and ever spending time in a detention facility”.
What Will Social-Emotional Learning Look Like In The Pandemic?
While the pandemic does present new challenges for SEL, these challenges can be overcome with enough determination. Firstly, educators have the ability to move their lessons to a remote learning environment. This will allow students to be able to learn about important concepts such as empathy, respect, and self-regulation while also social distancing from other students.
Secondly, teachers can also try to implement SEL in family households. Here at Peekpak, for example, we embed various SEL activities in our lessons for parents/guardians to try with their children. These activities are specifically designed for fostering social and emotional maturity, while also allowing students to practice the concepts that they learn online.
How Is Peekapak Responding To Covid-19?
Here at Peekapak, we are committed to promoting SEL to the highest degree possible. This is why are happy to announce that we have adapted our program to fit all formats of learning including:
Synchronous online learning through our new series of 50 remote learning presentations to support online lessons per grade level.
Asynchronous online and family learning through our new video lessons and myPeekaville, our learning game.
In-class learning through our 80 classroom lesson plans per grade level.
While we have put extensive and careful effort into making these resources the best that they can be, we understand that the transition to either full or partial remote learning can be difficult for students. That is why we have also worked closely with our educators to design an entirely new product to help ease with this transition: The Back to School with The Peekaflu Series!
To find out more about these individual products, please check out the following link. Have a question or want to learn more? Request information here or send us an email at hello@peekapak.com.
Through Peekapak’s Feelings Check-in Tool, teachers are provided with a Mood Board of student sentiment data allowing them to gain insight into their students’ well-being. Such a tool is powerful, especially during these times when students are likely to experience many new changes and unprecedented challenges. In order to provide guidance to our teachers, we have created a “how-to” on implementing, responding to, and supporting this data. Please note, this tool is available for our Classroom PRO and PRO trial users only.
Implementing the Feelings Check-in Tool
First, explain to your students that when they log-in to myPeekaville, they will be prompted to check-in with how they are feeling. The first time a student uses myPeekaville, they will be asked to name how you are feeling and there will be a 10-second countdown. Instruct students to use this time to take deep breaths, close their eyes, and think about how their mind and body feel. Some strategies that you can follow to do this are:
- Reassuring students. “We feel a lot of different feelings throughout the day. You could be excited to go to school, nervous for reading class, angry that you didn’t get picked for the science experiment, calm during math class and so much more! That is all okay! It’s important to name our feelings to help us get back to calm.”
- Modeling for students how to name their feelings by also closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.
- Encouraging students to try this together. “Close your eyes and I am going to count to ten. I want you to take 5 slow breaths during that time and think about how you are feeling. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … think of a word in your head that describes how you feel.”
On the screen, there will be different feelings that students can choose from. We advise you to go through each feeling with students so they understand it, and emphasize that it is important to take their time and answer honestly. Every time a student logs-in to myPeekaville, they will complete a Feelings Check-in, which will generate the data provided on your mood dashboard.
Responding to and Supporting the Feelings Check-in Data
You can use the Mood Board to see trends with student feelings in your classroom and for individual students. You can find this dashboard under “Reports” and “Moodboard” under your teacher settings.
These trends will help you gauge your class’ wellbeing and also provide an opportunity for you to guide your students through different calming strategies that tie in directly with our self-regulation unit.
Self-regulation is a skill that helps students manage their behaviors and express emotions in constructive ways. This happens when students are aware of their feelings, able to articulate them (e.g., “I am feeling sad because…”), and can make decisions about how to respond to stimulation. Most importantly, naming our feelings is crucial to self-regulation as it is the first step in helping students reach a calm state that is optimal for learning (Shanker, S. (2012). Calm, alert and happy. Retrieved August 19, 2015.).
On their own, students can explore some of these calming strategies through:
- myPeekaville games related to the self-regulation unit;
- Through our lessons, you can guide them through these strategies (“Take a Deep Breath”, “Feelings Dance”, “Is this a calm body?”) and;
- The context of the story “The Peekapak Pals and the Classroom Chaos”.
Some other strategies that you can try to help bring your students back to calm are:
- Guiding angry students through a breathing exercise “take a few deep breaths to pause and reflect”
- If a student likes to write, suggest them to reflect on their feelings and write about them in a journal
- Ask your student to close their eyes and visualize a happy or relaxing place. Have them name the sensory details related to this place, like what they see, what they hear, what they can touch, and what they smell in this place.
- Do a little shake! Having your students jump in place 10 times, jog in place, roar (if appropriate), or just wiggle can help release any excess energy and release feel-good endorphins.
- Help your students change their negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Brainstorm together encouraging and empowering statements they can use as positive self-talk (this is also explored in our optimism unit!).
- Be a role model for your students. Your students will mimic how you cope with stress and so the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, use that as an opportunity to demonstrate positive self-talk.
More Resources
If you would like to learn more about social-emotional learning, self-regulation, and how to support students through their learning journeys, check out these short, but helpful videos:
- Understanding Our Emotional Health | NowThis Kids
- Teaching Self-Regulation by Modeling | Edutopia
- Motivation, self-regulation and learning how to learn | Heidi Ashton
- Check-In / Check-Out: Providing a Daily Support System for Students
- CAN YOU “NAME THAT EMOTION”? | Lessons for SEL
Thank you for reading our article! We hope you have found our “how-to” guide and Feelings Check-in Tool helpful in supporting your student’s development of their self-regulation skills. If you have any questions or want to contribute your own tip or tool, feel free to share it with us at hello@peekapak.com and we’ll add it to our list!
The year 2020 has brought many uncertainties to different facets of the world. The pandemic has moved us from a physically connected world to a digitally connected world. Changes have been made in government, businesses, and education. Powerful movements such as Black Lives Matter have inspired the world to be more diverse, inclusive, honest, empathetic, kind, and respectful to one another. 2020 has inspired us to be a better society, and raise a better society for the future, and this is where social-emotional learning (SEL) comes into play. In this article we discuss – How Peekapak aligns with CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
What is Social Emotional Learning?
In other words, it is a form of learning that emphasizes the importance of good citizenship. It teaches students valuable social skills that are generally not taught in classrooms but is crucial for being a responsible and empathetic human being. It focuses on understanding emotions and decision making, rather than traditional forms of academics like mathematics or science.
What is CASEL?
CASEL is an acronym for Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. “(CASEL) is a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL).” Their mission is to help make evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part of education from preschool through high school.
According to CASEL, SEL can be broken down into five core components: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Each of these components is focused on an essential aspect of social and emotional development.
To learn more about CASEL, click here
How Peekapak aligns with CASEL
Here at Peekapak, we align with CASEL competencies in a very unique way. Rather than focus on each of the five components separately, we have adapted our units so that students can learn to draw from different components simultaneously in a simple, dynamic, and digestible manner. We offer 10 lessons per grade for PreK-5 and these lessons cover self-regulation, respect, gratitude, kindness, empathy, honesty, perseverance, teamwork, optimism, and courage. Each of these lessons aligns with different areas of CASEL’s 5 competency model and the relation is outlined within each lesson plan. Here is an example from our COVID-19 lesson plan:
Using Peekapak to Support SEL Development
Interested in using Peekapak to support SEL development of your students? You can sign up for free at peekapak.com/signup or request a free 30 day PRO trial by emailing hello@peekapak.com.
We’re excited to announce it is time to join our #TreeofGratitude Challenge for the month of November. The challenge is easy to get involved with, open to ALL (New users, Basic and Pro) and has many exciting prizes, including a Grand Prize of two $100 Visa gift cards!
The #TreeofGratitude Challenge
Our challenge invites classrooms to share their ideas of gratitude with the Peekapak Pals. Expressing gratitude, especially during unprecedented times like these, can help students be more optimistic and cope with unexpected challenges.
There are 3 activities for the #TreeofGratitude challenge. You can do 1 or all 3 activities and each activity completed will give you entries for the Grand Prize of two $100 Visa Gift Cards! For each entry make sure to tag us @Peekapak and include the #TreeofGratitude on your entries!
The #TreeofGratitude is a yearly tradition in the world of Peekaville, where all the characters of Peekapak live. Every year upon the first snowfall, the residents of Peekaville gather around the tree to write messages of gratitude onto tags and hang it up on the tree. This serves as a reminder to be thankful for the people, places, and things in our lives, through the good times, as well as the bad.
This challenge brings to life this experience and we hope you can get involved! Below you’ll find more details on each of the activities, the prizes, and how to enter:
Activity 1: Letter to Cody
For this activity, read The Peekapak Pals and The Tree of Gratitude with your students. In this story, the Peekapak Pals are in a grumpy mood, but a surprising turn of events helps them realize that there’s a lot in this world for which to be thankful.
After reading the story, read the Letter from Cody, have your students write a class letter back to Cody sharing their ideas on practicing gratitude.
To access the story and the Letter from Cody, head over to Peekapak.com to create a free account (or log in if you already have an account). After signing in, go to lesson one of the ‘Gratitude’ unit where you will be able to access the book, as well as the Letter from Cody.
Entries: This challenge will give you one entry for the Grand Prize!
Activity 2: Gratitude Tags
After reading the Peekapak Pals and the Tree of Gratitude, we learned that we can be thankful for many different things. We can be thankful for people, like how Cody was thankful for his friends, we can be thankful for places, like how Lucia was thankful for the sky, or we can be thankful for things, like Mr. Baker’s bread.
For this challenge, have your students create gratitude tags. On a piece of paper, have students write down and/or draw any one person, place or thing they are grateful for.
Students can print out the tag here or create their own gratitude tag!
To submit your response, have all your students hold up their tags to their webcam and send us a screenshot (student’s faces are not required). If you are teaching in person, send us a picture of their tags!
Entries: This challenge will give you two entries for the Grand Prize!
Activity 3: Class Letter of Gratitude
For the last challenge, have your class play together Lesson 5 of our special COVID-19 focused Kahoots and write a class letter of gratitude to someone they consider a superhero in your community! Superheroes don’t have to be just healthcare workers, other examples include, but are not limited to, writing to a teacher, teacher’s assistant, police officer or firefighter.
Tip: If teaching virtually with access to a polling feature, for the classroom letters, consider creating a poll of different options that the students can choose from so that there is an agreement on who to write to or what to say!
Entry: This challenge will give you three entries for the Grand Prize!
Prizes
For the #TreeofGratitude challenge, there are three tiers of prizes.
The Grand Prize will be two $100 Visa gift cards (perfect for the holiday season!), along with one of the following items: sticker sets, a print copy book set (3 books) or a life-size Peekapak Pal cardboard cutout.
The second prize will be two $50 Visa gift cards (perfect for the holiday season!), along with one of the following items: sticker sets, a print copy book set (3 books), or a life-size Peekapak Pal cutout.
The third prize will be one $50 Visa gift card (perfect for the holiday season!), along with one of the following items: sticker sets or print copy book set (3 books).
How to Join our #TreeOfGratitude Challenge
Join our #TreeofGratitude Challenge by sending us a photo of your classroom’s response via Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram by tagging @Peekapak and using the hashtag #TreeofGratitude. You can also email us your response at hello@peekapak.com.
For bonus entries:
- Follow @Peekapak on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
- Entries through Twitter, Facebook or Instagram will get a bonus entry.
- Each retweet of your post by a friend/fellow teacher will receive a bonus entry, and for each friend or teacher you tag on Instagram you will also receive a bonus entry.
On November 30th, 2020, when the challenge ends, we will be randomly picking winners and will direct messages or email our winners (please make sure that you are following us so we can message you for the prize).
We’re so excited to hear your classroom’s ideas on practicing gratitude and we hope you enjoy the story and lesson.
With gratitude,
Ami & The Peekapak Team
Subtitle
COVID-19
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Two words, eight letters …
Words we say to our children when teaching gratitude from the moment they learn to speak. Can you guess what they are? Yup: Thank you!
Every language has their own way of saying “thank you”. For me, in Vietnamese, it sounds like cam on. For you and your child, it might sound like merci, xia xia, arigato, or gracias. (For a list of how to say “thank you” in different languages, visit: http://bit.ly/1Q56BGi). But saying “thank you” is only the first step to feeling thankful. Research suggests that children who practice thankfulness or gratitude on a regular basis are happier and enjoy better social relationships.
When our children are down, we encourage them to remember the positives – the people, places or things that make them feel grateful and happy. But, according to research, it is just as important to practice gratitude when things are going well, too. Translation: We should practice gratitude all the time!
Here are seven ways to get you and your child started on a fulfilling journey of teaching gratitude!
Day 1: Practice breathing and thinking happy thoughts. Research shows that focused breathing and thinking about things that bring them joy helps children calm their minds and bodies, and process their emotions. For breathing exercises, click here. Remind your child to think of happy thoughts while concentrating on their breathing!
Click below to download some example breathing exercises from Peekapak’s Self Regulation Unit!
Day 2: Create a gratitude list. While eating dinner with your child or lounging on the couch, engage them in a discussion about things you both are grateful for and write these down. Use sentence starters like: “I appreciate …”, “I am thankful for …”, “I feel happy about …”. Post this list in a visible place to remind your family about being grateful, and continue adding to it. Soon you’ll be doing it so much that it becomes a family habit!
Day 3: Write letters (or send a text). Ah, the lost art of letter writing … the excitement of receiving a handwritten letter never gets old. Introduce letter writing to your child by asking questions like: Who is someone you feel thankful for? Why? Does this person know that you are thankful for them? What would you like to say to them?
Or keep with current trends by sending a selfie with your child to a loved one, accompanied by a short text message of thanks!
Day 4: Keep a journal. Studies have shown a happiness increase in children who write about things they are grateful for at least three times a week. Unlike a diary, these don’t need to stay under lock and key. Bind together some paper and have your child spend a few minutes of their day writing about and sharing what made them feel grateful that day.
Day 5: Read stories. Pick a variety of stories with characters demonstrating grateful behavior. Use these stories as a starting point to begin the conversation. Log into Peekapak’s platform and read The Peekapak Pals and the Tree of Gratitude … for free! Sign up here.
Day 6: Explore surroundings. Walk around your community with your child and point out the things that make you both happy. These can be appreciating a budding flower, or a beautiful park, or the people in your community.
Day 7: Reflect. Help your child practice reflecting upon what they’re thankful for by guiding them to connect their feelings of appreciation to their senses. Ask questions like: How does it sound to be grateful? How does it feel? What could it look like? Why is it important?
We have one day a year dedicated to being thankful for what we have in our lives (Thanksgiving Day!). What about the other 364 days? I’ve given you some ideas for 7 days. You and your child can work together to fill in the rest. The opportunities to show gratitude are endless – be creative!
Looking for a technology-based platform to teach empathy and other social-emotional skills for elementary-aged children? Look no further than Peekapak. Peekapak is an award-winning, social & emotional learning (SEL) platform that leverages engaging lessons, stories and digital games in the classroom and the home. Developed by education experts, Peekapak’s innovative curriculum teaching skills like gratitude, empathy, and self-regulation within literacy, reading, and writing-based learning curriculum.
When teaching courage at home, it’s important to provide as many opportunities as possible for children to see courage being modeled in everyday situations. Children need to learn that acts of courage can be big or small, and can be demonstrated by anyone. More importantly, they need to learn that you don’t need to be a superhero to show courage.
Courage, as explained by researcher Brene Brown in her book Rising Strong, happens when we bounce back from failures and feelings of shame or guilt, and face things head on (Brown, 2015). This may mean being brave enough to stand up for what we believe is right even if our friends disagree, or doing things that most view as difficult.
Here are a few easy ways to help your child learn about courage:
- Acknowledge your child’s feelings. Children may not feel comfortable confronting the feeling of fear. Let them know that feeling afraid is okay and that we all experience it from time to time. When trying to confront a fear, help your child make a list of their feelings before and after they face their fear.
Take away message: By knowing what we fear, and accepting that it’s okay to be afraid, we can start to find solutions to overcome this feeling.
Tip: Use books about courage to support your discussions. Read a free digital story about courage with your child by signing up or logging into www.peekapak.com.
- Help your child think about different ways to show courage. Courage manifests in different forms. Work with your child to sort through actions that are typically associated with courage. For example, think about someone who climbs a mountain and someone who admits to not always knowing the answers. Both individuals show courage, but in their own way and in response to a different situation.
Take away message: Courage can be shown in many different ways. Teach your child that there’s no “one way” to show courage.
Tip: At dinnertime, go around the table and have each family member describe a way they showed courage that day or week.
- Teach your child to use language that supports courage. Children learn from what they see and hear. It’s important to show that being vulnerable is valuable (and respectable). For example, when we need help, we show courage by asking for help. When we feel scared, we say we are feeling scared even if we worry that others may judge us.
Take away message: Help your child understand that asking for help and admitting when they are afraid is normal, healthy and encouraged.
Tip: Practice talking about what your child is afraid of by using these sentence starters: “I am afraid of …”, “… scares me”, “I need help to …”
- Observe examples of courage with your child. Acts of courage are not limited to superheroes we see on TV. Everyday heroes can be people like police officers and firefighters, teachers and parents, and children themselves! Courage can be seen in different ways, everywhere!
Take away message: Help your child see that acts of courage and everyday heroes exist everywhere they look.
Tip: Interview friends, family and local community members to see how they define and exhibit courage, or search through the newspaper and highlight examples of courage.
We hope these tips will inspire you to get the conversation about courage started at home.
Why is it important to teach children about courage?
Throughout the early years of a child’s development, parents and teachers support and protect children as they encounter fear. It is our role to model the power of courage and act optimistically in the event of a risk or adversity. As children develop a sense of independence, they begin to notice the impact of acting with courage and can acknowledge acts of heroism displayed by others. To support this awareness, children need to participate in activities that encourage risk and help them practice managing their fear. Tip: For classroom activities and home discussion questions about courage, log in or sign up for a free Peekapak account at www.peekapak.com.
What does the research say?
Research suggests that students who are open to taking risks and challenging their boundaries are more likely to succeed academically and socially and to develop a sense of confidence. According to Erik Erikson’s stages of psycho-social development, children are learning how to develop mastery of the world around them … and it is through this need to experience mastery and seek out novel tasks (with the risk of failing) that children develop courage, confidence, and independence. Through learning about the impact of courage, children also learn the skills necessary to show compassion and care for themselves and others.
Linking courage with perseverance, mindfulness, and optimism
At Peekapak, we selected courage as our last unit of the year because it’s a great opportunity for students to put what they’ve previously learned about perseverance into action. After all, courage is persevering despite adversity and thinking mindfully about our fears. Courage isn’t something that suddenly materializes when we need it. It’s a choice that we are capable of making and part of a mindset that we can all adopt. It involves teaching children about perseverance, mindfulness and optimism!
When children persevere, they begin adopting a growth mindset – an understanding that it is okay to fail and that challenges can be viewed as learning opportunities. There are opportunities for us to foster this every day with children of any age. For example, when your child knocks over his or her tower of blocks, notice the feelings of frustration that may be triggered and provide support and encouragement on how to continue on with the task. Instead of hearing: “I can’t,” or “I’m too scared,” encourage your child to say: “I’ll try again.”
Mindfulness happens when we focus on the present and develop an acceptance of our feelings, thoughts, and bodies. When children think mindfully about their fears, they are able to manage their emotions from a place of alarm back to a place of calm. Additionally, they develop a sense of self-awareness where they are able to independently see the value in their fear and respond appropriately. For young children, this could mean identifying a feeling and the physiological body changes that come with it.
Understanding courage helps children do what they feel is right (even when it conflicts with the opinions or actions of others) and try new things, despite fears and reservations. It’s important for children to understand that courage can be seen in the actions of everyday individuals (not just superheroes on TV) and that it’s okay to feel afraid!
The next time your child is contemplating whether or not to face a fear, remind them about the skills we’ve discussed today! It’s worth taking the risk!
Looking for a technology-based platform to teach empathy and other social-emotional skills for elementary-aged children? Look no further than Peekapak. Peekapak is an award-winning, social & emotional learning (SEL) platform that leverages engaging lessons, stories and digital games in the classroom and the home. Developed by education experts, Peekapak’s innovative curriculum teaching skills like gratitude, empathy, and self-regulation within literacy, reading, and writing-based learning curriculum.
