SEL School Curriculum
Transform Your Classroom with Cool To Be Me
The Engaging, Easy-to-Implement SEL Curriculum for Young Learners
Welcome to the Cool To Be Me Social Emotional Learning Curriculum – Where building strong, resilient, and empathetic young minds begins.
Our BUILDING BLOCKS phase, designed specifically for children aged 4 – 10, provides a foundation that combines core SEL competencies with key developmental themes.
Engaging stories, fun audiobooks, and clearly defined learning opportunities make our curriculum effective and enjoyable for teachers and students. With easy-to-follow lesson plans, a comprehensive teacher manual, and teaching aids, Implementing Cool To Be Me in your classroom is a breeze.
Elevate your school’s approach to social learning today and watch your students thrive!
Feeling Happy and Safe
Developmental Theme: Feeling Happy and Safe
Neuroscience informs us that the brain learns best when it is calm and content which makes ‘feeling happy and safe’ a crucial theme to address in the early developmental stages of a child’s life. The learners explore the following four building blocks and related SEL competencies so that they develop the skills to navigate their daily challenges and quickly return to a calm and content state of being; ready to learn:
Feelings
- Being kind
- Sharing
- My circle of love and support
Being Confident and Responsible
Developmental Theme: Being Confident & Responsible
As they grow older, the theme of Being Confident and Responsible challenges the learners to grow in confidence and responsibility. They explore these four building blocks while building on the SEL competencies learned in Feeling Happy and Safe.
- Being truthful
- Being confident
- Being responsible
- Bouncing back
Building Blocks Green
Developmental theme: Discovering my inner world
The nine-year-old learner is going through a very interesting developmental phase. They are expected to be able to cope with more responsibility and ‘stand on their own two feet’, while entering the very beginning stages of the identity crisis which peaks in pre-adolescence. Many become unsure of their ability to cope. The developmental theme of ‘discovering my inner world’ helps them move through this insecurity by engaging in these four building blocks.
My miraculous body
- My brilliant brain
- My wise heart
- My special gift
Cool To Be Friends
COOL TO BE FRIENDS focuses on the developmental theme of friendship. It provides a safe and creative space for children to learn and practice social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making and gain an understanding of the importance of bringing the value of kindness, respect, and fairness into the classroom and school community. When we practice these values, we approach all people in friendship and peacefully resolve fights, arguments or disagreements. More specifically Grade 4 learners will learn:
- How to be a good friend
- Why community and friendship is important
- To act and speak with kindness (Be a builder, not a breaker)
- To bring mutual respect into the peer group
- To cooperate, compromise, and play fair
- How to resolve conflict peacefully
- To reflect honestly on their personal choices and actions and how they impact their classmates
Cool To Connect
COOL TO CONNECT is an experiential exploration of communication. The programme creates an experiential space for learners to understand why ‘connection infection’ (miscommunications, fights, etc) happen within the peer group and how they can restore ‘connection perfection’ through effective communication skills and values. More specifically learners will learn:
- Why we communicate
- The process of communication (responsibility of senders and receivers)
- The different ways people communicate
- Verbal communication – Think before you speak
- Non-verbal communication – know what you show
- To listen actively – with their heads and hearts
- Digital and written communication
- To be cyber smart and safe
- To choose the right way of communicating in different situations and with different people.
Cool To Be Me
Cool To Be Me explores a crucial developmental challenge of this age group: Identity.
Understanding and accepting one’s identity is essential for the healthy development of resilient self-esteem, self-worth and the fostering of mutual respect. During this programme learners will shift from formulating an externally informed identity based on aspects of appearance, achievement and material possessions to an internally informed identity based on character, values, passions and interests, collaboration, goals and aspirations. The strength of this internal foundation supports lasting and resilient self-esteem and self- worth that leads to responsible decision making, healthy relationships, empathy and mutual respect within the peer group.
Learners will get to consider and explore the following concepts – individually and in groups:
- Who am I?
- Why am I important?
- Why is everyone else important?
- How do I create my life?
Cool To Collaborate Workshop
COOL TO LEAD is a transformative one-day leadership workshop designed for students, focusing on developing essential leadership qualities while fostering self-confidence, self-esteem, and mutual respect.
Through engaging activities and discussions, participants explore the concept of collaborative leadership, recognizing that every individual possesses unique intelligence and leadership characteristics.
This understanding promotes effective teamwork and helps address issues like bullying by emphasizing mutual respect and appreciation for each other’s abilities.
By cultivating a supportive environment where students learn to value diverse strengths and roles within a team, COOL TO LEAD empowers participants to embrace leadership responsibilities collectively.
This workshop, facilitated by trained COOL TO BE ME instructors staff, encourages students to recognize and celebrate individual differences, ultimately fostering a culture of respect and effective teamwork within the school community.
Benefits of SEL
Better Academic Performance
Students who receive SEL instruction tend to achieve higher academic scores, with achievement scores averaging 11 percentile points higher compared to those who do not receive SEL instruction. This improvement is likely due to enhanced focus, motivation, and emotional regulation.
Improves Attitudes and Behaviours
Students show greater motivation to learn and develop a deeper commitment to school. They also exhibit increased time devoted to schoolwork, better classroom behavior, and stronger family bonds. This positive shift in attitudes contributes to a more conducive learning environment.
Improved Decision Making
SEL helps students align their choices and behaviors with personal, school, and family values and goals. This improved decision-making ability leads to more responsible behavior and better outcomes.
Fewer Negative Behaviours
SEL instruction correlates with decreases in disruptive behavior, non-compliance, aggression, disciplinary referrals, and sibling rivalry. Students learn to manage their emotions and interactions more effectively, leading to a more harmonious classroom environment.
Reduces Emotional Distress
Students are less likely to experience emotional distress such as depression, anxiety, stress, or withdrawal. SEL equips students with coping strategies, emotional awareness, and resilience, which are crucial for mental well-being.