The Flexible SEL Classroom ─ Practical Ways to Build Social Emotional Learning in Grades 4-8

Help middle school students tackle daily challenges both in and out of the classroom. In this new co-publication from Eye On Education and AMLE, author Amber Chandler offers practical strategies for incorporating social emotional learning into your instruction so students can learn to successfully manage their emotions, set goals, build relationships, and make good decisions. Grounded in classroom experience, her advice can be adapted to suit different needs, so you can create a Flexible Classroom and reach all learners. Topics include:

• Encouraging academic risk-taking without causing stress or fear of failure;
• Helping students to self-manage through technology and other tools;
• Teaching self-awareness through solution statements, metacognition, and effective communication;
• Modeling responsible decision-making and empathy to create a more tolerant classroom environment;
• Building relationship skills and encouraging students to be Upstanders; and
• Emboldening students to become more socially aware and cognizant of bias.

Bonus: Downloadable versions of some of the handouts in this book are available on the Routledge website at www.routledge.com/9781138302563, so you can print and distribute them for immediate classroom use.

Amber Chandler is a National Board Certified middle school teacher in the Frontier Central School District in New York. She is a frequent writer for MiddleWeb, ShareMyLesson, AMLE Magazine, and other educational resources. She is also author of The Flexible ELA Classroom: Practical Tools for Differentiated Instruction in Grades 4–8. Visit her website flexibleclass.com or follow her on Twitter at @MsAmberChandler.