Books Club: Could a Book Study Teach Your Students SEL?
When I was a school social worker at a small charter on the west side of Indianapolis, Indiana, my students had a variety of needs. From many English language learners to native speakers who were 2-3 years behind their appropriate reading levels, I needed to give them SEL skills, but doing double duty with the academic piece was always appreciated.
I’m a writer, so clearly a lover of reading and I so wanted my students to feel the same way. I started doing lunch bunch with a group of girls using books as our activity and had great success and participation. I hadn’t thought about that for years, until I was prompted by a colleague asking for suggestions of books to use with her students.
I took a few of the counselor approved books mentioned and came up with this list for you here. This would be a great way to combine literacy and bibliotherapy and a great way to use leftover funds in your program budget. It can also be a way to cut the silence with kids who are less than chatty in your session time. Books have come a long way, offering subjects very relevant to our needs today. Take a look at these titles and drop your favorites to add to the list in the comments.
The popular book which also became a movie has been well received for years for it’s approach at encouraging self-esteem.
Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. If you want to help your students with empathy and self-worth in spite of economic challenges, this might be the book for you.
The opioid epidemic has created quite a few kids being raised in non-traditional homes, this book tackles that subject head on.
The main character of this book has lost his memory and is finding out about his checkered past based upon people’s reactions to him. This would be a great option for kids who may not understand how people experience interactions with them.
Lead character Melody refuses to be defined by her disability. And she’s determined to let everyone know how smart and talented she is. If you want to teach your students to explore disability and equity in education, this would be a great place to start.
Check out a few more book ideas from the archives here.