Michigan Department of Education Early Childhood to Grade 12

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 1

Michigan Department of Education

Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Competencies and Indicators

Currently, Michigan has Content State Standards that focus on academics.

However, there is little that attend to the other aspects of learning for

children/students. SEL competencies help complete the academic process for

all youth, infants to school-aged, through graduation. In combination with the

Michigan Health Education Standards, SEL competencies help support a well-

rounded education that teaches to the whole child. When caregivers and

schools focus on the development of the whole child, utilizing SEL

competencies to guide instruction and interactions with children and students,

academic achievement improves, as well as the skills needed for college and

career readiness. Furthermore, a focus on SEL helps create an environment

that enables teachers to teach and students to learn which research shows is

necessary for school and life success.

SEL Competencies

• Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and

thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing

one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of

confidence and optimism.

• Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and

behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress,

controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward

achieving personal and academic goals.

• Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with

others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and

ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community

resources and supports.

• Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and

rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes

communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting unwanted or

inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking

and offering help when needed.

______________

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2015). Social and emotional learning core

competencies. Chicago, IL: Author. Retrieved from casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/core-competencies/

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Michigan Department of Education

• Responsible decision making: The ability to make constructive and

respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on

consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic

evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and

others.

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 3

Michigan Department of Education

Michigan Department of Education (MDE)

Early Childhood-Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Competencies and Indicators

Competencies

Indicators

Self-Awareness

1A. Demonstrate an awareness of their emotions

1B. Demonstrate an awareness of their personal

traits, including their strengths and interests

1C. Demonstrate awareness of their external

supports

1D. Demonstrate a sense of personal responsibility

Self-Management

2A. Identify and manage their emotions and

behavior constructively

2B. Demonstrate honesty and integrity

2C. Set, monitor, adapt, and evaluate goals to

achieve success in school and life

Social Awareness

3A. Demonstrate awareness of other people’s

emotions and perspectives

3B. Demonstrate consideration for others and a

desire to positively contribute to the school and

community

3C. Demonstrate an awareness of different

cultures and a respect for human dignity

3D. Can read social cues and respond

constructively

Relationship Skills

4A. Use positive communication and social skills to

interact effectively with others

4B. Develop and maintain positive relationships

4C. Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage,

and resolve interpersonal conflicts in helpful

ways

Responsible Decision

Making

5A. Uses personal, ethical, safety, and cultural

factors in making decisions

5B. Develop, implement, and model effective

decision-making skills to deal responsibly with

daily academic and social situations

5C. Play a developmentally appropriate role in

classroom management and positive school

climate

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 4

Michigan Department of Education

Definition: Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which

individuals learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make

good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships,

and avoid negative behaviors. Within the child’s natural environment and/or

school setting, SEL can best be accomplished through a layered approach of skills

lessons taught through the curriculum and infused into the environment including

safety, respect, and caring.

Research base: A context that supports the basic personal, social, and

intellectual needs of students is critical for success in school

. Research confirms

that a focus on SEL improves students’ social, emotional, and academic skills. In a

meta-analysis of 213 studies evaluating SEL programs/interventions, Durlak and

Colleagues (2011)

found that, compared with students receiving standard

education without SEL, students receiving interventions designed to promote social

and emotional development demonstrated increased academic achievement and

positive social behaviors, and showed decreased conduct problems and emotional

distress. Students receiving SEL interventions also showed improved social-

emotional skills. The meta-analysis revealed that students with SEL training gained

11 percentile points on average in test scores and similar gains in grades relative

to students not in a SEL program. These results were consistent across grade level

(elementary, middle, and high schools), location (urban, rural, and suburban), and

school type (schools serving ethnically and racially diverse student populations).

Durlak and his colleagues also found that the effects of SEL programs were

stronger when programs were implemented well and completely, i.e., with

“fidelity”, underscoring the importance of teacher training and ongoing

professional development.

What is in the MDE SEL Competencies and Indicators

This document presents five core competencies related to social and emotional

learning, and includes a rationale for each. The Early Childhood competencies

found within the SEL Competencies come from State Board of Education (SBE)

approved standards. The Office of Great Start has produced three sets of

standards. The Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant and Toddler

Programs (ECSQ-IT), Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten

(ECSQ-PK), and the Michigan Out-of-School Time (MOST) Standards of Quality.

A fourth document, Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Kindergarten

through Third Grade, is in development. The abbreviated portion of the SBE

approved SEL Standards for Early Childhood are linked with the K-12 SEL

competencies to offer a continuum of these skills for all youth. For each SEL

competency, 3-4 indicators are identified, followed by benchmarks organized by

age band. For each benchmark there are suggested strategies for caregivers and

Solomon, D., Battistich, V., Watson, M., Schaps, E., & Lewis, C. (2000). A six-district study of educational change:

Direct and mediated effects of the child development project. Social Psychology of Education, 4, 3-51.

Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K.B. (2011). The impact of enhancing

students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child

Development, 82, 405-432.

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Michigan Department of Education

teachers; these activities are designed to promote SEL skills in a caregiving

and/or classroom setting. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of

activities.

These competencies, indicators, and strategies were developed through the

collaborative effort of representatives from every office in MDE, and in

collaboration with national experts from the Great Lakes Comprehensive Center

(GLCC), the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center), and the

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Note: These competencies and indicators are emerging and build on one another.

They were formatted to delineate the progression of one skill to another as the

child/student continues to grow developmentally. Caregivers/Teachers may need

to revisit earlier skills periodically in working with various children and students

as not all development is linear but can also be cyclical. Therefore, it does not

mean that if a child/student has not accomplished an indicator at a

developmental benchmark they have a deficit or need remediation. All youth and

adults continually grow and develop their social and emotional skills across a

lifespan. Additionally, it should be noted that these competencies and indicators

were designed to support the growth of all youth. They should not be used when

determining whether students have disabilities (emotional impairment, early

childhood developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, etc.).

Connection to MDE’s Top 10 in 10 Strategic Plan

In 2016, the Michigan State Board of Education adopted MDE’s Strategic Plan to

make Michigan a Top 10 Education state in 10 years. Of the seven goals that make

up the Top 10 in 10 Strategic Plan, SEL encompasses and supports four of them.

They are:

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Michigan Department of Education

Connection to School and District Improvement Process

MDE provides schools and districts with School Improvement Frameworks (SIF)

and District Improvement Frameworks (DIF). These were updated in 2014 and

include two diagnostic tools, the School System Review (SSR) and the District

System Review (DSR). Each of these tools include some elements of SEL as well as

indicators for school climate. These diagnostic tools help to inform the School

Improvement Plan (SIP) and/or the Districts Improvement Plan (DIP). School

administrators, along with their school improvement teams, are encouraged to

include SEL and school climate in their SIP/DIP as research indicates SEL and

positive school climate improve academic achievement.

Connection to Content State Standards (College and Career Readiness)

MDE adopted Content Standards (CS) in 2010, with full implementation by the

2014-15 school year. These new rigorous learning expectations will allow students

to be college and/or career ready when graduating from high school. While there

are explicit connections between SEL and the Connection to Content State

Standards (including collaboration skills and skills for speaking and listening), CS

implicitly assume that students have age appropriate social and emotional

competence. For example, CS assume that students have the emotional self-

awareness and self-management skills needed to cope with anxiety and stress to

pay attention and focus on an academic task. Similarly, CS assume students have

goal setting, planning, self-regulation, and responsible decision-making skills to

organize and complete academic tasks. Thus, SEL is implicit throughout CS and

builds necessary skills to effectively achieve CS. Further CS, along with SEL

competencies, allow schools to focus on the whole child, not just the academic

expectations by helping students to develop the interpersonal skills needed to

successfully accomplish learning expectations and be prepared to positively

contribute to society. MDE has provided a crosswalk in the Implementation Guide

Appendices to demonstrate the alignment between these two entities.

Connections to School and Classroom Environment

Research indicates that school staff, from administrators to teachers, spend

numerous hours addressing student behavior and classroom management issues

(Jensen, 2009). Integrating SEL competencies and expectations into the school

environment has demonstrated a decrease in problem behaviors/behavior referrals

and an increase in prosocial behaviors and academic achievement (CASEL, 2007).

When students learn how to manage their emotions and social interactions in

desirable ways, the education setting feels safer and engaging, teachers are able

to teach, and students are able to learn and develop to their potential. Students

thrive academically when they have warm, nurturing relationships with teachers

and positive, respectful relationships with peers. Teaching practices and programs

that support social and emotional development have been identified and included

in the strategies sections that follow. MDE has developed and offers guidelines for

creating positive classroom learning environments and school climate. For

resources involving school climate efforts, visit michigan.gov/schoolclimate.

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Michigan Department of Education

Guidelines to General Teaching Practices to Support SEL

Although many teacher preparation programs address basic principles for classroom

management and general teaching practices, there is a need for additional skills for

teachers and school staff to help students gain social emotional skills. Effective

instruction in SEL has four key features that have been described using the

acronym “SAFE” by Durlak and his colleagues (2011). First, successful education in

SEL is “Sequenced” in a way that supports development and mastery of new skills.

It meets students where they are and draws out their authentic voice and

experience. Second, teaching in SEL incorporates “Active” learning. For example,

education in SEL often relies on a variety of interactive teaching techniques,

including discussion, brainstorming, skill demonstration, coaching, rehearsal, and

role plays. Third, instruction in SEL is “Focused” on the five core competencies.

Fourth, effective instruction in SEL is “Explicit.” Explicit instruction includes

modeling (I do it), guided practice (We do it), and independent practice with

feedback (You do it).

SEL instruction is most effective when it takes place in a learning environment that

is inclusive. Effective SEL programs work to build positive relationships between

students and their teachers and peers. Since 2008, MDE has offered various

buildings, districts, and Intermediate School Districts professional development

around school mental health strategies for teachers, including SEL. Teachers

understand the importance of incorporating practices that engage the student and

allow the youth to gain the most out of a relevant learning experience. MDE has

identified the resources below to support high quality teaching practices to support

social and emotional development:

• The GTL Center identified ten teaching practices that promote SEL to help

students develop their SEL skills, as well as apply their SEL skills within the

classroom (gtlcenter.org/sel-school).

• The GTL Center identified a process to align the ten teaching practices that

promote SEL with teacher observation rubrics used within educator

evaluation systems (gtlcenter.org/technical-assistance/professional-learning-

modules/social-and-emotional-learning-daily-life-classrooms).

Teacher Social and Emotional Competencies: Along with the practices

teachers implement in their classrooms, teachers’ own social and

emotional skills influence how they respond to their students and develop

relationships. Being mindful of both student and teacher social and

emotional competencies is crucial for effective implementation of SEL and

its related practices.

Connection to Special Education

The intent of MDE’s Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning

(SEL) Competencies and Indicators is to serve as a resource for educators on

typical SEL milestones found collectively for specified age ranges of children across

core competencies. Children with or without disabilities may meet or not meet

described milestones based on many factors. This tool is not intended to facilitate

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 8

Michigan Department of Education

screening, assessment, or eligibility for special education services, or to serve as a

curriculum to monitor SEL achievement for children or young adults with

disabilities. While this document may be used as a reference, any child or young

adult must meet the eligibility standards in the Michigan Administrative Rules for

Special Education in order to be determined a student with a disability.

Connection to Out-of-School Time Learning

The Michigan Out-of-School Time (MOST) Standards of Quality were created to assist

Out-of-School-Time (OST) programs to develop high quality, comprehensive OST

learning for all students in grades K-12. MOST standards are written for staff,

addressing how staff are to function in order to bring about program quality. The

MOST Human Relationships component leans heavily on the staff/student

relationship and how staff promote a positive and safe learning environment with an

emphasis on environmental safety and student behavior management. Since SEL

emphasizes the learner as a whole, safety and behavior are viewed as components of

this more complete SEL approach. Applying SEL competencies to OST learning would

serve to supplement (not replace) the positive learning environment advocated by

the MOST standards. Thus, OST programs can apply the same “Guidelines to General

Teaching Practices” referenced above to OST Teaching Practices as well. It should

also be noted that MOST aligns its programming standards with the Michigan State

Board of Education Policy on Quality Character Education. Instructors can be

confident that, like MOST, SEL competencies fully align with this SBE Policy.

Cultural Connections

Preparing students for the global future requires that students learn to interact with

others in a constructive, productive, positive, and respectful way. Further, academic,

social, and emotional learning promotes equity and is also culturally and linguistically

appropriate. It is not realistic in our heterogeneous and highly diverse communities to

create standards that are culturally specific to every possible population within our

schools or communities. However, MDE was deliberate in the development of these

competencies and indicators to be ever mindful of the importance that education be

culturally sensitive to students present in each classroom. MDE will develop guidelines

to support schools in this process of developing instruction that is culturally sensitive

to the broadest possible spectrum of students. Input from schools on the types of

guidelines and resources that would support them to ensure that education is

culturally sensitive and linguistically relevant and appropriate for students is welcome.

Educators are encouraged to continually seek out opportunities to learn about the

cultures and background of the students they teach, and to affirm each child’s unique

background in order to teach in a way that is culturally and linguistically sensitive and

appropriate for all students present in each school. The intention is that all youth in

Michigan are treated respectfully regardless of their differences.

The competencies and strategies included in this document will ultimately vary

based on one’s culture, background, and experience.

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Michigan Department of Education

Equity Considerations

Educational equity is when educational practices, policies, curricula, resources, and

school cultures are representative of, constructed by, and responsive to all

students, such that each student has access to, participates and makes progress in

high-quality learning experiences, resulting in positive outcomes regardless of

individual characteristics and cultural identities (Frasier, 2008; GLEC, 2012). It is

important that access, representation, meaningful participation, and outcomes are

considered in the implementation of SEL instruction. To this end, the following

questions should be addressed:

1) Do all students have access to quality SEL instruction that is culturally

responsive?

2) Do educators utilize SEL instructional materials that are representative of all

students, particularly historically under-represented students?

3) Are students’ experiences, social and emotional strengths, and needs

recognized and valued?

4) Are there clear connections made between SEL practices and students’ ability

to meaningfully participate in quality core academic learning?

5) Are authentic educator and family/community partnerships cultivated to

ensure SEL activities are culturally relevant?

6) How will SEL instruction be monitored to ensure positive outcomes for all

students and to prevent unintended negative consequences from

disproportionately affecting students along racial, ethnic, and economic lines

or based on gender expression or disability?

Additional Resources

Competencies are more likely to successfully impact educational practice when they

provide tools that support high-quality implementation, including evidence-based

programs, assessment, and professional development. MDE has provided specific

guidelines to support each of these in the companion Implementation Guide.

Additional resources are identified:

▪

A Guide for Families with Children Birth-8 years; Social and Emotional Health

(Michigan Department of Health and Human Services).

▪

National Association for School Boards of Education- Practice to Policy-Social

Emotional Learning (Oct, 2013).

▪

Aligning Preschool through High School Social and Emotional Learning

Standards: A Critical and Doable Next Step (Zinsser, Weissberg, Dusenbury)

(Nov, 2013).

▪

Dusenbury, L., Zadrazil, J., Weissberg, R. P., Goren, P., Domitrovich, C., &

Mart, A. (2015). Developing a blueprint for education in social and emotional

learning, preschool through high school: The case for state learning standards.

In J. A. Durlak, C. E. Domitrovich, R. P. Weissberg, & T. P. Gullotta (Eds.),

Handbook on social and emotional learning: Research and practice. New York:

Guilford.

▪

Evidence-Based Programs. See CASEL example of evidence-based programs,

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017    10 
Michigan Department of Education 
preschool through high school: casel.org/guide. 
▪
  Assessment: For preschool and elementary school measures of SEL, see the 
CASEL Compendium of assessment measures at 
http://www.casel.org/library/?tag=Preschool. For middle school measures, see 
the Raikes Foundation Report on Social Emotional Learning Assessment 
Measures at http://www.raikesfoundation.org/blog/posts/celebrating-quality-
2015-bridge-conference.  
▪
  Teacher self-assessment of their own social and emotional competencies and 
teaching practices that promote SEL, see the GTL Center’ SEL School 
gtlcenter.org/sel-school. 
▪
  Michigan Model for Health®. A crosswalk between the SEL lessons in the 
Michigan Model and these SEL competencies is available upon request. 
▪
  School Mental Health information and resources can be found at 
michigan.gov/schoolmentalhealthtoolkit.  
▪
  Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health (MAIMH). 
▪
  Center on Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) 
csefel.vanderbilt.edu/. 
▪
  SEL-Ted, Cultural Resliliency & Equity Massachusetts Consortium for SEL in 
Teacher Education http://www.seltedconsortium.com/sel-ted-cultural-
resilience--equity.html.  
   

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Michigan Department of Education

Self-Awareness

Rationale: “Self-Awareness is the keystone of emotional intelligence.” (Goleman,

1995). It is imperative that students possess the skills to be aware of their

emotions and how they are communicated, verbally or through their actions. It is

the hope that children/students learn to respectively express themselves.

1A. Children/Students demonstrate an awareness of their emotions

Benchmarks

Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

Increasing awareness,

understanding, and appreciation

of their bodies and how they

function

▪

A growing capacity to tolerate

and enjoy a moderate degree of

change, surprises, uncertainty,

and potentially puzzling events

▪

An increasing ability to identify

their own emotional responses

and those of others

▪

Caregivers observe and respond

promptly to signals of distress,

hunger, and tiredness

▪

Opportunities are provided for

toddlers to be independent and

make choices knowing that

comfort, emotional security, and

familiar caregivers are available

▪

Caregivers accept and support

expression and resolution of a

wide range of feelings and

emotions from toddlers

Pre-K

▪

Show an emerging sense of

self

▪

Continue to develop

personal preferences

▪

Identify a variety of feelings

and moods in themselves

▪

Validate children’s feelings,

recognizing that each child

responds differently

▪

Model pro-social behaviors

▪

Recognize children’s efforts to

manage strong emotions

▪

Model and engage children in

conversations about

awareness of their emotions

▪

Have students match feeling

words with their facial

expressions

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Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Recognize and label their

emotions/feelings

▪

Describe their emotions and

the situations that cause

them (triggers)

▪

Students identify from pictures

the one(s) that depict(s) the

emotions they are feeling or

make a poster or draw a

picture that depicts how they

are feeling

▪

Discuss where the emotions are

physically experienced

▪

Students role-play and discuss

situations that might trigger

emotions

▪

Provide alternate symbols that

could represent emotions

(colors, weather patterns,

musical cords); have students

identify which emotions they

represent and why

▪

Read stories (e.g., Jamie Lee

Curtis books, i.e. Today I Feel

Silly & Other Moods that Make

My Day) with children to

discover the words or phrases

the authors used to describe

ideas or feelings they are

trying to express

3-5

▪

Recognize intensity levels

of their emotions

▪

Recognize how emotion can

change

▪

Recognize how thoughts are

linked with emotions and

emotions are linked to

behavior

▪

Describe ways emotions

impact their behavior(s)

▪

Draw an ‘anger

thermometer’ and discuss

why they might move

along the thermometer

▪

Discuss physical responses as a

person moves higher on that

thermometer

▪

Students name the emotions

felt by characters in a story,

and discuss how they were

affected by those emotions

▪

Students discuss how they

might act differently

depending on their emotion,

e.g., if frustrated with an

assignment, they might stop

working on it for a break

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Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Recognize uncomfortable

emotions as indicators of

situations in need of attention

▪

Identify emotional states that

contribute to or detract from

their ability to problem solve

▪

Explain the possible

outcomes associated with

the different forms of

communicating their

emotions

▪

Design analogies about

emotions, e.g., emotions are

like the warning signals on a

car’s dashboard

▪

Discuss the objectivity of a

scientist and make

connections to when it’s useful

to show objectivity

▪

Look at ways in history that

various characters have

communicated their emotions

and discuss the results

9-10

▪

Distinguish their real feelings

from how others expect them

to feel

▪

Describe the external event or

thought that triggered an

emotion

▪

Listen to various types of

music and discuss the

emotion each type triggers

▪

Students do a stream of

consciousness writing project

and then discuss the decisions

students would make if they

did not self-monitor

11-12

▪

Describe how changing their

interpretation of an event can

alter how they feel about it

▪

Use self-reflection to make

sure the intensity of their

emotions is in line with the

situation

▪

Acknowledge emotions and

determine the appropriate

time and place to safely

process them

▪

Students write a personal

narrative discussing a time when

they reassessed an event and

felt completely differently at the

end

▪

Discuss historic events and

how misinterpretation

triggered a negative event

▪

Students write an advice

column letter giving advice on

how to understand emotions

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Michigan Department of Education

1B. Children/

Students demonstrate

awareness of their personal traits,

including their strengths and interests

Benchmarks

Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

Demonstrate confidence and

ability to express emotional

needs without fear

▪

Demonstrate confidence in and

an ability to express their ideas

▪

Develop the ability to express

their feelings and emotions in a

range of appropriate ways

▪

Encourage infants to feel

increasingly competent

▪

Listen to toddlers’ ideas,

preferences, and dislikes

▪

Respond positively to infants’

gestures, expressions, and

sounds

Pre-K

▪

Identify their own strengths

▪

Demonstrate positive feelings about

their own gender, race, ethnicity,

disability, national origin, language,

as well as community and/or family

cultural practices

▪

Demonstrate growing confidence in

expressing their feelings, needs,

and opinions

▪

Build a learning environment where

children feel physically, verbally,

emotionally, and intellectually safe

▪

Celebrate learning and build

confidence and resourcefulness

▪

Model sensitivity, sincerity, and

empathy with children and other

adults

▪

Respond respectfully and positively

– verbally, visually, and physically

to all children

▪

Demonstrate an appreciation and

valuing of difference

K-2

▪

Identify their likes and dislikes

▪

Describe things they do well or

the knowledge that they have

▪

Describe an activity/task in which

they may need help in order to

improve

▪

Students design an All About Me

book

▪

Students do “show and tell”

about a hobby or a skill

▪

Participate in a science

experiment that students would

have a difficult time doing on

their own, and have students

reflect on how the teacher

helped him or her

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Michigan Department of Education

3-5

▪ Describe their personal identities,

e.g., gender identity, race,

ethnicity, national origin,

disabilities, etc.

▪ Describe the personal traits they

possess that make them

successful members of their

classroom and school community

▪ Describe their growth areas,

prioritize the personal traits and

interests that they want to

develop and explore opportunities

to develop them

▪

Students analyze what it is

about school that is hard or

easy for them

▪

Students use the Identity

Wheel and discuss their

personal identities (see

attached)

▪

Students draw portraits of

themselves and label them with

skills they possess

▪

Students describe skills and

abilities that people in their ideal

profession possess

6-8

▪

Analyze how their personal

traits and temperaments

influence choices, successes,

and areas of growth

▪

Apply self-reflection techniques

to recognize their potential,

strengths, and growth areas

▪

Administer school-to-work

personality trait tests

▪

Students make a ‘curious cube.’

For each face of the cube, they

write a different side of their

personality, such as strengths,

potential, etc.

▪

Assign final projects that are

on their strengths

▪

Students reflect on how their

personal qualities influenced

their choice, and their success

of their assignment

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Michigan Department of Education

9-10

▪

Identify and embrace

characteristics about

themselves that they can and

cannot change

▪

Explore possible career and

volunteer opportunities based

on their identified interests and

strengths

▪

As a class, design a ‘movie set’

city street with different

storefronts. Each student

designs a storefront that shares

characteristics of themselves

that can and cannot be changed

▪

Students take part in a

computerized skills and

personalities assessment that

matches them to job and career

choices

11-12

▪ Identify the skills and credentials

required to enter a particular

profession of interest to them

and begin to prepare accordingly

▪ Demonstrate confidence based

on an accurate self-assessment

of strengths

▪ Analyze how their personal

qualities help them to contribute

to others

▪

Students do a comparative

essay at the end of a semester

describing which literary

character they are most like

▪

Students write a cover letter

that shares their strengths, but

matches those strengths to a

particular career or college

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 17

Michigan Department of Education

1C. Children/

Students demonstrate awareness of their external

supports

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

Trust that their social-

emotional needs will be

responded to

▪

Develops a trusting

relationship with nurturing

and responsive caregivers

▪

Have social relationships

and social concepts, e.g.,

friendship, authority, social

rules and understandings

▪

Infants are handled in a

gentle, confident, and

respectful way

▪

Unhurried time and

opportunity are provided for

the infant and familiar

caregivers

▪

Toddlers have opportunities to

help other children in the

group

▪

Caregivers talk to infants

about what other children are

doing and encourage the

infant’s interest in helping

other children

Pre-K

▪

Learn from and through

relationships and

interactions

▪

Demonstrate an increasing

sense of belonging and

awareness of their roles as

members of families,

classrooms, and

communities

▪

Begin to know when and

how to seek help from an

adult or peer

▪

Provide an environment

where children feel safe

expressing their feelings,

likes, fears, and excitement

K-2

▪

Identify at least one adult they

trust

▪

Identify situations they need

to seek help from an adult

(big problem/small problem)

▪

Recognize how and where

to get help in an emergency

situation

▪

Define trust and have students

list qualities of a person they

would trust

▪

Have students identify who or

where they can go for help

based on a particular need

▪

Display a list of available

resources on the wall or bulletin

board

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 18

Michigan Department of Education

3-5

▪

Recognize qualities of positive

role models in their lives

▪

Identify positive adults in

various facets of their lives

▪

Identify peer, home, and

school supports and/or

resources they can access to

help solve problems

▪

Students write a letter to a

role model telling why they

consider them to be their role

model

▪

Students visit school

resources, e.g. nurse,

counselor, mediators, etc. to

find out what services they

provide

6-8

▪

Identify positive peer/adult

support they can access

▪

Evaluate the benefits of

additional external supports

when they participate in extra-

curricular activities

▪

Recognize outside influences

on the development of their

personal traits and discern

whether those influences are

supportive or non-supportive

▪

Do a school scavenger hunt,

then discuss students’

experiences, such as asking for

help; link it to other life

situations

▪

Students do a public service

announcement advertising an

extra-curricular activity and

why people should join it

▪

Students make a collage

showing those things that have

influenced them

9-10

▪

Identify school support

personnel in their school and

adult role models in their

lives and know when and

how to use them

▪

Identify organizations in their

community that provide

opportunities to develop their

interests or talents

▪

Develop school posters that

advertise school support

personnel and the roles they

play

▪

Students make a community map

showing organizations that

provide support services

11-12

▪

Activate community

resources to help them

achieve their goals

▪

Access safety networks to

support self and others

▪

Assemble/create

constructive support

systems that contribute to

school and life success

▪

Students do an I-Search or

research project about what

community resources are

available and applicable in

specific situations

▪

Students write a letter to the

people in their support circle

explaining how those people

can and do help them

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 19

Michigan Department of Education

1D. Children/Students have a sense of personal responsibility

Benchmarks

Infant/Toddler

Strategies

▪ Emerging with increasing mastery

of self-help and self-care skills for

eating, drinking, toileting, resting,

sleeping, washing, and dressing

▪ An increasing sense of

independence and competence

during daily routines and

activities

▪ An increasing ability to self-

regulate their behavior

▪ Acceptable ways to assert their

independence

▪ Plenty of time is given for children

to practice their developing self-

help and self-care skills when

eating, drinking, toileting, resting,

washing, tooth brushing, and

dressing based on each child’s

developmental level

▪ Caregivers accept toddlers’

unique ways of doing things as

being part of their developing

sense of self

▪ Caregivers offer only genuine

choices to toddlers and respect

their decisions

▪ Caregivers support toddlers’

attempts to initiate social

interactions with other children

and staff

Pre-K

▪

Begin to organize projects

or play; make and carryout

plans

▪

Exhibit a growing capacity

to self-regulate,

demonstrate self-efficacy

and know acceptable

boundaries

▪

Show an increasing ability

to follow simple, clear, and

consistent directions and

rules

▪

Begin to take action to fix

their mistakes, solve

problems with materials and

resolve conflicts with others

▪

Create an environment

where children feel a sense

of belonging

▪

Provide an environment where

no person is mocked, belittled,

bullied, or ignored

▪

Plan opportunities and model

to help children learn to share

▪

Help children learn how friends

act towards each other

through books, stories, and

intentional activities

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 20

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Understand their responsibility

to meet schoolwide safety

expectations knowing it

promotes a safe and

productive environment

▪

Recognize that there are

positive and negative

consequences for their

choices and actions

▪

Use their own and/or other

people’s property responsibly

▪

Use picture cues to discuss

school-wide expectations and

practice what that would look

▪

Students participate in the

development of classroom rules

▪

Students predict outcomes for

characters in a story based on

their actions in the story

▪

Provide a “check-in” at the

beginning of the school day

and a “check-out” at the end;

students can reflect on the

choices they will make or did

make for the day

3-5

▪

Define what it means to be

responsible and can identify

things for which they are

responsible

▪

Explain the benefits of being

responsible

▪

Demonstrate ability to say “no”

to negative peer pressure

▪

Assign students class jobs

▪

Students write newspaper

articles about things they are

responsible for

▪

Demonstrate a responsible act

through a creative medium

(comic strip, video, poetry, song,

etc.)

▪

Provide a “check-in” about the

responsibilities students had

during the day, e.g., classroom

job, homework, etc.

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 21

Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Identify the areas of school

and life that are within their

control

▪

Analyze the short and long-

term outcomes of risky and

harmful behaviors on their

health and wellbeing

▪

Identify behaviors they can

choose to support their

health and wellbeing

▪

Explain the connection

between choice and

responsibility for the

consequences involved if

they engage in risky and

harmful behaviors

▪

Recognize, establish, and

adhere to their own personal

boundaries

▪

Students design a brochure

detailing safety issues and

procedures regarding

common scenarios and

behaviors

▪

Students write their own

‘report card’ where they

grade themselves on how

well they are following

through with their

responsibilities, adding

comments that defend the

grade

9-10

▪

Analyze the effect taking

responsibility or not can have on

themselves and others

▪

Describe how their taking

personal responsibility is linked

to being accountable for their

behavior and may have positive

or negative consequences

▪

Assign student planners where

students track their

responsibilities each week

▪

Students develop a timeline

that outlines the choices they

make and potential outcomes

for the choices

▪

Students interview an adult

whom they admire and find out

how that person feels about

their personal responsibilities

and success

11-12

▪

Analyze situations in their

lives; determine the level of

control they have in the

situations, then determine

appropriate choices or

decisions for them

▪

Describe knowledge and skills

they have and can use in their

role as a responsible citizen to

improve the community

▪

Students design a public

service announcement to

inform others of a way to

promote community wellness

▪

Imagine a world with no

responsibilities

▪

Students write a story

describing life in that world

▪

Participate in community

service

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 22

Michigan Department of Education

Self-Management

Rationale: An important foundational skill to possess is the ability to manage and

express your emotions constructively. This enables one to handle stress, control

impulses, and have the motivation to persevere in overcoming obstacles to goal

achievement.

2A. Children/Students identify and manage their emotions and behavior

constructively

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

An increasing ability to

identify their own emotional

responses and those of

others

▪

An increasing ability to self-

regulate their behavior

▪

Caregivers help toddlers

understand and accept necessary

limits without anxiety or fear

▪

Toddlers are helped to resolve

conflicts and move on to new

challenges

▪

Toddlers are given support in

dealing with conflict and

frustrations

▪

Caregivers help toddlers begin to

express and regulate their

feelings as appropriate to each

toddler’s development

Pre-K

▪

Grow in their capacity to

avoid harming themselves,

others, or things around

them when expressing

feelings, needs, and

opinions

▪

Manage reasonable

frustration

▪

Address stress in a

reasonable and age-

appropriate way

▪

Teach and encourage problem

solving and the use of conflict

resolution skills e.g., taking

turns, saying “I’m sorry”

▪

Consistently provide a signal

indicating upcoming transitions

▪

Incorporate patterned,

repetitive sensory input such

as music, dance, deep

breathing, or drumming into

classroom activities

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 23

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Utilizes techniques that allow

them to calm themselves

▪

Practice using words to share

their feelings about an

interaction or situation rather

than physically aggressively

expressing feelings

▪

Practice moving to a “calm down”

space in the room after a

triggering event

▪

Read Simon’s Hook or a similar

story and discuss the ways the

character was taught to deal with

triggers

▪

Show how a balloon deflates and

see if students can copy that in

their bodies for when they feel

stressed

▪

Role play stressful situations, and

how students should respond

▪

Teach children how to replace

“hot thoughts” with “cool

thoughts.” Hot thoughts are

immediate/impulsive. Cool

thoughts come after taking a

deep breath and waiting for a

moment to calm down

3-5

▪

Use self-monitoring

strategies such as self-talk

to regulate emotions

▪

Respond effectively to pressure

situations, e.g., walk away, seek

help or mediation

▪

Communicate their

perspective on triggering

behaviors or situations

using I-messages

▪

Express emotions in a

respectful manner

▪

As an adult, model self-talk

and then discuss how you

are using it

▪

Students write a story

showing positive choices;

be sure the story shows the

characters’ thoughts as they

are making the choices

▪

When students experience a

stressful situation, discuss

the different approaches

students used to handle the

situation

▪

Use fill-in-the-blank “I

messages” as a practice tool

▪

Incorporate stress

management techniques when

you notice that one or multiple

students need it (such as deep

breathing, stretching, yoga

movements, affirmations, and

calming mantras)

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 24

Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Apply strategies that help

them manage stressful

situations and persevere

toward successful

performance

▪

Reflect on possible consequences,

both positive and negative,

before expressing an emotion or

engaging in a particular behavior

▪

Evaluate the role attitude plays in

success i.e., pessimism vs.

optimism

▪

Discuss the strategies literary

characters used to handle their

stressors

▪

Have students discuss

hypothetical stressful situations

and ways they could manage

them

▪

Practice mental rehearsal/self-

talk strategies

▪

Teach children to use a cognitive

“brake” using the acronym SOLD

(S=stop what doing, O-observe

how doing, L-look if feeling

matches event, D-decide how to

behave)

9-10

▪

Analyze how thoughts and

emotions affect decision

making and responsible

behavior

▪

Practice strategies for

coping with and overcoming

feelings of rejection, social

isolation, and other forms of

stress

▪

Accept constructive

feedback in order to

improve

▪

Understand the effect of

self-monitoring strategies,

such as self-talk, on

emotions and

actions/behaviors

▪

Students watch or read

Outsiders and discuss the

results of the characters’

impulsive actions

▪

Trace the feet of students. On

each footprint, students write a

strategy for coping. Display as

“steps to overcoming”

▪

Have students share a work

product, in which they receive

constructive feedback from the

teacher and their peers; develop

next steps to improve

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 25

Michigan Department of Education

11-12

▪

Demonstrate ability to

reframe difficult situations

into opportunities that

promote resiliency and

optimism

▪

Incorporate personal

management skills i.e.,

time management,

organization skills, on a

daily basis

▪

Evaluate how expressing

one’s emotions in different

situations might affect

others

▪

Evaluate how expressing

more positive attitudes

might influence others

▪

Demonstrate in a science

class or in a math problem

ways to reframe a

problem; compare to ways

to reframe life problems

▪

Read scenarios that would

cause an emotional

reaction; each student

should write a “good,”

“bad,” and “ugly” response

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 26

Michigan Department of Education

2B. Children/Students demonstrate honesty and integrity

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

Comfort in expressing their

fears openly with trust that

their fears will be taken

seriously

▪

Understanding of pro-social

value of honesty and

truthfulness to the extent

their construction and

perception of reality permits

▪

A growing sense that they

are valued and that their

presence and activities gain

positive responses from

others

▪

Toddlers are encouraged to

communicate their needs

and wants, using positive

communication skills, such

as emergent language,

picture cards, and pointing,

sign language, and without

the use of such behaviors

as biting or hitting

▪

Toddlers are encouraged to

do things in their own

particular way when this is

appropriate

Pre-K

▪

Showing increasing respect

for the rights of others

▪

Understanding the pro-

social value of honesty and

truthfulness to the extent

their perception of reality

permits it

▪

Create opportunities where

children can safely express

their feelings, i.e. during

group play time, during

learning time

▪

Plan intentional teaching of

social skills, i.e. during

lunch time, during play time

K-2

▪

Describe a situation when they

could have lied but they told the

truth

▪

Shares reasons why they follow

classroom/school rules (their own

safety, the safety of others,

reducing chance of damaging

property, etc.)

▪

Describe the differences

and consequences/benefits

in lying and truth telling

▪

Students do a puppet show

or write a story about a

child not telling the truth

▪

Students help in the

development of classroom

procedures and

consequences

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 27

Michigan Department of Education

3-5

▪

Tell the truth in a difficult

situation, while honoring

personal boundaries

▪

Follow through on their

commitments

▪

Students role-play

scenarios where telling the

truth would be hard and

discuss strategies and

reasons why they would

want to tell the truth

anyway

▪

Identify historical

characters whose integrity

improved a situation

6-8

▪

Understand the benefits of

honesty to building and

sustaining healthy

relationships

▪

Understand the benefits of

having personal integrity for

life success

▪

Read a story (for example

The Chocolate War) and

discuss the character’s

response to peer pressure.

Students compare how they

would respond

▪

Students write about a time

when it would have been

easy to lie, but they chose

to be honest instead

▪

Bring in successful

community members to

discuss the importance of

integrity for their personal

success

9-10

▪

Analyze their behavior to

determine whether or not they

are being authentic/true to self

▪

Analyze whether they are

behaving with integrity and

adjust accordingly

▪

Students write a proposal for a

TV program about them. If

cameras follow them around,

will they see authentic

behaviors

▪

Students keep track of their

activities for one week. Looking

at the list, highlight all

behaviors that were done with

honest actions and motives

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 28

Michigan Department of Education

11-12

▪

Show honesty/integrity in their

behaviors

▪

Understands and evaluates the

correlation between their words

and their actions (walk the talk)

▪

Teachers model authentic

behaviors

▪

Offer real-life scenarios and ask

students what they would do in

those tough situations

▪

Identify common mantras, have

students decide if they believe in

them. If so, how do their actions

represent those mantras

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 29

Michigan Department of Education

2C. Children/Students set, monitor, adapt, and evaluate goals to achieve

success in school and life

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

An increasing capacity to

pay attention, focus,

concentrate, and be

involved

▪

An increasing ability to play

an active part in the day to

day activities in the

program

▪

Begin to understand the

reasons for boundaries and

expectations

▪

The ability to carry out and

follow through on simple

tasks that help themselves

or others

▪

A sense of being able to

make something happen

that matters to them and to

others

▪

Toddlers to take part in

small group activities, e.g.,

at the water table or the art

table

▪

Toddlers have opportunities

for active exploration with

the support, but not the

interference, of caregivers

▪

Toddlers are encouraged to

contribute to small-group

happenings e.g., joining in

the dance, bringing chairs

around the table for snack

time

▪

Use visual task cards

(pictures or line drawings)

that show each step in a

task

Pre-K

▪

Approach tasks and

activities with increased

flexibility, imagination

inventiveness, and

confidence

▪

Demonstrate increasing

ability to set goals and to

develop and follow through

on plans

▪

Demonstrate a reasonable

self-perception of

confidence; can make

choices and explain

discoveries

▪

Grow in their ability to

follow simple, clear, and

consistent directions and

rules

▪

Provide multiple and varied

opportunities for children to

explain their thinking

process

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to be involved in

the care and routines of

their classroom, to fix their

mistakes, solve problems,

and develop confidence and

a sense of responsibility

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to learn decision-

making skills and build self-

confidence and self-control

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 30

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Identify a short-term goal (wish,

dream)

▪

Determine whether the goal is

under their control or someone

else’s control

▪

Identify and take steps

needed to accomplish a

short-term goal

▪

Identify people who can

support them in reaching

their short-term goal

▪

Students write or draw their

own “I have a dream”

▪

Do a classroom collage; one

side is a celebration of

something they’ve

accomplished, the other is

something they are working

to accomplish

▪

Describe and celebrate

something they have

accomplished

▪

Encourage children to set a

social and/or academic goal

(for a specific activity, for

the day, or week) and keep

the goal at their desk

3-5

▪

Distinguish between long term

and short term goals

▪

Describe why learning is

important in achieving

personal goals

▪

Evaluate the action steps taken

to accomplish a goal and identify

what, if anything, they could

have done differently to

facilitate that

▪

Identify resources that help

them achieve their goals,

i.e., home, school, and

community support

▪

Students write a dialogue

between a teacher and a

reluctant student, explaining

why school is important

▪

Review a sport or activity

students participate in – have

them discuss long term goal

versus daily goals of practice

▪

At the end of a project, students

think of one thing they could

have done differently to make

the project even more

successful

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 31

Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Analyze factors that lead to

goal achievement (for

example, managing time,

adequate resources,

confidence)

▪

Describe the effect personal

habits (both positive and

negative) have on school and

personal goals. Discuss ideas

about how to shift negative

habits to more supportive habits

▪

Describe and evaluate action

steps for achieving short-term

and long-term goals, utilizing

institutional, community, and

external supports

▪

Show a video or read a story

where the main character makes

poor social choices (for example

The Girls) and have students

determine what they would do

differently for themselves

▪

Students complete a daily

planner and reflect on what they

do that helps them accomplish

goals

▪

Students develop a future

timeline identifying choice points

and obstacles in accomplishing

their goals

9-10

▪

Identify academic goals and self-

monitoring strategies

▪

Identify outside resources that

can help in achieving a goal

▪

Demonstrate an

understanding that goal

setting promotes life-long

success

▪

Determine the role of

practice in gaining skills and

goal achievement

▪

Students write a reflection

paper on their strengths and

weaknesses as they are

working toward a goal,

including suggestions for

improvements

▪

Students create weekly sub-

goals connected to their

authentic interests, monitoring

progress over time

▪

Students interview people they

feel could help them meet a

goal to learn from

11-12

▪

Analyze the effect personal

tendencies have on goal

achievement (for example,

integrity, prioritizing,

managing time, adequate

resources)

▪

Set a post-secondary goal

with action steps,

timeframes, and criteria for

evaluating achievement

▪

Monitor progress toward

achieving a goal, make

adjustments in plan as

needed

▪

Students ‘map’ out steps to

reach their post-secondary

goals. For each step, write

criteria to determine when they

can successfully move to the

next step

▪

Discuss how professionals

working within a particular

subject area use goal setting

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 32

Michigan Department of Education

Social Awareness

Rationale: “Today’s youth are growing up in a multicultural world that requires

them to have knowledge and skills to question, problem solve, listen to diverse

perspectives, make decisions and act as socially responsible participants in our

democracy.” (Patti and Tobin, 2003) Social awareness is the first step in acquiring

that knowledge and those skills.

3A. Children/Students demonstrate awareness of other people’s emotions

and perspectives

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

• Emerging capacities for caring

and cooperation

• Empathy, understanding, and

awareness of others’ feelings;

make comforting and accepting

gestures to peers and others in

distress

• Emerging concern for other

children who may be excluded

from activities because they are

different

• Positive and accepting attitudes

toward people of a variety of

backgrounds/characteristics

• Toddlers are involved in one-to-

one interactions that are intimate

and sociable

• Toddlers are encouraged and

supported to do things for

themselves (clean up after snack

time, get own belongings

together, clean up)

• The program encourages care

practices that are culturally

respectful and appropriate in

relation to feeding, sleeping,

toileting, clothing, and washing

• Opportunity to share by showing

interest in and awareness of the

feelings of others

Pre-K

• Show increasing respect for the

rights of others

• Demonstrate the ability to care;

can respond with sensitivity or

sincerity, later empathy

• Identify a variety of feelings and

moods in others

• Increase their capacity to take

another’s perspective

• Create a positive environment

where children are kind to each

other in actions and words

• Teach and encourage problem

solving and the use of conflict

resolution skills

• Provide opportunities to help

children learn how friends act

towards each other through

books, stories, intentional

activities and the reinforcement

and recognition of positive efforts

and role models

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 33

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

• Uses listening and attention skills

to identify the feelings and

perspectives of others (face,

body, voice)

• Recognize that words and actions

can hurt others

• Students play a game of ‘Feelings

Charades’

• Students brainstorm a list of

behaviors they feel would hurt

others

• Have students, in pairs, discuss a

classroom event, e.g., an

assignment, a classroom game,

from their own perspective.

Compare and contrast each

classmate’s perspective

3-5

• Predict how their own behavior

affects the emotions of others

• Define and understand

perspective/point of view

• Use listening skills to identify the

feelings/ perspectives of others

• Recognize how words and actions

can hurt others in different ways

• Read the first half of a story.

After one character’s actions,

students predict how the other

characters will feel

• Tell a story from a completely

different perspective and discuss

• Give teams a list of emotions.

They must design skits showing

all of the emotions. The opposite

team tries to guess what was on

their list

6-8

• Analyze ways their behavior may

affect the feelings of others and

adjust accordingly

• Provide support and

encouragement to others in need

• Accept and show respect for

other people’s opinions

• Students write alternate endings

to stories through changing the

behavior of one character

• Hold class meetings where

students are given the

opportunity to support one

another

• On the outside of a paper bag,

students make a collage of how

they think others feel about an

issue, on the inside they put

pictures/words of how they feel

about that issue

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 34

Michigan Department of Education

9-10

• Identify verbal, physical, and

situational cues that indicate how

others may feel

• Use conversational skills to

understand the perspective of

others

• Understand that others hold

different opinions

• Demonstrate ways to express

empathy for others

• Discuss a time in literature when

the character reacted or felt

differently than the reader

thought they would

• Students play a version of

‘Freeze’ where words can’t be

used, but in order to successfully

freeze a player and get into the

scene, the audience member

must guess the original

character’s portrayed feelings

• Do pair-shares where one student

must tell their partner’s

perspective on an issue

• Hold formal debates where the

winners are those who showed

the most respect

11-12

• Differentiate between the factual

and emotional content of what a

person says

• Express empathy towards others

• Value and learn from the

perspectives of others

• Students view three different

news reports and note the

perspectives each report brings

to the same story

• Students get involved in a

community giving situation where

they help others

• Do Socratic method seminars and

have students write reflection

papers about how their

viewpoints changed when

listening to others

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 35

Michigan Department of Education

3B. Children/Students demonstrate consideration for others and a desire

to positively contribute to the school and community

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

The ability to interact with

an increasing number of

significant people in their

lives, beyond their families

and primary caregivers

▪

The ability to carry out or

follow through on simple

tasks that help or benefit

themselves or others

▪

A positive sense about their

participation in their

program, family or

community

▪

A growing sense of

connection and consistency

across their home, program

and community

▪

The program includes short

walks to see other people

and other places; toddlers

have regular small outing

around the neighborhood

▪

Opportunities are arranged

for families to meet each

other and the infants and

toddlers in the program

setting, e.g., breakfast, a

shared lunch, a picnic

Pre-K

▪

Participate successfully as a

group member

▪

Demonstrate an increasing

sense of belonging and

awareness of their role as a

member of a family,

classroom, and community

▪

Increase understanding of

the relationship between

people and their

environment and begin to

recognize the importance of

taking care of the resources

in the environment

▪

Show increasing respect for

the rights of others

▪

Grow in their ability to

follow simple, clear and

consistent directions and

rules

▪

Provide activities that allow

children to develop and

keep friendships

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to be involved in

the care and routines of

their classroom, to fix their

mistakes, solve problems,

and develop confidence and

sense of responsibility

▪

Provide opportunities and

positive reinforcement to

children to realize the small

things they do can make a

difference in their

classroom, at home, and in

the larger community

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 36

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Recognize and name how

they can help others within

their school, home, and

community

▪

Identify how they help others

and how they feel about

helping, e.g. feed the dog,

share, clean-up when asked

▪

Express how they feel about

helping others

▪

Students create a collage of

daily personal and family

activities and circle examples of

when they or others are helping

▪

Give class jobs and have

discussion around how they are

helpful for the group

3-5

▪

Share reasons for helping

others

▪

Identify roles they have that

contribute to their school,

home, and neighboring

community

▪

Work together with peers to

address a need

▪

Students trace each other’s

hands and write a role they

have or a quality they

learned about helping;

display around the room as

the ‘helping hands’

▪

Adopt a community service

project

▪

Play small group games that

involve cooperating and

problem solving with others

to complete a task

▪

Have a group of students

act out a skit. Have

remaining students stand in

different parts of the room

during the skit. Have them

rotate to watch the skit

again. Help children notice

what they perceive

differently by standing in

different parts of the room

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 37

Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Explain how their decisions and

behaviors affect the well-being

of their school and community

▪

Explore a community or global

need and generate possible

solutions

▪

Engage in social critique and

make decisions that will lead to

social change

▪

Students draw an “Impact web”

of how their actions could

potentially affect others, or how a

historical figure's actions affected

society

▪

Students look at global needs and

discuss what they would do to

help if they were president of the

U.S.A.

9-10

▪

Work cooperatively with others

to implement a strategy to

address a need in the broader

community

▪

Evaluate the impact of an

activity they were involved

with that improved their

school or community

▪

Participate in a research

project to determine

community need

▪

Students participate in a

community service project

to address that need and

then follow through with the

story by seeing how their

contribution made an

impact. Write a follow up

article discussing this

impact and evaluating what

they would do the same or

what they could do

differently

11-12

▪

Participate in activities that

show they are agents for

positive change within their

community

▪

Discuss and understand the

process of norm setting

▪

Analyze their responsibilities

as involved citizens of their

school community and

beyond

▪

Review the Youth Risk

Behavior Survey data for

adolescents. Identify a

pertinent issue and discuss

strategies students could

use to address the issue

▪

Students get involved in the

Youth Vote

▪

Identify an issue pertinent

to the community and write

a persuasive letter to a

leader to request assistance

in meeting the need

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 38

Michigan Department of Education

3C. Children/Students demonstrate an awareness of different cultures and

a respect for human dignity

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

An understanding that

routines, family customs,

and regular events can

differ from their home and

other settings

▪

Interest and pleasure in

discovering new

environments where the

people, images, objects,

languages, sounds, smells,

and tastes are sometimes

different from those at

home

▪

Positive and accepting

attitudes toward people of a

variety of backgrounds/

characteristics, e.g., race,

ethnicity, physical

characteristics, language

spoken or signed, economic

background

▪

Opportunities are arranged

for families to meet each

other and the infants and

toddlers in the program

setting, e.g., breakfast, a

shared lunch, a picnic

▪

Caregivers respect, support,

and enjoy the variety of ways

that infants sense, interact

with, and respond to the

environment

▪

Each child’s culture is included

in the program on a

continuous basis through

song, language, pictures,

playthings, and dance

Pre-K

▪

Recognize respectfully the

similarities and differences

in people

▪

Show an increasing capacity

to take into account

another’s perspective

▪

Show increasing respect for

the rights of others

▪

Recognize and respect

similarities and differences

in people (gender

expression, family, race,

culture, language)

▪

Include children in the

development of rules for the

classroom and outside that

are reflective of them and

their language

▪

Create opportunities for

discussion of children’s

rights and responsibilities

and the rights of others

▪

Regularly initiate positive

communications and

positive interpersonal

interactions with children

and peers

▪

Foster empathy and

understanding by reading or

telling stories about others

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 39

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Describe ways that people

are similar and different

▪

Name positive qualities in people

that cross all cultures and groups

▪

Students do a ‘show and tell’

about a family tradition

▪

Teach very basic Venn diagrams

using human qualities

▪

Ask students to write a list of

traits that they have, then go

around the room comparing traits

with their classmates

3-5

▪

Identify contributions of

various social and cultural

groups

▪

Recognize that people from

different cultural and social

groups share many things in

common and identify

similarities/differences

▪

Define stereotyping,

discrimination, and

prejudice

▪

Teach folksongs and discuss

their meaning

▪

Prepare a food that has

cultural significance and

share it with the class

▪

Distribute magazines that

reflect different cultural

interests. Students work in

small groups to look for

commonalities

▪

Identify the benefits and

disadvantages of pre-

judging people and

situations

6-8

▪

Analyze how people of different

groups can help one another

and enjoy each other’s company

▪

Explain how individual,

social, and cultural

differences may increase

vulnerability to stereotyping

and identify ways to

address this

▪

Do an activity around the

“Flash Judgments” video

▪

Teach a unit on media

literacy and have students

analyze media for who is

being featured in

commercials, shows, etc.

and whether that is leading

to stereotyping

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 40

Michigan Department of Education

9-10

▪

Demonstrate respect for

individuals from different

social and cultural groups

▪

Participate in cross-cultural

activities and reflect on their

reaction/process their experience

to the setting they were in

▪

Students design and participate

in a mini Olympics competition.

Include activities with clear

cultural backgrounds and give the

history of those activities

▪

Students review newspapers for

announcements of upcoming

events. Cut them out for a poster

of cultural activities

11-12

▪

Reflect on strategies used for

being respectful of others and

opposing stereotyping and

prejudice

▪

Evaluate how advocacy for the

rights of others contributes to

the common good

▪

Students read current event

articles about prejudice and

evaluate the response of the

community giving suggestions

for improvement where

appropriate

▪

Students select a topic of

interest or concern in the local

community and compare this

to concerns on the national

level, considering community

reaction and involvement

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 41

Michigan Department of Education

3D. Children/Students can read social cues and respond constructively

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

A recognition that the

setting has reasonable

boundaries and

expectations for behavior

▪

Communication skills for

increasingly complex

purposes, e.g., expressing

and asking others about

intentions, expressing

feelings and attitudes,

negotiating, predicting,

planning, reasoning,

guessing, storytelling

▪

A sense of “who they are,”

their place in the wider

world of relationships, and

the ways in which these are

appreciated

▪

Responsive and reciprocal

communication skills such

as turn taking

▪

Meaningful and, where

possible, authentic contexts

are provided for toddlers’

play and work, e.g., brooms

are used to sweep, water is

used for cleaning walls,

bowls are used for serving

and mixing

▪

Toddlers have opportunities

and are encouraged to help

other children in the group

▪

The program encourages

care practices that are

culturally respectful and

appropriate in relation to

feeding, sleeping, toileting,

clothing, and washing

▪

Caregivers talk positively

with toddlers about

differences in people,

places, things, and events

Pre-K

▪

Make connections with

situations or events, people

or stories

▪

Contribute individual

strengths, imagination or

interests to a group

▪

Extend offers of help to

peers or adults, to help

them feel that they belong

to the group

▪

Can adapt to different

environments

▪

Create an environment

where children have an

opportunity to learn how to

negotiate, participate, and

communicate in a variety of

situations

▪

Establish positive and

nurturing relationships with

children and guide them in

positive relationships with

peers and adults

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 42

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪ Understand the importance of

and demonstrate respect for

personal space

▪

Appropriately engage in play

with others, i.e. introduce self,

ask permission, join in, and

invite others to join in

▪

Wait their turn, observe the

situation, and know when it’s

appropriate to respond

▪

Use puppets to go over rules like

personal space, respecting others

property, etc.

▪

Students tell what activities

they did on the playground and

rate their behavior during those

activities

▪

Praise students for positive

interactions

▪

Use skills-streaming exercises to

teach kids the steps involved in

‘joining in’

3-5

▪

Describe tone and how it is

used to communicate to others

▪

Describe the impact of body

language and facial expressions

in communication

▪

Develop awareness that social

cues may be different among

various groups

▪

Students identify the verbal

and nonverbal cues that

make a teacher-told story

interesting. Discuss how

different classmates might

tell the story differently

▪

Students are given a list of

simple tasks they must

complete. In pairs, they

must get their partner to

complete that task using

only nonverbal

communication

6-8

▪

Observe social situations and

respectfully respond in a

culturally sensitive way, e.g.

school dance, peer pressure

situations, cliques, public

speaking

▪

Recognize and maintain

personal boundaries of

others (friends, family

members, and teachers)

▪

Demonstrate how your

personal boundaries affect

interactions with others

▪

Students write a ‘how to’

list describing to a

newcomer the appropriate

behavior in various

situations

▪

Discuss the importance of

land boundaries in world

politics. Apply that logic to

personal boundaries. Why is

it important to honor those?

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 43

Michigan Department of Education

9-10

▪

Evaluate how societal and

cultural norms have an effect

on personal interactions

▪

Able to read social cues and

evaluate own reaction to

them

▪

One student is “It” and

must leave the room while

the class designs a list of

social norms. The student

returns and must use the

groups’ social cues to

determine ‘proper’ behavior

11-12

▪

Recognize and respond to

social cues in an

appropriate manner

▪

Recognize that social cues

differ depending upon the

setting one is in

▪

Students role-play interview

situations where they must

respond to the social cues

of the interviewer

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 44

Michigan Department of Education

Relationship Skills

Rationale: Developing relationship skills enables people to communicate, to teach

and learn, share ideas and feelings, address needs and solve conflicts. Providing

relationship skill building opportunities to youth will enable them to develop healthy

relationships and contribute to their community in helpful ways.

4A. Children/Students use positive communication and social skills to

interact effectively with others

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

The ability to respond and

engage in developmentally

appropriate reciprocal

interactions

▪

Emerging skills in caring

and cooperation;

demonstrate ‘friendship

skills,’- playing

harmoniously with their

peers through cooperation

and participate in the give

and take of ideas

▪ Older infants are

encouraged to name

objects and people in their

environment

▪ Many opportunities are

provided for self-selected

small-group activities, e.g.,

action songs, listening to

stories, exploring novel

materials together, going

for a walk

Pre-K

▪

Successfully develop and keep

friendships

▪

Use positive communication and

behaviors

▪

Show progress in developing

and keeping friendships

▪

Resolve conflicts respectfully

with the help of supportive

adults

▪

Teach through story-telling

and role playing what is fair

and acceptable behavior

and communication in the

classroom

▪

Model pro-social behaviors

▪

Provide opportunities for

each child’s ability to state

their own ideas and

opinions appropriately

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 45

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Pay attention to others

when they are speaking

▪

Demonstrate the use of verbal

etiquette (use please, thank you,

excuse me, etc.)

▪

Take turns and share with

others

▪

Effectively and

appropriately communicate

needs, wants, and ideas in

a respectful manner

▪

Divide class into two teams.

Read directions to the teams

one time and have the teams

follow the directions,

practicing listening

▪

Play a game of Simon Says, in

which students notice who is

not following directions when

they are speaking

▪

Do a ‘word of the day’ and give

students prizes when they

genuinely use that word

▪

Categorize a list of needs

versus a list of wants

3-5

▪

Give and receive compliments

in a genuine manner

▪

Use attentive listening skills to

foster better communication

▪

Demonstrate good sportsmanship

▪

Demonstrate cooperative

behaviors in a group, e.g. listen,

encourage, acknowledge

opinions, compromise, reach

consensus

▪

Students design a flower, with

cut out petals. Classmates write

one compliment for that person

on their petal. When the petals

are all filled out, glue the flower

together and thank those who

added to it

▪

In groups, students build ‘towers’

using only the provided material.

After, discuss how they worked

as a group

6-8

▪

Practice reflective listening

▪

Demonstrate an ability to take

the necessary role, e.g., leader or

team player, to achieve group

goals

▪

Use understanding of how and

why others respond in a given

situation (assertive, passive, or

aggressive) in order to respond

respectfully and effectively to

others

▪

Have students perform

different roles in cooperative

groups, i.e. leader, recorder,

reporter, time-keeper

▪

Design group activities that

take multiple talents. Discuss

how the team could best work

together by using each other’s

strengths

▪

Read a story (for example

Outsiders) to discuss why

characters respond in the way

in which they do

9-10

▪

Demonstrate strategies for

collaborating with others to

move group efforts forward

▪

Offer constructive feedback in

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 46

Michigan Department of Education

order to help others improve

▪

Work to maintain an

objective, non-judgmental

tone during disagreements

▪

Given a real-life scenario,

students design the ‘teams’

they would assemble to best

meet the need given – and

explain why and how that group

would meet the need

▪

Students provide constructive

critiques for a writing

assignment

▪

In class debates, students are

evaluated on their use of tone

11-12

▪

Use assertive communication to

get their needs met without

negatively impacting others

▪

Empower, encourage, and

affirm others through their

interactions

▪

Students write scripts that they

could use in order to make a

request then do a peer editing

to evaluate effectiveness

▪

Hold class meetings designed to

build class unity and

empowerment

▪

Students write a report on the

great leaders of the world and

analyze their communication

skills

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 47

Michigan Department of Education

4B. Children/Students develop and maintain positive relationships

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

The ability to express

disagreement with peers and

caregivers in developmentally

appropriate ways

▪

The ability to interact with an

increasing number of significant

people in their lives, beyond their

families and primary caregivers

▪

Communication skills for

increasingly complex purposes,

e.g., expressing and asking

others about intentions,

expressing feelings and attitudes,

negotiating, predicting, planning,

reasoning, guessing, storytelling

▪

Caregivers help toddlers begin to

express and regulate their

feelings as appropriate to each

toddler’s development

▪

Toddlers have opportunities and

are encouraged to help other

children in the group

▪

Toddlers have many opportunities

to communicate with other

children, to play language-based

games, and to encounter a

widening range of books, songs,

poems, stories, and chants

▪

Infants are included in

appropriate social happenings

Pre-K

▪

Show an increasing ability to

initiate and sustain age-

appropriate play and interactions

with peers and adults

▪

Successfully develop and keep

friendships

▪

Use positive communication and

behaviors

▪

Discuss through story-telling and

role playing what is fair and

acceptable behavior and

communication in the classroom

▪

Foster the development of the

child’s ability to state their own

ideas and opinions appropriately

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 48

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Identify the multiple types of

relationships they have with

others

▪

List traits of a good friend

▪

Demonstrate ability to make new

friends

▪

Identify and practice behaviors

such as active listening, and

sharing to maintain positive

relationships

▪

Students draw a picture of their

closest friends and family and

label the relationship

▪

Students draw a picture of

themselves then rotate the

picture around the room. As it

stops, other students write one

thing about them that makes

them a good friend

▪

Bring in a stuffed animal and ask

the class what they could do to

make that animal their friend

3-5

▪

Recognize the difference between

helpful and harmful behaviors in

relationships

▪

Identify a problem in a

relationship and seek appropriate

assistance

▪

Understand the positive and

negative impact of peer pressure

on self and others

▪

Read a story; students list the

traits they heard in the

characters’ relationships that

were negative and positive

▪

Students discuss appropriate

times to use peer mediators or

other outside help

▪

After working in small groups,

students discuss the positive and

negative ways their peers

influenced their work in the group

▪

Provide children examples of

problems and conflicts that

previously arose in your

classroom. Provide students with

words they can use to solve

problems and resolves conflicts.

Allow time for students to

practice

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 49

Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Distinguish between helpful and

harmful peer pressure

▪

Demonstrate strategies for

resisting harmful peer pressure

▪

Involve themselves in

positive activities with their

peer group

▪

Develop friendships based

on personal values

▪

Identify the impact of social

media in developing and

sustaining positive

relationships

▪

Understand the difference

between safe and risky

behaviors in a relationship

▪

In groups, make a cartoon strip

that shows strategies for

resisting negative peer pressure

▪

Hold an “Activity Fair” aimed at

encouraging students to

participate in extracurricular

activities

▪

Review social media posts and

discuss how those posts influence

your relationships

9-10

▪

Practice strategies for

maintaining positive

relationships, e.g. pursue shared

interests and activities, give and

receive help, practice forgiveness

▪

Identify the qualities and

benefits of a positive

mentor

▪

Define social media and

social networking and

describe its impact on your

life, reputation, and

relationships

▪

Students draw a fence and

label it with behaviors that

fit within and without their

personal boundaries

▪

Students give advice to

fictitious characters about

how they could better

maintain positive

relationships

▪

Students pick a mentor and

write a letter asking them

for their help and explaining

what they hope to get out

of the relationship

11-12

▪

Actively participate in a healthy

support network of valued

relationships

▪

Independently seek out

relationships that support

their development

▪

Develop understanding of

relationships within the

context of networking and

careers

▪

Students draw a web of

support. Next to each person’s

name on the web, write one

strategy they could use to

maintain or activate that

friendship or support

▪

In groups, students write radio

broadcasts advertising the

importance of constructive

relationships

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 50

Michigan Department of Education

4C. Children/Students demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and

resolve interpersonal conflicts in helpful ways

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

The ability to express

disagreement with peers

and caregivers in

developmentally

appropriate ways

▪

Responsive and reciprocal

communication skills such

as turn-taking

▪

Communication skills for

increasingly complex

purposes, e.g., expressing

and asking others about

intentions, expressing

feelings and attitudes,

negotiating, predicting,

planning, reasoning,

guessing, storytelling

▪

Toddlers’ intensity of

feelings is understood,

accepted, and guided and

the resulting behaviors are

seen as a normal and

important part of their

development

▪

Toddlers are given

opportunities to learn ways

to be physically and

emotionally calm

▪

Toddlers have opportunities

and are encouraged to help

other children in the group

▪

Caregivers support toddlers’

attempts to initiate social

interactions with other

children and staff

Pre-K

▪

Show an increasing capacity

to take another’s

perspective

▪

Begin to develop and

practice the use of problem-

solving and conflict

resolution skills

▪

Provide many opportunities

for children to learn to solve

problems with teacher

support, coaching and

modeling of the process

▪

Create a learning environment

that minimizes conflicts by

providing enough materials,

space and equipment and by

setting clear expectations

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to learn multiple

verbal and nonverbal

strategies to appropriately

express their emotions

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to learn ways to be

physically and emotionally

calm

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 51

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Identify interpersonal

problems they need adult

help to resolve and

appropriately ask for help

▪

Recognize there are many

ways to solve conflicts and

practice solving problems

using a menu of choices,

including the use of “I”

messages”

▪

Identify and state feelings

and problem in conflict

▪

Students work in pairs

using puppets to identify

conflicts and show

responses. Use class

discussion to determine

whether the conflict needs

an adult helper

▪

Select magazine cutouts of

different responses to

conflict and students

identify whether the

responses are negative or

positive

▪

Establish problems that

might arise in the

classroom. Have students

practice working with a

buddy to help solve the

problem

3-5

▪

Show an understanding of

conflict as a natural part of life

▪

Describe causes and effects of

conflicts, including how their

behavior impacts others

emotions

▪

Distinguish between destructive

and constructive ways of dealing

with conflict

▪

Activate the steps of a peaceful

conflict resolution process (listen,

express feelings, discuss

solutions, make amends, etc.)

▪

Read a story (or history lesson)

that demonstrates conflict –

discuss the cause and effect

relationship of the conflict

▪

Teacher presents different

scenarios; students offer

suggestions as to how things

could have been handled better

▪

Have peer mediators discuss the

steps of conflict resolution in a

class presentation

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Michigan Department of Education

6-8

▪

Identify the roles of individuals in

conflict and understand their

responsibility in reaching

resolution

▪

Apply conflict resolution skills

to de-escalate, defuse, and

resolve differences

▪

Generate ideas about how all

parties in conflict might get

their needs met

▪

Access positive supports when

needed in a conflict

situation/crisis

▪

As students role-play (or discuss

historical conflicts) particular

conflict roles, i.e. aggressors,

victims, bystanders,

peacemakers, observing students

record how the behaviors helped

or hindered resolution

▪

Hold class debates over a

particular issue that must end

in a win-win for the class to be

successful

9-10

▪

Apply listening and speaking

skills that help in preventing and

resolving conflicts

▪

Apply skills and strategies

needed to manage intimidation,

avoid and escape violence, and

maintain personal safety

▪

Access conflict resolution and

problem-solving resources, i.e.

security, trusted adults, peer

mediators, counselors, when

available to facilitate

resolution of conflict situations

▪

Play ‘Telephone’ and then

discuss how messages can so

easily get misconstrued when

someone doesn’t listen or talk

carefully

▪

In small groups have teams

determine strategies they

could use to manage various

situations. Act them out and

evaluate their usefulness

11-12

▪

Demonstrate an ability to co-

exist in civility in the face of

unresolved conflict

▪

Use prevention, management,

and resolution skills to resolve

interpersonal conflicts

constructively

▪

Evaluate and reflect on their role

in a conflict and utilize this

information to better their

behavior in future conflicts

▪

Play a game where the rules are

unfair in some way and discuss

students’ behaviors and feelings

in the midst of the game

▪

Students write their own ‘self-

help’ manuals to show conflict

resolution skills. Include at least

one true story where another

response would have been more

beneficial

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Michigan Department of Education

Responsible Decision Making

Rationale: Making responsible decisions is an important life skill to obtain. It helps

in promoting one’s own health, avoiding risky behaviors, dealing fairly and honestly

with others, and working to set and achieve goals for success in school and life.

5A. Children/Students consider personal, ethical, safety, and cultural

factors in making decisions

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

The ability to make decisions

and choose their own materials

▪

Ability to respond to caregiver

instructions related to safety

▪

Caregivers use all interactions

and experiences to result in

learning, e.g., using feeding

time to hold infants engage in

conversation during toddler

meal times

▪

Caregivers use simple, clear

phrases with toddlers and have

realistic expectation of toddlers’

verbal, signed, and listening

skills

▪

Provide opportunities for

toddlers to initiate social

interactions with other children

and staff

Pre-K

▪

Positive and accepting

attitudes toward people of a

variety of

backgrounds/characteristic,

e.g., race, ethnicity,

national origin, physical

characteristics, disability,

economic status, language

spoken or signed

background

▪

An increasing ability to take

another’s point of view and

to empathize with others

▪

Create an environment where

children are kind to each other

in actions and words

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to observe and

engage in personal greetings

with appropriate

encouragement and sufficient

support

▪

Model and engage children in

conversations about

management of their emotions

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Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Recognize that one has choices

in how to respond

▪

Identify ways to promote safety

for oneself and others

▪

Identify ways to respond to

unfamiliar adults in different

settings

▪

Stand up for a friend / peer and

lets others know when a person

is being treated unfairly

▪

Talk about stories where

characters have made a choice or

decision and the consequences,

both positive and negative

▪

Give students simple choices and

have them provide paths for

potential choices

▪

Students identify bullying and

teasing situations and then

brainstorm strategies on how to

handle each situation

▪

Use puppets to illustrate safe and

unsafe situations

3-5

▪

Identify social norms that affect

decision making

▪

Define cyber-bullying and

response strategies

▪

Identify when someone is

targeted and how to respond

to a situation to support the

individual

▪

Recognize and describe how the

media can influence one's

behavior

▪

Stand up for self or a peer

who is being disrespected

▪

Role play how supporting

someone is a helpful behavior at

school, at home, and in the

community

▪

Create lists of behaviors that are

bullying, teasing, and

harassment. Discuss how these

may occur based on social group

▪

Students role play the different

roles in bullying – bystander,

“upstander”, student who bullies,

and target of bullying

6-8

▪

Evaluate how honesty, respect,

fairness, and compassion enable

one to take the needs of others

into account when making

decisions

▪

Apply bystander strategies, e.g.,

intervene, advocate, or get adult

support based on context, during

a situation of peer aggression,

intimidation or harassment

▪

Analyze the reasons for school

and societal rules, and how they

impact decisions

▪

Discuss what to do when

confronted with a moral dilemma

(finding someone’s ring, or lost

cell phone, or teacher’s answer

sheet)

▪

Students identify bullying and

teasing situations in literature,

historical events, and/or current

situations and analyze the

effective strategies used

▪

Students develop skits with

effective strategies and present

them to elementary students

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Michigan Department of Education

9-10

▪

Demonstrate ability to consider

personal factors during

decision-making process

▪

Evaluate how external

influences, e.g. media, peers,

social and cultural norms, and

expectations of authority,

affect one's decision-making

▪

Conduct an integrity analysis to

help determine if behavior

aligns with their personal core

principles

▪

Students view three different

news reports and note the

perspectives each report brings

to the same story

▪

Students write an advice column

letter giving advice on how to

effectively handle various

bullying situations

11-12

▪

Analyze own role in situations

where others are threatened with

either physical or emotional harm

▪

Examine how the norms of

different societies and cultures

influence their members'

decisions and behaviors

▪

Journal about a time your

personal behavior has or has not

aligned with your personal core

principles and then identify what

you would do differently next

time

▪

Students research regional,

national, or worldwide needs and

then organize, carry out, and

reflect on a service-learning

project based upon those needs

▪

Have students analyze how

bullying relates to genocide and

historical events like the

concentration camps

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 56

Michigan Department of Education

5B. Children/Students develop, implement, and model effective decision

making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

A comfort level in taking on

different roles in their

environment, e.g., helping

others, turning off the water,

holding the door

▪

Capacities to predict routines

and regular events that make

up the day or the session

▪

A growing ability to cope with

change

▪

Acceptable ways to assert their

independence

▪

Caregivers help toddlers

understand and accept

necessary limits without anxiety

or fear

▪

Toddlers try to do things for

themselves or for other children

are encouraged and supported

▪

Caregivers raise toddlers’

awareness about what is safe

and what is harmful and the

probable consequences of

certain actions

▪

Infants and toddlers are

encouraged to take

opportunities for cleaning up

and caring for the indoor and

outdoor environment and the

people in it

Pre-K

▪

Begin to hypothesize or make

inferences

▪

Attempt a variety of ways and

demonstrate enjoyment of

solving problems

▪

Use materials purposefully,

safely, and respectfully more

and more of the time

▪

Manage transitions and follow

routines most of the time

▪

Establish an environment where

children feel safe expressing

their feelings, likes, fears, and

excitements

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to discuss things that

are both intriguing and troubling

to them

▪

Encourage children to follow

their interests, curiosity,

passion or talents

▪

Help children to discover what

they want to learn more about

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 57

Michigan Department of Education

K-2

▪

Recognize that they have choices

in how to respond to situations

▪

Implement stop, think, and act

strategies in solving problems

▪

Demonstrate social and

classroom behavior (ask

permission, listen to speaker, ask

for help, offer to help,

participate)

▪

Demonstrate constructive

academic behaviors and self-

regulation (listen, pay attention,

follow directions, ignore

distractions)

▪

Students compose a list of

playground safety rules and ways

to help themselves and others

follow those rules

▪

Use a stop sign to connect it to

stop, think, and act behaviors

▪

Students do a puppet show or

write a story about a principle’s

perspectives (honesty, fairness,

responsibility, hard work)

▪

Allow students to choose where

they would like to sit during quiet

reading time

3-5

▪

Describe the steps of a decision-

making model

▪

Generate alternative solutions to

problems and predict possible

outcomes

▪

Effectively participate in group

decision-making processes

▪

Demonstrate academic behaviors

and self-regulation skills such as

organization, completing

assignments, planning

▪

Read the ‘Choose your own

Ending’ books as a class 13and

brainstorm the possible

endings

▪

Practice win-win problem

solving strategies

▪

Assign group work and ensure

that all students are active

participants (see Kagan’s

Cooperative Learning

strategies)

6-8

▪

Identify and apply the steps of

systematic decision-making

▪

Develop decision-making

strategies for avoiding risky

behavior

▪

Explore how external influences,

e.g. media, peer, cultural norms,

affect their decision- making

▪

Students think about past

decisions and break down the

steps that they took to reach that

decision

▪

Students write “If only” papers

▪

Students role-play possible

responses to peer pressure and

other scenarios

▪

Write alternate endings to stories

through changing the external

influence on one character or

historical events through

changing the behavior of a

historical figure

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 58

Michigan Department of Education

9-10

▪

Consider ethical, safety, and

societal factors and

consequences when making

decisions

▪

Regularly uses the steps of

systematic decision-making

▪

Understand how decisions made

now can impact their future and

have long term effects

▪

Explain and model your decision

making-process to others

▪

Demonstrate an ability to take

responsibility for their choices

▪

Students design a media

campaign advertising why a

person should or should not listen

to external influences

▪

Review climate and culture

survey data. Identify pertinent

issues and discuss strategies to

improve the climate and culture

of the school

▪

Analyze the decisions made by

characters in novels and short

stories

▪

Design or create a humorous

public service announcement

warning of obstacles that may

prevent you from future goals

11-12

▪

Apply decision-making skills to

foster responsible social and work

relations and to make healthy

life-long choices

▪

Consider feedback from others on

your decision making process,

and incorporate it if applicable

▪

Evaluate your decision making

progress, and modify the

decisions made if necessary

▪

In all subject areas, have

students discuss the steps they

take to come to a successful

conclusion of the problem at

hand, to practice responsible

decision-making

▪

Students do a Consumer

Education business plan and

discuss the importance of

decision-making in that plan

▪

Students use the problem

solving process to discuss a

literary character’s responses

and possible outcomes had the

character utilized different

solutions

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 59

Michigan Department of Education

5C. Children/Students play a developmentally appropriate role in

classroom management and positive school climate

Benchmarks Strategies

Infant/Toddler

▪

Skills in caring for the

environment, e.g., cleaning up,

wiping the table, flushing the

toilet, helping others

▪

An understanding of the

routines, family customs, and

regular events of the program

▪

Capacities to predict routines

and regular events that make

up the day or the session

▪

An increasing sense of

independence and competence

during daily routines and

activities

▪

The program enables toddlers to

take part in small group

activities such as the water

table or the art table

▪

Infants and toddlers are

encouraged to take

opportunities for cleaning up

and caring for the indoor and

outdoor environment and the

people in it

▪

Toddlers are able to maintain

their own routines and ways of

doing things, e.g., wearing a

favorite hat, sleeping with a

favorite blanket

Pre-K

▪

Contribute individual strengths,

imagination, or interests to a group

▪

Demonstrate an increasing sense of

belonging and awareness of their

role as a member of a family,

classroom, and community

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to explain their thinking

process and to provide

respectful feedback about how

they reached a decision

▪

Provide opportunities for

children to participate on teams

and collaborative projects

K-2

▪

Recognize the various roles of

the personnel that govern the

school (all staff)

▪

Participate in individual roles

and responsibilities in the

classroom and in school

▪

Create a collage of careers that

demonstrate caring and helpful

behavior

▪

Create a collage of daily

personal and family activities.

Circle examples of when others

are caring or helpful

▪

Students identify classroom

activities needed for each day

(recess, lunch, taking care of

supplies, etc.), and determine

how they are responsible for

each

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 60

Michigan Department of Education

3-5

▪

Identify and organize materials

needed to be prepared for class

▪

Understand personal

relationships with personnel that

govern the school

▪

Discuss and model appropriate

classroom behavior individually

and collectively

▪

Construct and model classroom

rules and routines

▪

Students define behaviorally

established classroom

procedures and possible

consequences (for example, use

respect when talking, ask for

permission by raising hand,

don’t interrupt, speak in a calm

inside voice, playground rules,

cafeteria manners)

6-8

▪

Compare and contrast behaviors

that do or do not support

classroom management and

positive school culture to provide

recommendations to

administration

▪

Demonstrate behaviors that

support classroom management

and positive school culture

▪

Advocate for oneself in a

respectful and deliberate manner

if believed to be treated unfairly

▪

Students design public service

announcements to inform others

of ways to support classroom

rules, formal rules of order, and

routines

▪

Role-play a scenario of when and

how to ask for help. Discuss the

process that should take place

prior to asking for help

▪

Determine a problem that has

arisen in the class. As a class,

discuss options to solve the

problem, record them, and

discuss potential outcomes from

those solutions. Have students

vote on one to try

SEL Competencies and Indicators - 2017 61

Michigan Department of Education

9-10

▪

Analyze the purpose and impact

of classroom and school-wide

activities, policies, and routines

to provide recommendations to

administration

▪

Interpret and evaluate the

importance of personal roles and

responsibilities in the overall

school climate

▪

Advocate for the needs of others,

including your community, in a

way that promotes positive

change

▪

Students evaluate their personal

responsibilities in classroom and

school-wide rules as well as local,

state, and national laws using a

rubric

▪

Students collect school climate

data and present results and

possible interventions to

administration, school board, site

council, and/or student body

▪

Imagine a world where there are

no rules. Students write a story

describing life in that world

11-12

▪

Model for underclassmen

appropriate classroom behavior

▪

Identify the positive qualities of a

leader and align with those

qualities

▪

Students design a public service

announcement to inform others

on what responsible decision

makings skills are

▪

Model advocating for personal

needs in accomplishing goals