Beginning in preschool and carrying on through fifth grade, students receive formal Social Emotional Learning (SEL) instruction using the Second Step curriculum. This evidence-based program helps students develop skills in four discrete areas: Skills for Learning, Empathy Development, Emotion Management, and Social Problem Solving. At each level, the program builds on learning from previous years, allowing students to deepen their understanding of concepts as they move through developmental stages. This program also provides shared language that gives students and teachers a shared vocabulary during mixed-age recess play and specialist classes. 

At Ventana, we believe in the power of stories to help build empathy and understanding. Teachers have access to a robust library collection that supports both social-emotional learning and diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging work. This specially curated resource library has been cataloged so that teachers can search for books that address specific issues that may be arising in classrooms. 

  • Skills for Learning

    • Welcoming

    • Listening

    • Focusing attention

    • Self-talk

    • Following directions

    • Asking for what you need or want

    Empathy

    • Identifying feelings

    • More feelings

    • Identifying anger

    • Same of different feelings

    • Accidents

    • Caring and helping

    Emotion Management

    • We feel feelings in our bodies

    • Strong feelings

    • Naming feelings

    • Managing disappointment

    • Managing anger

    • Managing waiting

    Friendship Skills and Problem Solving

    • Fair ways to play

    • Having fun with friends

    • Inviting to play

    • Joining in with play

    • Saying the problem

    • Thinking of solutions

    • Speaking assertively

    Transitioning to Kindergarten

    • Learning in kindergarten

      • Listening

      • Focusing attention

      • Self-talk

    • Emotions

      • Looking for face and body clues for feelings

      • Differing feelings

      • Calming-down steps for strong feelings

    • Making new friends in kindergarten

      • Fair ways to play

      • Inviting to play

      • Asking to play

  • Skills for Learning

    • Learning to listen

    • Focusing attention

    • Following directions

    • Self-Talk for staying on task

    • Being assertive

    Empathy

    • Feelings

    • Identifying anger

    • Differing feelings about a situation

    • Accidents

    • Caring and helping

    Emotion Management

    • We feel feelings in our bodies

    • Managing frustration

    • Calming down strong feelings

    • Handling waiting

    • Managing anger

    • Managing disappointment

    • Handling being knocked down

    Problem Solving

    • Solving problems

    • Inviting to play

    • Fair ways to play

    • Having fun with our friends

    • Handling having things taken away

    • Handling name-calling

  • Skills for Learning

    • Learning to listen

    • Focusing attention

    • Following directions

    • Self-Talk for learning

    • Being assertive

    Empathy

    • Identifying feelings

    • Looking for clues about feelings

    • Differing feelings about a situation

    • Feelings change

    • Accidents

    • Showing care and concern

    Emotion Management

    • Identifying our own feelings

    • Strong feelings

    • Calming down anger

    • Self-talk for calming down

    • Managing worry

    Problem Solving

    • Solving problems

    • Fair ways to play

    • Inviting to join in

    • Handling name-calling

  • Skills for Learning

    • Being respectful

    • Focusing attention and listening

    • Using self-talk

    • Being assertive

    Empathy

    • Identifying feelings

    • Learning more about feelings

    • Feeling confident

    • Respecting different perspectives

    • Showing compassion

    • Predicting feelings

    Emotion Management

    • Introducing emotion management

    • Managing embarrassment

    • Handling making mistakes

    • Managing anxious feelings

    • Managing anger

    • Finishing tasks

    Problem Solving

    • Solving problems

    • Taking responsibility

    • Responding to playground exclusion

    • Playing fairly on the playground

  • Skills for Learning

    • Being respectful learners

    • Using self-talk

    • Being assertive

    • Planning to learn

    Empathy

    • Identifying others’ feelings

    • Understanding perspectives

    • Conflicting feelings

    • Accepting differences

    • Showing compassion

    • Making friends

    Emotion Management

    • Introducing emotion management

    • Managing anxiety

    • Handling accusations

    • Managing disappointment

    • Managing anger

    • Managing hurt feelings

    Problem Solving

    • Solving problems

    • Solving classroom problems

    • Solving peer-exclusion problems

    • Dealing with negative peer pressure

  • Empathy and Skills for Learning

    • Empathy and respect

    • Listening with attention

    • Being assertive

    • Respecting similarities and differences

    • Understanding complex feelings

    • Understanding different perspectives

    • Conversation and compliments

    • Joining in

    • Showing Compassion

    Emotion Management

    • Introducing emotion management

    • Managing strong feelings

    • Calming down anger

    • Managing anxiety

    • Avoiding jumping to conclusions

    • Handling put-downs

    Problem Solving

    • Solving problems

    • Making a plan

    • Solving playground problems

    • Taking responsibility for your actions

    • Dealing with peer pressure

  • Empathy and Skills for Learning

    • Empathy and respect

    • Listening with attention

    • Being assertive

    • Predicting feelings

    • Taking others’ perspectives

    • Accepting differences

    • Disagreeing respectfully

    • Responding with compassion

    Emotion Management

    • Introducing emotion management

    • Calming down

    • Managing anxiety

    • Managing frustration

    • Resisting revenge

    • Handling put-downs

    • Avoiding assumptions

    Problem Solving

    • Solving problems

    • Making a plan

    • Seeking help

    • Dealing with gossip

    • Dealing with peer pressure