For the PDPI Final Project, I have created a series of five lesson plans on the topic of social-emotional development. The lesson topics are based on the Kansans Can Vision for Education, the website Character Counts!, by PK-12 Education, the book “Rebalanced Thinking, Rebalanced Living”, NPR Life Kit and my professional experience. The lessons are structured in the following order: 1) Quotes and Journaling; 2) Conflict Resolution; 3) Self-Awareness; 4) Learning to Give and Receive Compliments; and 5) Living with Purpose. The lessons aim to take students into a social-emotional development journey, leading them to self-reflection, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills improvement, and responsible decision-making.

The lessons follow a similar pedagogical structure, learned during the PDPI Principles of Teaching and Learning classes: starting the lesson with a quote, dividing students into groups using varied techniques, applying different strategies to reading a text, sharing the knowledge acquired with the reading, and making a final product at the end of each class as an exit ticket. The lessons require low technology tools. Adaptations, extensions and accommodations were suggested in each lesson plan. These lessons focus primarily on World-Readiness Standards for Language Learning in “Communication”, “Cultures”, “Connections” and “Communities” and the TESOL Principles 1, 3 and 6 are emphasized. These lessons were developed for high school students (grades 10-12/ ages 14-16 years old) performing at an intermediate or B1 English proficiency level. My current school is in Maraagogi Alagoas, Brazil, which is a rural coastal area that is nationally known for tourism, but there are also high levels of poverty and inequality. ELF classes meet once a week for 100 minutes at a time and class sizes are approximately 40 students.