Social Emotional Learning and Reading Comprehension

The Reading Comprehension Special Interest Group developed this interactive guide to kickstart conversations about social emotional learning (SEL) and reading comprehension with parents and caregivers. It was designed for use by teachers, organizations, and individuals who support children in learning to read in almost any context. It is a resource for all community members who want to connect a child’s love of reading with reading comprehension strategies and developing social and emotional skills in children. 

A colorful and interactive practical resource. The guide includes recommendations on how to adapt messages to the local context. It provides guidance on how to adapt essential talking points and reflection questions for radio, text messages, and digital and in-person spaces. It also includes links to free tools to create audio and visual materials to share online and in person.    

Essential messages in eight languages. Messages are provided in English, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Haitian Creole, Kiswahili, Lao, and Spanish. The guide includes examples that can help children identify the feelings and preferences of characters in their books, understand choices and consequences, build prediction and relationship skills, recognize and value differences, problem solve, make responsible decisions, and plan.

Please note that there are two versions of this guide: One is interactive, using internal links for navigation. The other is suitable for use with screen readers.