Exploring our Social & Emotional World

This photograph depicts two children playing. One child has multiple disabilities and the other child does not.

In this poem, the speaker sees a man carrying his son across the street and is struck by the tenderness the man displays for the child. The speaker realizes that humanity must cloak itself in this same caring nature.

Although carefully planned at twilight so all animals can attend, things go terribly wrong during this walkabout. The group creates such a terrible hullabaloo that Namarrkun, the lightning man, is forced to show his strength.

In this poem, the speaker explores how our culture would be lacking—in people, in music, in movements, in contributions—without contributions of African Americans.

Katherine Scholes begins this informative piece by describing the multi-facted nature of the word "peace" and what it can mean to different people at different times. Then she provides concrete ways that each of us can be a peacemaker.

In this excerpt, the reader meets two characters from The Misfits: Addie, a girl who is exceptionally tall and smart for a middle schooler and Joe, who is creative and feminine in a way that makes his peers nervous.

This tale, about the hunter and the rat, exemplifies the importance of showing kindness to others even when it is unlikely they will be able to return the favor.

Maleeka gets made fun of at school about her clothes, her grades, even the color of her skin. In this chapter, she talks about getting teased on a school trip and how even her friend Char was ashamed to be seen with her because of her clothes.

A retelling of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," this story puts a cooperative twist on the traditional Norwegian tale.

This excerpt explains that families are defined by love, caring and sharing, not the number or gender of its members.

A chance meeting of a family of frogs and a family of snakes in the woods one day allows wonderful new friendships to be made. Later, when the siblings tell their parents about their new friends, they are told never to play together again. Find out why in this easy-to-produce play that teaches about the serious topic of prejudice.

Who says girls can't be superheroes? Sheila and her classmates learn that both girls and boys can be superheroes, thanks to their teacher, Mrs. Miller.

When two sides fail to come together after a classroom election, the teacher institutes the 100 Days plan to try to keep the newly elected accountable and the remaining students apprised of what they can expect from their new president.