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7/25/2019 0 Comments

How Rocketoons Align With the 5 Core Competencies of Social Emotional Learning

What exactly is SEL (social emotional learning)?
Who is teaching it?
How are they teaching it?

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL.org) is a group focused on collaborating with “leading experts and support districts, schools, and states nationwide to drive research, guide practice, and inform policy.” As the experts, here is what they say about SEL:

“SEL competencies are the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes, and mindsets that individuals need to succeed. They are the product of SEL, through which schools and districts implement practices and policies that allow children and adults to acquire and apply those competencies. Commitment to SEL has the potential to shape a school’s partnerships with afterschool programs, families, and community members as they collaborate to educate the whole child.
 
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) introduced one of the field’s earliest set of SEL competencies in 1997, identifying a set of five core competencies that schools could promote in their students that are keys to academic and life success.”
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​The Five Core Competencies:

1. Self-awareness - the ability to accurately recognize your own emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence your behavior. 
         •        emotion identification
         •        accurate self-perception
         •        strengths recognition
         •        self-confidence
         •        self-efficacy

​2. Self-Management - the ability to control your own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors - effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating yourself. The ability to set and work towards achieving goals (personal and academic)
         •        impulse control
         •        stress management
         •        self-discipline
         •        self-motivation
         •        goal-setting
         •        organizational skills
​3. Social awareness - the ability to empathize with others different from you. The ability to understand acceptable social and ethical behaviors.
         •        understanding different perspectives
         •        empathizing
         •        understanding and appreciating diversity
         •        respecting others
4. Relationship skills - the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with different individuals and groups. Conversing, listening, cooperating, resisting peer pressure, negotiating conflict, asking for help.
         •        communicating
         •        engaging socially
         •        building relationships
         •        working in teams
5. Decision-making - the ability to make constructive choices about your own behavior. The ability to understand consequences of choices and understanding how our decisions affect others.
         •        identifying problems
         •        analyzing situations
         •        problem solving
         •        reflecting
         •        taking responsibility

​We Have A Cartoon For That!

There are 15 episodes of Rocketoons, each with a ONE PAGE curriculum guide - also called a Cartoonversation Card. Each of the fifteen episodes fit into one or more of these categories, helping educators and counselors introduce SEL topics and initiate conversations, discussions, or interviews on these topics. Let’s take a look at the 15 episodes and how they fit into the categories.
1. Self-Awareness
E1 Too Many Activities
E2 Moving to a New School
E3 Bullying
E5 Last One Picked
E6 Think Tank - Cyberbullying
E8 Resilience
E10 Build-A-Bear - Assertiveness
E12 It’s Written in the Stars - Dealing with the Death of a Loved One
E13 Divorce
E14 On the Fly - Mindfulness
2. Self- Management
E1 Too Many Activities
E2 Moving to a New School
E3 Bullying
E4 Snail’s Pace - Inappropriate Use of Social Media
E5 Last One Picked
E6 Think Tank - Cyberbullying
E7 Hop, Skip, and a Jump - Truancy
E8 Resilience
E10 Build-A-Bear - Assertiveness
E11 Riding the Pine - Spending too much time on personal devices
E14 On the Fly - Mindfulness
E15 Garbage In, Garbage Out - Managing what we eat, watch, and think
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3. Social Awareness
E2 Moving to a New School
E3 Bullying
E4 Snail’s Pace - Inappropriate Use of Social Media
E5 Last One Picked
E6 Think Tank - Cyberbullying
E10 Build-A-Bear - Assertiveness
E12 It’s Written in the Stars - Dealing with the Death of a Loved One
E13 Divorce
E14 On the Fly - Mindfulness
4. Relationship skills
E2 Moving to a New School
E3 Bullying
E5 Last One Picked
E6 Think Tank - Cyberbullying
E7 Hop, Skip, and a Jump - Truancy
E8 Resilience
E10 Build-A-Bear - Assertiveness
E11 Riding the Pine - Spending too much time on personal devices
E13 Divorce
5. Decision-making
E1 Too Many Activities
E2 Moving to a New School
E4 Snail’s Pace - Inappropriate Use of Social Media
E6 Think Tank - Cyberbullying
E7 Hop, Skip, and a Jump - Truancy
E8 Resilience
E10 Build-A-Bear - Assertiveness
E14 On the Fly - Mindfulness
E15 Garbage In, Garbage Out - Managing what we eat, watch, and think
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of using Rocketoons in your school or classroom is their simplicity. There is no in-service training required. There is no four-inch binder of curriculum administration. There is no rigid guideline for administering the cartoon. The simple one-page Cartoonversation Card sets the scene for the cartoon, provides background information about the characters, and provides five conversation starter questions, five facts about the topic, and five additional online resources. Rocketoons will supplement your SEL curriculum or you can build an entire SEL curriculum around Rocketoons. ​
Remember, Rocketoons are FREE for everyone (teachers, counselor, parents, kids, clowns, and superheroes) in North America. Our generous sponsors make it possible for us to create and maintain this program.
Watch Rocketoons Now
Related Articles
Getting Started with Rocketoons
Rescuing Childhood and Making Sure Every Child Is Safe, Secure, and Silly
Why Kids Need to Talk About Their Stress

Categories

All Assertiveness Bullying Childhood Classroom Management Confidence Cyberbullying Discipline Grieving Happy Healthy Kids How To Use Rocketoons Mindfulness Moving To A New School Parents Rocketoons School Social Emotional Learning Social Media Stress Too Many Activities Truancy

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6/10/2019 0 Comments

Why kids need to talk about their stress

What stress?

Adults do not have a monopoly on stress. Kids may not have bills to pay, a job to get to, or a broken down car to fix, but they still feel worry and overwhelm from events, challenges, and even from within. 

Stress can come from outside sources like a demanding parent or teacher, or being too busy to relax and enjoy some playtime. Any changes that happen to a child’s life can be very stressful as well, such as an illness in the family, divorce, or moving to a new school. Stress can also come from expectations kids place on themselves like getting straight A’s or being popular. Kids may also take on their parents’ stress or troubling stories they hear and see on TV and radio. 


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5/3/2019 0 Comments

Episode 3: Bullyvision Addresses Mean-Spirited Behavior at Recess

(The names in this article have been changed for the sake of the students’ privacy.)
When fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Watkins became aware of a potential bully situation on the playground, she enlisted the help of Rocketoons.

Dealing with mean-spirited behaviors before they become full on bullying situations, saves kids the pain and stress associated with being bullied and also being a bully. Mean-spirited behavior includes when a student aggressively harasses another student. It is possible for mean-spirited behaviors to escalate into full-blown bullying when the behaviors aren’t addressed and appropriately handled. 

​In this case, Mrs. Watkins became aware that one little girl in her class was teasing another girl in a mean-spirited way. The behavior had not been chronic nor was it directed at any other students. She knew a gentle intervention could diffuse a potentially hurtful situation.
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4/27/2019 0 Comments

How Friends Can Help Us With Mindfulness

Sometimes you just don’t feel like yourself. When that happens, you can take a minute, check yourself, maybe calm down, and get back on track. But sometimes you can’t. In the times that you can’t, you need friends who will remind you to be mindful.

​This engaging and insightful cartoon is designed to encourage thinking and discussions about mindfulness and what to do when you feel yourself losing control. Episode 14: On The Fly - Mindfulness is an effective discussion starter to help guide your students in conversations about mindfulness and strategies to be more mindful and helpful to others.  Visit Rocketoons.com to view full episodes.
Sometimes we know exactly where we are going and what we are doing, but sometimes the rules get changed on us. Maybe we are able to see the changes coming, and we know what to do to get back on course. Other times, we have to rely on our friends and on ourselves to make those adjustments – on the fly.

Join these two dragonflies as their flight path takes an unexpected turn when contaminated fuel enters the picture. You will learn a little about how to take care of your friends, and yourself.
Visit Rocketoons.com
Getting Started With Rocketoons Guide
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4/25/2019 0 Comments

Listening to What Kids Have to Say About Divorce

When a family experiences a divorce, every member is affected. It’s possible for each family member to become so busy processing their own feelings, they forget to listen to how others feel. This episode of Rocketoons reminds us that we all need to be heard when facing big, scary changes.

This sensitive and engaging cartoon is designed to encourage thinking and discussions about family communication in families dealing with divorce. Watch Rocketoons Episode 13: Under the Microscope - Divorce and use the Rocketoons Cartoonversation™ Card to help guide your kids in discussions about divorce, the different ways family members respond, and the importance of listening.
What happens to a family when parents divorce? The answer to that question is probably different for every single family, but one thing is sure - life changes.

Change can bring opportunity, but it can also bring fear, sadness, even anger. As painful as those feelings can be, it's important to talk through them and to understand what you and your family are experiencing.

It's also important to speak up. Everyone in a family matters and everyone should have their feelings heard. Use the Cartoonversation™ Card to get those voices going, and be sure to speak your mind and your heart.
Visit Rocketoons.com
Getting Started With Rocketoons
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4/23/2019 0 Comments

A Tender and Reassuring Discussion Starter on Death

People grieve differently, and children grieve differently than adults. It's immeasurably valuable to help children express themselves when they lose someone they love. It’s also important to help children understand that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. 

This gentle and thoughtful cartoon is designed to encourage thinking and discussions about the different ways people deal with grief and loss.  Rocketoons Episode 12: It Is Written In The Stars - Dealing with the Death of a Loved One can help you guide your kids in discussions about grieving, missing the ones you love, and the different ways people express their sadness.
When someone you love dies, your world changes. We each deal with loss – and the changes - differently, but it’s important to know what is on the path ahead for nearly all of us who grieve. It’s even more important to remember that friends, family, and professional help are there when you need it – and as often as you need it.

Our three friends, Quinn, Cameron, and Olivia, are dealing with their own grief, but they soon discover they have more in common with one another than they knew.
Visit Rocketoons.com
Getting Started With Rocketoons Guide
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4/17/2019 0 Comments

Learning to Talk About Mental Health

Mental health issues can be hard for children to understand. We can’t always see if someone is mentally healthy or unhealthy, but understanding that mental health issues are very real health concerns can help us support loved ones who struggle with them. Understanding mental health issues can also give us the courage to speak up when we don’t feel as well as we could.

​This illuminating and humorous cartoon is designed to encourage thinking and discussions about how to support people with mental health challenges.  Rocketoons Episode 9: Marv or Myth - Talking About Mental Health can start Cartoonversations to help kids talk about how mental health issues are very real and what we can do to be good listeners and friends.
As our mythical creatures point out to us, they are very real – and so are mental health issues. We can’t see mental illness the way we see other illnesses, so we have to be on the lookout to make sure friends and family (and ourselves) get the right support to be mentally healthy.
Visit Rocketoons.com
Getting Started With Rocketoons Guide
Rocketoons are FREE for everyone. There is no membership or subscription required and no password to remember. 
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4/10/2019 1 Comment

How A Pumpkin Can Teach Us About Inclusion

It Hurts To Be Left Out.   

At some point or other, virtually all of us will have a moment when we are not the first one picked. Most of us will also know what it feels like to be the last one picked. How we deal with that disappointment, and how we learn how to deal with it in the future, can have long-lasting consequences on our health and our happiness. The good news? A little effort can go a long way to building healthy self-esteem and to helping others.  

This award-winning and engaging cartoon about two pumpkins in a pumpkin patch encourages thinking and discussions about how to deal with disappointment and low self-esteem while touching on the ideas of diversity and inclusion. It stings to be the last one picked, but with the help of our friends, Charlie and Stella, we can learn to apply a growth mindset and positive thinking to help us feel included and to include others.  Watch Rocketoons Episode 5: Last One Picked to help your kids talk about dealing with disappointment and times when they don't feel good about themselves.
We all have those moments when we don’t feel so good about who we are. Unfortunately for Charlie, he has those moments a little too often. Fortunately for Charlie, he also has Stella – the kind of friend who can make him realize the value of finding the positive and enjoying the moment.
Visit Rocketoons.com
Getting Started with Rocketoons Guide

Episode Awards

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4/5/2019 0 Comments

How to Help Kids Handle Moving to a New School

Rocketoons Episode 2- Moving to a New School can help you start a Cartoonversation with your kids (or students) about the challenges and stress they face when their family moves into a different school district.  This cartoon can help you guide your kids toward positive thinking and the new opportunities ahead. Teachers appreciate using this animated conversation kit to encourage empathy and understanding when introducing a new student to the class.
Winner of two national awards, this thoughtful cartoon is designed to encourage thinking and discussions about being the new kid in class, moving to a new school, and how to welcome new friends. Watch Rocketoons Episode 2: Moving to a New School and use the Rocketoons Cartoonversation™ Card to help your students discover the challenge and adventure of trying something new.
What is it like to move to a new school? Exciting? Scary? Fun? Difficult? For most kids who go through a move, it's all of the above. Moving is a lot of work for adults and for kids, and starting a new school filled with new people can be overwhelming. Fortunately, our microscopic friends have a few ideas for making the move more fun and exciting - and less scary and stressful. Chances are good that there are kids in the classroom today who have made this move, and there are more kids who will be experiencing a change of scenery somewhere down the road.
To Get Started on Rocketoons - download our step-by-step guide.
Getting Started With Rocketoons Guide
Visit Rocketoons.com
Getting Started With Rocketoons
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Episode Awards

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4/1/2019 0 Comments

Rescuing Childhood and Making Sure Every Kid is Safe, Secure, and Silly

Wheeler Creative Studios has underwritten and designed a fifteen-episode series of cartoons designed to help children identify and talk about stressful situations or issues in their lives. When kids can speak up about what stresses them out, teachers, psychologists, parents, and caregivers can readily identify the kids in need of intervention. The mission of Rocketoons is to rescue childhood and make sure every kid is safe, secure, and silly.  

This month on the blog, we’ll be outlining each episode to help you understand what these cartoons are all about. Starting with this short video that explains our vision, our mission, and also - what the kids think about Rocketoons!

Rocketoons are cartoon-based conversation kits designed to give teachers maximum instructional flexibility with minimal interference from time-consuming preparation.

​Rocketoons are pedagogically sound primers for facilitating important discussions in the 21st-century classroom.
Rocketoons are developed by teachers and counselors, and they are used by teachers and counselors – in the classroom, in one on one sessions, or wherever there is a need to share sound information and stimulate meaningful conversation.
If you have four or five minutes, you can use Rocketoons with your kids.
If you want/need to develop an in-depth module on bullying, divorce, social media, or a variety of other timely topics that cause stress and disruption in the lives of your students, you can use Rocketoons.

If you want to make a point, share a laugh, or both, you can use Rocketoons.

From one kid to the next, from one teacher to the next, different Rocketoons mean different things. In the hands of caring and qualified teachers, that’s the way it should be. Nobody knows your kids like you do. Hopefully, Rocketoons can be exactly what you need them to be so you can be exactly what your students need you to be.
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