What happens when an elementary school production team mixes together a bit of Good Morning America, Saturday Night Live, and Sesame Street? It results in a recipe for a schoolwide video broadcast that balances social emotional learning with entertainment. And the best part – it is created by the learning community for that same learning community!
Kind of like TikToc, but it’s for SEL! 😉
We know that kids enjoy making, sharing, and viewing videos of themselves and their friends, so why not use that enthusiasm to teach and model social and emotional wellness?
What started a pandemic project has quickly become a valued piece of our building culture. It didn’t take long before our entire school community was involved in our weekly video broadcasts. Not just the students and classroom teachers, but related arts, paraprofessionals, cafeteria staff, administrative assistants, custodians, after school child care workers . . . EVERYONE!
You may have heard the saying,
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
By involving our students and staff as the stars of our video production, we are making social emotional learning intentional and purposeful for everyone in our community. Kids (and adults) are not only remembering, but internalizing and showing social emotional growth on a daily basis. How exciting it is to hear and see changes in our climate and culture as our message of who we are and what we believe permeates our learning community. And when the question “How did you know that?” is followed by the response, “I saw it on GMP” (the name of our video broadcast), it makes it all worth the effort!
What goes into our SEL broadcast?
I’m glad you asked! First, let’s sift out what it is not. An SEL broadcast is NOT morning announcements, birthday lists, or what’s for lunch. An SEL broadcast IS a 10-12 minute video recording jam-packed with these essential ingredients:
- Greeting and introduction by the School Leader
- SEL lesson from the School Counselor
- Supporting segments that add a dash of interest and entertainment
- Wrap Up by School Leader
- Closing Tagline
Greeting by the School Leader
A greeting from the School Leader sets the tone and communicates a message of support for what we are about to learn.
SEL Lesson from the School Counselor
A 4-5 minute SEL lesson introduces the schoolwide topic for the week – a common message with common language for the whole learning community.
Supporting Segments
Students and staff get into the act to promote and extend the week’s message. To protect their privacy, these segments are shown within our school community and are not shared publicly.
Segments vary from one week to the next, to keep things fresh and engaging. Coming up with new ideas has been surprisingly easy – inspiration is everywhere! – tv, social media, books, and conversations with our students and staff! Some of our favorite segments include:
- Newsdesk: Students introduce or summarize a segment
- Got Game?: A staff member introduces a recess game that connects to the weekly theme/message, students demonstrate how to play, then follow-up with their reviews after a couple weeks of play
- Skits: Staff and students act out scripted sketches, game shows, commercials, etc. based on the SEL theme
- Reporter on the Playground: Students are interviewed about a relevant topic. Often, our human reporter(s) are accompanied by a large stuffed version of our school mascot who, through the magic of technology, appears to be asking the questions!
- Power Play: Classrooms take turns demonstrating how they are incorporating previous SEL lessons into their routine.
- Shout Outs: Students and staff members are highlighted for their efforts in modeling expected attitudes and behaviors.
- STEAM Challenges: Families are presented with a variety of challenges to promote social emotional learning on their home learning days (online learning). Last school year we periodically sent a camera crew on the road to get video from willing participants!
Wrap Up from School Leader
Our school leader wraps up the broadcast with a few words of encouragement and call-to-action for our learning community.
Closing Tagline
Just like news anchors who sign-off with a closing catchphrase, we close out every broadcast with the tagline that summarizes our mission: Be Kind; Be Respectful; Be Responsible; Be a Leader . . . Today and Every Day!
More Info Coming Soon!
There are endless possibilities when it comes to producing SEL schoolwide video broadcasts. You don’t need to be a master to create videos – in fact – anyone can! Even if you have very little experience, there are dozens of simple ways to begin. In future posts, you will find everything you need to get started, whether it be inspiration, motivation, or how-to directions. Use the tips and tricks that we’ve discovered along the way to help guide you. Once you get going, you’ll want to make customized videos again and again and again!
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