SEALK – Index (Subpages) and Booklists

SEALK is one way to help develop the link between social, emotional learning (SEL) and academic achievement. The purpose of my SEALK site is to use it as a guide for developing social, emotional, and academic learning (SEAL) using children’s literature through read alouds.

The material presented on this site is intended to be a curriculum guide for kindergarten. I have read all of the children’s books that I have posted. By using appropriately leveled stories SEAL could be used at any grade level, including Preschool.

I have read and documented many children’s story books, most have not been added to this site. Since I have only touched the tip of the iceberg (it is more like this is a snowflake on the tip of the iceberg) I will continue to add to the book list hopefully with your help. This will be an ongoing process and if you have a favorite story to add to the list please send me the information.

The topics chosen for my SEALK Book List are based on three classroom rules. Keep your body safe. Keep your friends safe. Keep your space safe. Then I added a section on Family.

Under each of these topics are related topics that are more specific. RULES; Martin Luther King Jr.(MLK), and Manners. BODY; Feelings, Afraid, Angry, Happy, Sad, and Lost. FRIENDS; Bullying, Cooperation, Different, Empathy, Fighting, Giving, Listening, and Sharing. SPACE; School Bus, Recess, and Lunch. FAMILY; Dad, Mom, Siblings, Grandfather, Grandmother, and Home.

The books are listed alphabetically by title under the appropriate headings in bold print. The author is listed next. Then there is a brief description of the story. Sometimes I might mention that this is a good book to use as an introduction to the topic or that this book has a longer story line, which means it may be more appropriate to read it at the end of the school year. Next you will see the word “Subjects”. These are specific topics or themes that are mentioned in the story that can be used to connect to different subject areas. For example: if you are studying ants in Science you can use the book “The Ant Bully” and connect your Science topic with bullying.

I would like to give some background information on what makes a good story book and also give some insight as to the importance of read alouds.

When selecting good books for read alouds the reader must look for stories that:
- have social or emotional themes that children can relate to
- have characters that are clearly defined and fewer in number
- include children or animal characters that think, act, and talk like children
- have appropriate social or emotional themes or messages
- extend the child’s range of vocabulary and sentence fluency
- include illustrations that enhance the text and tell a story in themselves
- are representative of all children in the classroom
- include a variety of genres

In school, reading aloud is when the teacher reads a good children’s story in a large group setting. Most read alouds will involve picture books but may also include poetry, fiction, non-fiction (Zoobooks), or biographies (MLK). Read alouds should also be a very interactive process, allowing the students to make predictions, ask questions, make connections to themselves and the text, and to talk about what they think is important in the story. Reading aloud can also involve a parent reading to a child. The benefits of reading aloud are many and include:
- motivating an interest in reading
- having a positive impact on student’s attitudes toward reading
- modeling fluent, expressive reading
- increases vocabulary, concept and language development
- provides a connection between a child’s experiences and the text
- includes discussions and questions between reader and child
- developing an understanding of story structure
- building background knowledge
- reinforcing concepts about print
- encouraging higher level thinking
- improves listening skills
- aids in reading comprehension
- supports student enjoyment
- provides for children to hear different genres
- provides opportunities for the teacher to model think alouds