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Skills Alignment -- Emotional and Social Literacy

See also the Competency Map and Outcomes documents.

Core Learner Skills​

  • Recognizing body signals as information
  • Identifying physiological states (alert, depleted, regulated)
  • Recognizing and interrupting the amygdala hijack
  • Identifying cognitive distortions in fictional scenarios
  • Distinguishing observation from narrative interpretation
  • Understanding the trust ledger and social capital
  • Setting and communicating boundaries
  • Navigating peer pressure as an alignment problem
  • Recognizing information corruption (rumors) and applying verification
  • Root cause analysis for recurring social friction
  • Designing and testing a behavioral/communication protocol
  • Social-Emotional Learning: Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making
  • ELA: Discussion, analytical writing (journal), communication skills
  • Health Education: Mental wellness, stress management (general)

Possible Standards Connections​

CASEL SEL Competencies (may connect to):

  • Self-Awareness: recognizing emotions, accurate self-perception
  • Self-Management: managing emotions, goal-setting
  • Social Awareness: empathy, perspective-taking
  • Relationship Skills: communication, conflict resolution
  • Responsible Decision-Making: identifying problems, evaluating consequences

Common Core ELA Speaking and Listening:

  • Collaborative discussion, evidence-based reasoning in discussion

Note: This curriculum frames SEL in a cognitive and systems-thinking language (telemetry, protocols, audits) rather than traditional emotional vocabulary. This is intentional and may require facilitator translation for programs that use different SEL frameworks.

Transferable Learner Outcomes​

By end of curriculum:

  1. Describe emotions as signals, not commands, using own language
  2. Recognize the amygdala hijack and describe one interruption strategy
  3. Identify three cognitive distortions in fictional scenarios
  4. Describe the trust ledger with a fictional example
  5. Draft one boundary statement
  6. Design, test, and iterate one behavioral protocol for a recurring social friction

Important Note​

This is an educational curriculum, not therapy. It should not replace mental health support for students who need it. Educators using this curriculum should read the Facilitator Safety Guide first.

Disclaimer​

Literacy for Kids does not claim official alignment with any standards body. Verify against your own requirements.