Summary - Teaching Critical SEL Skills Using Picture Books P26.4443. Online registration by Cvent

Does the prospect of finding a way to incorporate the teaching of critical social-emotional issues send you into a quandary? Do you have a deep love for using authentic children’s literature in your current teaching practices? If so, look no further! Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a process for learning essential life skills such as decision making, problem solving, effective communication, empathy, perseverance, and coping, just to name a few. Teachers are searching for the most effective ways to introduce and teach appropriate social-emotional skills in the classroom as they relate to common classroom issues, some of which can be quite sensitive, and which almost always are beyond their control. This online course provides the perfect approach by using high-quality picture books to deal with a variety of SEL issues from separation anxiety, kindness, and tattling, to poverty and homelessness, divorce, anger management, childhood health and obesity, teasing and bullying, and others. Teachers will be provided with thorough background information on each topic as well as the implications for the classroom environment and teaching. Then, each topic shares three authentic children’s books, together with lessons for each title. The course introduces lesson plans for forty-seven picture books. An additional list of picture books is shared for every single social-emotional topic presented in the course, as well as links to additional resources, as applicable. By the end of this course, teachers will feel more confident and successful in their quest to embed the teaching of social-emotional skills into their own teaching practices.

Grade Level: PreK-3

Instructional Media

Interactive Communication: Online discussions, engagement, and collaboration among participants.
Instructor Support: Feedback and interaction from the instructor.
Instructional Materials: Access to online resources, supplemental materials, and printable classroom tools.

Methods of Evaluation: tests, personal goal-setting, reflections on articles/videos, class collaboration, a cumulative project, and a final practicum.

Review the course syllabus for expected learning outcomes and detailed methods of evaluation for this course.

This PDI course is fully self-paced—you may register and begin at any time.

Current Session

Registration Deadline: October 15, 2026
Coursework Due: November 15, 2026 (you may finish earlier)
Grades Released: September 2, 2026
Please allow up to two weeks from this date—or from your completion date thereafter—for your grade to be processed and delivered to ASDN.

Next Session

Registration opens October 16, 2026, with coursework due April 15, 2027, and grades released beginning January 2, 2027.

Cancellation Policy
You may cancel within one week of registration. A $125 cancellation fee will apply.

Extensions or transfers are not permitted.