Deep Dive Paper:

How Picture Books Can Help Guide and Regulate Student Behaviour Cause by Lagging
Skills Through Exploring Social Emotional Learning

Abigail Gibbons

Faculty of Education, University of Lethbridge

EDUC 4709: Issues in Special Education - Behaviour Disorders

Dr. Terra Leggat

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Introduction to Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an important part of a child’s education. In the

classroom SEL is an important process to integrate because it allows students to “acquire and

apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and

achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain

supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions” (CASEL, n.d.). SEL is a

framework developed by CASEL that can be woven into the classroom in a multitude of

different ways and according to Lars Olson, the most common way that SEL is used it to

“improve behaviours that are necessary to function within the mores and norms of a classroom

setting” (vii). Behaviours are prevalent in every classroom and through guiding and teaching the

SEL framework to students, it helps them regulate their behaviours by teachers focusing on their

lagging skills. Picture books are one of the many strategies that can be used to integrate SEL in

the classroom. In this essay, we will be focusing on analyzing how we can implement the

CASEL SEL Framework in the classroom through picture books to help students recognize and

regulate their behaviours. 

CASEL SEL Framework

The SEL Framework was developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and

Emotional Learning (CASEL) and provides a foundation that “helps cultivate skills and

environments that advance students learning and development” (CASEL, 2021). This framework

is based on five competencies and these competencies are “self-awareness, self-management,

social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making” (CASEL, 2021). Each of

these competencies are different; however, they do interrelate. Below each term will be defined
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and will be expanded on by identifying the different ways that the competency is seen in the

classroom and the importance of the competency.

Self-Awareness is defined as the “abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts,

and values and how they influence behavior across contexts” (CASEL, 2021). In the classroom

this can be seen in various ways such as students’ ability to recognize their own strengths and

weaknesses; students understanding biases and prejudices; students developing their own

interests, and students’ ability to analyze and understand their own emotions and how they affect

others. Self-awareness is an important skill to develop because it is the underlying skill that helps

students manage their own emotions and behaviours, and how their emotions and behaviours can

affect different contexts in their lives. 

Self-Management is defined as the “abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts,

and behaviours effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations” (CASEL,

2021). In the classroom this can be seen in various ways through managing stress, being

motivated to accomplish goals, and to delay gratification. Self-Management is an important skill

for students to develop because it helps students navigate and regulate their own thoughts,

emotions, and behaviours in a healthy way, through building independence to pursue their goals.

Social Awareness is defined as the “abilities to understand the perspectives of and

empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures and contexts”

(CASEL, 2021). In the classroom this can be seen in various ways, such as by students being

able to show compassion and empathy towards others, through students recognizing the social

norms of behaviours in a variety of different settings, and for students to understand other

perspectives from their own. Social Awareness is an important skill for students to develop
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because it helps students understand how to see things from perspectives that potentially will

differ from their own.

Relationship Skills are defined as the “abilities to establish and maintain healthy and

supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups”

(CASEL, 2021). In the classroom this can be seen in various ways such as through students’

problem solving, asking for help and through students communicating their problems.

Relationship Skills are an important skill for students to develop because it helps students

navigate social situations, allowing them to discern what actions are appropriate and how to

communicate effectively.

Responsible Decision-Making is defined as the “abilities to make caring and constructive

choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations” (CASEL,

2021). In the classroom this can be seen in various ways, such as students making good decisions

in the classroom, students following rules, and students recognizing how their decisions can

impact others. Responsible Decision-Making is an important skill for students to develop

because it allows students to recognize how to make the right choice by recognizing the good

and bad consequences of their choice.

All these competencies are incredibly important, especially in a classroom setting.

According to a study conducted by McGraw Hill in 2021 “virtually all educators report that it’s

critical to develop key SEL skills in the classroom” (pg. 3) with self-awareness, self-

management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making being rated

higher that a 96% in the somewhat or very important categories. This is just one statistic that

shows how educators’ value and see the importance of integrating SEL in the classroom. Overall,

these five competencies hold value in our classrooms.

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Correlation Between Social Emotional Learning and Behaviour

Many students are unable to articulate these SEL concepts on their own because they

need to be taught. Students who are not taught these SEL skills are more likely to engage in

undesired and maladaptive behaviours. As Ross Greene describes “behind every challenging

behavior is an unsolved problem, or a lagging skill (or both)” (Greene, 2008, p.162).  If students

do not have the skills to be self-awareness, to have self-management, to have social awareness,

to have relationship skills, and to make responsible decisions, then this is a lagging skill. A

lagging skill is defined as “when the demands being placed on a kid exceeds his capacity to

respond adaptively” (Greene, 2008, p.162) because this stems from the student not having the

skills required to respond in an appropriate manner. Students need to be taught these skills and

according to Khazanchi et al. (2021) “SEL acts as a catalyst to promote success and well-being

in school and life for all students by developing positive behaviors” (pg. 12). This topic is one

that is well researched, and “when schools teach SEL skills, student’s

negative behaviours reduce” (Stang & Wells, 2021, pg. 5).

Social-Emotional Learning interventions can become meaningfully integrated into the

classroom through teaching the skills of the five competencies. Through teaching the skills of

self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-

making, it allows the student to gain strategies to manage their behaviour by building on the

skills that they could have been previously lacking. SEL gives students the skills to understand

how they can regulate their behaviour and to understand their emotions, feelings,

and behaviours. Ultimately, giving students the skills that they need to be successful. 

Incorporation of SEL Picture Books to Guide and Regulate Behaviours

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There are many high-quality picture books that can bring social emotional learning to life

in the classroom. Rhona Harkness, an Education Professor at the University of Lethbridge, and a

retired teacher from Lethbridge School Division, described the “power of picture book[s to be]

endless” (Harkness, 2022) and that she used them in her class to help guide and regulate

student behaviour. Through exploring the five competencies of SEL she described that she used

picture books “to initiate discussions, to identify emotions and feeling, to question actions and

responses, to problem solve issues, to analyze before and after reactions, and to develop empathy

for those around us” (Harkness, 2022). Behaviours are prevalent in every classroom, and picture

books can help students to learn the skills that stem from the five SEL competencies.

There are many strengths that can come out of using picture books in classrooms to

help behaviours and Harkness explained many of these benefits. In this paper we are going to be

discussing three of these benefits. Firstly, in the classroom she found that students were able to

“make connections to the character and then in turn problem solve solutions, actions and

reactions without directly taking it personally” (Harkness, 2022). For students, this allows them

to relate to their own personal experiences, to the character, which allows them to make

connections to their own classroom. As the Center for Responsive Schooling explains “most

picture books feature as main characters either children, to whom young readers can relate, or

animals, which many children find appealing due to their childlike qualities and personalities—

all facing the sorts of challenges that children are learning to work through in their daily lives.”

(n.d.). For example, if the student in the class had a lagging skill of struggling to share with

others and then implement a picture book where the character describes how they feel when

another person does not share with them. This allows the student to recognize how not sharing

with others can hurt the feelings of those that were wanting to play with them. However, we need
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to ensure that through these connections we discuss strategies for students to implement and to

help students develop their lagging skills. In this scenario, the strategy of taking turns with the

toy could be implemented and then this could be followed by a discussion about how this could

make the character feel when they do share.

Secondly, Harkness found that “students found it easier to see characteristics in others

before we can see them in ourselves” and that she could “initiate discussion through looking at a

character in the story (not ourselves)” (Harkness, 2022). This allows students to better

understand their own feelings and behaviours because they are examining the emotions

and behaviours of the characters. For example, if a character in the story is showcasing that they

are getting angry easily and they take this frustration by hitting someone; however, at the end of

the story they have been told strategies on how to manage their angry in a way that does not

involve hitting someone. For a student that might have the same tendencies, this book has

explicitly given them strategies to cope with their behaviour in a positive way by being self-

aware and through self-management. Through class discussion, as Harkness mentions, it can

help by targeting the characters behaviour and then stemming to conversation about what

happens if this behaviour occurred in the classroom. As Katherine Kapustka and Sarah

Bright mention this is a way for students to “identify their own emotions and the emotions of

characters in their stories, describe ways to manage a conflict, and identify values that help in

good decision-making.” (Kapustka & Bright, 2022, pg. 21). Therefore, picture books are

incredibly useful to relate to students’ own behaviours by not targeting the student/s

individually. 

Lastly, using picture books allowed the opportunity “to name emotions and feelings” this

then in turn helped “to identify feelings and strategies to cope with high emotions” (Harkness,
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2022). Emotions in the classroom can be triggered by a lot of different things, such as not eating

breakfast or not getting enough sleep. Therefore, we must ensure that students have strategies to

communicate how they are feeling. As Harkness explained picture books can be a great resource

to help students understand their emotions and the impact that their emotions can have on other

people. By identifying that a student needs support through regulating their emotions, teachers

can take the time to find a book that specifically meets that student/s needs. For example, if a

student is struggling with anxiety, but does not understand how to regulate the anxiety that they

are feeling. Breathe by Scott Maggon explores the concept of anxiety by reminding the baby

whale to always breathe. A book such as this targets the lagging skills of the student by giving

them a specific strategy to use when they are feeling anxious or nervous. Teachers can

implement books that target specific lagging skills of students in the class to acknowledge that it

is okay to be feeling the way that they are in an indirect way. However, the most important thing

is to ensure that we build upon the content of the picture book by reiterating strategies that

students can use in times where they feel emotional. 

Integrating picture books into the classroom is a simple and purposeful way to develop

students SEL skills. They have many benefits towards guiding and helping students regulate their

behaviors caused by lagging skills. At the end of this paper, there will be an appendix that will

have a variety of different picture books for each of the five competencies. As Karen Cicero

mentions “from a hedgehog too anxious to go ice skating to a puppy who cannot make his letters

come out right, children’s books address many emotional, behavioral and learning challenges

kids face” (n.d.). However, it is important to note that this is a supportive intervention, and it

should be used with support of other SEL interventions. The power of picture books is endless
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with helping teachers to target students with lagging skills to develop and build on these skills to

decrease the undesired and maladaptive behaviours in the classroom.  

Social Awareness and Self-Management Developed Through the Good Egg by Jory John
The Good Egg by Jory John is an example of how multiple SEL competencies could be

targeted through one book. The Good Egg can teach students about social awareness and self-

management. The story begins with the Good Egg listing all the things he has done to help his

neighbors and friends, and this includes trying to tame the behavior of his carton mates. This

picture book “conveys the important message of finding a balance between taking care of

yourself and taking care of your community.” (Kapustka & Bright, 2022, pg., 160).

Social Awareness is developed in this story when students “begin to develop their

understanding of their own behavior in relation to other[s ... and when] they begin to understand

the concept of point of view” (Kapustka & Bright, 2022, pg., 160). In the story the Good Egg

was concerns about managing the behaviours of the other eleven eggs that they neglected to look

after their own health. Once the Good Egg realized this, then they began to create more positive

relationships with the others in the carton. Recognizing its own self-management by realizing

that it is okay to make mistakes, but you must try and make amends. Therefore, what the egg

realized was the importance of self-care and the importance of accepting others.

Teachers can further this story by guiding students to “understand how this perspective

shapes the story. [Further] consider[ing] how the story might be different if it were written from

the point of view of one of the eggs that broke the rules. (Kapustka & Bright, 2022, pg., 160-1).

Picture books can be used in a multitude of different ways, and they can bring through multiple

perspectives for students to explore. Picture books such as The Good Egg by Jory John

highlights how picture books can be used to explore the SEL competencies. 

Weaknesses
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While there are no specific weaknesses of using this approach cited through research. It is

important that the incorporation of SEL picture books to guide and regulate behaviours is

implemented with purpose. Reading a picture book and immediately expecting students to

understand the skill that is being showcased is not what we should be aiming for. We should be

aiming to teach students these skills and build upon them. Incorporating SEL picture books

should not be a ‘one and done’ situation but instead we should be implementing this through the

approaches spoken about in Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning to Build

Positive Behaviours. This research paper speaks about how there are four main approaches that

help teachers effectively implement SEL in their classrooms. These four approaches

are “(a) teaching SEL explicitly, (b) embedding SEL skills within the academic content, (c)

creating a positive learning environment, and (d) using teaching practices that promote SEL

skills in students and support student development.” (Khazanchi et al., 2021, pg. 12). Through

using these four approaches, although it is not directly related to picture books, highlights the

importance of having a purpose when implementing SEL in the classroom. When we look

at behaviours, we have to find the lagging skills that students are experiencing. After we find

these lagging skills, we have to teach our students these skills explicitly, give them time to

practice the strategies given and to continue to emphasise the importance of learning these skills.

Overall, we need to ensure that when integrating SEL into the classroom that it has a purpose.

Conclusion

According to Lars Olson, the most common way that SEL is used it to

“improve behaviours that are necessary to function within the mores and norms of a classroom

setting” (vii). Through focusing on students lagging skills teachers can target

these behaviours through using SEL picture books. Overall, picture books are a great
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intervention that can focus on students’ undesired and maladaptive behaviour caused by lagging

skills. Through teaching students, the skills that they need to build upon to regulate

their behaviours.
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References

Bear, G. G. (2020). Improving school climate: Practical strategies to reduce behavior problems

and promote social and emotional learning. Routledge.
CASEL. (2021, October 11). What Is the Framework? Retrieved June 9, 2022, from
https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
CASEL. (n.d.). Fundamentals of SEL. Retrieved June 9, 2022, from
https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
Center for Responsive Schools. (2020, February 18). Bring SEL to Life for Young Students
Through Picture Books. Retrieved June 9, 2022, from
https://www.crslearn.org/publication/feburary-2020-literacy-and-sel/bring-sel-to-life-for-
young-students-through-picture-books/
Cicero, K. (n.d.) 44 Children’s Books About Mental Health. Child Mind Institute. Retrieved June
9, 2022, from https://childmind.org/article/best-childrens-books-about-mental-health/
Dermata, Κ. (2019). My BEST friends, the books: Discussing with preschoolers about picture
book characters’ social-emotional skills. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching &
Learning,  12(2), 151-163. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-01-2019-0009
Durlak, J. A., Schellinger, K. B., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., & Taylor, R. D. (2011). The
Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of
School-Based Universal Interventions. Society For Research in Child Development.
https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
Greene, R. (2008). Kids do well if they can. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(3), 160-167.
Harkness, R. (2022, June 10). Interview about How Picture Books can help guide and Regulate
Student Behaviour Through Exploring Social Emotional Learning. Personal
Communication [E-mail interview]
Kapustka, Katherine, and Sarah Bright. Integrating Social and Emotional Learning with Content:
Using Picture Books for Differentiated Teaching in K-3 Classrooms. Routledge, 2022.
Khazanchi, R., Khazanchi, P., Mehta, V., & Tuli, N. (2021). Incorporating social-emotional
learning to build positive behaviors. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 57(1), 11-
17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2021.1851581
McGraw Hill. (n.d.). 2021 Social and Emotional Learning Report. McGraw Hill. pp.1-44.
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Roeper Review, vol. 21, no. 1, 1998, pp. A1-A5.
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emotional-learning-in-the-classroom
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Learning (Order No. 29068632). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I.
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on Promoting Positive Behaviour on Elementary Students. St. Catherine University
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Appendix of Picture Books for SEL
Self-Awareness
- The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
- The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
- A Little Spot of Feelings: Emotion
Detective by Diane Alber
- The Color Monster: A Story About
Emotions by Anna Llenas
- When Sadness is at Your Door by
Eva Eland
- Worry Says What? By Allison
Edwards
- Some Days by Karen Kaufman
Orloff
- The Cold Little Voice by Alison
Hughes
- I am Enough by Grace Byers
- I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont
Self-Management
- The Good Egg by Jory John
- Hands Are Not for Hitting by
Martine Agassi
- Swarms of Bees by Lemony Snicket
and Rilla Alexander
- Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna
Dewdney
- I’ll NEVER Get All of That Done by
Bryan Smith
- My Magic Breath by Nick Ortner
- Drum Dream Girl by Margarita
Engle
- All the Way to the Top by Annette
Bay Pimentel
Social Awareness
- We Don’t Eat Our Classmates! By
Ryan T. Higgins
- Perfectly Polite Penguins by
Georgiana Deutsch
- I Want to Win! By Sue Graves
- Decibella and Her 6-Inch Voice by
Julia Cook
- The Way I Act by Steve Metzger
Social Awareness Continued
- Let’s Talk About Race by Julius
Lester
- Same Difference by Calida Garcia
Rawles
- Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook
- Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee
Miller
Relationship Skills
- Confessions of a Former Bully by
Trudy Ludwig
- Trouble Talk by Trudy Ludwig
- Two by Kathryn Otoshi
- The Cool Bean by Jory John and
Pete Oswald
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
- The Sandwich Swap by Kelly
Dipucchio
- The Not So Friendly Friend by
Christina Furnival
- I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët
Responsible Decision-Making
- Should I share my Ice Cream by Mo
Willems
- What If Everybody Did That by
Ellen Javernick
- What Will It Be, Penelope? By Tori
Corn
- That Rule Doesn’t Apply to Me by
Julia Cook
- The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey
- The Do-Over Day by Julia Inserro
- A Treasure at Sea for Dragon and
Me by Jean E. Pendziwol
- How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe? By
Jane Yole