Ages 7-8 · Book 1, Accountability · 4,299 places
Second Grade SEL
By second grade ownership can be real: a job, a mistake, a repair, done by the child rather than negotiated by an adult.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Red Block — “Big feelings. Small choices. Real accountability.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Open with the story, not the lesson — the lesson lands after
- Session 2
Small groups: where does this show up in our room, specifically
- Session 3
The adult goes first, with a real example that cost them something
- Session 4
Each child writes the one step they take before next week
- Session 5
Follow up by name the following week and ask what happened
Questions leaders ask
Is second grade sel in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is accountability — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 7-8. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
How long does a session take in a your area classroom?
Twenty to thirty minutes, structured as read-aloud, small group, and one step each child names out loud before they leave the room.
Does this need a specialist to deliver?
No. It is written for the classroom teacher, the counselor, or whoever has the room that period. The leader script carries the questions and the follow-ups.
The rules that make it work
This is a character story, not a behaviour plan
Ellis Abel is a core-values series. No child is assessed, scored, diagnosed or labelled anywhere in it. It gives a room shared language, and it stops there.
Big feelings are not misbehaviour
A four-year-old at full volume is not defying anyone. Treating the feeling as an offence teaches a child to hide it, which is the opposite of the skill.
Name first, always
Every attempt to fix a feeling before naming it fails, and it fails loudly. The order in the book is the order in the room.
Ownership is small and specific
"Be responsible" means nothing at four. One job, done alone, every day, means everything, and it generalises on its own.
Adults go first
The adult naming their own feeling out loud in front of the child does more work than any session. Children copy what they see under pressure.
Routines beat reminders
A routine a child can recite is theirs. A reminder an adult repeats is the adult's, and it has to be repeated forever.
Second Grade SEL by metro area
Northeast
- Second Grade SEL — New York, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Philadelphia, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Boston, MA
- Second Grade SEL — Pittsburgh, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Providence, RI
- Second Grade SEL — Hartford, CT
- Second Grade SEL — Buffalo, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Rochester, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Bridgeport, CT
- Second Grade SEL — Albany, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Worcester, MA
- Second Grade SEL — Allentown, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Syracuse, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Harrisburg, PA
- Second Grade SEL — New Haven, CT
- Second Grade SEL — Portland, ME
- Second Grade SEL — Scranton, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Lancaster, PA
- Second Grade SEL — York, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Springfield, MA
- Second Grade SEL — Waterbury, CT
- Second Grade SEL — Reading, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Manchester, NH
- Second Grade SEL — Trenton, NJ
- Second Grade SEL — Atlantic City, NJ
- Second Grade SEL — Utica, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Norwich, CT
- Second Grade SEL — Erie, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Binghamton, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Barnstable, MA
- Second Grade SEL — Burlington, VT
- Second Grade SEL — Kingston, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Amherst, MA
- Second Grade SEL — Chambersburg, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Bangor, ME
- Second Grade SEL — State College, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Vineland, NJ
- Second Grade SEL — Lebanon, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Johnstown, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Pittsfield, MA
- Second Grade SEL — Glens Falls, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Altoona, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Lewiston, ME
- Second Grade SEL — Williamsport, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Watertown, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Gettysburg, PA
- Second Grade SEL — Ithaca, NY
- Second Grade SEL — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Second Grade SEL — Chicago, IL
- Second Grade SEL — Detroit, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Minneapolis, MN
- Second Grade SEL — St. Louis, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Cincinnati, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Kansas City, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Columbus, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Indianapolis, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Cleveland, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Milwaukee, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Grand Rapids, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Omaha, NE
- Second Grade SEL — Dayton, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Des Moines, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Madison, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Akron, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Wichita, KS
- Second Grade SEL — Toledo, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Springfield, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Lansing, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Fort Wayne, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Youngstown, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Flint, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Canton, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Davenport, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Ann Arbor, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Peoria, IL
- Second Grade SEL — Lincoln, NE
- Second Grade SEL — Rockford, IL
- Second Grade SEL — Green Bay, WI
- Second Grade SEL — South Bend, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Sioux Falls, SD
- Second Grade SEL — Duluth, MN
- Second Grade SEL — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Evansville, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Fargo, ND
- Second Grade SEL — Kalamazoo, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Appleton, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Champaign, IL
- Second Grade SEL — Topeka, KS
- Second Grade SEL — Rochester, MN
- Second Grade SEL — Lafayette, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Columbia, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Joplin, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Elkhart, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Springfield, IL
- Second Grade SEL — St. Cloud, MN
- Second Grade SEL — Racine, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Saginaw, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Iowa City, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Muskegon, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Eau Claire, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Oshkosh, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Bloomington, IL
- Second Grade SEL — La Crosse, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Terre Haute, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Waterloo, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Kenosha, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Janesville, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Bloomington, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Jackson, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Traverse City, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Rapid City, SD
- Second Grade SEL — Monroe, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Jefferson City, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Niles, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Sioux City, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Bismarck, ND
- Second Grade SEL — Wausau, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Manhattan, KS
- Second Grade SEL — Springfield, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Battle Creek, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Ames, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Mansfield, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Lawrence, KS
- Second Grade SEL — St. Joseph, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Sheboygan, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Muncie, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Sandusky, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Michigan City, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Kankakee, IL
- Second Grade SEL — Grand Forks, ND
- Second Grade SEL — Mankato, MN
- Second Grade SEL — Fond du Lac, WI
- Second Grade SEL — Bay City, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Lima, OH
- Second Grade SEL — Dubuque, IA
- Second Grade SEL — Decatur, IL
- Second Grade SEL — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Second Grade SEL — Columbus, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Kokomo, IN
- Second Grade SEL — Midland, MI
- Second Grade SEL — Grand Island, NE
- Second Grade SEL — Minot, ND
South
- Second Grade SEL — Dallas, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Houston, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Atlanta, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Washington, DC
- Second Grade SEL — Miami, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Tampa, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Orlando, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Charlotte, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Baltimore, MD
- Second Grade SEL — San Antonio, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Austin, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Nashville, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Virginia Beach, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Jacksonville, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Raleigh, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Oklahoma City, OK
- Second Grade SEL — Louisville, KY
- Second Grade SEL — Richmond, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Memphis, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Birmingham, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Tulsa, OK
- Second Grade SEL — Greenville, SC
- Second Grade SEL — New Orleans, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Knoxville, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Second Grade SEL — McAllen, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Charleston, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Baton Rouge, LA
- Second Grade SEL — El Paso, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Columbia, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Cape Coral, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Lakeland, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Greensboro, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Little Rock, AR
- Second Grade SEL — Deltona, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Winston-Salem, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Palm Bay, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Augusta, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Durham, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Fayetteville, AR
- Second Grade SEL — Jackson, MS
- Second Grade SEL — Chattanooga, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Huntsville, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Pensacola, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Lexington, KY
- Second Grade SEL — Killeen, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Wilmington, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Corpus Christi, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Ocala, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Savannah, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Brownsville, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Gulfport, MS
- Second Grade SEL — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Lafayette, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Asheville, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Naples, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Mobile, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Spartanburg, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Beaumont, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Tallahassee, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Fayetteville, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Montgomery, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Shreveport, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Hickory, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Lubbock, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Huntington, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Gainesville, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Clarksville, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Columbus, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Roanoke, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Hagerstown, MD
- Second Grade SEL — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Kingsport, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Waco, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Longview, TX
- Second Grade SEL — College Station, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Laredo, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Slidell, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Amarillo, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Lynchburg, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Daphne, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Tyler, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Lake Charles, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Macon, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Fort Smith, AR
- Second Grade SEL — Panama City, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Charlottesville, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Gainesville, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Athens, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Monroe, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Punta Gorda, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Jacksonville, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Johnson City, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Lexington Park, MD
- Second Grade SEL — Warner Robins, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Auburn, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Florence, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Charleston, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Houma, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Bowling Green, KY
- Second Grade SEL — Dover, DE
- Second Grade SEL — Midland, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Burlington, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Abilene, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Jackson, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Greenville, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Blacksburg, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Odessa, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Decatur, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Hattiesburg, MS
- Second Grade SEL — The Villages metro area, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Florence, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Dothan, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Sherman, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Valdosta, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Winchester, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Wichita Falls, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Rocky Mount, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Alexandria, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Dalton, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Texarkana, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Albany, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Morgantown, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Hammond, LA
- Second Grade SEL — Harrisonburg, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Jonesboro, AR
- Second Grade SEL — Wheeling, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Cleveland, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Salisbury, MD
- Second Grade SEL — Staunton, VA
- Second Grade SEL — Morristown, TN
- Second Grade SEL — Elizabethtown, KY
- Second Grade SEL — Lawton, OK
- Second Grade SEL — Goldsboro, NC
- Second Grade SEL — San Angelo, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Brunswick, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Anniston, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Owensboro, KY
- Second Grade SEL — Steubenville, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Sebring, FL
- Second Grade SEL — Pinehurst, NC
- Second Grade SEL — Beckley, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Sumter, SC
- Second Grade SEL — Gadsden, AL
- Second Grade SEL — Paducah, KY
- Second Grade SEL — Rome, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Victoria, TX
- Second Grade SEL — Hot Springs, AR
- Second Grade SEL — Hinesville, GA
- Second Grade SEL — Parkersburg, WV
- Second Grade SEL — Enid, OK
- Second Grade SEL — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Second Grade SEL — Los Angeles, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Phoenix, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Riverside, CA
- Second Grade SEL — San Francisco, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Seattle, WA
- Second Grade SEL — San Diego, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Denver, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Portland, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Sacramento, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Las Vegas, NV
- Second Grade SEL — San Jose, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Salt Lake City, UT
- Second Grade SEL — Fresno, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Tucson, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Honolulu, HI
- Second Grade SEL — Bakersfield, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Albuquerque, NM
- Second Grade SEL — Boise, ID
- Second Grade SEL — Oxnard, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Stockton, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Colorado Springs, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Provo, UT
- Second Grade SEL — Ogden, UT
- Second Grade SEL — Spokane, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Reno, NV
- Second Grade SEL — Modesto, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Santa Rosa, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Visalia, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Vallejo, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Salem, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Santa Maria, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Salinas, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Anchorage, AK
- Second Grade SEL — Eugene, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Greeley, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Fort Collins, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Boulder, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Kennewick, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Olympia, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Merced, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Bremerton, WA
- Second Grade SEL — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Bend, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Yakima, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Santa Cruz, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Bellingham, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Las Cruces, NM
- Second Grade SEL — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Yuma, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Medford, OR
- Second Grade SEL — St. George, UT
- Second Grade SEL — Chico, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Billings, MT
- Second Grade SEL — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Second Grade SEL — Yuba City, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Redding, CA
- Second Grade SEL — El Centro, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Idaho Falls, ID
- Second Grade SEL — Pueblo, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Grand Junction, CO
- Second Grade SEL — Logan, UT
- Second Grade SEL — Maui, HI
- Second Grade SEL — Santa Fe, NM
- Second Grade SEL — Hanford, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Flagstaff, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Mount Vernon, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Napa, CA
- Second Grade SEL — Albany, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Bozeman, MT
- Second Grade SEL — Missoula, MT
- Second Grade SEL — Wenatchee, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Second Grade SEL — Twin Falls, ID
- Second Grade SEL — Farmington, NM
- Second Grade SEL — Longview, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Cheyenne, WY
- Second Grade SEL — Corvallis, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Helena, MT
- Second Grade SEL — Fairbanks, AK
- Second Grade SEL — Pocatello, ID
- Second Grade SEL — Grants Pass, OR
- Second Grade SEL — Great Falls, MT
- Second Grade SEL — Casper, WY
- Second Grade SEL — Lewiston, ID
- Second Grade SEL — Walla Walla, WA
- Second Grade SEL — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
Related programs
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First Grade SELAges 6-7
Morning MeetingAges 5-9
Classroom AgreementsAges 5-9
Classroom Calm CornerAges 5-9
Counselor Small GroupAges 5-10
Restorative PracticesAges 5-11
Behavior SupportAges 5-11
Tier One SELAges 5-11
Cafeteria and RecessAges 5-11
On the BusAges 5-11
Substitute-ReadyAges 5-10