Social Emotional Learning Classroom Workbook – Grade 8 (2nd Edition)

What Is the 8th Grade Social Emotional Learning Classroom Workbook?

The Social Emotional Learning Classroom Workbook – Grade 8, 2nd Edition is a 150-page, spiral-bound student workbook from Seltrove Education. It gives eighth graders (ages 13–14) a full school year of social and emotional learning that prepares them for high school and beyond. Organized into four 10-week themes, Identity & Mindset, Courage & Kindness, A Place to Belong, and A Healthy Well-Being, its weekly lessons help students embrace their identity, strengthen study habits, understand code switching and locus of control, communicate their needs, set protective boundaries, learn about consent, cope with jealousy, build healthy tech habits and step up as leaders. Each theme ends with a Review Week, students set goals and check in on them every theme, and Level-Up assessments at the start, middle and end of the year show their growth. The skills it builds are core competencies in your district’s Portrait of a Graduate.

Why Do Eighth Grade Teachers Choose This SEL Workbook?

• A full school year: four 10-week themes with a lesson for every week
• High school ready: Your Study Habits, Locus of Control, Being a Leader and A Look Back on 8th Grade
• Turnkey and no-prep: ready-to-use lessons with no extra teacher preparation
• Real eighth grade issues: code switching, authentic friendships, boundaries, consent, jealousy and online safety
• Digital well-being: Tech Harmony and Safe & Sound Online
• Goal-setting built in: goal pages at the start of the year and a Goal Check-In at the end of every theme
• Four Review Weeks: one to close and reinforce each theme
• Measurable growth: Level-Up Your SEL pre-assessment, mid-term assessment and post-assessment
• Service learning: a service learning page that connects SEL skills to the community
• Part of a K–12 series: the same four themes continue every grade, so skills build year after year

How Does This Workbook Build Portrait of a Graduate Competencies?

Social-emotional skills are durable skills, the transferable abilities students carry into every class, career and community. In eighth grade, students get ready for the independence of high school:

• Agency (AGY): Embracing Your Identity, Locus of Control and yearly goal-setting
• Communication (COM): Communicating Your Needs, The Art of Code Switching and Learning about Consent
• Personal Responsibility & Work Ethic (PRW): Your Study Habits, Protective Boundaries, My Responsibilities and Goal Check-Ins
• Career Readiness (CAR): Being a Leader, Your Study Habits and Keep Growing
• Citizenship (CIT): Courageous Hearts: Being an Upstander, It’s Cool to Be Kind, Safe & Sound Online and Service Learning
• Empathy (EMP): Practicing Empathy, Empathy in Action and Understanding Perspective-Taking
• Adaptability (ADP): Thriving Through Challenges, Navigating Life’s Seas, Coping and Coping with Jealousy
• Collaboration (COL): The Blueprints of Collaboration, Nurturing Friendships and The ABCs of Friendships
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (CT): Conflict Resolution and Tile by Tile: Building Decisions
• Creativity (CRE): Emotion Flashcards and The Great Big Mix
• Finances (FIN): Tile by Tile: Building Decisions and Locus of Control, foundations for future financial choices

What’s Inside the 8th Grade SEL Workbook?

Getting started: My Information, An Introduction to Me, Using This Workbook, Level-Up Your SEL: A Pre-Assessment, My Class Schedule, My Responsibilities, Goals

Theme 1: Identity and Mindset

Embracing Your Identity, Your Study Habits, The Art of Code Switching, Emotional Explorers, Emotion Flashcards, The Great Big Mix, Locus of Control, Communicating Your Needs, Keep Growing, Identity and Mindset Review Week, Goal Check-In, Making Connections, Notes Pages

Theme 2: Courage and Kindness

The ABCs of Friendships; Healthy, Authentic Friendships; Protective Boundaries; Courageous Hearts: Being an Upstander; Practicing Empathy; Learning about Consent; Thriving Through Challenges; Seeking Support; Navigating Life’s Seas; Courage and Kindness Review Week; Goal Check-In; Making Connections; Notes Pages; Level-Up Your SEL: A Mid-Term Assessment

Theme 3: A Place to Belong

Diversity, Understanding Perspective-Taking, Conflict Resolution, Empathy in Action, Tile by Tile: Building Decisions, Nurturing Friendships, The Blueprints of Collaboration, Coping with Jealousy, It’s Cool to Be Kind, A Place to Belong Review Week, Goal Check-In, Making Connections, Notes Pages

Theme 4: A Healthy Well-Being

Mindfulness, Supercharge Your Mental Well-Being, Keeping a Healthy Mind, Coping, Being a Leader, Tech Harmony, Safe & Sound Online, The Power of Gratitude, Gratitude Journal, A Healthy Well-Being Review Week, Goal Check-In, Making Connections, Notes Pages, Level-Up Your SEL: A Post-Assessment

End-of-year resources: A Look Back on 8th Grade, Activity Tracker, Service Learning, Books I Read This Year, A Change in Routine, SEL Resources

Who Is This 8th Grade SEL Workbook For?

Eighth grade teachers, middle school advisory and homeroom leaders, school counselors, health educators, Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention groups, high school transition programs, after-school programs, homeschool families and parents. It’s designed for weekly SEL or advisory time, high school readiness, healthy relationship and consent lessons, digital citizenship, service learning and Portrait of a Graduate initiatives.

What Comes in the 8th Grade SEL Workbook?

• Grade level: Grade 8 (ages 13–14)
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Format: Spiral-bound print workbook
• Length: 150 pages
• Includes: 4 themes with weekly lessons, 4 Review Weeks, Level-Up pre-, mid-term and post-assessments, yearly goal pages and Goal Check-Ins, Making Connections pages, notes pages, a Gratitude Journal, Service Learning, an Activity Tracker and end-of-year resources
• Publisher: Seltrove Education, an imprint of IB Source
• ISBN: 9781954760271
• Custom editions: available for orders of 1,000 or more

Frequently Asked Questions About the 8th Grade SEL Workbook

What does the 8th grade SEL workbook teach?

It covers four themes: Identity & Mindset (identity, study habits, code switching, emotions, locus of control, communicating needs), Courage & Kindness (healthy friendships, boundaries, being an upstander, empathy, consent, resilience, seeking support), A Place to Belong (diversity, perspective-taking, conflict resolution, decisions, collaboration, jealousy, kindness) and A Healthy Well-Being (mindfulness, mental well-being, coping, leadership, technology, online safety and gratitude).

Does it help students get ready for high school?

Yes. Lessons like Your Study Habits, Locus of Control, Communicating Your Needs and Being a Leader build the independence high school requires, and A Look Back on 8th Grade helps students reflect before moving on.

What is code switching, and why does it matter?

Code switching is adjusting how you speak or act depending on the setting or group you’re with. The Art of Code Switching lesson helps eighth graders understand it, reflect on their identity and make intentional choices about how they show up.

What is locus of control?

Locus of control is whether you believe outcomes come from your own actions or from outside forces. The Locus of Control lesson helps students focus on what they can control, which builds confidence and resilience.

Does it address consent and healthy relationships?

Yes. Learning about Consent, Protective Boundaries and Healthy, Authentic Friendships give eighth graders age-appropriate language for respectful relationships.

Does it cover online safety?

Yes. Tech Harmony and Safe & Sound Online help students build healthy technology habits and stay safe online.

How is the 8th grade workbook different from 7th grade?

Both use the same four themes, so skills build year over year, but Grade 8 focuses on high school readiness, with study habits, code switching, locus of control and leadership, and adds Review Weeks to each theme.

Does it include assessments?

Yes. Level-Up Your SEL assessments at the start, middle and end of the year show each student’s growth.

How does SEL connect to a Portrait of a Graduate?

Most Portrait of a Graduate frameworks include empathy, communication, collaboration, agency and adaptability. Those are the durable skills SEL builds, year after year.

Is there a free sample?

Yes. Download the free K–12 SEL Workbook Sampler to preview lessons from every grade level.