Our Curriculum › Social Skills › Grades 6–8
Social Skills 6-8
A social and emotional course meant to be used across 6th through 8th grade, at the pace that suits the child. It covers values and identity, stress and self-discipline, empathy, bias and bullying, peer pressure, friendship changes, boundaries, conflict resolution and hard choices.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
7 units
Each opens to its lessons
4-step conflict resolution
Plus mediation and feedback skills
Standards
CASEL social-emotional learning competencies
What's taught, unit by unit
Values, identity & stress signalsDays 1–30
What they actually value and when values get tested, fitting in, social media, personal triggers and motivation, asking for help from teachers, parents and friends, and spotting stress in the body. Last six days are review.
- 1 · What Are Values, Really?
- 2 · The Moment Your Values Get Tested
- 3 · Fitting In vs. Selling Out
- 4 · Whose Voice Is In Your Head?
- 5 · The Team Jersey Test
- 6 · Values on Social Media
- 7 · How You Actually Operate: Triggers
- 8 · Reading Your Own Reactions
- 9 · What Actually Motivates You
- 10 · The Growth Zone vs. the Comfort Zone
- 11 · Your Energy Patterns
- 12 · Strengths That Cause Problems
- 13 · Knowing When to Ask for Help
- 14 · Talking to a Teacher About a Problem
- 15 · Asking Your Parents for What You Need
- 16 · Speaking Up to a Friend
- 17 · The Group Project Voice
- 18 · When Asking for Help Feels Embarrassing
- 19 · Your Body's Early Warning System
- 20 · Stress Before It's a Big Deal
- 21 · The Sunday Night Feeling
- 22 · Stress Signals at School vs. at Home
- 23 · Stress Hiding as Something Else
- 24 · Naming It Without Fixing It Yet
- 25 · Your Values, Named
- 26 · How You Operate: A Self-Portrait
- 27 · Your Self-Advocacy Toolkit So Far
- 28 · Reading Your Own Stress Signals
- 29 · Connecting the Dots
- 30 · Your Self-Awareness Snapshot
Managing stress & self-disciplineDays 31–60
Naming real stressors, resetting the body, breaking big assignments into steps, expectations, screens, procrastination, bouncing back from a bad grade or getting cut, sleep, exercise, journaling and habits. Last six days are review.
- 31 · From Knowing Your Stress to Managing It
- 32 · Naming Your Real Stressors
- 33 · Resetting Your Body When Stress Spikes
- 34 · Breaking Big Assignments Into Small Steps
- 35 · When Everyone Seems to Expect Something From You
- 36 · Too Many Activities, Not Enough You
- 37 · Family Expectations and Your Own Limits
- 38 · Motivation Is Not the Same as Discipline
- 39 · Following Through When You Don't Feel Like It
- 40 · Taking Control of Screens and Distractions
- 41 · Juggling Competing Priorities
- 42 · Designing a Routine That Actually Works
- 43 · Breaking the Procrastination Cycle
- 44 · Bouncing Back From a Bad Grade
- 45 · Getting Cut From the Team
- 46 · When a Friendship Changes
- 47 · Healthy Coping vs. Coping That Backfires
- 48 · Sleep Is Part of Self-Management
- 49 · Moving Your Body to Manage Stress
- 50 · Writing It Out: Journaling as a Tool
- 51 · When Stress Piles Up
- 52 · Making Habits Stick
- 53 · When 'Good Enough' Feels Impossible
- 54 · Managing Three Deadlines in One Week
- 60 · Your Self-Management Toolkit, Put Together
Plus 5 review days, not listed.
Empathy, bias & bullyingDays 61–90
Empathy across culture, money, belief, ability and family differences, listening to understand, stereotypes and snap judgments, then what bullying is, bystanders and upstanders, getting help, and an upstander plan.
- 61 · What Empathy Really Means
- 62 · Empathy Across Culture
- 63 · Understanding Different Family Circumstances
- 64 · Respecting Beliefs You Don't Share
- 65 · Understanding Physical and Learning Differences
- 66 · Family Shapes and Sizes
- 67 · What It's Like to Be New
- 68 · Listening to Understand, Not to Respond
- 69 · Empathy Isn't Pity
- 70 · Empathy in Action: A Practice Day
- 71 · What Is a Stereotype?
- 72 · Where Stereotypes Come From
- 73 · The Assumptions People Make About You
- 74 · Thinking Fast vs. Thinking Slow
- 75 · Bias in Teams and Group Work
- 76 · Stereotypes in Media and Stories
- 77 · Catching Your Own Bias
- 78 · Bias Check: A Practice Day
- 79 · What Bullying Actually Is
- 80 · Bullying or Just a Bad Day?
- 81 · It's Never the Target's Fault
- 82 · The Many Faces of Bullying
- 83 · The Bystander Effect
- 84 · Becoming an Upstander
- 85 · Getting Help the Right Way
- 86 · If You See It Happening to Someone Else
- 87 · Supporting Someone After
- 88 · How Empathy, Bias, and Bullying Connect
- 89 · Unit Review: Social Awareness Scenarios
- 90 · Social Awareness Capstone: Your Upstander Plan
Peer pressure & changing friendshipsDays 91–120
Direct and indirect pressure and refusal scripts, then friendship shifts in middle school: cliques, exclusion, jealousy, splits. Real apologies, rebuilding trust, boundaries, and letting go. Ends with review and a letter to future self.
- 91 · Spotting Peer Pressure: Direct and Indirect
- 92 · Why Peer Pressure Works on Everyone
- 93 · The Friends Who Actually Matter Don't Pressure You
- 94 · Refusal Scripts That Don't Burn Bridges
- 95 · Pressure to Fit In: Clothes, Trends, and “Cool”
- 96 · When Pressure Crosses a Line
- 97 · When the Group Turns on Someone
- 98 · Holding Your Ground Without Losing the Friendship
- 99 · Reading the Tactics: Dares, Teasing, and the Silent Treatment
- 100 · Practice Day: Your Peer Pressure Playbook
- 101 · Why Friendships Shift in Middle School
- 102 · Cliques and Group Dynamics, Without the Judgment
- 103 · On the Outside: When You Feel Excluded
- 104 · Noticing When You're the One Leaving Someone Out
- 105 · Jealousy Between Friends
- 106 · When Your Friend Group Splits Up
- 107 · You Don't Need One Best Friend for Everything
- 108 · When a Friend's Choices Worry You
- 109 · Loyalty vs. Speaking Up
- 110 · Practice Day: Naming What's Really Going On
- 111 · Sorting Out What Actually Happened
- 112 · A Real Apology vs. a Quick “Sorry”
- 113 · Rebuilding Trust After a Big Fight
- 114 · Setting a Boundary With a Friend
- 115 · Respecting a Boundary You Don't Fully Get
- 116 · Knowing When to Let a Friendship Go
- 117 · When a Friendship Doesn't Bounce All the Way Back
- 120 · Putting It Together: A Letter to Future You
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Needs, boundaries, conflict & feedbackDays 121–150
I statements, stating needs and boundaries with family, friends and online, a four-step conflict resolution process, mediating between friends, group projects, and giving and receiving feedback. Last six days are review.
- 121 · Speaking Up for What You Need
- 122 · “I” Statements That Actually Work
- 123 · Needs at Home: Talking to Family
- 124 · Needs with Friends: Being Direct, Not Harsh
- 125 · Your Voice in Group Projects
- 126 · What a Boundary Really Is
- 127 · Putting a Boundary Into Words
- 128 · Boundaries with Family Members
- 129 · Boundaries and Screens: Texting, Gaming, Social Media
- 130 · When Someone Doesn’t Respect Your Boundary
- 131 · Boundaries and Needs: Putting It Together
- 132 · What Conflict Resolution Really Means
- 133 · Step One: Naming the Real Problem
- 134 · Step Two: Really Hearing the Other Side
- 135 · Step Three: Finding a Fair Solution
- 136 · Step Four: Trying It and Checking Back
- 137 · Becoming a Fair Mediator
- 138 · Mediating a Friend Conflict
- 139 · When a Group Project Falls Apart
- 140 · Giving Feedback Without Being Mean
- 141 · Receiving Feedback Without Shutting Down
- 142 · Feedback for a Group Project Partner
- 143 · Telling a Friend Something Hard
- 144 · Combining Feedback with “I” Statements
- 145 · Relationship Skills Review: Friendship and Peer Pressure
- 146 · Relationship Skills Review: Speaking Up and Boundaries
- 147 · Relationship Skills Review: Resolving Conflict Fairly
- 148 · Relationship Skills Review: Feedback
- 149 · Putting It All Together: A Full Scenario
- 150 · Your Relationship Skills Toolkit
Hard choices & online lifeDays 151–170
Real tradeoffs between loyalty and honesty, a framework for hard choices, group chats, screenshots and gossip, apologies and repair over time, standing alone, and knowing when to get a trusted adult involved.
- 151 · Real Choices, Real Tradeoffs
- 152 · Loyalty vs. Honesty
- 153 · Fitting In vs. Doing What’s Right
- 154 · Why Groups Make It Harder to Act
- 155 · A Framework for Hard Choices
- 156 · Framework in Action: The Party Invite
- 157 · Framework in Action: The Copied Homework
- 158 · Short-Term Relief, Long-Term Regret
- 159 · The Ripple Effect
- 160 · When a Group Chat Turns
- 161 · Before You Hit Send
- 162 · The Screenshot Problem
- 163 · Gossip and Your Role
- 164 · Sorry Isn’t a Magic Word
- 165 · Making It Right, Over Time
- 166 · When You’re the One Who Got Hurt
- 167 · Standing Alone
- 168 · Knowing When to Get Help
- 169 · Your Values as a Compass
- 170 · Putting It All Together
Year in reviewDays 171–180
Five look-back days, one per area of the course, then two integrated scenarios (a sleepover, a group project), reflecting on growth, and putting together a personal toolkit. No new skills are taught.
- 171 · Your Year in Five Parts
- 172 · Who Are You Under Pressure?
- 173 · Stress Meets Choice
- 174 · Empathy Changes Decisions
- 175 · Conflict, Repair, and Trust
- 176 · Integrated Scenario: The Sleepover
- 177 · Integrated Scenario: The Group Project
- 178 · How Far You’ve Come
- 179 · Your Personal Toolkit
- 180 · The Whole You
By the end of the year, your child can
- Name their own values, triggers and stress signals
- Break a big assignment into steps and use healthy ways to cope with stress
- Spot stereotypes, bias and bullying and respond as an upstander
- Say no to peer pressure and state a need or boundary with an I statement
- Work through a conflict using a four-step process and give kind, honest feedback
- Make a hard choice by weighing honesty, loyalty and who is affected