Better Together SEL Art Lesson/ Back to School

Start the new year by building classroom community and cultivating a growth mindset with a collaborative mural. This SEL Art Project includes worksheets and printable templates to help your students explore important social-emotional skills like perseverance, cooperation, and respecting diversity.

This community building Art Lesson is great for a back-to-school activity, New Years, Earth Day and Peace Day celebrations, or any time of the year. Perfect for upper elementary and middle school students to create a unique and vibrant mural that celebrates the spirit of community and unity while reinforcing the importance of working together!

Included in this Artful Lesson:

Teacher Guide (1 page)

· The Teacher Guide provides you with a list of art materials needed for the lesson as well as teaching suggestions and helpful tips.

Opening Activity (1 page) Also available as an EASEL activity!

· The Strengths and Challenges activity helps students to understand that when we work together using our own personal strengths, we can learn from each other, solve problems and achieve goals.

· Teachers can extend this part of the lesson to discuss the importance of a growth mindset.

Better Together Art Lesson (1 page) Also available as an EASEL activity!

· Students draw and paint a mandala and then transform their own personal artwork into a collaborative class mural.

· You may choose to print out this page for each student (available in both color and grayscale) or display the lesson on the interactive whiteboard.

Class Mural Template (1 page) Sketch ideas with an EASEL activity!

· The students’ artworks are arranged together into a mural that celebrates diversity while promoting the importance of cooperation and solidarity.

Your class mural can be displayed around common areas of the school including the entrance, hallway, cafeteria, classroom, etc. to celebrate collaboration and create a colorful, caring community.

This lesson is also available in Spanish.