What does social emotional learning actually cover in high school?

Students work on five big areas: knowing themselves, managing stress and emotions, understanding other people, building healthy relationships, and making thoughtful decisions. The work shows up in how students handle a hard week, a group project, or a disagreement with a friend.

How can I support social emotional learning at home?

Ask open questions at dinner or in the car. Try things like what was hard today, how did you handle it, and what would you do differently. Listening without jumping to fix the problem teaches students to name their feelings and think through their choices.

What should I do when my teenager shuts down or gets angry?

Give them space to cool off, then come back to the conversation later. Naming the feeling out loud, such as that sounded really frustrating, helps more than a lecture. Calm follow-up is where most of the real learning happens.

How do I help a student who is overwhelmed by stress?

Start small. Help them break work into a list, pick one thing to do first, and decide when to stop for the night. A short walk, sleep, and a realistic plan do more than a long talk about priorities.

How should I sequence these skills across the year?

Self-awareness and self-management tend to come first, since students need to recognize and regulate their own reactions before they can work well with others. Social awareness and relationship skills build on that, and responsible decision-making pulls it all together later in the year.

Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

Conflict resolution and asking for help. Students often default to avoiding the issue or pushing through alone. Plan to revisit these through role-plays, group work debriefs, and short check-ins after tense moments in class.

How do I build this into a class that is not officially an SEL class?

Use the routines already in place. Group work is a chance to practice listening and conflict resolution. A hard test is a chance to talk about stress and planning. Short, honest debriefs after these moments do more than a separate lesson.

How do I know a student is ready for life after high school in this area?

Look for students who can name what they feel, ask for help before things fall apart, work with people they disagree with, and think through a choice before making it. These habits matter more than any single score or assignment.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start running their own inner lives with adult-level awareness. Students notice what they feel, name where it comes from, and choose how to respond when school, friendships, or family get hard. They practice steady habits like managing stress, keeping commitments, and hearing out people who see the world differently. By spring, students can talk through a real conflict or setback and explain how they handled it and what they would do next time.

Self awareness
Managing stress
Healthy relationships
Empathy
Making good choices
Conflict resolution

Source: New Hampshire New Hampshire College and Career Ready Standards

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Knowing yourself
Students look at what they feel, what they value, and what they are good at. They start to notice how a mood or a strong opinion shapes the choices they make in a given day.
2
Managing stress and goals
Students practice handling pressure from school, sports, and home without falling apart or shutting down. They set goals, plan their time, and learn what to do when a deadline or a hard feeling hits.
3
Understanding other people
Students work on seeing a situation through someone else's eyes, including classmates whose background or beliefs differ from their own. They also learn where to turn for help at school, at home, and in town.
4
Building strong relationships
Students practice the hard parts of friendship and teamwork: saying what they mean, listening, working through a disagreement, and asking for help without shame. They learn what a healthy relationship feels like.
5
Making thoughtful choices
Students think through real decisions about friends, school, money, and safety. They weigh what could go right, what could go wrong, and how a choice affects the people around them.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 9.

Social Emotional Learning

The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts

NH-SEL.1.9-12

High School

Students learn to read their own emotions and spot the values that drive their choices. They also take stock of where they are strong and where they need to grow.
The abilities to manage emotions, thoughts

NH-SEL.2.9-12

High School

Students practice staying calm under pressure, thinking before acting, and organizing their time and tasks to reach goals that matter to them.
The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others…

NH-SEL.3.9-12

High School

Students practice seeing a situation through someone else's eyes, especially someone whose background differs from their own. They also learn to spot the people and places they can turn to for help at school, at home, and in their community.
The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships…

NH-SEL.4.9-12

High School

Students practice the skills that keep relationships working: listening well, working through disagreements, and asking for or offering help. These habits apply with friends, classmates, and people who see the world differently than they do.
The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior…

NH-SEL.5.9-12

High School

Students practice making thoughtful choices in real situations, like whether to speak up, step back, or help someone out. They weigh what each option costs and what it gains, for themselves and for the people around them.

Standard	Definition	Code
The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts High School	Students learn to read their own emotions and spot the values that drive their choices. They also take stock of where they are strong and where they need to grow.	NH-SEL.1.9-12
The abilities to manage emotions, thoughts High School	Students practice staying calm under pressure, thinking before acting, and organizing their time and tasks to reach goals that matter to them.	NH-SEL.2.9-12
The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others… High School	Students practice seeing a situation through someone else's eyes, especially someone whose background differs from their own. They also learn to spot the people and places they can turn to for help at school, at home, and in their community.	NH-SEL.3.9-12
The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships… High School	Students practice the skills that keep relationships working: listening well, working through disagreements, and asking for or offering help. These habits apply with friends, classmates, and people who see the world differently than they do.	NH-SEL.4.9-12
The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior… High School	Students practice making thoughtful choices in real situations, like whether to speak up, step back, or help someone out. They weigh what each option costs and what it gains, for themselves and for the people around them.	NH-SEL.5.9-12

Social Emotional Learning

The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts

NH-SEL.1.9-12

High School

Students learn to read their own emotions and spot the values that drive their choices. They also take stock of where they are strong and where they need to grow.
The abilities to manage emotions, thoughts

NH-SEL.2.9-12

High School

Students practice staying calm under pressure, thinking before acting, and organizing their time and tasks to reach goals that matter to them.
The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others…

NH-SEL.3.9-12

High School

Students practice seeing a situation through someone else's eyes, especially someone whose background differs from their own. They also learn to spot the people and places they can turn to for help at school, at home, and in their community.
The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships…

NH-SEL.4.9-12

High School

Students practice the skills that keep relationships working: listening well, working through disagreements, and asking for or offering help. These habits apply with friends, classmates, and people who see the world differently than they do.
The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior…

NH-SEL.5.9-12

High School

Students practice making thoughtful choices in real situations, like whether to speak up, step back, or help someone out. They weigh what each option costs and what it gains, for themselves and for the people around them.

Standard	Definition	Code
The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts High School	Students learn to read their own emotions and spot the values that drive their choices. They also take stock of where they are strong and where they need to grow.	NH-SEL.1.9-12
The abilities to manage emotions, thoughts High School	Students practice staying calm under pressure, thinking before acting, and organizing their time and tasks to reach goals that matter to them.	NH-SEL.2.9-12
The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others… High School	Students practice seeing a situation through someone else's eyes, especially someone whose background differs from their own. They also learn to spot the people and places they can turn to for help at school, at home, and in their community.	NH-SEL.3.9-12
The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships… High School	Students practice the skills that keep relationships working: listening well, working through disagreements, and asking for or offering help. These habits apply with friends, classmates, and people who see the world differently than they do.	NH-SEL.4.9-12
The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior… High School	Students practice making thoughtful choices in real situations, like whether to speak up, step back, or help someone out. They weigh what each option costs and what it gains, for themselves and for the people around them.	NH-SEL.5.9-12

Common Questions

What does social emotional learning actually cover in high school?
Students work on five big areas: knowing themselves, managing stress and emotions, understanding other people, building healthy relationships, and making thoughtful decisions. The work shows up in how students handle a hard week, a group project, or a disagreement with a friend.
How can I support social emotional learning at home?
Ask open questions at dinner or in the car. Try things like what was hard today, how did you handle it, and what would you do differently. Listening without jumping to fix the problem teaches students to name their feelings and think through their choices.
What should I do when my teenager shuts down or gets angry?
Give them space to cool off, then come back to the conversation later. Naming the feeling out loud, such as that sounded really frustrating, helps more than a lecture. Calm follow-up is where most of the real learning happens.
How do I help a student who is overwhelmed by stress?
Start small. Help them break work into a list, pick one thing to do first, and decide when to stop for the night. A short walk, sleep, and a realistic plan do more than a long talk about priorities.
How should I sequence these skills across the year?
Self-awareness and self-management tend to come first, since students need to recognize and regulate their own reactions before they can work well with others. Social awareness and relationship skills build on that, and responsible decision-making pulls it all together later in the year.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Conflict resolution and asking for help. Students often default to avoiding the issue or pushing through alone. Plan to revisit these through role-plays, group work debriefs, and short check-ins after tense moments in class.
How do I build this into a class that is not officially an SEL class?
Use the routines already in place. Group work is a chance to practice listening and conflict resolution. A hard test is a chance to talk about stress and planning. Short, honest debriefs after these moments do more than a separate lesson.
How do I know a student is ready for life after high school in this area?
Look for students who can name what they feel, ask for help before things fall apart, work with people they disagree with, and think through a choice before making it. These habits matter more than any single score or assignment.