This information is taken from 50 Days of SEL & Metacognitive Writing Prompts for Middle School, a resource that includes a complete set of prompts in all six domains along with a student accountability rubric and implementation guide.
You can also find Metacognitive information. like that.
Community Navigation
- Describe a time when you had to work with someone whose approach was very different from yours. What did you learn from the collaboration?
- Think about the group you belong to. This can be a group, a class, a group of friends. What unspoken rules exist in that group, and how did you learn them?
- When you disagree with your friend, how do you decide whether to speak up or not?
- What does it look like when someone is installed? What does it look like when someone is left out and nothing happens in the open?
Self-awareness
- What emotion do you usually have during a typical school day? Where do you see it in your body?
- Describe something you know that you have to work hard to learn. What kept you going when things got tough?
- When you make a mistake, what is the first thing you usually think of? Is that thought helpful or unhelpful?
- What is one thing about you that has changed in the past year? What’s one thing that hasn’t changed?
Self-control
- What do you usually do when you feel stressed? Does it help yet? Does it help later?
- Think of a time when you wanted to react strongly but chose not to. What helped you to pause?
- Define your ideal focus area. What makes it easy or difficult for you to concentrate?
Integrated Awareness
- Where in your body do you first feel stress? How do you know the difference between feeling nervous and feeling happy?
- How does your body feel after staring at a screen for a long time? How does it feel after being outside?
- Think of a time when your body told you something before your mind got involved—like a gut feeling. What’s going on?
Decision making
- Describe a decision you made recently that went well. What information did you consider before making a decision?
- When you have to make a choice and you’re not sure what to do, who or what do you turn to for guidance?
- Think of a time when you made a quick decision and later wished you had slowed down. What can you do differently?
Meditation Without Decision
- Write about something in your life that you feel uncertain about right now. You don’t have to solve it—just explain what the uncertainty feels like.
- Is there a question you’ve been thinking about that doesn’t seem to have a clear answer? What makes it difficult to answer?
- Describe a feeling you just had that you can’t put into words. What was the situation, and what did the feeling seem to tell you?
Information
This information is taken from 50 Days of SEL & Metacognitive Writing Prompts for Middle School, a resource that includes a complete set of prompts in all six domains along with a student accountability rubric and implementation guide.
Product summary
50 SEL Journal guides middle school (grades 6–8) with a built-in, student-friendly self-assessment rubric. This curriculum includes six SEL domains aligned to the CASEL competency. Includes Google Slides and a print-ready PDF.
Explanation
This resource includes 50 expository writing prompts designed to help middle school students develop social skills through structured journaling. Each prompt encourages students to explore their thoughts and feelings without pressure to reach a clean conclusion. A dedicated section—Reflection Without Resolution—is included for information that supports awareness, processing, and living with complexity.
The instructions are written to be accessible, age-appropriate, and adaptable to a variety of classroom situations, including counseling, morning meetings, and weekly journal routines.
How to Recognize Trauma
Trauma is more common in classrooms than is often realized. It can arise from single events or ongoing situations that exceed the learner’s ability to process, integrate, and control. These experiences may affect emotion regulation, participation, self-esteem, and relationships at school.
This resource is designed with trauma-informed teaching in mind. While some prompts may be appropriate for small group sharing, others—and other students—could benefit from keeping their writing private. Instructions are written intentionally to avoid disclosure, but teachers are encouraged to use good judgment when deciding whether, how, or what sharing should happen.
What’s Included
• 50 SEL writing prompts for grades 6–8
• Post-writing self-assessment rubric (reader-oriented and non-prospective)
• Editable Google Slides
• PDF ready to print
• Getting started guide with speed suggestions
• CASEL alignment reference
• Free future updates to this information set
Six Integrated SEL Domains
• Social Navigation – relationships, peer dynamics, communication
• Self-awareness – identifying emotions, recognizing patterns, personal strengths
• Self-regulation – stress management, coping strategies, emotional responses
• Integrated Awareness – mind-body connection, physical signals, grounding
• Decision making – weighing options, considering consequences
• Reflection Without Solution – processing complexity without pressure
How Teachers Use This Resource
Teachers often project one piece of information at the beginning of a lecture or class. Students write for 5–6 minutes, adjusting the time based on engagement and comfort with the information.
At the end of the week, students use a self-assessment rubric to look back on all entries, support goal setting, portfolio work, or ongoing writing practices. The rubric is designed for reflection rather than grading.
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