SEL Lesson ‘What I Need': Supports Regulation, Impulse Control & Behavior

Feeling overwhelmed by constant low-level disruptions, conflict, and dysregulation in your classroom? This SEL lesson is an essential tool for any proactive approach to behaviour and classroom management.

You’ve probably heard that certain behaviours arise when students are “meeting a need,” but what does that really mean in practice? And how can you help them? This lesson invites students to explore their basic needs, understand how these needs influence their behaviours, and, most importantly, empower them to take accountability and create positive change in the classroom and beyond!

What’s Included with This SEL Lesson:

✓ An engaging PowerPoint presentation with editable tasks and features.

✓ A comprehensive lesson plan/teacher guide to eliminate any uncertainty.

✓ 10 printable resources to facilitate learning and reflection activities (also editable).

✓ BONUS: 4 posters to reinforce a culture of reflection in your classroom.

Why Every Teacher Needs to Teach This SEL Lesson as Part of Their Approach to Behaviour:

♡ Supports you in better addressing low-level behaviours, student conflict, and dysregulated behaviours by helping students understand their underlying causes.
♡ Empowers students to recognize their five basic needs, fostering self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
♡ Encourages students to explore how their needs influence their behaviour, enhancing accountability and reflection.
♡ Provides a framework for meaningful conversations about behaviour, needs, impulsivity, and emotions, promoting a supportive and inclusive classroom environment.
♡ Versatile for whole-class instruction or targeted discussions with individual students, making it adaptable to your classroom dynamics.
♡ Can be taught as a complete lesson or broken into smaller chunks with activities suitable for running in isolation.

The Goals of This Social Emotional Learning Lesson on What Do I Need?:

• Address low-level disruptions by teaching about impulsivity and the underlying reasons for student behaviours.
• Help students understand their basic human needs and how these needs affect their behaviour and conflicts with peers.
• Support students in shifting their behaviours by recognizing and reflecting on what drives them.
• Create a common language around needs and behaviours, fostering greater buy-in for your behaviour approach and a sense of understanding and collaboration.
• Build a strong foundation for a positive classroom culture and effective classroom management throughout the school year.