Drawn Together Social Awareness SEL STEM Activity

Integrate STEM, Social Emotional Learning, and Literacy!

In the story, the characters have trouble getting to know each other at first because they come from different generations and don’t speak the same language. Even though similarities bring them together, their differences make them feel like they are separated by a far distance.

In this STEM Challenge, students build a bridge so that the boy and his grandfather can cross the distance that separates them. To symbolize the connection between two people, the bridge will connect your desk to your friend’s desk.

In this STEM and SEL Challenge, students focus on the importance of reading expressions, discovering similarities and differences, and building connections through social awareness.

CASEL Framework: Social Awareness

This activity is a part of a series of STEM resources designed to follow the CASEL Framework for social emotional learning.

According to CASEL, Social Awareness focuses on the abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. 

This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Material List:

• Plastic Straws
• Scissors
• Tape
• Books to add weight to the bridges (optional)
• Pencils and STEM journals
• Drawn Together by Minh Lê

Includes:

• Teacher Instructions
• Student STEM Journal
• Student Instructions
• Engineering Design Process Poster
• Read Aloud STEM Activity
• Vocabulary Words (Generations, Traditions, Distance)
• Mindful Moments Strategy, Activity, and Writing Reflection