SEL with ALM: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle was selected as a mentor text for grade 6 of Emozi® Middle School because it is a story of having courage, being brave, and solving conflicts. 

Overview

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is the first book in a series of 5. It's about a girl named Meg Murry. Her parents are both scientists, and her father has mysteriously gone missing. She, her younger brother Charles Wallace and their friend, Calvin O'Keefe embark on a strange journey through space and time to find Mr. Murry and save the universe- with the help of 3 mysterious beings.  The SEL themes relate to middle school students and deal with feelings of inadequacy, not fitting in and your first crush, problem-solving, conflict resolution, fear, and courage.

Madeleine L'Engle is an award-winning author and has sold over 20 million books in over 30 languages, but success did not come easy to her. She considered A Wrinkle in Time her masterpiece, but she received rejection letters at least 25 times before it was published. A year later, it won the prestigious Newbery Medal. So even the author's story has some SEL themes of perseverance and belief in oneself.

Socratic Seminar Questions

Chapter 1

• Do you notice any similarities between Meg's life and what we know about the author?
• How does Meg feel about herself? How do you know? Have you ever felt that way?
• What words are used to describe Meg? Have you ever been called names like this? How did it feel?
• How is Charles Wallace described? Does this seem to bother him?
• What do we know about Mrs. Whatsit?, How does Mrs. Whatsit make you feel? Do you know anyone like that?

Mrs. Murray says to Meg, "Just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist."

• What does she mean? Is it difficult to accept something even if you don't understand why? Do you have any examples of this from your own life?
• Does Meg think her father is dead?
• What do we know about Mrs. Which? How does Mrs. Which make you feel? Do you know someone like this?

Emozi Grade 6 lessons for A Wrinkle in Time 

Unit 1

• Lesson 1: Introduction to Emotions
• Lesson 2: Understanding and Building Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem 
• Lesson 3: Understanding and Appreciating Character Strengths
• Lesson 4: Using Compassion to Stand Up to Bullying
• Lesson 5: Pressure and Stress
• Lesson 6: Mindfulness Matters
• Lesson 7: Facing Failure
• Lesson 8: Growth Mindset
• Lesson 9: Teamwork and Collaboration
• Lesson 10: Decision-Making
• Lesson 11: Values
• Lesson 12: Responsibility and Accountability

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