Self & Identity

D01 P1: Emotional & Social Awareness

Understanding one's own emotions, identity, and inner life, and learning to regulate them with growing agency.

Emotional awareness is the foundation of all other learning. A child who can name and regulate their feelings is better able to learn, relate, and act ethically.

K–12 objective ladder

D01.S1 Emotional Literacy

Naming, expressing, and understanding one's own feelings and the feelings of others.

71 lessons

K D01.S1.K.01 Name and identify basic feelings (happy, sad, angry, scared, calm) in self and others.
K D01.S1.K.02 Describe a feeling using words, a drawing, or a movement.
1 D01.S1.01.01 Name and show a growing set of feelings such as proud, lonely, and excited in themselves and others.
1 D01.S1.01.02 Connect a feeling to the situation that caused it, using the frame I felt ___ when ___.
2 D01.S1.02.01 Use feeling words to tell the difference between similar emotions, such as mad and frustrated or sad and disappointed.
2 D01.S1.02.02 Notice where a feeling shows up in the body, such as tense shoulders or a fast heartbeat, and name the feeling.
3 D01.S1.03.01 Describe how a feeling can change over time and name when they feel more than one feeling at once.
3 D01.S1.03.02 Explain how the same situation can make different people feel differently.
4 D01.S1.04.01 Describe the intensity of a feeling as a little, some, or a lot, and what each level feels like.
4 D01.S1.04.02 Recognize complex feelings such as jealousy, guilt, and pride and connect them to real situations.
5 D01.S1.05.01 Explain how thoughts, memories, and body sensations can shape a feeling.
5 D01.S1.05.02 Compare how feelings are expressed in different families, cultures, and situations.
6 D01.S1.06.01 Identify patterns in their own emotional responses and name what tends to trigger them.
6 D01.S1.06.02 Distinguish what a person feels from what a person shows, and guess the feeling behind a behavior.
7 D01.S1.07.01 Describe mixed or conflicting feelings, such as happy and sad at once, in precise language.
7 D01.S1.07.02 Explain how cultural norms shape which feelings are shown, hidden, or valued.
8 D01.S1.08.01 Analyze a strong emotional reaction by separating the event, the thought, and the feeling.
8 D01.S1.08.02 Explain how emotion can both inform and distort judgment, using a personal example.
9 D01.S1.09.01 Use a broad emotional vocabulary to articulate subtle and secondary emotions in complex social situations.
9 D01.S1.09.02 Analyze how emotions are shaped by social context, media, and group belonging.
10 D01.S1.10.01 Explain how personal history and culture shape the way a person experiences and names emotion.
10 D01.S1.10.02 Evaluate how technology and media influence emotional life, such as online comparison, empathy, and emotional contagion.
11 D01.S1.11.01 Articulate the emotional climate of a group or society and how collective emotions such as hope, fear, and grief arise.
11 D01.S1.11.02 Reflect on their own emotional development over time and name areas of strength and growth.
12 D01.S1.12.01 Integrate emotional understanding into ethical judgment, recognizing how emotion informs and can bias moral reasoning.
12 D01.S1.12.02 Respond to complex, emotionally charged personal and global situations with insight, care, and emotional wisdom.

D01.S2 Identity & Self-Concept

Developing a coherent, positive sense of self, belonging, and personal history.

86 lessons

K D01.S2.K.01 Share one thing that makes them unique and one thing they share with others.
K D01.S2.K.02 Name the groups to which they belong (family, class, community).
1 D01.S2.01.01 Describe themselves with several facts such as age, likes, abilities, and family, and tell one thing they are proud of.
1 D01.S2.01.02 Name a family story or tradition and tell what it means to them.
2 D01.S2.02.01 Identify their personal strengths and one thing they are still learning to do.
2 D01.S2.02.02 Describe how they are alike and different from others and why both matter.
3 D01.S2.03.01 Tell a simple story of their own life so far, in order, including important people and places.
3 D01.S2.03.02 Name several groups they belong to and how each one shapes who they are.
4 D01.S2.04.01 Explain how their interests, abilities, and experiences shape their sense of self.
4 D01.S2.04.02 Describe a family or cultural tradition and how it connects them to a larger community.
5 D01.S2.05.01 Name values they care about, such as fairness, honesty, and kindness, and give an example of living by one.
5 D01.S2.05.02 Explain how a person's identity is shaped by family, culture, place, and history.
6 D01.S2.06.01 Describe their identity as made of many parts that can shift by context, such as family, culture, language, interests, and beliefs.
6 D01.S2.06.02 Examine how peers and media can influence self-image, and describe a healthy response to negative comparison.
7 D01.S2.07.01 Reflect on how their identity has changed over time and predict ways it may keep growing.
7 D01.S2.07.02 Recognize stereotypes and labels and explain how they can limit a person's sense of self.
8 D01.S2.08.01 Explain how multiple and intersecting identities, such as culture, gender, ability, and language, shape a whole self.
8 D01.S2.08.02 Analyze where self-esteem comes from and distinguish inner worth from outside approval.
9 D01.S2.09.01 Construct a coherent personal narrative that connects their past, present, and hoped-for future.
9 D01.S2.09.02 Analyze how a person's identity is shaped by their society and, in turn, shapes their choices.
10 D01.S2.10.01 Examine how identity is socially and historically constructed, comparing examples across cultures.
10 D01.S2.10.02 Develop a considered position on what defines them, independent of external labels and expectations.
11 D01.S2.11.01 Articulate their developing values, purpose, and sense of what a meaningful life looks like for them.
11 D01.S2.11.02 Reflect on their place in a global, interconnected world and what they owe to people unlike themselves.
12 D01.S2.12.01 Articulate an integrated sense of who they are, what they value, and how they will act, holding together across contexts.
12 D01.S2.12.02 Explain how they author their identity within global, cultural, and technological forces rather than being defined by them.

D01.S3 Self-Regulation & Agency

Managing impulses, setting intentions, and acting as the author of one's own life.

49 lessons

1 D01.S3.01.01 Use one calming strategy, such as a deep breath, counting, or finding a safe space, when upset, with a gentle reminder.
1 D01.S3.01.02 Wait for a turn and stop a behavior when asked, with support.
2 D01.S3.02.01 Name two strategies for managing strong feelings and choose one to use on their own.
2 D01.S3.02.02 Pause before reacting and name the choice they are about to make.
3 D01.S3.03.01 Set a simple personal goal and name the first step toward it.
3 D01.S3.03.02 Use a strategy to manage a strong feeling in a group setting without disrupting others.
4 D01.S3.04.01 Plan the steps to reach a goal, try the plan, and adjust when a step does not work.
4 D01.S3.04.02 Practice self-control by staying with a task or rule even when it is hard or tempting to quit.
5 D01.S3.05.01 Monitor their own behavior and feelings during a task and name what helped or hurt their focus.
5 D01.S3.05.02 Take responsibility for a choice and its effects on others, and name a better next step.
6 D01.S3.06.01 Set a short-term goal, track their progress, and reflect on what worked.
6 D01.S3.06.02 Use strategies to handle stress, distraction, or peer pressure while staying true to their own values.
7 D01.S3.07.01 Reflect on a past decision and its consequences to make a better choice next time.
7 D01.S3.07.02 Build and follow a personal routine, such as study, sleep, or movement, that supports their own goals.
8 D01.S3.08.01 Manage impulses deliberately, choosing a response rather than reacting in emotionally charged moments.
8 D01.S3.08.02 Explain the difference between short-term and long-term consequences and weigh them in a decision.
9 D01.S3.09.01 Set a longer-term goal with a realistic plan and milestones, and adjust it as needed.
9 D01.S3.09.02 Advocate for their own needs and boundaries respectfully while considering others.
10 D01.S3.10.01 Direct their own learning by choosing goals, resources, and ways to check their own progress.
10 D01.S3.10.02 Balance independence with knowing when and how to seek help, and act on that judgment.
11 D01.S3.11.01 Make decisions that align their actions with their values, even under pressure or uncertainty.
11 D01.S3.11.02 Take authorship of a personal project or commitment and see it through with self-direction.
12 D01.S3.12.01 Exercise self-directed agency by setting, planning, and acting on a meaningful life goal with autonomy and accountability.
12 D01.S3.12.02 Sustain self-regulation and purpose through setbacks and systemic constraints, naming what sustains them.

Self & Identity

This document is the exemplar for the standards tree. It shows how a domain declares its strands and grade-level objectives. The full vertical ladder for grades K–12 is declared here, so every lesson can trace to a standard (see docs/roadmap.md).

Strands

D01.S1 — Emotional Literacy

Naming, expressing, and understanding feelings — one’s own and others’.

D01.S2 — Identity & Self-Concept

Developing a coherent, positive sense of self and belonging.

D01.S3 — Self-Regulation & Agency

Managing impulses and acting as the author of one’s own life.

Progression (spiral)

Each strand spirals from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Emotional Literacy moves from naming and connecting basic feelings (K–2), through intensity, mixed and complex emotions, and cultural expression of feeling (3–7), to analyzing how emotion informs and distorts judgment and responding with emotional wisdom (8–12). Identity & Self-Concept grows from sharing what makes one unique (K) through values, multiple and intersecting identities, and a coherent personal narrative (1–9) to authoring an integrated self within global, cultural, and technological forces (10–12). Self-Regulation & Agency begins in Grade 1 with calming and pausing, and rises through goal-setting, decision-making, and self-directed learning (2–10) to full authorship of a meaningful life (11–12). Every grade builds on the previous with no leaps.