Turning SEL Stories Into an AI-Powered Classroom Companion
The Challenge
Teachers face constant pressure to personalize learning, keep lessons engaging, and align activities with curriculum goals—often with little prep time. Learning to Roar Together, a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) storybook series for Riverbend Elementary, needed to be more than just read-aloud stories. The vision was to create a proof-of-concept showing how AI could instantly generate branded, age-appropriate, subject-specific materials tied directly to teaching standards.
The Approach
Instead of building a complex, custom education platform from scratch, the project took a lean, rapid-prototyping approach:
Created a set of AI-generated stories mapped to the five core SEL competencies.
Branded each story to Riverbend Elementary’s mascot, colors, and school culture for instant familiarity.
Designed LLM-powered teaching agent concepts capable of adapting discussion questions to different grade levels, delivered through the StoryShellOS platform.
The idea was to show that with a single prompt, teachers could produce a finished, curriculum-aligned story—complete with illustrations, classroom activities, and mascot integration—ready to use within minutes.
Technology & Technique
LLM-Driven Story Creation – Used large language models to draft SEL stories based on specific competencies and real classroom scenarios.
On-Brand Design – Incorporated mascot artwork, school colors, and familiar settings to deepen engagement.
Teaching Agent Integration – Mapped interactive lesson follow-up using LLM-powered agents that adjust questions and activities to grade level.
The Results
Higher Engagement – Students connected more strongly with SEL topics when characters and visuals reflected their own school.
Faster Development – Stories could be created and adapted in under 10 minutes.
Scalable Model – The workflow can be applied to other subjects, grade levels, and school brands.
What’s Next
This POC proved that AI can create on-demand, branded learning materials that align with curriculum standards—giving teachers more time to focus on interaction, not prep. The next step is developing a fully interactive, character-driven version through StoryShellOS, where students can read, respond, and explore SEL topics with AI-powered companions.
Key Takeaways for Creative Spark Clients
You can test AI-driven classroom tools without a heavy tech build.
Branding content to a school’s identity increases connection and engagement.
AI-generated materials can align tightly with educational frameworks while remaining flexible and scalable.
Check out the POC Site HERE
Download the CASE STUDY