Social Skills Lesson

Your Name: Miss Clark Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6

Subject: Social Skills

Lesson Title: “The Pit”

Materials Needed: Chart Paper Markers Timer

Prerequisite Skills: Working in partners

Standard(s):

21.3–5.ES.1

Essential Concept and/or Skill: Communicate and work productively with others emphasizing collaboration and cultural awareness to produce quality work.

21.3–5.ES.2

Essential Concept and/or Skill: Adjust to various roles and responsibilities and understand the need to be flexible to change.

Lesson Objective: After completing the positive self-talk chart, students will work together to discuss things they say, do, or encounter as they move through the “pit”.

**Note: Students have been learning about the pit in relation to academics. However, this lesson will focus on the pit from a behavioral perspective in order to support the students' behavior plans.

1. Provide objectives: (What are students going to learn?)

“Today we are going to learn about the pit and things we say, do, or encounter as we move though the pit.”

2. Procedure

1. Review positive self-talk chart (Instead of… Try saying…)2. Draw the line for the pit and a sun in the top left corner of chart3. Ask students what the drawing looks like (pit, hole, hill, etc.)4. Ask students how they woke up feeling or how they usually feel at the beginning of the

day

5. Jot down student responses on the chart up by the sun6. Ask them if anything has happened today that upset them or started to put them in a bad

mood. 7. Write down some student responses (start moving down the pit)8. Ask students if they notice anything about where you are writing things and how you are

moving along the line (should notice that we are moving down)9. Ask students what they think happens at the bottom of the pit. 10. Give them one minute to brainstorm11. Ask for volunteers to come write their ideas up on the board or have them share out and

write down what they say (Let students know they can use pictures as well)12. Talk about how lots of things can push us towards the bottom of the pit. The bottom of

the pit is where we have those bad behaviors.13. Ask students if they think it is possible to get out of the pit14. Talk about how the positive self-talk is one way to climb over the wall and work our way

out of the pit15. Ask students to share out things they can do or say to begin climbing out of the pit.

Remind them they can refer to the positive self-talk chart16. Give students one minute to brainstorm17. Ask for volunteers to come write their ideas up on the board or have them share out and

write down what they say (Let students know they can use pictures as well)18. Ask students what happens when they reach the top of the hill (happy, turned day around,

proud, etc.)19. Discuss how we can move through the pit several times a day and we can start to climb

out and fall down again but how if we keep working and use our calming skills and positive self-talk it will help us get out of the pit faster.

6. Assessment / Closure:

Assess students’ understanding as they write ideas on the chart and during their participation in discussion of things we say, do, or encounter as we move through the “pit”.

7. Plans for differentiation:

Allow students to draw pictures Allow student to answer orally and record their responses

**Note: I am working with two fourth graders and one fifth grader. One of my students has Down Syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome and is significantly below peers in terms of academics and social skills. In order to make this lesson appropriate and challenging for my entire group I implemented the above differentiation guidelines.

LESSON TIME: 20 minutes

8. References Consulted:

Teacherspayteachers.com and Mentor teacher