Circle Discussion

Purpose: Guide students through sharing experiences, recognizing support, and identifying growth strategies in a safe, respectful circle.

Guidelines for Facilitator

• Use the Circle Guidelines Poster to remind students of norms (active listening, confidentiality, respect).
• Pass the talking piece to manage turns and ensure every voice is heard.
• Encourage eye contact and nods to signal attentive listening.

1. Sharing a Recent Challenge

Prompt: Think of a time in the past week when you felt stuck, worried, frustrated, or disappointed. Briefly share what happened.

Follow-up Questions:

• How did that challenge make you feel?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• What thoughts went through your mind at the moment?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

2. Recognizing Support from Others

Prompt: Who or what helped you face that challenge? Describe how they supported you.

Follow-up Questions:

• What did you appreciate most about their help?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• How did their support change the way you handled the challenge?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

3. Learning and Growing

Prompt: What did you learn about yourself or your abilities through this experience?

Follow-up Questions:

• How could you apply this new insight the next time you face a similar challenge?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Can you think of an additional strategy you might try in the future?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Facilitator Tips & Next Steps

• After each round of sharing, invite students to offer one positive word or gesture of encouragement to the speaker.
• Watch for quieter students; gently prompt them with a simpler version of the question if needed.
• Encourage students to jot down peers’ ideas on their Discussion Prompts Sheet for brainstorming later.
• Conclude by reminding students they will build on these ideas in the Brainstorm Coping Strategies activity.

Resilience Strategies Activity

Purpose: In small groups, students brainstorm and record practical coping strategies for challenges shared during the circle discussion. This activity helps translate ideas into concrete plans they can use later.

Materials:

• Resilience Strategies Worksheet (one per student)
• Pens or pencils

Instructions for Students

1. Form your group of three.
2. Review the personal challenges each of you shared in the circle.
3. On your worksheet, choose three distinct challenges to work on.
4. For each challenge, complete the sections below:

Challenge 1: ________________________________

• Coping Strategy:
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• Category (circle one): Emotional / Problem-Solving / Support-Seeking / Self-Care
• Who can help me use this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
• When will I try this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  

Challenge 2: ________________________________

• Coping Strategy:
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• Category (circle one): Emotional / Problem-Solving / Support-Seeking / Self-Care
• Who can help me use this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
• When will I try this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  

Challenge 3: ________________________________

• Coping Strategy:
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• Category (circle one): Emotional / Problem-Solving / Support-Seeking / Self-Care
• Who can help me use this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
• When will I try this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  

Teacher Facilitation Tips

• Circulate among groups to prompt deeper thinking (“How will you know this strategy is working?”).
• Encourage students to mix different strategy types (e.g., pairing an emotional check-in with a practical planning step).
• Remind them to leverage peer ideas and to note who in the class can support each other.
• After 10 minutes, invite groups to share one of their favorite strategies with the whole class.

Resilience Strategies Worksheet

Instructions: Use this worksheet to record three specific challenges from our circle discussion and develop a coping strategy for each. Be as detailed as you can!

Challenge 1: ________________________________

• Coping Strategy:
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• Category (circle one): Emotional / Problem-Solving / Support-Seeking / Self-Care
  
  
  
• Who can help me use this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• When will I try this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  

Challenge 2: ________________________________

• Coping Strategy:
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• Category (circle one): Emotional / Problem-Solving / Support-Seeking / Self-Care
  
  
  
• Who can help me use this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• When will I try this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  

Challenge 3: ________________________________

• Coping Strategy:
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• Category (circle one): Emotional / Problem-Solving / Support-Seeking / Self-Care
  
  
  
• Who can help me use this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  
• When will I try this strategy?
  ________________________________________________
  
  
  

Remember: You can revisit these strategies anytime you face a challenge. Keep this worksheet in your Reflection Journal!

Reflection Journal Template

Purpose: Reflect on the strategy you chose and plan for putting it into action.

1. Challenge I chose:

2. Strategy I will try:

3. Why I think this will help me:

4. Possible obstacles and how I’ll address them:

5. When and where I will use this strategy:

Next Steps:

• Who I will check in with about my progress:
  
  
  
  
• How I’ll know I’m succeeding:
  
  
  
  

Active Listening Checklist Worksheet

Instructions: As you participate in each activity today, check off the listening skills you use. Be honest—this helps you grow!

Reflection

1. Which listening skill did I use best today?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Which skill do I want to improve next time?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. One thing I’ll remember to do when listening is:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Keep this checklist in your Reflection Journal to track your progress!

Whisper Telephone Cards

Purpose: Practice careful listening and accurate reproduction of messages by whispering sentences down a line.

Instructions for Teacher: Print and cut these cards. Give one card to the first student in each line. Students whisper the sentence to the next person until it reaches the end of the line. Have the last student say the message aloud and compare it to the original.

Sentences (Cut apart each one for a card)

1. The blue butterfly landed on the flower.
2. My cat loves to chase red laser dots.
3. Tomorrow we will eat pizza for lunch.
4. The tall giraffe sipped water at the pond.
5. Sam found a shiny coin in his pocket.
6. Grandma baked chocolate chip cookies today.
7. Birds sing sweet songs in the morning light.
8. The puppy wagged its fluffy tail happily.
9. Please pass the yellow notebook to me.
10. We will plant sunflower seeds in spring.

Debrief Questions:

• Which words changed along the way? Why do you think that happened?
• How can we sharpen our listening and speaking skills to keep the message clear?

Partner Scenario Role-Play Cards

Purpose: Provide fun, relatable situations for students to practice active listening and thoughtful responses using their checklist.

Instructions for Teacher:

• Print and cut these cards along the dotted lines.
• Students work in pairs. One student draws a card and plays the Speaker, sharing details and feelings about the scenario for 1–2 minutes.
• The Listener uses the Active Listening Checklist Worksheet to guide eye contact, nodding, paraphrasing, and asking questions.
• After time is up, partners switch roles and draw a new card.

Scenarios (Cut apart each one for a card)

1. Your friend just adopted a puppy and wants to describe its funniest habit.
   
   
   
   

2. You’re explaining the best part of your recent family vacation.
   
   
   
   

3. A classmate is upset because they lost their favorite pencil at school.
   
   
   
   

4. Your friend is proud of scoring a goal at last night’s soccer practice.
   
   
   
   

5. You’re sharing why you love reading comics and which one is your favorite.
   
   
   
   

6. A partner is worried about an upcoming math test and wants to talk through their feelings.
   
   
   
   

7. Your friend wants to explain a joke they heard that made them laugh.
   
   
   
   

8. You’re describing how you learned to ride a bike and why it was challenging.
   
   
   
   

9. A classmate is excited about planting seeds in the school garden and wants to share their plan.
   
   
   
   

10. Your partner is telling you about their new hobby (e.g., drawing, skateboarding, baking).
    
    
    
    

Listener’s Tips:

• Turn toward your partner and maintain eye contact.
• Nod or say short responses ("uh-huh," "I see").
• Paraphrase: “So you’re saying…”
• Ask one clarifying question when they finish.

Keep practicing to become an Active Ears Adventurer!

🦻 Listening Rules Poster 🦻

Follow these golden rules of active listening to become an Active Ears Adventurer!

1. Give Your Full Attention
   • Face the speaker and make eye contact
   • Put away distractions (phones, toys, etc.)

2. Show You’re Listening
   • Nod, smile, or use short verbal cues ("uh-huh," "I see")
   • Keep an open and relaxed posture

3. Don’t Interrupt
   • Wait for the speaker to finish before you talk
   • Respect each person’s turn to share

4. Paraphrase & Clarify
   • Restate in your own words: “So you’re saying…”
   • Ask a question if something isn’t clear

5. Respect Feelings
   • Listen without judging or criticizing
   • Acknowledge emotions: “That must have been exciting!”

6. Respond Thoughtfully
   • Share your ideas and feedback in a kind way
   • Build on what you heard: “I like your idea because…”

Keep this poster visible during all listening activities! Refer to it whenever you need a reminder of what makes great listening.

Listening Reflection Journal

Purpose: Reflect on your listening practice today and set goals for improvement.

1. Activity I focused on listening during:

• Whisper Telephone / Mini-Lesson / Role-Play / Other: ____________
  
  
  
  

2. One listening skill I used well today (eye contact, nodding, paraphrasing, etc.):

3. One listening skill I want to improve next time:

4. Why this skill is important to me:

5. My plan to practice this skill (when, where, with whom):

6. Who I will ask for feedback on my listening (teacher, peer, family):

7. How I will know I’m succeeding (what I’ll notice or feel):

Next Steps: Keep this journal in your binder and revisit it each week to track your progress as an Active Ears Adventurer!