Circle of Connection

Christy Olivieri

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Circle of Connection Lesson Plan

Students will engage in a guided community circle using structured prompts to practice empathy, active listening, and respectful sharing.

Building a supportive classroom community helps students feel seen, fosters trust, and strengthens social-emotional skills essential for collaboration and well-being.

Audience

4th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Guided circle sharing with prompt cards

Materials

Community Circle Question Cards, - Talking Piece, and - Visual Timer

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Print, cut out, and shuffle the Community Circle Question Cards.
Select a talking piece (e.g., a soft ball or special object) to pass around.
Set up a Visual Timer so each student’s turn is timed (~1 minute).
Review circle norms and ensure seating in a large circle for all participants.

Step 1

Introduction & Norms

5 minutes

Invite students to sit in a circle and briefly explain the purpose: building trust and understanding.
Introduce and display circle norms: listen without interrupting, speak from the heart, respect others’ opinions.
Demonstrate how to hold/pass the talking piece – only the holder speaks.

Step 2

Community Circle Sharing

20 minutes

Shuffle the Community Circle Question Cards and place face down in the center.
Set the Visual Timer to 1 minute per student.
The first student draws a card, reads the prompt aloud, then shares their response while holding the talking piece.
After sharing, the student passes the talking piece clockwise and resets the timer for the next speaker.
Continue until time is up or each student has shared at least once.
Differentiation:
- ELL & emerging speakers: offer sentence stems (e.g., “I feel…, because…”).
- Advanced learners: invite a follow-up question for a peer after sharing.

Step 3

Reflection & Closure

5 minutes

Ask students to reflect silently: “What did you learn about a classmate today?”
Invite 2–3 volunteers to share one takeaway or positive observation.
Reinforce that listening deeply helps us connect and support each other.
Remind students of the circle norms for future sessions and thank them for their participation.

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Slide Deck

Circle of Connection

Building empathy, active listening, and a supportive classroom community through guided sharing.

Welcome everyone! Today we'll kick off our lesson on building our classroom community through our “Circle of Connection.” Introduce yourself and briefly explain that in a community circle, each person gets a chance to speak and be heard.

Objectives

• Practice empathy
• Develop active listening skills
• Foster a supportive classroom community

Read each objective aloud and connect it to the activity: we’ll practice empathy by considering others’ feelings, improve listening by focusing on the speaker, and strengthen our classroom bonds.

Why Community Circles?

Community circles help us:
• Feel heard and valued
• Build trust
• Strengthen social-emotional skills

Explain why community circles matter: they help us feel seen, teach us to trust one another, and boost our ability to work together.

Circle Norms

• Listen without interrupting
• Speak from the heart
• Respect others’ opinions

Go over each norm in detail. Ask students to give examples of what interrupting looks like and why speaking from the heart matters.

Using the Talking Piece

• Only the person holding the talking piece may speak
• Pass it clockwise when you finish sharing

Show the talking piece. Demonstrate how only the person holding it speaks, and everyone else listens. Invite a volunteer to practice passing it gently.

Timer & Turn-Taking

• We’ll use a visual timer (1 minute per turn)
• Start the timer when you begin speaking
• Pass the talking piece and reset the timer for the next person

Display the timer. Explain that each student has one minute to share. Practice starting and stopping the timer once so everyone is comfortable.

Community Circle Questions

• Shuffle the Community Circle Question Cards
• Draw a card and read your prompt aloud
• Share your response with the circle

Explain how to draw a question: shuffle the cards, place them face down, draw one, read it aloud, then share.

Reflection & Closure

• Reflect: “What did you learn about a classmate today?”
• Volunteers share one takeaway
• Remember our norms for future circles

Ask students to close their eyes and think quietly, then invite 2–3 volunteers to share their reflections. Reinforce the importance of listening and thank them for participating.

Activity

Community Circle Question Cards

Print, cut out, and shuffle these 12 cards. Students draw one, read it aloud, then share their response.

If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes—real or fictional—whose shoes would you choose and why?
Describe a time when someone showed you kindness. How did it make you feel?
What’s a quality you admire in a friend or classmate? Give an example of when you’ve seen it.
Share a happy memory from this school year. What made it special?
When you’re upset or frustrated, what helps you calm down?
Name a challenge you faced recently and one thing you learned from it.
If you could make one classroom rule, what would it be and why?
What’s your favorite way to help others? Tell us about a time you did it.
Describe one thing you appreciate about our class community.
What makes you feel brave? Share a moment when you were brave.
If you could teach the class a new skill or hobby, what would it be?
What goal do you have this month for yourself or our class? How will you work toward it?