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Circle Up!

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Natalie Maryansky

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Circle Up!

Students will be able to identify and use various restorative circle conversation starters to promote respectful communication and community building within the classroom.

Effective communication and active listening are crucial life skills. This lesson provides students with practical tools to engage in meaningful conversations, understand different perspectives, and contribute to a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.

Audience

6th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and practice of circle starters.

Materials

Whiteboard or Projector, Markers or Pens, Circle Up! Slide Deck, Circle Up! Script, Circle Up! Warm-Up, and Circle Up! Cool-Down

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Review the Circle Up! Slide Deck, Circle Up! Script, Circle Up! Warm-Up, and Circle Up! Cool-Down to familiarize yourself with the content and flow. Prepare the whiteboard or projector for displaying slides.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Share Your Spark

5 minutes

Begin the lesson with the Circle Up! Warm-Up. Gather students in a circle and prompt them to share something positive or energizing from their day, using a simple sentence. This helps set a positive tone and models brief sharing.

Step 2

Introduction to Restorative Circles

5 minutes

Use the Circle Up! Slide Deck to introduce the concept of restorative circles. Explain that these circles are a way for everyone to share their voice, listen to others, and build a strong community. Emphasize the importance of respect and active listening. Use the Circle Up! Script for guidance.

Step 3

Exploring Conversation Starters

10 minutes

Present various restorative circle conversation starters from the Circle Up! Slide Deck. Discuss why each starter is useful and in what situations it might be applied. Encourage students to brainstorm other possible starters or ways to rephrase the examples given. Facilitate a short practice round using one or two of the starters.

Step 4

Guided Practice Circle

5 minutes

Lead a short, guided practice circle using one or two of the conversation starters. Choose a simple, low-stakes prompt (e.g., "One thing I appreciate about our classroom is..."). Ensure every student has a chance to speak (pass if they prefer) and remind them of active listening.

Step 5

Cool-Down: One Word Reflection

5 minutes

Conclude the lesson with the Circle Up! Cool-Down. Ask students to share one word that describes how they feel after participating in the circle or one word they learned about community building. This helps to reflect on the experience and reinforce learning.

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Slide Deck

Circle Up! Restorative Conversation Starters

Building a Stronger Community Through Our Voices


6th Grade | Life Skills | 30 Minutes | Tier 1 Classroom Support


Circle Up! Lesson Plan

Welcome students and introduce the topic. Explain that today we'll learn about a special way to talk and listen to each other.

What are Restorative Circles?

A way for everyone to:

  • Share their thoughts and feelings
  • Listen respectfully to others
  • Build understanding and connection
  • Solve problems together

Explain that a restorative circle is a special way for a group of people to talk and listen to each other. Everyone gets a chance to speak without interruption, and everyone listens with respect.

Why Use Restorative Circles?

  • Build Community: Get to know each other better.
  • Understand Others: Hear different perspectives.
  • Practice Respect: Learn to listen actively.
  • Solve Problems: Find fair solutions together.
  • Feel Heard: Everyone gets a voice.

Discuss the benefits. How can listening help us understand each other better? How does speaking openly make our classroom feel safer and more connected?

Our Circle Guidelines

  • Speak Your Truth: Share honestly.
  • Listen Actively: Pay attention when others speak.
  • Respect Differences: It's okay to have different opinions.

Before starting, set clear expectations for respectful interaction. Emphasize active listening and the 'pass' option.

What's a Conversation Starter?

A question or statement that helps us begin talking in a circle. It's like a doorway into sharing our thoughts!

Introduce the idea of conversation starters. These are prompts that help kick off a discussion in a circle. They help ensure everyone has something to contribute and keep the conversation focused.

Starter Category 1: Community Building

  • "One word to describe how I'm feeling today is..."
  • "One thing I appreciate about our classroom/community is..."
  • "Something positive that happened recently is..."
  • "If I could give one piece of advice to a new student, it would be..."

Present the first category: Community Building. Ask students when they might use these. For example, at the beginning of the week or after a break.

Starter Category 2: Reflective Sharing

  • "One thing I learned yesterday/this week was..."
  • "A challenge I faced recently and how I handled it was..."
  • "One strength I bring to our group is..."
  • "Something I'm looking forward to is..."

Introduce the second category: Reflective Sharing. When would these be useful? Maybe after a project, a challenge, or a new learning experience.

Starter Category 3: Low-Stakes Problem Solving

  • "One thing that could make our morning routine smoother is..."
  • "If I could change one small thing about our class, it would be..."
  • "I notice that when [situation], [impact]. I wonder if we could [suggestion]."
  • "What is one way we can better support each other?"

Introduce the third category: Problem Solving (Low Stakes). Explain that sometimes we use circles to talk about small issues. These starters help us approach challenges constructively.

Let's Practice!

"One thing I enjoy doing outside of school is..."

(Remember our guidelines: Speak your truth, listen actively, respect differences, you can always pass!)

Encourage students to practice with a simple starter. Model passing if they don't want to speak. Keep it light and positive for this first practice.

Remember...

Restorative circles help us connect, understand, and build a positive classroom community. Your voice matters, and so does your listening!

Summarize the key takeaway and remind students that circles are a valuable tool for our community. Thank them for participating.

lenny

Script

Circle Up! Restorative Conversation Starters Script

Warm-Up: Share Your Spark (5 minutes)

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Let's start our day by gathering in a circle. Today, we're going to try something a little different to kick things off. I want each of you to share one positive or energizing thing that has happened to you recently, or something you're looking forward to. It could be as simple as 'I had a great breakfast' or 'I'm excited for art class today.' Let's go around the circle. Remember, we listen to everyone, and if you want to pass, that's perfectly okay. Who would like to start?"




(Facilitate the warm-up, ensuring everyone has a chance to share or pass. Keep the energy light and positive.)

Introduction to Restorative Circles (5 minutes)

"Thank you for sharing, everyone. That was a wonderful way to connect. What we just did, sitting in a circle and sharing, is a small taste of something called a restorative circle. (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 2)

Restorative circles are a powerful way for us to:

  • Share our thoughts and feelings in a safe space.
  • Listen deeply and respectfully to each other.
  • Build understanding, empathy, and strong connections.
  • And sometimes, even work together to solve problems in our community.

(Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 3) Why do you think having a dedicated time to listen to everyone's voice might be important for our classroom?"




(Allow 1-2 student responses.)

"Exactly! When we all feel heard and understood, our classroom becomes an even stronger, more supportive community."

Our Circle Guidelines (2 minutes)

"To make sure our circles are safe and helpful for everyone, we have a few simple guidelines. (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 4)

  • Speak Your Truth: Share honestly what's on your mind and in your heart.
  • Listen Actively: This means really focusing on the person speaking, not just waiting for your turn to talk. Show them you're listening with your eyes and body language.
  • Respect Differences: It's okay if we don't all agree. We listen to understand, not to judge.
  • One Voice at a Time: Only one person speaks at a time.
  • You Can Always Pass: If you don't feel like sharing, that's perfectly fine. Just say 'pass.'

These guidelines help us ensure that everyone feels respected and safe to share."

What's a Conversation Starter? (1 minute)

"Now, how do we begin these conversations? We use something called a conversation starter! (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 5) It's just a question or a statement that gets our thoughts flowing and helps everyone know what to talk about. It's like a doorway into sharing."

Exploring Conversation Starters (10 minutes)

"Let's look at some different types of starters. (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 6)

Category 1: Community Building

  • "One word to describe how I'm feeling today is..."
  • "One thing I appreciate about our classroom/community is..."
  • "Something positive that happened recently is..."
  • "If I could give one piece of advice to a new student, it would be..."

"These are great for when we want to connect and build positive relationships. When might we use a starter like, 'Something positive that happened recently is...'?"




(Allow a few student responses.)

"Excellent! Now, let's look at some others. (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 7)

Category 2: Reflective Sharing

  • "One thing I learned yesterday/this week was..."
  • "A challenge I faced recently and how I handled it was..."
  • "One strength I bring to our group is..."
  • "Something I'm looking forward to is..."

"These help us think about our experiences and what we're learning. And finally, sometimes circles can help us with small challenges. (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 8)

Category 3: Low-Stakes Problem Solving

  • "One thing that could make our morning routine smoother is..."
  • "If I could change one small thing about our class, it would be..."
  • "I notice that when [situation], [impact]. I wonder if we could [suggestion]."
  • "What is one way we can better support each other?"

"These are for when we have small things we want to improve as a group. Remember, circles aren't just for big problems, they're for building our community every day."

Guided Practice Circle (5 minutes)

"Now, let's try a short practice circle together. We'll use a very simple, fun starter. (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 9)

Our starter will be: 'One thing I enjoy doing outside of school is...'

"Remember our guidelines: Speak your truth, listen actively, respect differences, and you can always pass. I'll start, and then we'll go around the circle. My answer is: 'One thing I enjoy doing outside of school is hiking with my dog.'"

(Lead the practice circle. Ensure everyone has a chance to speak or pass. Gently remind students of listening if needed.)

Cool-Down: One Word Reflection (5 minutes)

"Thank you all for participating in our first practice circle! (Refer to Circle Up! Slide Deck - Slide 10) To wrap up, let's do a quick cool-down. I want you to think of one word that describes how you feel after participating in the circle today, or one word that you learned about community building. For example, my word is 'connected.'"




(Go around the circle one last time for students to share their word. Conclude after everyone has shared.)

"Wonderful words, everyone. Restorative circles help us connect, understand, and build a positive classroom community. Your voice matters, and so does your listening. We'll be using circles more often to keep our community strong! Great job today!"

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Warm Up

Circle Up! Warm-Up: Share Your Spark

Instructions: Gather in a circle. Each student will share one positive or energizing thing that has happened to them recently, or something they are looking forward to, in a single sentence.

Prompt:

"One positive thing from my day (or something I'm looking forward to) is..."




(Example responses from students can be:

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Cool Down

Circle Up! Cool-Down: One Word Reflection

Instructions: Remain in the circle. Each student will share just one word.

Prompt:

"My one word for how I feel after our circle, or one word I learned about building community, is..."




(Example responses from students can be:

  • Connected
  • Heard
  • Calm
  • Together
  • Community
  • Listening
  • Respect
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