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How Can We Repair?

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Lesson Plan

Repair Roadmap Plan

Students will learn and apply a five-step Repair Roadmap to address real-life conflict scenarios, practice restorative conversations, and reflect on rebuilding trust.

This lesson empowers 7th graders to take ownership of harm, strengthen classroom climate, and develop essential social-emotional skills for repairing relationships.

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, scenario work, role-play, and reflection.

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction to Restoration

5 minutes

  • Greet students and explain the lesson objective: learning to repair harm and rebuild trust.
  • Introduce restorative practices and their benefits for classroom climate.
  • Preview key steps on the Steps to Repair Slides.

Step 2

Understanding Repair Steps

10 minutes

  • Use the Steps to Repair Slides to present each step: Acknowledge Harm, Apologize, Offer Solution, Seek Feedback, Follow-Up.
  • Invite students to share real-life examples of each step.
  • Clarify questions and emphasize why each step matters.

Step 3

Scenario Roundtable

10 minutes

  • Divide students into small groups of 3–4.
  • Provide each group with a scenario from the Scenario Roundtable Guide.
  • Groups discuss which Repair Roadmap steps apply and draft a plan.
  • Each group reports one insight or strategy to the class.

Step 4

Role-Play Repair Activity

15 minutes

  • Pair students and assign a scenario from the Scenario Roundtable Guide.
  • Students role-play the restorative conversation, following their drafted Repair Roadmap.
  • Encourage active listening, sincere apologies, and collaborative problem-solving.
  • Teacher circulates to observe, prompt deeper reflection, and offer feedback.

Step 5

Reflection and Closure

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Repair Reflection Rubric.
  • Students self-assess their role-play and discussion contributions.
  • Collect rubrics and invite a few volunteers to share takeaways.
  • Reinforce the importance of ongoing follow-up and trust-building.
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Slide Deck

Steps to Repair: Your Roadmap to Restoring Trust

• Acknowledge Harm
• Apologize
• Offer a Solution
• Seek Feedback
• Follow-Up

Welcome students! Today we'll explore the five key steps in our Repair Roadmap for restoring trust after harm. Use this slide as an overview before we dive into each step.

Step 1: Acknowledge Harm

• Notice what happened and who was affected
• Name the impact on others’ feelings or well-being
• Show you understand why it matters

Guiding Question:
What did I do, and who did it affect?

Explain that noticing and naming the hurt is the first step. Emphasize empathy and honesty. Ask students to think of a time someone hurt their feelings and how acknowledging it helped.

Step 2: Apologize

• Express sincere regret using “I” statements
• Take responsibility without deflecting blame
• Avoid “but” or making excuses

Example:
“I’m sorry I spread that rumor. I realize it hurt you.”

Discuss sincere apologies: what makes an apology genuine. Highlight using “I statements” and avoiding excuses. Invite a volunteer to give an example apology.

Step 3: Offer a Solution

• Propose a concrete way to make things right
• Tailor your idea to what was harmed
• Be willing to negotiate and adjust

Example:
“I can replace your lost book and help you study for tomorrow’s quiz.”

Describe how offering a solution shows initiative. Solutions can include fixing damage, making amends, or finding a way forward. Provide a simple classroom example.

Step 4: Seek Feedback

• Ask the affected person if your solution feels fair
• Listen actively to their concerns
• Revise your plan if needed

Guiding Question:
Does this solution help you heal?

Explain that seeking feedback ensures your solution works. Emphasize two-way communication. Role-play asking a peer if your proposed fix feels fair.

Step 5: Follow-Up

• Check in after some time has passed
• Confirm that the repair worked and feelings have improved
• Show ongoing commitment to the relationship

Prompt:
When will you check back in?

Stress the importance of follow-through. This builds trust over time. Share how checking in days later reinforces sincerity.

Putting It All Together

• Review the five steps in order
• Discuss challenges and strategies
• Prepare to practice in small groups

Discussion Prompt:
Which step seems most challenging for you, and how can you prepare?

Wrap up by reinforcing that each step is connected. Invite students to think about which step they find hardest and why. Preview the activity where they’ll apply these steps.

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Discussion

Scenario Roundtable Guide

Overview: In small groups, you will work through a real-life scenario using our five-step Repair Roadmap. Decide which steps apply, draft what you would say or do, and prepare to share your ideas with the class.

Instructions for Groups

  1. Read your assigned scenario.
  2. Discuss these questions:
    • How would you Acknowledge Harm in this situation? What words would you use?
    • What would your Apology sound like? Use an “I statement.”
    • What Solution could you offer to make things right?
    • How will you Seek Feedback to ensure your solution is fair and helpful?
    • When and how will you Follow-Up to show ongoing care?
  3. Write down key phrases or steps for each stage of the Repair Roadmap.
  4. Be ready to report one insight or strategy to the class.

Scenarios

Scenario 1: Borrowed without Asking

Maya borrowed Jamal’s math textbook without permission and accidentally spilled juice on it. When Jamal found out, he was upset because he needs the book for tonight’s homework.

Scenario 2: Hurtful Joke

Leo made a joke about Alex’s new haircut in front of friends. Alex felt embarrassed and avoided Leo at lunch.

Scenario 3: Exclusion from Group

During a group project, Priya and Elena formed a group and didn’t invite Sam to join, even though he wanted to participate.

Scenario 4: Online Rumor

A rumor spread in the class group chat about Mia failing a test. The rumor was false and made Mia feel ashamed.




When you’ve finished, get ready for the Role-Play Repair activity!

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Activity

Role-Play Repair

Objective: Students will practice restorative conversations by enacting real-life scenarios and applying each step of the Repair Roadmap to repair harm and rebuild trust.

Materials:

Instructions

1. Form Pairs and Assign Roles (2 minutes)

  • Put students into pairs. One student will play the person who caused harm, the other plays the person who was harmed.
  • Distribute one scenario per pair from the Scenario Roundtable Guide.
  • Remind each “harm-maker” to follow the Repair Roadmap steps: Acknowledge Harm, Apologize, Offer Solution, Seek Feedback, Follow-Up.

2. Prepare the Conversation (3 minutes)

  • Give each pair 3 minutes to plan their dialogue:
    • Harm-maker drafts what they will say at each step.
    • Harmed person thinks about what questions or responses they may offer when giving feedback.
  • Encourage use of “I” statements and active listening prompts (e.g., “I hear you…”).

3. Role-Play the Repair (7 minutes)

  • Each pair conducts the restorative conversation.
    • Harm-maker goes through each step of the Repair Roadmap.
    • Harmed person responds authentically, offering feedback and asking clarifying questions.
  • Teacher circulates, listening for sincere apologies, clear solutions, and respectful feedback. Offer on-the-spot prompts if needed (e.g., “Can you ask how they feel about your solution?”).

4. Swap Roles and Repeat (7 minutes)

  • Pairs switch roles with a new scenario or reuse the same one from the Scenario Roundtable Guide.
  • Repeat the planning and role-play steps to practice both perspectives.

5. Reflect and Self-Assess (4 minutes)

  • Distribute the Repair Reflection Rubric.
  • Students complete a quick self-assessment:
    • Which Repair Roadmap step felt most natural? Which was most challenging?
    • How well did they listen and respond to feedback?
    • What would they improve in a real conversation?
  • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share one insight or “next step” they’ll take when they need to repair harm.












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Rubric

Repair Reflection Rubric

Use this rubric to self-assess your restorative role-play. For each criterion, circle the level that best describes your performance.

Criteria4 – Exemplary3 – Proficient2 – Developing1 – Beginning
Acknowledge HarmClearly names what happened and who was affected; shows empathy and understanding of impact.Names harm and acknowledges feelings; shows basic empathy.Mentions harm but lacks detail or empathy.Does not acknowledge harm or impact.
ApologyOffers a sincere “I” apology without excuses; conveys genuine regret.Uses an “I” apology with minimal excuses.Apology feels scripted or includes mild excuses.Apology is missing or shifts blame.
Offer SolutionProposes a concrete, thoughtful solution tailored to the situation; open to negotiation.Suggests a reasonable solution.Offers a vague or only partial solution.No solution offered.
Seek FeedbackActively asks for input, listens without interrupting, and adjusts plan based on feedback.Asks for feedback but may interrupt or not fully adjust.Seeks feedback but does not listen or revise plan.Does not seek or act on feedback.
Follow-UpChecks in after time has passed; confirms repair worked and reinforces trust.Plans a check-in but follow-up is unclear.Mentions follow-up but no clear timing or method.No follow-up plan.
Active Listening & RespectMaintains eye contact, nods, uses prompts (e.g., “I hear you…”), and speaks respectfully.Listens and responds respectfully most of the time.Some listening skills; occasional interruptions or tone issues.Little to no active listening; disrespectful tone.

Reflection Questions

  1. The Repair Roadmap step I found most natural was:






  2. The Repair Roadmap step I found most challenging was:






  3. One concrete action I will take to improve my next restorative conversation is:






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How Can We Repair? • Lenny Learning