Lesson Plan
Our Safe Space Agreements
Students will co-create and justify at least five shared norms that promote physical and emotional safety in Titan Time.
Feeling safe and respected is crucial for effective learning. This lesson empowers students to take ownership of their learning environment by establishing guidelines that foster psychological safety and mutual respect.
Audience
10th Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Collaborative norm-setting.
Materials
- Building Safety Together Slides, - Think-Pair-Share Prompts, - Norms Draft and Rationale Sheet, - Exit Ticket Agreement Reflection, - Markers or pens, and - Chart paper or whiteboard
Prep
Preparation
15 minutes
- Review all generated materials: Our Safe Space Agreements Lesson Plan, Building Safety Together Slides, Think-Pair-Share Prompts, Norms Draft and Rationale Sheet, and Exit Ticket Agreement Reflection.
- Prepare the classroom for small group work.
- Have markers and chart paper/whiteboard ready for drafting norms.
- Ensure technology is set up for the slide deck presentation.
Step 1
Warm-up: Safe/Unsafe Scenario Sort
5 minutes
- Display the 'Warm-up' slide from Building Safety Together Slides.
- Present students with quick scenarios (e.g., 'Someone interrupts you mid-sentence,' 'Your idea is praised by a classmate,' 'You feel nervous to speak up').
- Instruct students to silently consider if each scenario makes them feel 'safe' or 'unsafe' in a learning environment.
- Facilitate a brief whole-class discussion, asking students to share why they categorized certain scenarios as safe or unsafe. Connect responses to the ideas of physical and emotional safety.
Step 2
Mini-lesson: What Safety Looks/Sounds/Feels Like
5 minutes
- Use the 'Mini-lesson' slides from Building Safety Together Slides to guide a discussion on what psychological safety means.
- Define key concepts like 'psychological safety' and 'shared responsibility.'
- Ask students: 'What does a safe learning space look like? Sound like? Feel like?' Record their responses on the whiteboard/chart paper.
Step 3
Small Groups Draft Norms with Rationales
10 minutes
- Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group).
- Distribute the Norms Draft and Rationale Sheet to each group.
- Instruct groups to discuss and draft at least three potential classroom norms that would promote physical and emotional safety in Titan Time.
- For each norm, they should also write a brief rationale explaining why that norm is important and how it contributes to a safe space.
- Circulate among groups to provide support and encourage thoughtful discussion, using prompts from Think-Pair-Share Prompts as needed to deepen their thinking.
Step 4
Whole-Class Synthesize and Finalize Norms
7 minutes
- Bring the class back together.
- Have each group share their top one or two drafted norms and their rationales.
- As a class, synthesize the shared ideas and work towards finalizing a list of five core 'Our Safe Space Agreements' for Titan Time. Write these finalized norms on chart paper or the whiteboard clearly.
- Emphasize common themes and the importance of shared responsibility in upholding these norms.
- Have students verbally agree to the norms (e.g., 'thumbs up if you agree').
Step 5
Reflective Exit Ticket & Agreement
3 minutes
- Distribute the Exit Ticket Agreement Reflection.
- Instruct students to individually reflect on the finalized norms and write down one way they commit to upholding these agreements.
- Collect the exit tickets as students leave. Inform students that the finalized norms will be displayed in the classroom as a reminder.
Slide Deck
Our Safe Space Agreements
Creating a Titan Time where everyone thrives.
Welcome students and introduce the purpose of the lesson: to build a safe and respectful Titan Time classroom environment together. Explain that today, we'll be thinking about what makes a space feel safe, and then creating some agreements to make our Titan Time awesome for everyone.
Warm-Up: Safe or Unsafe?
How do these scenarios make you feel in a learning environment?
- Someone interrupts your idea.
- A classmate offers help when you're stuck.
- You feel nervous to ask a 'silly' question.
- Your teacher actively listens to your concerns.
- Someone makes a joke at another's expense.
Present each scenario one at a time. Ask students to give a thumbs up if it makes them feel 'safe' or a thumbs down if it makes them feel 'unsafe.' After a few scenarios, ask a couple of students to explain why they chose safe or unsafe for a particular scenario. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers, but we're exploring feelings.
What is a 'Safe Space'?
A place where you feel:
- Respected
- Valued
- Comfortable to share ideas
- Safe to make mistakes
Key Concepts:
- Psychological Safety: Feeling safe to be your authentic self, speak up, and take risks without fear of embarrassment or punishment.
- Shared Responsibility: It's everyone's role to contribute to and maintain a safe environment.
Transition to defining key terms. Explain that 'psychological safety' is about feeling safe to be yourself, take risks, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. 'Shared responsibility' means it's everyone's job to contribute to this safety.
Imagine Our Ideal Titan Time
In a truly safe Titan Time, what would it...
- Look like?
- Sound like?
- Feel like?
Prompt students to think about what a safe learning environment actually looks, sounds, and feels like in practice. Write their ideas on a whiteboard or chart paper. This brainstorm will lead into norm creation.
Activity: Drafting Our Agreements
In your small groups, discuss and draft at least three norms for our Titan Time.
For each norm, explain:
- Why is this norm important?
- How does it help create a physically and emotionally safe space?
Use your Norms Draft and Rationale Sheet to record your ideas.
Explain the small group activity. Make sure they understand they need to draft norms AND explain why they are important. Point them to the Norms Draft and Rationale Sheet. Remind them that these norms should promote physical and emotional safety.
Synthesizing Our Shared Norms
Let's share our ideas and create our class's official 'Safe Space Agreements' for Titan Time!
- What were your most important norms?
- What common themes do we see?
- How can we combine these into clear, actionable agreements?
Once groups have had time to draft, bring them back together. Ask each group to share their strongest norm and its rationale. Facilitate a class discussion to identify common themes and synthesize these into 5-7 clear, concise, and actionable norms that everyone can agree upon.
Our Titan Time Safe Space Agreements:
We, the students and teacher of this Titan Time class, agree to uphold the following norms to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment for all:
(Signatures/Agreements)
Write the finalized norms clearly on the board or chart paper. Ask for a show of hands or a verbal affirmation that everyone agrees to these norms. Emphasize that these are their agreements, making them more likely to uphold them.
Exit Ticket: My Commitment
On your Exit Ticket Agreement Reflection, reflect on our finalized norms:
- Which norm resonates most with you?
- What is one specific way you will personally contribute to upholding these agreements in our Titan Time?
This helps us all take shared responsibility for our safe space!
Distribute the Exit Ticket Agreement Reflection. Explain that this is a personal commitment to the agreements they just made. Collect them as students leave to gauge individual understanding and commitment.
Discussion
Think-Pair-Share Prompts: Building Our Safe Space
Use these prompts to guide your individual thinking and small group discussions as you draft your Titan Time norms. Your goal is to create agreements that ensure everyone feels physically and emotionally safe to learn and participate.
Think (Individual Reflection)
- What is one time you felt truly comfortable and safe to share an idea, even if it was incomplete or potentially "wrong"? What made that environment feel safe?
- What is one thing that has happened in a class before that made you feel unsafe or uncomfortable to participate?
- Why is it important for everyone in our Titan Time to feel psychologically safe? What are the benefits?
Pair (Discuss with a Partner)
- Share your reflections with your partner. Do you notice any similarities or differences in your experiences?
- Discuss: What are some specific actions or behaviors that make a learning space feel safe and inclusive?
- What are some actions or behaviors that detract from a safe and inclusive space?
Share (Small Group Discussion for Norm Drafting)
- As a small group, building on your individual and pair reflections, brainstorm at least three potential norms for our Titan Time. These should be positive, actionable statements.
- For each norm, discuss and write down a clear rationale: Why is this norm important? and How will it contribute to a physically and emotionally safe space for everyone?
- Consider how these norms connect to our key concepts of psychological safety and shared responsibility.
Worksheet
Norms Draft and Rationale Sheet
Group Members:
Instructions:
In your small group, discuss and draft at least three potential norms for our Titan Time that will promote a physically and emotionally safe learning environment. For each norm, you must also provide a clear rationale explaining why it's important and how it contributes to a safe space.
Our Proposed Titan Time Norms:
Norm 1:
Rationale for Norm 1:
- Why is this norm important?
- How does it contribute to a physically and emotionally safe space?
Norm 2:
Rationale for Norm 2:
- Why is this norm important?
- How does it contribute to a physically and emotionally safe space?
Norm 3:
Rationale for Norm 3:
- Why is this norm important?
- How does it contribute to a physically and emotionally safe space?
Optional: Norm 4 (if time allows)
Rationale for Norm 4:
- Why is this norm important?
- How does it contribute to a physically and emotionally safe space?
Cool Down
Exit Ticket: My Commitment to Our Safe Space
Name: ____________________________
We have just co-created our Titan Time Safe Space Agreements. These norms are designed to help everyone feel physically and emotionally safe to learn and grow.
-
Out of all the finalized norms, which one resonates most strongly with you personally? Why?
-
What is one specific way you will personally contribute to upholding these agreements and making our Titan Time a safe space for everyone? Think about a concrete action or behavior you will practice.