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Pause Before Speaking

daryl.kwiatkowski

Tier 3

Lesson Plan

Pause Before Speaking Lesson Plan

Students will learn why blurting disrupts learning and practice a simple pause-and-think strategy. By lesson’s end, they will apply this strategy in scenarios and self-assess their impulse control.

Helping students pause before speaking fosters respectful communication, strengthens self-regulation, and builds confidence by reducing disruptions. It equips learners with a concrete tool to manage impulses and participate effectively.

Audience

5th Grade

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Model strategy, practice with scenarios, reflect on use

Materials

  • Pause Strategy Cue Card, - Scenario Cards, - Reflection Checklist, and - Timer or Stopwatch

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Print and cut the Scenario Cards.
  • Review the Pause Strategy Cue Card and Reflection Checklist.
  • Gather a Timer or Stopwatch.

Step 1

Introduction & Objective

2 minutes

  • Greet the student and explain how blurting can interrupt learning.
  • Share the lesson goal: understand blurting and learn to pause before speaking.

Step 2

Teach & Model Strategy

5 minutes

  • Introduce the Pause Strategy Cue Card.
  • Model steps: notice the impulse, hand on chest, count to 3, then speak.
  • Think aloud with an example of blurting vs. pausing.

Step 3

Guided Practice with Scenarios

5 minutes

  • Present one Scenario Card at a time.
  • Student identifies where they’d blurt out.
  • Student practices the pause strategy in role-play.
  • Provide positive feedback and corrections.

Step 4

Reflection & Wrap-Up

3 minutes

  • Give the student the Reflection Checklist.
  • Student rates their strategy use (1–5) and notes one success.
  • Reinforce improvement and discuss future use in class.
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Slide Deck

Pause Before Speaking

A quick strategy to help you think before you talk
Tier 3 Support • 5th Grade • 15 Minutes

Welcome the student and introduce today’s lesson. Emphasize that we will learn a strategy to help pause before speaking so class time stays focused and respectful.

Why Do We Avoid Blurting?

• Disrupts your own and classmates’ focus
• Makes it harder for everyone to learn
• Can feel embarrassing or frustrating afterward

Explain why blurting can interrupt learning. Ask the student to share a time they or someone else blurted out, and discuss how it made others feel or disrupted the lesson.

Introducing the Pause Strategy

Use the Pause Strategy Cue Card with these steps:

  1. Notice the urge to speak
  2. Hand on chest
  3. Count to 3 silently
  4. Speak when ready

Show the Pause Strategy Cue Card. Explain that this card will guide them through four simple steps to pause and think before speaking.

Step-by-Step Practice

  1. Notice: “I want to blurt”
  2. Hand: Place one hand on your chest
  3. Count: Silently count to 3
  4. Speak: Now share your thought

Walk through each step. Invite the student to place a hand on their chest and count aloud from 1 to 3. Model both blurting and pausing to contrast outcomes.

Let’s Practice with Scenarios

• Pick a Scenario Card
• Identify where you’d normally blurt
• Use the Pause Strategy steps
• Reflect on how it felt

Hand the student a Scenario Card and guide them through one role-play. Encourage positive feedback and gently correct if they skip a step.

Reflection & Next Steps

Use the Reflection Checklist:
• Rate your pause (1–5)
• Note one success today
• Set a goal for using it in class

Give the Reflection Checklist. Ask the student to rate their use of the strategy and write one success. End by reinforcing how this will help them participate confidently.

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Activity

Scenario Cards

Use these Scenario Cards to practice the Pause Before Speaking strategy. Read each scenario, imagine when you’d normally blurt out, then role-play using the four steps: notice the urge, hand on chest, count to 3, and speak when ready.

  1. Your teacher asks the class a math question, and you think you know the answer. You really want everyone to hear you say it first.



  2. A friend is telling a funny story, but you remember an even funnier part and want to interrupt to share it.



  3. During silent reading, you see a silly word that makes you giggle. You want to call out “Ha!” so everyone else will laugh too.



  4. The teacher is explaining a new science project on the board, and you suddenly remember an important detail you think they forgot.



  5. You hear the bell ring and you’re sure it means recess is next. You want to shout, “Is it recess yet?” before the teacher finishes talking.



  6. In a small-group discussion, you figure out the group’s answer before your classmates. You feel excited and want to blurt it out right away.



  7. At the start of class, you suddenly realize you left your homework at home. You want to announce to the whole class, “I forgot my homework!” right away.



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Journal

Reflection Checklist

Use this checklist to think about how you used the Pause Strategy today.

  1. On a scale of 1 (very hard) to 5 (very easy), how easy was it to remember to pause before speaking?

1 2 3 4 5



  1. Which step of the Pause Strategy helped you the most? (Notice, Hand, Count, Speak)







  1. How did you feel before you used the strategy? How did you feel after?







  1. What is one goal you want to set for using the Pause Strategy in tomorrow’s class?







  1. Write one sentence about a time you think the Pause Strategy will help you the most.







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lenny