Peer Support Workshop

Jamie McGrath

Tier 2

Lesson Plan

Peer Support Workshop

Develop basic listening and empathy skills

This Peer Support Workshop is designed for 5th-grade students with lower cognition scores to help them develop basic listening and empathy skills. Through a combined role-play and drawing activity, students will learn how to support their peers in a friendly and understanding manner. This lesson is important as it helps students build foundational social skills, fostering a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.

Audience

5th Grade Students with Lower Cognition Scores

Time

30 mins

Approach

Develop basic listening and empathy skills

Materials

Simple Role-Play Scenarios, Crayons and Paper, and Discussion Prompts

Step 1

Introduction

5 mins

Start with a simple explanation of what it means to be a good friend.
Introduce the idea of listening and understanding others' feelings.

Step 2

Combined Activity

20 mins

Pair students up and give them a simple role-play scenario.
After acting out the scenario, have students draw or write about how they can help a friend.
Allow a few students to share their drawings or writings with the class.

Step 3

Discussion and Closure

5 mins

Use simple questions to discuss what they learned about being a good friend.
Summarize the key points about being a good friend.
Encourage students to practice these skills with their classmates.

Worksheet

Simple Role-Play Scenarios

Printable cards with simple scenarios for students to role-play, focusing on basic listening and empathy skills.

Scenario 1: A friend is sad because they lost their favorite toy.

Scenario 2: A classmate is nervous about a test and needs encouragement.

Scenario 3: A peer is feeling left out during recess and needs a friend.

Scenario 4: A student is happy about a new pet and wants to share their excitement.

Discussion

Discussion Prompts

Simple discussion prompts to help students talk about the role-play and drawing activities.

What does it mean to be a good friend?

Encourage students to think about kindness and support.

How can you show someone you care?

Discuss simple actions like listening and helping.