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Safe Space

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Andrew Argueta

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Creating Our Safe Space

Students will collaboratively establish classroom norms by brainstorming respectful agreements, creating a shared Safe Space poster, and reflecting on emotional safety using a thumbs-up check-in.

Building a classroom Safe Space fosters mutual respect, active listening, and emotional support, helping 4th graders feel secure, valued, and ready to participate.

Audience

4th Grade Class

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, creative group work, and reflective check-in.

Materials

Rules of Respect Slide Deck, Ball Toss Agreements Warm-Up Guide, Norms Poster Template, Thumbs-Up Check-In Guide, Soft Ball, Chart Paper, Markers, and Sticky Notes

Prep

Prepare Materials and Space

10 minutes

  • Review the Rules of Respect Slide Deck
  • Print or project the Ball Toss Agreements Warm-Up Guide, Norms Poster Template, and Thumbs-Up Check-In Guide
  • Arrange student chairs in a circle for easy ball tossing
  • Set out chart paper, markers, sticky notes, and a soft ball on a central table

Step 1

Warm-Up: Ball Toss Agreements

5 minutes

  • Have students stand or sit in a circle
  • Explain that each toss prompts sharing one idea for a respectful classroom agreement
  • Use the Ball Toss Agreements Warm-Up Guide for prompts
  • Teacher or a volunteer records each agreement on chart paper

Step 2

Present Rules of Respect

5 minutes

  • Project the Rules of Respect Slide Deck
  • Briefly discuss each rule (e.g., listening without interrupting, using kind words)
  • Invite quick examples of how these rules look in action

Step 3

Main Activity: Norms Poster Creation

20 minutes

  • Divide students into small groups of 4–5
  • Give each group a copy of the Norms Poster Template, chart paper, markers, and sticky notes
  • Instruct groups to select 5–7 key agreements from the warm-up and slide deck and illustrate them creatively
  • Circulate to support teamwork and encourage all voices

Step 4

Cool-Down: Thumbs-Up Check-In

10 minutes

  • Have students remain in their seats and hold up thumbs (thumbs up/thumbs sideways/thumbs down) to indicate comfort level with the norms and activity
  • Use the Thumbs-Up Check-In Guide to prompt reflections: “What made you feel safe? What could improve our Safe Space?”
  • Collect sticky-note feedback for future adjustments
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Slide Deck

Our Rules of Respect

Welcome! Today we’ll learn five key rules to help us treat each other with kindness and care.

Welcome students and introduce the purpose of this mini-lesson. Explain that these rules help everyone feel respected, safe, and ready to learn together.

1. Listen Without Interrupting

  • Face the speaker
  • Wait your turn to talk
  • Show you’re listening with nods or smiles

Explain that listening without interrupting shows we value each other’s ideas. Ask for a volunteer to demonstrate listening vs. interrupting.

2. Use Kind Words

  • Speak politely and gently
  • Encourage classmates with positive comments
  • No teasing, name-calling, or put-downs

Discuss how words can build people up or tear them down. Invite students to share an example of a kind phrase.

3. Respect Personal Space

  • Keep hands to yourself
  • Give others enough room
  • Ask before touching someone’s things

Demonstrate what “personal space” looks like. Remind students to ask before touching someone else’s belongings.

4. Raise Your Hand to Speak

  • Sit quietly until it’s your turn
  • Raise your hand high
  • Wait for the teacher to call on you

Show how raising a hand helps everyone get a turn. Practice a quick thumbs-up when you see a raised hand!

5. Keep Hands & Feet to Yourself

  • No pushing, shoving, or kicking
  • Use gentle touches only
  • Respect each other’s bodies and belongings

Clarify that keeping hands and feet to ourselves prevents accidents and hurt feelings. Role-play gentle vs. rough touches.

Discussion Time!

Which rule is most important to you?
How can we practice these every day?
What examples can you share?

Invite students to share their thoughts. Record responses on chart paper. Wrap up by reminding students these rules are our promise to one another.

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Warm Up

Warm-Up Activity: Ball Toss Agreements

Description: In this energetic warm-up, students form a circle and toss a soft ball to one another. Whoever catches the ball shares one idea for a respectful classroom agreement.

Setup

  • Arrange student chairs or have students stand in a circle.
  • Provide the teacher (or a student volunteer) with a soft ball.
  • Display or place chart paper and markers where everyone can see.

Prompts for Sharing

  • “One agreement that helps us feel safe is…”
  • “An example of respect in our classroom is…”
  • “To show kindness, we can…”

Guiding Questions

  • How will this agreement help classmates feel included?
  • Why is it important to listen when others are speaking?
  • What makes you feel safe when someone else follows this agreement?

Recording Protocol

  • After each toss and share, the teacher or volunteer writes the agreement, phrase, or idea on chart paper.
  • Once everyone has had a turn (or after 2–3 rounds), quickly read through the collected ideas aloud and highlight themes (listening, kindness, space).





Ready to move into our Rules of Respect slide deck!

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Activity

Norms Poster Creation

Time: 20 minutes
Materials:

  • Norms Poster Template
  • Chart paper
  • Markers
  • Sticky notes

Instructions:

  1. Divide the class into small groups of 4–5 students.
  2. Give each group a copy of the Norms Poster Template or a blank sheet of chart paper.
  3. Ask groups to review the brainstormed agreements from the Ball Toss warm-up and the Rules of Respect slide deck.
  4. Have each group select 5–7 key norms they think will help everyone feel safe and respected.
  5. On their poster, students should:
    • Write each norm clearly (e.g., “Listen without interrupting”).
    • Add a simple illustration or symbol that represents each norm.
    • Use markers and sticky notes to decorate and emphasize the most important ideas.
  6. Encourage every student to contribute—ask them to initial next to at least one norm they helped create.
  7. Circulate to support groups, ask guiding questions (e.g., “How does this picture show respect?”), and ensure all voices are heard.

Assessment Criteria:

  • Poster includes 5–7 clear, student-generated norms.
  • Each norm is paired with a relevant illustration.
  • All group members have visibly contributed.







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lenny

Cool Down

Cool-Down Activity: Thumbs-Up Check-In

Time: 10 minutes
Materials: Sticky notes, chart paper or whiteboard, markers

Steps

  1. Explain the Thumbs Scale
    • 👍 Thumbs Up = I feel safe and comfortable with our norms.
    • ➡️ Thumbs Sideways = I’m mostly okay but have some concerns.
    • 👎 Thumbs Down = I feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
  2. Silent Check-In
    • Ask students to decide their level quietly and show their thumb.
  3. Record Responses
    • Tally the number of thumbs up/sideways/down on chart paper to gauge overall comfort.
  4. Individual Reflection
    • Distribute a sticky note to each student.
    • Prompt 1: What made you feel safe in today’s activity?



    • Prompt 2: What could we do differently to improve our Safe Space?






  5. Collect & Review
    • Have students place their sticky notes under three headings on the chart: “Safe,” “Okay,” and “Improve.”
    • Read aloud trends and common ideas (anonymously) and note suggestions for future adjustments.

This simple check-in gives every student a voice and helps teachers adjust norms to keep our classroom Safe Space growing stronger.

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lenny