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Solving Social Puzzles

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Siobhan Shaw

Tier 3
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Solving Social Puzzles

Students will engage in role-play scenarios to identify social problems, understand the feelings of those involved, and generate multiple creative solutions.

This lesson is important because it equips students with practical skills to navigate challenging social situations, fostering empathy and effective problem-solving in their daily lives.

Audience

4th Grade Students (Individual Support)

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Role-play and guided discussion.

Materials

Whiteboard or chart paper, Markers, Role Play Scenarios, and Reflection Journal

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Review the Solving Social Puzzles Slide Deck and familiarize yourself with the content.
    - Print or display the Role Play Scenarios.
    - Prepare copies of the Reflection Journal for the student.
    - Arrange a quiet, comfortable space conducive to one-on-one instruction and role-playing.

Step 1

Introduction (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Greet the student and briefly explain the purpose of the session: to practice solving social puzzles.
    - Use the Solving Social Puzzles Slide Deck to introduce the concept of social problems and why understanding others' feelings is important.
    - Ask: "Have you ever seen a situation where friends had a disagreement, or someone felt left out? How did it feel to watch that?"

Step 2

Role-Play Scenarios (20 minutes)

20 minutes

  • Present 2-3 scenarios from the Role Play Scenarios, choosing based on the student's engagement and pace.
    - For each scenario: Read it aloud, ask the student to identify the problem, and guide them to think about how each person might be feeling.
    - Engage in role-play, taking on different characters. After each role-play, discuss multiple solutions, their pros and cons, and encourage the student to try out different approaches.
    - If time allows, explore the more nuanced Scenario 3: The Group Project Dilemma for an added challenge in collaborative problem-solving.

Step 3

Reflection and Wrap-up (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Provide the student with the Reflection Journal.
    - Ask the student to choose one scenario they role-played and write down what they learned about feelings and solutions.
    - Discuss their journal entry briefly, reinforcing the main takeaways.
    - Praise their efforts in thinking about others' feelings and finding solutions.
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Slide Deck

Solving Social Puzzles

Let's become social detectives!

Welcome the student. Explain that today we're going to become 'social detectives' to understand and solve tricky situations.

What are Social Puzzles?

• Situations where people have disagreements
• Someone feels left out
• It's hard to know what to do next
• We want everyone to feel good

Define what a social puzzle is: a challenging situation involving people. Ask the student if they can think of any examples.

Feelings Detectives

• Look at faces and body language
• Listen to what people say (and how they say it)
• Try to imagine yourself in their shoes
• Understanding feelings helps us find good solutions

Explain why it's important to think about how others feel. Ask: 'Why is it helpful to know if someone is sad or angry?'

Brainstorming Solutions

• Don't stop at the first idea!
• Think of many different ways to solve the problem
• Consider what might happen with each solution
• Which solution makes everyone feel the best?

Emphasize that there's often more than one way to solve a problem. Encourage creative thinking. Ask: 'If your friend wanted to play tag and you wanted to read, what are different ways you could solve that?'

Time to Practice!

• We're going to act out some social puzzles.
• I'll be one person, and you'll be another.
• Let's use our detective skills!

Transition to the role-play activity. Explain that they will practice these skills.

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Activity

Role Play Scenarios: Solving Social Puzzles

Instructions for the Teacher:

  • Read each scenario aloud to the student.
  • Assign roles for the role-play.
  • Guide the student using the prompts to identify feelings and brainstorm multiple solutions.
  • Encourage the student to act out different solutions.

Scenario 1: The Recess Rivalry

Characters:

  • Alex: You are usually a great soccer player, but today you accidentally kicked the ball over the fence during a friendly game at recess. Your team was about to score!
  • Jamie: You are on Alex's team and were really looking forward to scoring that goal. Now the ball is gone and recess is almost over.

The Problem: During a fun soccer game at recess, Alex accidentally kicked the ball way over the fence. The team, especially Jamie, is upset because they were about to score, and now they can't get the ball back to finish the game before recess ends.

Prompts for Discussion & Role-Play:

  1. Identify Feelings: How do you think Alex feels? Why? (Think about the accident and letting the team down.) How do you think Jamie feels? Why? (Think about losing the chance to score and the game ending.)


  2. Role-Play: Let's act this out. I'll be Jamie, and you be Alex. Or, you can be Jamie, and I'll be Alex. What would you say or do first?







  3. Brainstorm Solutions: What is one way to make this situation better? (Focus on what Alex could do, or what they could do together to resolve the immediate problem.)




  4. Another Solution: Can you think of a different way to solve this problem? What if they could find another game, or talk to the teacher about a new ball for tomorrow?




  5. Best Outcome: Which solution do you think would make both Alex and Jamie feel better in the end, and help the team move forward? Why?


Scenario 2: Feeling Left Out

Characters:

  • Chloe: You see your two best friends, Sam and Mia, whispering and laughing together during recess. You feel like they are ignoring you.
  • Sam/Mia: You and your friend are just sharing a silly secret joke, not realizing Chloe feels left out.

The Problem: Chloe sees her two best friends, Sam and Mia, giggling and whispering. She feels like they are intentionally leaving her out and ignoring her. Sam and Mia are just sharing a joke and haven't noticed Chloe yet.

Prompts for Discussion & Role-Play:

  1. Identify Feelings: How do you think Chloe feels? Why? (Think about seeing her friends whispering.) How might Sam and Mia be feeling, even if they don't realize Chloe is upset?


  2. Role-Play: Let's act this out. You be Chloe, and I can be Sam or Mia. What would Chloe do or say?







  3. Brainstorm Solutions: What is one way Chloe could try to solve this problem so she doesn't feel left out? (Think about talking to them.)




  4. Another Solution: What if Chloe tried a different approach? Could she join in in another way, or find someone else to play with first? What if Sam or Mia noticed her?




  5. Best Outcome: Which solution do you think would help Chloe feel included and happy again, and why?


Scenario 3: The Group Project Dilemma

Characters:

  • David: You are working on a group project with Sarah and Ben. You've done most of the work so far because Sarah is always busy and Ben seems to forget his responsibilities.
  • Sarah: You have a lot of after-school activities and sometimes forget about your part of the project until the last minute.
  • Ben: You get easily distracted and often need reminders about what to do for the project.

The Problem: David is feeling frustrated and overwhelmed because he feels like he's doing all the work for the group project. Sarah is often busy, and Ben struggles to remember his tasks, leading David to pick up the slack.

Prompts for Discussion & Role-Play:

  1. Identify Feelings: How do you think David feels? Why? (Think about carrying the weight of the project.) How do you think Sarah and Ben might be feeling, even if they don't realize the impact on David?


  2. Role-Play: Let's act this out. You be David, and I can play Sarah and Ben. What would David say or do to address the situation?







  3. Brainstorm Solutions: What is one way David could talk to his group members to share the workload more fairly? (Focus on clear communication.)




  4. Another Solution: What if the group tried to organize their tasks differently? Could they set up a meeting or use a checklist? What if Sarah and Ben offered specific help?




  5. Best Outcome: Which solution do you think would help the group work better together and make everyone feel more responsible and less stressed? Why?
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Journal

Reflection Journal: Solving Social Puzzles

Name: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________

Think about one of the social puzzles we role-played today. Choose the one that you found most interesting or challenging.

1. Which scenario did we role-play?




2. Briefly describe what happened in that scenario.







3. How did the main characters in the scenario feel? Why do you think they felt that way?

  • Character 1 felt:



  • Character 2 felt:



4. What was one solution you thought of or tried during the role-play to solve the problem?







5. Can you think of another way the problem could have been solved?







6. What did you learn about understanding other people's feelings and solving problems today?












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