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Understanding Classmates' Thoughts

Lesson Plan

Understanding Classmates' Thoughts Lesson Plan

Help the student recognize and interpret the thoughts of classmates in a chorus presentation scenario, fostering social awareness and empathy during a 30-minute session.

Understanding different perspectives is crucial for social skills development, especially for students with social skills deficits and an IEP, enabling better classroom interactions.

Audience

Elementary School Students (Autistic 10-year-old boy)

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and role-play

Materials

Understanding Classmates' Thoughts Lesson Plan, Slide Deck: Classmates' Perspectives, and Activity: Role Play Reactions

Prep

Preparation

5 minutes

  • Review the provided lesson plan and slides to understand the content and discussion prompts.
  • Familiarize yourself with the role-play activity instructions and materials.
  • Ensure a quiet and comfortable space to encourage focused conversation.

Step 1

Introduction and Scenario Explanation

5 minutes

  • Greet the student and explain the session's focus on understanding classmates' thoughts during a chorus presentation.
  • Describe the scenario where one student is dancing and singing too loudly.
  • Ask simple questions to gauge the student's initial thoughts on why classmates might feel distracted or upset.

Step 2

Slide Deck Presentation

10 minutes

  • Present the slide deck Slide Deck: Classmates' Perspectives to illustrate different emotions and thoughts classmates might experience.
  • Use visuals and simple language to describe feelings such as confusion, annoyance, amusement, or empathy.
  • Encourage the student to verbalize what each slide shows and how they think the classmates might feel.

Step 3

Role Play Activity

8 minutes

  • Engage the student in a role-play by acting out the chorus scenario.
  • Assign simple roles (e.g., one role for the expressive student and another for a classmate) to simulate the situation.
  • After the role play, ask the student to describe what they observed and how different characters might be feeling, helping them articulate social cues.

Step 4

Wrap-Up and Reflection

2 minutes

  • Summarize the key points about understanding classmates' thoughts and reactions.
  • Ask the student to share one new insight they learned about social interactions.
  • Reinforce the lesson's relevance to everyday social interactions.
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Slide Deck

Understanding Emotions

People have different feelings. What are feelings?

  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Confused
  • Annoyed

Introduce the topic by explaining that different people often have different thoughts and feelings. Ask, 'What do you think someone might feel if they are distracted during a performance?'

The Chorus Presentation

Imagine a chorus presentation. One student is dancing and singing too loud. How do you think other classmates might feel?

Show a slide explaining the scenario with visuals of a chorus presentation. Highlight that one student is dancing and singing loudly. Ask the student, 'How might the other classmates feel?'

Different Perspectives

Classmates might feel:

  • Confused: 'What is happening?'
  • Annoyed: 'It’s too loud!'
  • Amused: 'That’s funny!'
  • Empathetic: 'Maybe they need help…'

Use this slide to dive deeper into the different perspectives. Include simple images or icons representing confused, annoyed, happy, or empathetic reactions. Encourage the student to describe each reaction.

Wrap-Up

Today we learned how different classmates can have different thoughts and feelings during a chorus presentation.

  • How can you tell what someone is feeling?
  • What might you do to help if someone seems upset?

Conclude with a slide recapping what was learned. Ask reflection questions like 'What new idea did you learn?' and 'How can you tell what others are feeling?'

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Activity

Understanding Classmates' Thoughts Activity

Activity: Role Play Reactions

Objective

  • To help you understand and share what your classmates might think and feel during a chorus presentation when one student is dancing and singing too loudly.

Guidelines

  1. Introduction:

    • The teacher will briefly remind you of the scenario. Imagine a chorus presentation where one student is dancing and singing too loudly.
    • Think about how the other students might feel in this situation.

  2. Role Assignment:

    • One role will be for the student who is dancing and singing too loudly (the expressive role).
    • The other role will be for a classmate who is trying to enjoy the performance.

  3. Role Play:

    • Act out the scenario. You may pretend to be both roles or share the roles with the teacher, based on comfort.
    • While role-playing, try to express or show through your voice and facial expressions what each character might be feeling.

  4. Discussion and Reflection:

    • Once the role play is done, talk about what you noticed.
    • Answer questions like:
      • What did the character who was waiting enjoy, and what felt distracting?
      • How might the character that was dancing feel, and how could that affect the others?
    • This reflection will help you understand that people can have different thoughts even when experiencing the same event.

Follow-Up Questions

  • How did playing both roles help you understand the situation better?





  • What was difficult about guessing another person's feelings? How might you ask a classmate if you are not sure how they feel?





  • Can you think of a time when someone’s actions in a group affected the feelings of others? What did you do?





Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. This time is for practicing how to see and understand different feelings and perspectives around you.

Good job and enjoy the role play!

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