Lesson Plan: Using Proper Social Skills in Stressful Situations

Grades: 5-8

Concept to be taught: Maintaining proper social skills in stressful situations is not an easy task for middle school students. By role-playing specific scenarios with the students, they can see examples of the proper and improper way to handle a situation, and the likely outcomes of that situation.

Lesson Objectives:

Students will demonstrate the proper social skills in stressful situations

Students will discuss different methods for handling stress

Scenarios:

In each scenario, one student will play the student, and the other student will play the adult. Students will be instructed to "think out loud" so the rest of the class can follow the thought processes involved in these correct (or incorrect) social interactions. If a situation turns to an argument, the rest of the class can be encouraged to steer the situation back on course with positive suggestions.

An important thing to look for here is what the person is thinking before they say anything. Why is the person saying what they are saying? Do they have a good reason or are they just in a certain mood?

Students should role-play a positive as well as negative interaction for each scenario.

1) Accepting "no" as an answer. Students can role-play asking to go to the bathroom and being met with a response of "no."

2) Making it to class on time. One student can role play the student trying to get to class and several others can role play various people that could keep him from making it to class on time.

3) Having a disagreement. Students can role play disagreeing without escalating into an argument.

4) Accepting accountability for your actions. Students can role play a teacher giving consequences for inappropriate behavior in class. One student must give the consequence in an objective manner. The other student must accept the consequence calmly. Both can then discuss why the behavior occurred and what can be done to prevent it in the future. Conversely, the students can escalate the situation into an argument, and the rest of the class can discuss what went wrong.

Illinois State Standards

1.A.1g: Recognize emotions as indicators of situations in need of attention
1.A.7g: Demonstrate an ability to process emotions to facilitate problem solving
2.A.6g: Practice responding to ideas rather than the person advancing them
2.C.6g: Learn to maintain an objective, non-judgmental tone during disagreements
2.D.6j: Demonstrate various approaches for resolving conflict