Size Of the Problem Beginning Social Communication Middle School: Lesson Four

Objective  Students will begin to evaluate problems based on the four point scale of the zones  Once the student has determine which zone the problem belongs in, they will then explore the various reactions to the problem  The goal is to be able to match the size of the problem to the size of the reaction

Emotional Intelligence/ Social Emotional Learning goals:  Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways.  Describe causes and consequences of conflicts.  Apply constructive approaches in resolving conflicts.

SCERTS key skills  Emotional awareness of self and others  Self- regulates emotions and recovers from emotional meltdowns.

Evidence Based Practices:  Visual Supports (VS)  Self-Management (SM)  Modeling (MD)

California Common Core Standards  Language and Speech Standard; L 6, Grades 6-8: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.  Writing Standard; W7, Grade 6: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate

Task One: Whole Group Discussion Teacher will lead the discussion about problems that occur for students… Question: What kinds of problems have you experienced at home or at school in the past several weeks? After identifying the problems, students and the teacher will discuss what kind of consequences each problem may have.

Task Two: Evaluate the problems discussed into the four colors used to express intensity  Green = not really a problem  Blue = a small problem, can be resolved easily  Yellow = a problem that may need adult to help to resolve  Red = A very big problem, may not have a resolution, may need professional help in managing. *** The class will create a visual of all identified “problems” using the four colors to create four posters as visual reminders of how Big or small the problem may be.

Task Three: The class will: 1.Review “problems” from previous discussion 2. Brainstorm ideas about reactions to the “problem”… what have they witnessed in their homes, classrooms, or at school. 3. Create a new visual / graphic organizer, using the four colors, to address the type of reactions people have ***Students should acknowledge a range of reactions demonstrated in each situation

Task Four: Problems Students will break into groups and talk about, as well as document, the kinds of problems students face in one of five categories.  Family  Friends (non-romantic)  School  Neighborhood/ local community  Relationships (romantic interests)

Project Directions Each group will explore the range of difficulties someone might face in dealing with each specific group topic. Each group will create a graphic organizer of the problems they identified, and can either color code them or number code them to express intensity.

Task Five: Reactions Students will use their “problem” graphic organizer to discuss reactions to the problems. They will need to identify reactions that match the intensity of the problem (expected reactions). Create a graphic organizer of the reactions to problems your group discussed, and color or number code it in the same way you did for the problem.

Task Six: Role-Play Each groups will develop role-plays of the three problems / reactions they picked from their graphic organizers. The role- plays should be realistic and age appropriate, they should address the seriousness of a large problem, and the insignificance of a small problem. The role-plays should have a scenario that leads up to the problem occurring as well as consequences for the characters having reactions to the problem…make it look realistic, do not oversimplify.

Practice and Rehearse  Make sure your group can explain the information on the graphic organizer.  Each group member should know how to pronounce the words as well as what they mean.  The role plays need to be rehearsed so that everyone understands their part and are comfortable expressing themselves in their role.  Make sure you pay attention to how your voice projects as well as your body position to the other performers as well as the audience

Task Seven: Presentations  Students will perform all three of their role-play in front of the class.  After each groups’ role-plays, audience members can ask questions for clarification.  The group will then share their graphic organizer with the class, they should identify the problems and reactions they came up with and be able to tell the audience their evidence for categorizing it how they did.  Everyone in the group should play a part in the role-play or presentation of graphic organizer.

Evaluation: Council  Questions:  Did you enjoy the role-play process? (Why/ Why not)  Is it useful to people to be able to identify the size of a problem? (why or why not)  Does understanding the size of a problem help you have a more expected reaction to the situation? (Why or Why not)  What is one thing you thought your group did really well when working together?  What is one thing your group could have improved upon?

Vocabulary:  Role-play  Problems  Consequences  Intensity  Graphic organizer  Demonstrate  Clarification  Categorizing  Witnessed  Age appropriate  Realistic  Oversimplify