Introduction Unit 1 Intermediate Social Communication

Objectives: Establish class expectations /procedures; set a tone of community and teamwork; and display project protocols. Students will engage socially and begin to get to know one another, or get to know one another better. Social Emotional Learning Standards*: Recognize personal qualities and external supports. Demonstrate how to work effectively with those who are different from oneself. Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others. Apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations *Taken from the Illinois State Board of Education: (California has not yet adopted SEL Standards) There are 3 documents that need to be printed for this lesson They are on the following 4 pages, as well as throughout the PowerPoint after the slide which calls for them. The first one will need to be modified to fit your particular technology situation. Print them out.

Task 1: Group Discussion Part 1: Teacher’s introduction sets the tone for the class. Teacher leads the discussion, but allows for student input: We are a community. We support and help one another. We are a team. Group comes up with specific expectations for the class, such as: listening purposefully and quietly to one person at a time; everyone participates in every activity; confidentiality (“What’s said in the classroom, stays in the classroom,”); respecting everyone in the group, in and out of the classroom, etc.

Part 2: Whole group Brainstorming: What kinds of things do we know about our friends? Teacher or volunteer writes ideas on the board as students and teacher come up with ideas: (examples: name: first, last, nickname, where we live, how old we are, who is in our family, hobbies, interests, collects, strong likes or dislikes, things we are good at, favorite subject, etc). Teacher can take the ideas from the students and make up introduction questions for them to use for their projects. (Teacher can use Attachment 2 or use it as an example). For older or more capable students, the teacher can direct them to take the ideas from the brainstorming session and write down their own interview questions.

Task 2: Projects: Teacher places students in groups of about 3 and gives directions for first project (Attachment 1 is just an example. Must be modified to fit this class). Projects will begin during this period if there is time. If not, projects will begin the following day. Teacher decides whether or not to provide a guideline for interview questions (Attachment 2). Project: Personal Introductions. Directions: Find out all about each other. Each person has someone else in the group as his subject. Each interviews his person to discover all about him or her. The information is then used to create a poster all about this person. Use ComicLife, or take a picture of this person and print out the information with the picture. PowerPoint or Word also work for this project if the ComicLife application isn’t available. Products will be posted, so do your best to present your person in a complete manner.

Task 3: Finish projects if necessary. Allow each student to present his product and introduce his subject (person) to the class. Post projects and allow class to do a gallery walk to explore each person, if time allows.

Task 4: Small Groups Students remain in same small groups. Each group is given 2-3 word concepts and their definitions (Attachment 3). These are the vocabulary and concepts that will be used for the rest of the year. Students will use computers or poster materials to create posters that are colorful and easy to be read. These products will be posted in the classroom and used for the rest of the school year. We will be explaining, defining, and using these concepts over the course of the class. Groups read aloud their finished products

Task 6: Game Day: How well do you know each other? How well did you get to know each other during introductions? Some ideas: (Game descriptions can be found under Whoonu? (Cranium Board game) I Never Two Truths and a Lie. Who Am I?

California Common Core Content Standards: Listening and Speaking: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. Key Skills*: Engage in reciprocal interaction: sharing intentions, emotions, and interests. Follow the rules of conversation. Understand and monitor the attentional focus of self and others. Participates conventionally in recreation (Game Day). *Adapted from: The SCERTS Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Barry M. Prizant, Amy M. Wetherby, Emily Rubin, Amy C. Laurent, and Patrick J. Rydell