Literature Based Social Skills Instruction Sarah Bartholomew

What? Who? Why? I developed a social skills framework based on popular children’s literature for students in a K-2 Autistic Support classroom. When I entered my classroom in late September, I found that the social skills curriculum in place was becoming increasingly disengaging for many of my students. I needed something that would capture their attention and was both meaningful and motivating.

How? What IEP goals need to be addressed? How are my students’ social behavior impacting their success in inclusion? What specific social behaviors are impeding success in inclusion? What instructional techniques work for my students? What instructional techniques do NOT work for my students? What are my students interested and motivated by?

Literature Based Instruction Read Alouds were a common motivator for my whole class. Provides a broad collection of material and topics, making it easy address goals and behaviors with a variety of approaches and techniques. Opportunities to create Power Cards. Easy to incorporate cross-curricular concepts.

Developing A Framework Monthly units were developed that focused on the work and titles of one specific author/illustrator. Author Studies Included… Eric Carle Lois Ehlert Marc Brown (Arthur the Aardvark) Jan & Stan Berenstain Kevin Henkes Robert Munsch Arnold Lobel

Grasshopper on the Road By Arnold Lobel Target Social Behavior: Being a Flexible Thinker Anticipatory Set: Students explore a set of flexible items and must identify what they have in common. Standard: Apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations. Teaching Presentation: Read and discuss book. Identify characters that are flexible thinkers and characters that have “rock brain”. Guided Practice: Read and discuss realistic scenarios. Students decide if scenario goes in “Rock Brain” box, or “Flexible Thinker” box. Closure: Students draw a picture of their favorite “rock brain” character and identify a way he can be flexible next time. Independent Practice: At home with their parents, students identify a proud moment from the week in which they were flexible. Student/Parent details the event, it is brought to school and read aloud during next social skill lesson.

Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes Target Social Behavior: Understanding and Appreciating Others’ Differences Anticipatory Set: Use a T-Chart to compare 2 members of the group. How are they the same, how are they different? Standard: Respect and recognize individual and group similarities and differences. Lesson Presentation: Read and discuss book. Use a T-Chart to compare Chester and Lilly. Guided Practice: Sometimes “Adam” (another student in the class) can be very mean or scary. This makes him very different from the rest of the group and difficult to like. Guide discussion with group: What is GOOD about “Adam”? What do we LIKE about “Adam”? What can I do to be “Adam’s” friend, even though he is different? Develop list on chart paper. Closure: Students take one idea from GP and put it into action. Independent Practice: At home with their parents, students take a list of “quirky” personality traits and identify fun activities to do with someone who had those traits.

Results: The Students Students were eager for “Author Study” and excited about reading. Students were identifying with the characters’ feelings and making connections to their own. Students were referring to characters outside of “Author Study” as a way of applying skills they’ve learned. A sense of “community” gradually developed within the support classroom. Inclusion times were increase for those showing consistent application of appropriate social behavior.

Results: Professional Growth Challenged me to think critically about appropriate and individualized interventions. Research of curriculum provided tools, tricks, strategies and techniques to better my instruction. Enhanced my awareness of the importance of team communication. Developed my “library” of literature to use across content areas. Built my confidence as a proficient educator.