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Columbia Public Schools
Middle School-Wide Social Skill Lesson Plan
Expectation (from your school’s matrix):Week of Implementation:
Specific Skill: I Can Stay on Task
Skill Steps/Learning Targets – This means I will:
· Organize materials
· Promptly begin tasks
· Work quietly
· Raise hand to ask question or get help
· Complete work during assigned time
· Work on appropriate activities when finished with assigned work.
(Also known As Works Independently, Allows Others to Work Undisturbed)
Context: All Settings
TEACHING= Tell+ Show+ Practice+ Feedback+ Re-teach
TELL (this should be a BRIEF opener to the lesson, the lesson emphasis should be on student guided practice)
This component provides an introduction to what the skill is, rationale for why we need it, and a brief discussion of what are the skill steps. Choose 1 of the following to introduce the skill.
What is the skill?
· State the skill: Today we are going to talk about why it is important to stay on task and what staying on task means.
Rationale - why would a student need to know this skill? In what school settings would a student need this skill? Also make connections to life beyond school, i.e., the workplace, home, higher education, etc.
· Discussion: There are lots of reasons why staying on task is an important skill. Have students think about what might happen if…
an NBA player is not on task during a play off game;
a doctor is not on task during important surgery;
or a worker at Pizza Hut is not on task while making your food order;
mom is not on task while doing your laundry;
a friend is not on task while you talk about an important problem.
· Being on task at school is important because students will learn more, be able to complete their assignments, get better grades and allow others to work undisturbed. Being on task in school prepares us for being on task later in college or in our jobs. Being a productive worker may lead to a better job or higher salary. A person who is unable to finish a task appropriately will have difficulty in high school, college and career opportunities.
Discuss Skill Steps –Being on task means you can:
o Organize materials
o Promptly begin tasks
o Work quietly
o Raise hand to ask question or get help
o Complete work during assigned time
o Work on appropriate activities when finished with assigned work.
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SHOWTeacher Model: both examples and non-examples
Example / Almost There
TEACHER ONLY / Non-Example
TEACHER ONLY
· Organize materials
· Promptly begins task
· Works quietly
· Raise hand to ask question or help
· Complete work during assigned time
· Work on appropriate activities upon completion of assigned work. / · Has some, but not all necessary items and/or takes an unusually long time to find needed materials
· Stalls or finds other things to do before working (sharpening pencil, borrowing paper, asking friend a question)
· Completes some of the task, but reads aloud, makes comments, attempts to get answers from others when not directed to do so
· Has part of the assignment finished
· Finishes assignment, but does not have other things available to work on / · Unable to find necessary items and/or shows up with no materials
· Does not begin working (talks to others, sleeps, sits and does nothing)
· Makes noises (mutters, raps, talks, crumples papers)
· Blurts or shouts out questions or comments about the task
· Does not finish assigned task
· Disrupts others who are working and/or chooses inappropriate activities (electronics, passing notes, walking around, eating)
Scenarios
· Read or act out the scenarios below and have students identify whether the behaviors are examples, “almost there” or non-examples.
· Whenever possible teachers can/should make a connection to their curricular area such as ties to a character from literature, current events (when appropriate), famous quotations, or to a content area (e.g., safety in industrial technology or science lab, plagiarism in any academic content area, etc.).
1. Nathan is given a Math assignment. Quickly and quietly he gets out his calculator, textbook, paper and a pencil. He puts a heading on his paper and then reads the directions for the assignment. Nathan works through the first two problems easily, but then has difficulty with question 3. He notices the teacher is busy so tries to go on to another question. The remaining questions become more difficult so Nathan quits working, lays his head on his desk and sleeps. (Almost There)
2. Quinton was running late for school and almost missed the bus. He arrived to school without any materials. When he enters class he quietly asks another student if he can borrow a pencil and some paper. After the teacher gives instructions, Quinton politely raises his hand and waits to be called on. When the teacher comes to him Quinton quietly explains his situation and asks if he may share a book with another student. The teacher agrees. Quinton quietly scoots near another student to share a book and then begins working on the assignment. When he comes to a difficult question Quinton again raises a hand and waits for the teacher to assist. After he is finished with the assignment Quinton again raises his hand and asks the teacher if he can borrow a book to read until class is over. (Almost There and Example)
3. For the third day in a row Joe shows up to Science class empty handed; no binder, no textbook, nothing to write with. When the teacher asks about this Joe rudely replies he doesn’t know where his stuff is. The teacher gives instructions for an assignment. While other students begin working Joe starts tapping his fingers on his desk and rapping a song he knows. The teacher prompts Joe to begin working, but he shouts out he doesn’t even know what to do. The teacher goes to Joe’s desk to review instructions with him, but he begins loudly complaining this assignment is too difficult and he hates this stupid school anyway. (Non-Example)
4. Jenny has a hard time in Language Arts. She hates writing so this is definitely not her favorite class. However, Jenny’s mother has been upset with her in the past because of failing grades in Language Arts. Jenny knows it is important to do well in school so, with the help of her family and teacher she is ready to try again.
Today Jenny arrives to class on time with her binder, some paper, last night’s homework assignment and two sharpened pencils. As she enters the classroom she turns in the homework and quickly finds her assigned seat. As her teacher begins giving instructions for the assignment Jenny starts to gets a sick feeling in her stomach, but reminds herself everything will be ok because she can get help with her work just by raising a hand. Jenny listens attentively to everything the teacher says then raises her hand and waits for the teacher to call on her. When called on Jenny repeats back what she thinks the directions are and receives clarification from the teacher.
After she is sure she knows what to do Jenny looks at her task and begins working. In just a few minutes Jenny’s pencil lead breaks. Because she does not want to disturb others she gets out her second sharpened pencil and continues working. About half way through the assignment Jenny begins to feel frustrated so she raises her hand and waits for the teacher. When called on Jenny asks if she can go get a drink. The teacher says no and asks Jenny to keep working. Jenny is disappointed, but wants to finish the assignment and get a good grade so she tries again. Jenny still doesn’t know how to answer the question she is on so she skips it and decides to try it again later. Jenny keeps working on the questions she thinks she can complete.
When she is almost finished with her assignment Jenny notices two friends behind her are trying to get her attention. They have candy they are secretly passing around the room and want Jenny to take some. They also toss Jenny a note with her name printed on the front. Jenny is getting pretty hungry and really wants the candy. In addition, she is dying to know what is written in the note. She and her two friends have been talking about a really “hot” boy for several days now and Jenny thinks he wants to go out with her. Just as she is thinking about taking the candy and picking up the note Jenny remembers her promise to her family and teachers and instead returns to her work. Jenny finishes the remaining questions then goes back and makes her best guess on the questions she wasn’t sure about. Then Jenny turns her work in and gets out a book she is reading for another class. (Example)
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GUIDED PRACTICE Optimally practice would occur in the setting(s) in which the problem behaviors are displayed. The guided practice component of the lesson is a pivotal part of every lesson to ensure that students can accurately and appropriately demonstrate the skill steps (Lewis & Sugai, 1998).Where can ideas for role play /guided practice come from?
· During your introductory discussions your students may have shared specific examples or non-examples and those would be excellent for use as role play situations and extension activities throughout the week. These examples can be written out on chart paper for later use.
· Pass out 3X5 index cards after the introduction of the skill and give students a moment to write down examples or non-examples they have experienced at school, home in the neighborhood, or at work. This option allows for anonymity. Save non-school examples primarily for discussion and use school based examples for role-play.
· In the case of non-examples, have students problem solve appropriate behaviors that could have been done/used instead and then have them role play these replacement examples. Students NEVER ROLE PLAY NON-EXAMPLES! If a non-example needs to be demonstrated it is ONLY demonstrated by TEACHERS/Adults.
· Give all students a task or job to do during ROLE PLAY! Some students will be actors; others can be given the task of looking for specific skill steps and giving feedback on whether the step was demonstrated.
· Sample role play scenarios:
o Split students into small groups. Provide a hand out which lists each skill step (table of example, almost there and non-example from above could be used). Ask each group to write their own example scenario for On-Task behavior. Each skill step must be included in all three scenarios.
o After completed, scenarios can be shared with the class. Audience members should keep a tally to determine if all skill steps were included.
o When all scenarios have been read and shared, each group could also role-model their EXAMPLE scenario.
o If time permits, students could also write “almost there” and “non-example” scenarios. These may provide a springboard for good discussion. Teacher could preview these scenarios before sharing with class. If shared, be sure to help students identify and emphasize the replacement behavior (what should be done instead).
FEEDBACK – Teachers can ensure that students have the opportunity to reflect on performance of social skills by providing frequent positive feedback that is both contingent and specific (re-stating of skill steps/ learning targets). Research clearly indicates that positive feedback of this nature increases future demonstrations of target social skills (Brophy, 1980).
Following are some examples of phrases to use during practice sessions and throughout the rest of the year to give students performance feedback:
o “Wow! You brought your homework, binder and textbook today. I can tell you have your materials really organized”.
o “Class, I noticed almost every person began working within one minute after I finished giving directions. Great job being on task”.
o “I know this is a tough assignment. I am proud of you for sticking with it”.
o “Thanks for raising your hand and waiting to be called on”.
Here are some ways to get students to self-assess on their use of the social skill:
o Assign “look fors” during role play.
o Give students self-monitoring sheets with skill steps.
Below are ideas for teachers to tie the school-wide feedback system to this social skill:
o Have charts for each period/hour and hold a friendly competition where teacher or directed student can tally.
o Use pre-made “admit one” tickets and hand to students displaying the skill, place in cans/tubs/bucket for specific period/hour and have random weekly drawings.
o Give school-wide tickets to students, they sign and put in a random drawing box at the main office, or “cash-in” for various prizes or privileges at the designated time and place.
RE-TEACH
Review and Practice Throughout the Week
Provide some examples of how teachers can re-visit this social skill throughout the week and in the coming months of the school year.
o As an exit slip ask students to write down as many of the 6 skill steps they can remember for being on task. Repeat for several days. When 90% or more of the students can accurately identify all 6 steps have a class celebration (example: 5 minutes free talk time at the end of a period or homework free night).
o Have students write a letter to a parent/guardian describing what it means to be on task at school and why this is important. As a follow-up homework assignment, ask students to read the letter to their parents, get it signed and return it to school.
o Randomly call on students to tell one skill step for being on task at school. Offer incentives or tokens from a basket for correct responses.
o Ask students (groups or partners) to prepare a power point presentation for being on task at school. When complete, share slide shows and have a class vote for the best. Use this presentation for future classes.
Additional Activities: Ideas for possible curricular/content or extension activities are provided below.