Five Simple and Engaging Ideas for Teaching "The Group's Plan"

During the last two weeks in social skills, we learned about what it meant to "follow the groups' plan."  We used the book, "The Group Plan " from the We Thinkers! curriculum from Social Thinking© to start our learning.  Following the book, we used several other activities to extend our learning.

Follow a simple recipe.  We decided to make a fall-themed trail mix.  Since none of the students had allergies, picking a recipe was easy!  The students determined that the group's plan was to make the trail mix.  To make it, they each had to contribute by adding an ingredient to the mix.  The favorite part of the group's plan was to enjoy the snack!  (The speech-language pathologist in me couldn't resist creating few directions that included sequential and temporal directions 😉)

Watch For The Birds.  The students watched this video several times.  I wanted them to just enjoy it the first time without any demands.  After the first viewing, I asked the students to watch it again nd think about the groups' plan.  The students enjoyed this video because the group's plan did not go as planned!  This was a great opportunity for talking about why the plan didn't work and the birds' thoughts and feelings throughout the video.

Play a game.  The students played their favorite game Candyland (a group favorite).  The rule was changed so that the person on the left drew a card for the person on their right's turn.  It sounds complicated, but it was just a big enough change for them to work in improving their flexibility AND following the group's plan.

Watch MORE videos about the group's plan.  We watched a series of three short videos about following the groups' plan. 

Create a Not A Box.  This activity was by far the students favorite!  We started by watching an animated video that goes with the book Not A Box by Antoinette Portis. (The video is posted below.)  I split the students in to two groups, giving them a box that I grabbed from the cafeteria earlier that morning.  I gave the students tape, glue, markers, beads, scissors, popsicle sticks, construction paper, and other random supplies that I had in my room.  Their direction was to create a group plan to make the box not a box.  I was surprised at how well they worked together!  They were so creative and had so much fun!

A robot with a necklace!

A castle!

Community in the Classroom

Another successful start to a school year is in the books!  This year, I had a brand new group of students (minus one) after wishing last year's group the best of luck as they headed to high school.  I fretted a large part of the summer, worried about the incoming group of students.  Their needs and skill levels were so different,  I was a bit overwhelmed.  Okay.  I lied.  I was a LOT overwhelmed!  I decided to start from square one: building community in the classroom, and it was the best decision I've made so far this year!

We started very general, talking about who is in our family, school, and town communities.  I love books, which is no secret, so of course, we incorporated a book in to this activity, On The Town - A Community Adventure by Judith Caseley.  We created our own community using free printable from Lakeshore and labeled the people who hold the community jobs to work on functional vocabulary.  

Next, we read the book The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig.  (I also used Screencast-o-matic to record myself reading the book and sent it to parents at the end of the week along with activities to reinforce their learning at home. If you haven't checked out this cool way to make screen recordings, check it out here. ) The students made a "Who Am I" flip book, giving information about themselves so other students could guess who they were.  We also explored skills and talents they have and how they have a positive impact in the community.  I can't wait to share this with parents at conferences!

Next, we read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.  We used Screencast-o-matic again so that the read aloud and activities could be sent home to parents.  The students learned about what makes a "sweet" friend and what makes a "sour" friends.  They used a graphic organizer to help learn more about "sweet" friends.  

We continued our learning with a community bingo game.  The students LOVED this activity as they showed good citizenship while coloring in squares to make a bingo!  I also sent an email out to the staff asking if there was help needed around the building so that the students could learn more about being a part of the community.  The students now have several tasks they do around the building on a weekly basis.  Not only do they take pride in doing these tasks, but they area able to interact with more staff, and other students appreciate it, too!

Building our classroom community has already made a difference in our classroom.  I have a few ideas up my sleeve for continuing to build our community throughout the year!  If you'd like to check out some of the activities listed above, you can check them out here.