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!