Ready-To-Use Social Skills Lessons and Activities for Grades 7 - 12

This unique Library gives teachers and specialists a stimulating, systematic way to develop positive social behaviors in students of all abilities, grades 4-12. Included are over 125 tested lessons and reproducible worksheets in two separately printed, self-contained volumes, each tailored to the developmental needs of students at a particular grade level, 4-6 or 7-12. For easy use, the lessons in each volume follow a uniform format, including titles, behavioral objective, and simple 8-step lesson plan. The lesson activities and worksheets are based on real-life situations and help build students' self-esteem, self-control, and respect for the rights of others. Listening

1 Being a Good Listener 1

2 Listening to Directions 5

Conversing

3 Starting a Conversation – How Would You Start? 9

4 Starting a Conversation – What Would You Say? 13

5 Asking for Help in Class 17

6 Asking for Help When Needed 22

Using Persuasion

7 Convincing Others to Do Right 26

8 Convincing Someone to Do the Right Thing 31

Dealing with Feelings

9 Knowing Your Feelings 35

10 Recognizing and Accepting Your Feelings 39

11 Expressing Your Feelings 42

12 Expressing Empathy for Others 46

13 Expressing Affection – How Do You Do 50

14 Expressing Affection – Words of Affection 55

15 Understanding Fear 59

16 Managing the Emotion (Fear) 64

Using Self-Rewards

17 Rewarding Yourself 68

18 Rewarding Yourself for Achievement 72

Helping Others

19 Responding to a Need for Help 76

20 Feeling Good About Helping 80

Solving Conflicts Peaceably

21 Using Negotiation to Settle Differences 84

22 Using Negotiation to Deal with Peer Pressure 88

Self-Control

23 Staying Calm Under Stress 92

24 Recognizing Loss of Self-Control 96

25 Avoiding Trouble with Others 100

26 Making Wise Decisions 105

27 Avoiding Fights 109

28 Settling Differences Without Fights 113

Keeping Your Composure

29 Dealing with Embarrassment 117

30 Managing Embarrassing Situations 121

Dealing with Peer Pressure

31 Coping with Being Left Out (Sex, Drugs) 126

32 Responding to Persuasion 130

Responding to Failure

33 Identifying Reasons for Failure 134

34 Managing Failure 138

Dealing with an Accusation

35 Reacting to an Accusation 142

Dealing with Group Pressure

36 Resisting Negative Pressure (Values Ranking) 146

37 Making Your Own Judgements 150

Problem-Solving

38 Deciding What Caused a Problem 154

39 Analyzing and Solving a Problem 158

Goal-Setting

40 Setting Goals for the Future 162

41 Setting Career Goals 166

Gathering Information

42 Using Multiple Resources 170

43 Identifying Resources 174

Setting Priorities

44 Prioritizing Activities 178

45 Putting Things in Order 182

Decision Making

46 Making a Decision 186

Getting and Keeping a Job

47 How to Apply for a Job 190

48 How to Conduct Yourself During a Job Interview 194

49 How to Keep a Job 196

50 How to Become a Supervisor 198

51 Code of Job Ethics – Part of Job Skills 201

Social Skills Task Review

Part I: Social Skills-Related Questions in Worksheet Form 204

Part II: Review of Social Skills Terms 209

Transparency Master for Class Display 210

Appendix

Book References Related to the Activities 211

Ruth W. Begun, M.S., is president of The Society for Prevention of Violence (SPV), a nonprofit organization founded in 1972 dedicated to reducing asocial behaviors in children and adults through education. This resource is one of four books in the "Social Skills Curriculum Activities Library," a practical series designed to help classroom teachers and specialists teach appropriate behavioral skills to students of all abilities, preschool through grade 12. The activities emphasize teaching young people to recognize the equal rights of others, independent of color, race, and religion, and develop their skill in using good judgment to resolve life's conflicts peacefully.
The complete Social Skills Curriculum Library provides over 250 classroom-tested lessons and activities in four distinct units, each tailored to the developmental needs of students at a particular grade level:

READY-TO-USE SOCIAL SKILLS LESSONS ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES PreK-K

READY-TO-USE SOCIAL SKILLS LESSONS ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 1-3

READY-TO-USE SOCIAL SKILLS LESSONS ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 4-6

READY-TO-USE SOCIAL SKILLS LESSONS ACTIVITIES FOR GRADES 7-12

For easy use, the activities in each grade-level unit follow a uniform format, including a descriptive title, a specific behavioral objective, and a simple eighth-step lesson plan that provides everything needed for an effective, well-balanced learning experience.

Each lesson covers:

Purpose: Need for teaching/learning the social skill, e.g. "Using Self-Control"

Introduction: Stories, films, poems, and questions to make the skill concrete

Skill Components: Skill steps for teaching the appropriate behavior

Modeling the Skill: Teacher and/or student demonstration of the skill

Behavioral Rehearsal: Student performance of the skill with teacher correction if necessary

Practice: Worksheets and other activities summarizing the skill

Independent Use: Activities to promote use of the skills outside of school

Continuation: Suggestions for reinforcing the skill through the school year

And, as a further help, all of the practice worksheets are individually printed in a special format that folds flat for easy photocopying as many times as needed for individual or group use!

Each unit also includes an introduction to the curriculum and lesson format ... brief guidelines ... To the Teacher... for using the activities most effectively ... reproducible Task Review Cards for circle-time class discussions ... and a Family Training Booklet addressed to parents with suggestions for teaching social skills at home (units 1-3)

In short, the "Social Skills Curriculum Activities Library" gives teachers at all level a stimulating and systematic way to develop positive social behaviors in their students. The activities focus on real problem situations, and are readily adapted to any classroom or school-wide program, and can be easily enhanced with other strategies, models and interventions devised by the creative teacher.