Expected/Unexpected
These types of behaviors make others uncomfortable or confused.
What are unexpected behaviors?
This is the social cycle:
What is:
What you do impacts --> how others feel, which impacts ---> How they act towards you/treat you, which impacts ---> how you feel, which impacts --> What you do (and so on...)
This is looking at a situation from someone else's point of view. Also: "Putting yourself in someone else's shoes"
What is perspective taking (or empathy)?
This is what we call topics that might make people feel confused, offended, or upset.
What are "Touchy Subjects"?
Your younger brother is having a tantrum and is distracting you from doing your homework. (Solve on your own or with adult help)
What is solve on your own? *Bonus* Explain how you would solve it on your own.
These types of behaviors make your peers feel comfortable to be around you.
What are expected behaviors?
A classmate is presenting their project. You interrupt them to tell a story, which makes the classmate feel _________
What is frustrated?
(or flustered, exasperated)
You see someone with a "Universal Studios" T-shirt on and think, "They must have visited the theme park!" (Smart or wacky guess?)
What is a smart guess?
These are examples of touchy subjects.
What are religion, race, politics, personal topics, etc.
At home you are stuck on a very confusing Algebra problem that talks about something you did not learn about at school. (Solve on your own or ask an adult for help)
What is: Ask for an adult's help?
You are playing video games with a friend and you yell at him/her for messing up and causing the game to end.
What is unexpected?
A classmate feels frustrated by something you did. When you try to talk to them they might______
What is ignore you?
(or speak in a mean tone back to you, etc.)
You see someone turning in a paper with answers that are different from yours. You say, "I'm pretty sure you did that wrong." (Wacky or smart guess?)
What is a wacky guess?
These are examples of people who we can talk to about touchy subjects.
Who are your parents, very close family, very close friends.
You are working on homework and you come across a vocabulary word, but you forget what it means. (Ask for help or solve on own?)
What is: Solve on your own?
*Bonus: How?*
You want pasta for dinner. However, your parents order pizza instead. You think to yourself, "Pizza's fine, too. We can have pasta a different day."
What is expected?
A classmate ignored you because they felt upset by your interruption. This is how you might feel:
What is hurt? (Other answers: sad, angry, lonely)
You notice a classmate who is usually friendly and talkative sitting quietly alone in the cafeteria, and you make this smart guess.
What is: "I wonder if they are not feeling well or are sad?" (Or other relevant response)
What is a touchy subject. (Bonus: Why?)
You are trying to work on an independent school assignment and someone is making an obnoxious sound near you. This is what you can do to solve the problem.
What is: Ignore it. If it really bothers/distracts you, ask them to stop in a polite way. If they don't stop, quietly ask teacher.
You make a mistake on a school assignment and you do not have any good erasers. To solve the problem, you ask if a classmate could share their eraser.
What is expected?
You feel hurt when a classmate ignores you, so you might...
*Daily Double: What would happen to the social cycle in this case? (solve the problem, get worse, etc.)
*Daily double: The social cycle (how everyone is feeling) will get worse/better (whichever answer makes sense)
On Monday you hear that a friend's grandfather passed away. You see your friend back at school on Thursday and you make this smart guess about how they are feeling.
What is, "My friend must be feeling really sad."
(or another relevant response)
*Bonus* What could you say or do to comfort them?
You are walking in the park past a stranger and say, "Hi - beautiful day today, isn't it?!"
What is NOT a touchy subject.
You come home from school and you see your room completely messy. Before you left, it was clean as a whistle. You are pretty sure that your younger siblings are responsible for the mess. This is what you do.
What is: Tell your siblings that your room was clean when you left, but it's dirty now, and ask if they had been in your room. If they had been in your room, ask politely for them to help you clean.
If they had not (maybe a pet, etc. messed it up), then start cleaning on your own.