About this activity
Twelve everyday social situations, each asking what to do or say: your friend is crying; someone cuts in line; you want a turn on the swing; you bump into someone; your team loses the game; someone gives you a gift; you make a mistake; a new student is sitting alone; you forgot your homework, what do you tell the teacher. The range is deliberate — some need words and some need an action.
How to use it in a session
Ask for the actual words rather than a description. Be nice is not an answer; do you want to sit with us is. That distinction is the whole coaching, and it is what students can carry out of the room. Role-play the ones that need a body as well as a voice — bumping into someone needs a turn and a look, not just a phrase. Twelve minutes covers four or five properly.
What to listen for
Listen for answers that solve the situation for the student rather than with the other person. Someone cuts in line answered with I'd tell the teacher is a real answer and it outsources the exchange; asking what could be said to the person directly is the harder and more useful version. Notice which situations produce no answer at all — those are the ones to rehearse.
Carrying it home
Real situations happen daily. Asking what could be said now, rather than what went wrong, points the conversation forward and produces a usable phrase.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- First through fifth, for pragmatic language and social communication goals.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve scenarios play free.
- Should I accept 'be nice' as an answer?
- No — ask for the words. A principle does not transfer to a hallway; a specific phrase the student has said out loud once does.