What Might Others Be Thinking? Classroom Moments
Seven classroom moments. The student imagines what classmates or the teacher might think, and what could help.
During a story Sam calls out how it ends. What might his classmates be thinking?
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read each moment aloud and ask what each person in it might be thinking before showing the choices. Use the language of thinking and feeling rather than right and wrong: what might Mia think when Leo stands close? Then ask what could help everyone. For the headphones and walking items, talk about how meeting your own needs is a good thing.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSet up the situation and wait for the student to respond on their own.Log as correct
- Nonverbal cueUse a look, a gesture or a point to the visual cue card.Log as cued
- Indirect promptAsk 'What could you say now?' or 'How do you think they feel?'Log as cued
- ModelShow what to say or do, then run the moment again so the student can try it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give a script or two choices of what to say, and practise with you before a peer.
Role-play with a new partner, or add a twist the student has not planned for.
Matching IEP goal
Given social scenarios, Student will identify another person's thoughts or feelings and give a reason in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Seven classroom moments where what one student does lands with other people: calling out how a story ends, answering every question first, standing very close in line, wearing headphones during a loud assembly, walking around the back of the room to focus. The student imagines what classmates or the teacher might be thinking. Some moments surprise others; some are a student meeting their own needs well.
What to listen for
Notice whether the student can separate an action from a judgment about the person. A student who says Sam is mean has jumped from the action to a label. Listen for ideas about what could help, which show the student is thinking about both sides. Watch for students who see themselves in an item, and keep that conversation kind.
Carrying it home
At home, talk through moments from the day using might: when you told your brother the end of the movie, what might he have been thinking? Avoid labels like rude or bad, and focus on what each person wanted. Celebrate when the child does something that helps them, like asking for a break.
What's in this activity
- During a story Sam calls out how it ends. What might his classmates be thinking?
- I wanted to find out myself
- Sam is a great reader
- It is lunch time
- Ava wears headphones during the loud assembly. Why might Ava be doing this?
- Headphones help her with the loud noise
- She is not paying attention
- She wants to listen to music
- Noor talks about trains for a long time and her friend keeps looking at the swings. What might her friend be thinking?
- I would like to play on the swings
- Tell me more about trains
- It is time for lunch
- Leo stands very close to Mia in line. Mia steps away. What might Mia be thinking?
- Leo is my best friend
- I need a bit more space
- I want to go first
- Ben answers every question before anyone else can. What might the other kids be thinking?
- I want a turn to answer too
- Ben should answer more
- I do not know any answers
- Rosa stands up and walks around the back of the room during work time. Why might Rosa be doing this?
- She is being rude
- Moving may help her focus
- She is lost
- Kai asks the teacher to repeat the directions. Why might Kai be doing this?
- He wants to get it right
- He was not listening
- He is being silly
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 1 through 4 working on perspective-taking in classroom situations, written so no student is cast as the problem.
- Is this an expected and unexpected behavior board?
- It covers the same ground, framed around what others might be thinking rather than labelling behavior as good or bad. Several moments show students meeting their own needs, which is a skill in itself.
- Can I change the items?
- Yes. Open it in the Activity Studio, edit or add items and keep the same board, or switch it to another template that fits the content.
- Is it free?
- Yes. It plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.