Jumpstart: Meeting New People - Universal
CASEL Competency Focus: Relationship Skills
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: None
Objectives:
1. Introduce yourself to someone.
2. Ask a new person a question to get to know a little about them.
3. List characteristics of a good friend.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL:
- Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
- Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
- Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Lesson Procedures
Introduction: Begin the lesson with a short discussion on making new friends. What characteristics make a good friend? How can you make new friends? Explain school is a great place to make friends. Suggest places in school that provide opportunities to make friends; such as the playground, cafeteria, study hall, etc.
Game Time: Practice making new friends by playing “Friendship Bingo!”
- Use the “Friendship Bingo!” cards below to encourage students to talk to new people in their class. Students find classmates that match the phrase on a Bingo square. Have the classmate sign their name on that square. Win “Friendship Bingo” by completing five in a row across, down or diagonally.
Application: Practice making new friends by playing “Friendship Bingo!”
K-3: Read Old Friends New Friends, By Andrew Daddo (Listen to it here on YouTube; Old Friends New Friends). Discuss the following questions: How do you know the little girl was excited for the first day of school? What happened to change how the little girl felt about school? Have you ever felt this way? What did the little girl do to change her perspective about friends?
4-8: Have students read or listen to An Unlikely Friendship. (Read or listen here). Facilitate discussion about this unique friendship. Did their idea of friendship change? How? Why or why not?
Try it out!: Encourage students to invite someone new to have lunch with them.