Making New Friends - 1

by Roxanne Quow

Lesson Plan

Goal: When making a new friend in school, the student will demonstrate the necessary skills to establish and maintain friendships in 8 out of 10 observable opportunities, as measured by a teacher assessment tool.

Objectives:
1. State the qualities of a good friend.
2. Identify and respect differences in peers and others.
3. Identify the steps involved with how to make and be a good friend.

Definition of Key Terms: Making new friends means talking to new people you don’t know and spending time getting to know them.

Discussion Points:

  • What are the qualities of a good friend?
  • How can you be a good friend?
  • Why is it important to make new friends?

Discuss these points or your own with students. Review the discussion points with the students. The teacher may want to share their own examples of when he/she met a new person and worked to make them a friend.


    Possible activities to review the discussion points:

  • The group should form a circle. Ask a question and allow students to toss a bean bag to those who would like to answer the question.
  • Play tic-tac-toe by dividing the group into teams. Write discussion questions on a post-it note and place them on the tic-tac-toe grid. Allow a representative from the team to select a post-it note and as a team develop an answer to the question. If they get it right they may put their team's marker (x or o) on the grid.

Directions for In-Person or Virtual Learning: You have three options for students to complete this lesson.

  • Option 1: Print the Student Activity Sheet for each student. Complete the lesson as a group and assign the activity sheet to the students.
  • Option 2: Click the Student link to access the activity sheet electronically and post to your Learning Management System (if your school has one) or send the link to the student. The student may complete the activity sheet electronically within the classroom on a shared computer or device.
  • Option 3: Click the Student link to access the activity sheet electronically and send the link to the student. The student may access the link from a home computer, chromebook, iPad or other device.

Activity 1: Qualities

Explain that there are characteristics that make a good friend. Develop a list of those characteristics and talk about each one. Record answers on the board and save for activity 2.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet A-1 per student
  • Chart paper or Interactive Board

Examples could include:

  • A good friend plays with you.
  • A good friend listens.
  • A good friend shares.
  • A good friend is loyal.
  • A good friend respects you.
  • A good friend cheers you up.

Ask students to complete Student Activity Sheet A. When all students have finished, ask for volunteers to share their work/thoughts.

Student Activity Sheet A

Directions: Create a Wanted poster for a new friend. Be sure to think about what characteristics are important to you.

Activity 2: The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

Review the ideas generated in Activity 1. Read or listen to the story, The Sneetches, a book about how "star-bellied" Sneetches feel that they are better than "plain-bellied" Sneetches. Ask two students to help act out the story, allowing for a more interactive and engaging story.

Materials Needed:
  • The book, The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss
  • Chart paper or Interactive Board for reflections.

After the story, reflect on the way the Sneetches treated one another at the beginning and how that changed by the end. Record the students’ thoughts and observations about the story and its message on chart paper or the board.

Activity 3: Respect Differences

Pair (2) students and using a Venn Diagram ask students to list similarities and differences between two. Discuss how people can be alike in some ways and different in other ways.

Allow students time to complete Student Activity Sheet C. Students may share when finished.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet B - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student
  • Chart paper for Venn Diagram/markers
    •

Student Activity Sheet B

Directions: Share three ways you will be a good friend. You may draw or write.

Lesson Extension: Listening Comprehension

Explain that a script is a form of writing; a dialogue between characters in a movie, play, or broadcast. Utilizing the immersive reader students should listen carefully as the teacher plays the example script below. Replay the script if needed. Allow students time to complete Student Activity Sheet C and share.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet C - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student
    •

After students have finished, allow those that want to share their comic do so or role play one of the example scripts.

Example script demonstrating how to be a good friend:
Chris: Hi, what’s your name?
Tori: My name is Tori.
Chris: Are you new here at the playground?
Tori: Yes, I am. I don’t have any friends here yet.
Chris: I can share my snack with you and then we could go play.
Tori: I’d like that. Thanks for being a good friend!

If time allows, students may partner together and role play the script.

Read Aloud Recommendations: Completing a read aloud with students is a great way to connect text with lesson content while incorporating reading and language practice. Below are suggested titles including, a YouTube link, Lexile and Grade Level information for books relating to the lesson.


Book Title Author Grade Level Lexile Level
Be a Friend Salina Yoon Pre K-2 AD980L
My New Friend is So Fun! Mo Willem Pre K-2 240
The Friendship Book Mary Ray Pre K-2 AD980L
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates Ryan T. Higgins K-2 AD500L

Student Activity Sheet C

Directions: Draw a comic to match the script you listened to.

Application Activity

In small groups, have the students create scripts demonstrating how to appropriately make new friends and a way to not make a friend. Use the script sheet to assist the groups in creating scripts.

Materials Needed:

Have students record their scripts using the SiLAS software. Remind students to name and save their recordings. Premiere the movies with the group members at the end of each session.


Script Extensions:

Click the following hyperlinks to have students choose their Characters, Background and Props prior to writing scripts. For examples of script writing accommodations, click Here.


Ideas for modifying this activity based on your students’ needs:

  • create a script as a class
  • pair or group students so that skill levels are varied and assign each a role or task that uses their skill
  • create the script by recording the dialog with a phone or other recording device.
    •

Example script demonstrating how to be a good friend:
Chris: Hi, what’s your name?
Tori: My name is Tori.
Chris: Are you new here at the playground?
Tori: Yes, I am.
Chris: I’d like that. Thanks for being a good friend!
Tori: Yes, I am. I don’t have any friends here yet.

Example script demonstrating how to be a poor friend:
Chris: Hi, what’s your name?
Tori: My name is Tori.
Chris: Are you new here at the playground?
Tori: Yes, I am.
Chris: Well you can go play by yourself. No one wants to play with you.

Topic Checkout

Review the discussion from previous lessons/activities with the class. Allow students time to complete the Student Topic Checkout. Discuss the students’ answers when finished.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Topic Checkout
  • Pencil for each student
    •

Student Topic Checkout

Directions: Check or circle the answer.

1. A good friend never plays with you

2. A good friend listens.

3. A good friend doesn’t share.

4. A good friend is loyal.

5. A good friend respects you.

6. A good friend makes you sad.