Making New Friends - 2
Lesson Plan
Goal: While in an educational setting (such as classroom, school building, and/or remote learning session), the student will use learned skills to make and maintain a friendship, 8 out 10 observable opportunities, as measured by a teacher assessment tool.
Objectives:
1. Identify and compliment a person’s positive actions and attributes.
2. Respect others’ differences.
3. Offer to help peers and/or classmates at appropriate times.
Standards: Click on the appropriate link below to view Language Arts standards included in this lesson.
Definitions of Key Terms: Making new friends means talking to new people you don’t know and spending time getting to know them. It means showing respect for each other. Making a new friend also involves sharing good times and bad times together.
Discussion Points:
Questions:
- How do you make new friends?
- What are the qualities of a good friend?
- What are the behaviors of a bad friend?
- Describe the last time you made a new friend?
| Good Friends: | Bad Friends: |
|---|---|
| Negotiate | Don’t negotiate |
| Help each other out | Don’t help each other out |
| Disagree without hurting each other | Disagree and hurt each other |
| Respect each other | Do not respect each other |
| Are loyal | Are not loyal |
| Spend time together | Do not spend time together |
| Can depend on each other | Cannot depend on each other |
Discuss with students what it means to make new friends and what a good friend is. Review the discussion point questions below:
Possible activities to review the discussion points or use your own:
Think. Pair. Share: The teacher will pose questions related to the discussion points. Explain to students that the purpose of the activity is to think about the question and activate prior knowledge. The teacher will model the procedure to facilitate student understanding.
- T (Think): Teacher begins by asking a specific question using the discussion topics.
- P (Pair): Each student should be paired with another student, small group or work with a teacher. Pairs write brief answers on sticky notes or scrap paper.
- S (Share): Students share their thinking with their partner. Teacher then leads a whole-group conversation using students’ answers.
SEL Categories Activity:
- Ask students to create a list of words associated with the topic (give them 2-5 minutes to complete).
- Once time is up, ask each student to share a word or thought from their list.
- Other students must cross that word or thought off their list.
- Continue the process until all words or thoughts have been listed.
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: Circumstances
As a group, lead students in a discussion of situations when it is important to make new friends. Ask students to share their own experiences and ideas. Record their answers on the board or chart paper.
- Chart paper or interactive board
Also discuss if students felt making a new friend in any of the situations listed was easy or difficult and why.
Examples of situations: When you go away to summer camp, move to a new neighborhood, or start at a new school.
Activity 2: Qualities
Review the list of situations generated in Activity 1. Ask students to think about their good friends and the qualities or attributes that the friend has. As a bonus, ask students to also list a few differences between themselves and their friend(s). Divide the students into pairs or small groups and ask them to complete Student Activity Sheet A together.
- Student Activity Sheet A - 1 per group/pair
- Pencil for each group/pair
Discuss their answers when finished. Also discuss how students can respect each other’s differences.
You may also want to add answers shared to the chart/list started during Activity 1.
Student Activity Sheet A
Name four qualities of a good friend:
Name four qualities of a bad friend:
Activity 3: Comic Strip Worksheet
Review the key points from Activities 1 and 2 with the students. Lead the students in a discussion of the different ways to begin making a new friend.
- Student Activity Sheet B - 1 per student
- Pencil for each student
Allow students time to complete Student Activity Sheet B. Discuss their answers when all students have finished.
Also discuss how students can maintain a friendship. Record these ideas on the chart started in Activity 1.
Student Activity Sheet B
Directions: Study the comic strips below. Circle the answers that show that the characters are making new friends.
Lesson Extension: Listening Comprehension and Grammar Review
Explain that a script is a form of dialogue writing between characters in a movie, play, or broadcast. Students should listen carefully as the teacher plays the example scripts from the immersive reader. Replay the script if needed. Allow students time to answer the questions on Student Activity Sheet C.
- Student Activity Sheet C - 1 per student
- Pencil for each student
- Student Activity Sheet D - 1 per student
- Red and purple colored pencil or pen
After students have finished, discuss the listening comprehension questions together.
After completing the listening comprehension portion of this activity, provide students a copy of Student Activity Sheet D. Point out to students the features of script text that indicate which character is talking. Remind students that this is a dialogue between characters.
Allow students time to complete Student Activity Sheet D.
Display the script using the immersive reader and highlight the nouns in the script. Students should self check their work to determine if they correctly named two nouns. Repeat the process for verbs and the bonus question.
If time allows students may partner together and role play the script.
Example script demonstrating making friends appropriately:
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.
Example script of demonstrating making friends inappropriately:
Chris: Hey, my name is Chris. I just moved in next door.
Tori: Nice. My mom told me that.
Chris: Do you want to go to the playground together later?
Tori: No. I want to stay inside and play by myself.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship | Isabella Hatkoff | 3-4 | AD920L |
| Raybot | Adam Watkins | 3-5 | 730 |
| Tilly and Tank | Jay Fleck | 5-6 | 800 |
Student Activity Sheet C
Directions: Think about the script read/played for the class and complete the questions below.
1. Who are the characters in this script?
2. Tori is new to a location. Where is she new?
3. How do you think Tori feels about not having any friends yet?
4. Where did Chris just move to?
5. Do you think it is easy or hard to make a new friend? Why?
Student Activity Sheet D
Directions: In the scripts below, circle in purple two nouns that name a person and one noun that names a place. Circle in red two verbs. Underline the compound word. BONUS: write out each word that makes the compound.
Remember:
A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.
A verb names describe an action, a state, or an occurrence.
Example script demonstrating making friends appropriately:
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.
Example script of demonstrating making friends inappropriately:
Chris: Hey, my name is Chris. I just moved in next door.
Tori: Nice. My mom told me that.
Chris: Do you want to go to the playground together later?
Tori: No. I want to stay inside and play by myself.
Application Activity
Review and discuss example scripts from the lesson extension.
In small groups, have the students create scripts demonstrating how to appropriately and inappropriately make new friends. They may also add in ways to keep a friend. Use the script sheet to create students' scripts.
- Script sheet for each group
- Pencil for each student
Have students record their scripts using the SiLAS software. Remind students to name and save their work. 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.
Topic Checkout
Review the key points from the previous activities. Review the ideas added to the chart started in Activity 1.
Ask students to complete the Student Topic Checkout. Discuss their answers when all students have finished.
- Student Topic Checkout
- Pencil for each student
Student Topic Checkout
Directions: Complete the following questions.
1. What are some of the qualities of a good friend?
2. What does it mean to be a bad friend?
3. How do you make a new friend?
4. Why is it important to make new friends?
5. What are some ways you keep a friend?