Eye Contact - 2

Foundational

Lesson Plan

Goal: Given five verbal statements or questions, the student will maintain eye contact while listening and responding to the speaker in 8 out of 10 observable opportunities, as measured by a teacher assessment tool.

Objectives:
1. Make direct eye contact with the person you are speaking with during the conversation.
2. Maintain eye contact with the speaker as they present to a group.
3. Make and maintain eye contact when asking questions of another person.

Definitions of Key Terms: Eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication that influences the message a person is sending to a receiver. Eye contact should be maintained when you are speaking with someone or when you are listening to someone tell you something.

Discussion Points

  • What does the term eye contact mean?
  • Why do we need to have good eye contact when we communicate?
  • What happens when someone does not have good eye contact?
  • How do you feel when the person you are speaking with does not make eye contact with you?

Discuss with students what it means to make eye contact and why it is important. Review the discussion point questions.


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: Story Lines

Begin by avoiding eye contact with students as you ask them to complete a typical classroom task, such as finishing their current activity, or call on individual students to perform a task. After the students have complied, ask how they felt when you were giving them the directions.

Materials Needed:
  • Chart paper or interactive board
  • Student Activity Sheet A - 1 for each pair of students

Discuss what eye contact means and why it is important. Ask students to share a time when they experienced someone who wouldn’t make eye contact with them. Discuss how they felt during that situation.

Now ask students to recall a situation when they experienced the other person making eye contact with them. Discuss how they felt during that situation. Make a list on the board or chart paper of feelings when someone makes eye contact with you and those feelings when they don’t.

Assign or allow students to find a partner and distribute Student Activity Sheet A. Instruct students to take turns “playing” Student A and Student B; be sure they understand to substitute their name for the blank line in each script.

Allow students time to role play the situations. Once they are finished discuss how they felt when eye contact was used and when it was not.

Student Activity Sheet A

Directions: With your partner decide who will be student A and who will be student B. Practice the following prompts using good eye contact.

Student A: Hi _____, do you want to go to the movies tonight?
Student B: Hey ______, yes! I will need to ask my mom for permission first.

Practice this prompt by avoiding eye contact.

Student A: Hi ______, do you want to go to the movies tonight?
Student B: Hey ______, yes! I will need to ask my mom for permission first.

Here are some additional prompts to practice.
Hi ______, do you want to go to the park today?
Hello ______, would you like to go to the mall?

Activity 2: Circumstances

Review why eye contact is important. Ask students to brainstorm situations when making eye contact will be important. Begin a list on the board or chart paper. Only record a few responses. Then ask the students to finish thinking about situations when making eye contact is important

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet B - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student
  • Chart paper or interactive board

Distribute Student Activity Sheet B to each student. Then ask the students to finish thinking about situations when making eye contact is important. Instruct students to complete the activity sheet.

When all students have finished, ask them to “star” each item on their sheet to indicate the situations they find it difficult to make/maintain eye contact.

When students are finished, ask students to share their situations and which ones they find difficult. Add items shared by students to the master list on the board or chart paper.

Student Activity Sheet B

Directions: Make a list of situations when it is important to maintain appropriate eye contact. Example: When a police officer is speaking to you.

Directions: On the list above, draw a star next to each situation in which you find it difficult to maintain eye contact. In the box below, describe why you find it difficult.

Activity 3: Comic Strip Worksheet

Review the key points from Activities 1 and 2 with the students. Ask students to complete Student Activity Sheet C individually. When all have finished, gather the students to review their answers.

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

Using Student Activity Sheet C’s pictures/comics, ask students to write out a brief script for one of the comics. They may use the back of the activity sheet or a clean sheet of paper. When all have finished, ask for volunteers to partner with a classmate to act out their comic.

Student Activity Sheet C

Directions: Study the comic strips below. Next, draw a checkmark next to the one that shows the characters using good eye contact.

Lesson Extension: Listening Comprehension and Grammar Review

Explain that a script is a form of written dialogue 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 D.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet D - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student
  • Student Activity Sheet E - 1 per student
  • Red and purple colored pencil or pen

After students have finished, discuss their answers to the listening comprehension questions together.

After completing the listening comprehension portion of this activity, provide students a copy of Student Activity Sheet E. 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 E.

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 punctuation.

An example of a script with children demonstrating appropriate eye contact:
(Looking at the conversation partner)
Chris: Hi Tori, how are you today?
Tori: I am fine Chris, thank you for asking.
Chris: Would you like to go to the park this afternoon?
Tori: That sounds great!

An example of a script with children avoiding making eye contact:
(Not looking at the conversation partner)
Chris: Hi Tori, how are you today?
Tori: ok
Chris: Why aren’t you looking at me?
Tori: What do you mean?
Chris: When someone is talking to you, you really should be looking at them. Otherwise, they don’t know that you are listening to them.

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
I Spy: School Days A Book of Picture Riddles Jean Marzollo Pre K-3 AD670L

Student Activity Sheet D

Directions: Think about the script read/played for the class and complete the questions below.

1. Who are the characters in this script?

2. Where are the characters going?

3. Why is eye contact important?

4. How do you think Chris feels when Tori is not looking at him?

Student Activity Sheet E

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. Put an X on each punctuation mark.

Remember:

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

A verb names describe an action, a state, or an occurrence.

An example of a script with children demonstrating appropriate eye contact:
(Looking at the conversation partner)
Chris: Hi Tori, how are you today?
Tori: I am fine Chris, thank you for asking.
Chris: Would you like to go to the park this afternoon?
Tori: That sounds great!

An example of a script with children avoiding making eye contact:
(Not looking at the conversation partner)
Chris: Hi Tori, how are you today?
Tori: Ok.
Chris: Why aren’t you looking at me?
Tori: What do you mean?
Chris: When someone is talking to you, you really should be looking at them. Otherwise, they don’t know that you are listening to them.

Application Activity

Review and discuss the example scripts from the listening comprehension activity.

In small groups, have the students create scripts that demonstrate making/maintaining eye contact appropriately (looking at the conversation partner) and inappropriately (by not looking at the conversation partner). Use the script sheet to create students' scripts.

Materials Needed:

Have students record their scripts using SiLAS software for social skills. 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.
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Topic Checkout

Review the key points from all discussions and activities.

Ask students to complete the Student Topic Checkout. When students are finished, review their answers together.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Topic Checkout - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student

Student Topic Checkout

Directions: Complete the following questions.

1. What is eye contact?

2. Why is it important to maintain eye contact during a conversation?

3. How do people feel when you do not make “good eye contact”?

4. Is it important to make eye contact when you are asking a person a question? Why or why not?