Learning how to act and behave while in social settings can be tricky! While it is important to be true to yourself, it is also essential to be respectful, kind, and polite. Therefore, students must learn to combine who they are with social expectations. Luckily, there are excellent books to tie into lessons that help students learn how to behave and react in different situations. For instance, teaching social expectations with We Don’t Eat Our Classmates is a powerful way to work on social awareness!
Readers will feel confident in all social situations between the book and Read Aloud Activities.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
Author and illustrator Ryan T. Higgins wrote a hilarious story to teach students how to act in social situations.
Penelope Rex is so excited about the first day of school. She can’t wait to begin learning and making new friends. However, Penelope struggles to make friends when she can’t help but think of how delicious they taste! Everything changes when Penelope is no longer at the top of the food chain. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they wait to see how Penelope handles new obstacles with her friends.
Read Aloud Activities
Students are going to go through many different social situations. This includes everything from behaving in the classroom to places in public. However, students will not just know what to do. It takes time to learn new routines. Likewise, it takes patience and opportunities to learn appropriate ways to act while in different places. Luckily, teaching social expectations with We Don’t Eat Our Classmates will be a fun and exciting way to teach students this vital SEL skill.
Since teachers have so much to prepare as it is, there is a teacher guide to outline the entire unit. Specifically, this contains all of the lesson plans needed. Additionally, it includes an introduction to help prepare students and sets the purpose for the story. Likewise, it has essential vocabulary words.
When learning social expectations, it is crucial for students to share their experiences. Therefore, there are higher-level thinking questions and talking points to guide student discussion. Each question includes a page number, so teachers know exactly where to stop.
While discussion is essential to include in lessons, personal reflection is also critical. Thankfully, teaching social expectations with We Don’t Eat Our Classmates has both aspects! There is a written response and activity sheet to help students practice how to act and behave in different situations. There are even differentiated options to ensure every student learns this SEL skill.
Furthermore, there is hands-on craftivity! Students will love how the craft connects the story to their lives.
Social Expectations Application
Teachers work hard to ensure students understand how the material taught in the classroom relates to life outside of school. Therefore, there are task cards that provide scenarios or thought-provoking questions. Each task card will help students understand the importance of understanding social expectations.
There are different ways to use the task cards. Honestly, they work great for whole class or small group discussions. They even work perfectly for individual work time.
No Prep Resource for Teaching Social Expectations
Teachers have to handle so much. Thankfully, the Read Aloud Activities are all no prep! Teachers just need to print the resources.
Teachers work so hard to prepare students for life inside and outside the classroom. Thankfully, teaching social expectations with We Don’t Eat Our Classmates creates fun and exciting lessons over this vital skill!
Free Read Aloud Lesson
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Save This Read Aloud
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to this lesson plan when you are ready to read it aloud with your students.