Introduction

Welcome to the world of Social-Emotional Learning, where we aim to develop students’ abilities to manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions. In this blog post, we will introduce you to the Fork in the Road game, a fun and engaging way to teach conversation skills to students in special education. The game focuses on Conversation Drivers and Conversation Stoppers, helping students understand how their actions can impact the flow of a conversation and the feelings of others involved.

No-Prep Activity

Here is a simple, no-prep activity that requires no materials or preparation from the educator. The Fork in the Road game can be played in a small group or as a whole class. Follow these steps:

1. Present a social situation to the students, where the main character reaches a Social Fork, a point where they can choose between two different behaviors.
2. Ask students to think about the possible outcomes of each behavior. How would each choice make the other people in the situation feel?
3. Have students discuss their thoughts and vote on the best path for the main character to take.
4. Reveal the outcomes of each choice and discuss how the character’s actions impacted the conversation and the feelings of others involved.
5. Repeat the process with different social situations and characters to practice various conversation skills.

Discussion Questions

Use these questions to stimulate further discussions about the Fork in the Road game and the conversation skills being practiced:

1. What are some examples of Conversation Drivers and Conversation Stoppers that you have experienced in your own life?
2. How does it feel when someone uses a Conversation Stopper in a conversation with you? How does it affect your relationship with that person?
3. Why is it important to be aware of our actions in a conversation and how they impact others?
4. Can you think of a time when you used a Conversation Driver or Stopper, and what was the outcome?
5. How can you apply the skills learned from the Fork in the Road game to improve your conversations with others?

Related Skills

Teaching conversation skills through the Fork in the Road game can help students develop other relevant Social-Emotional Learning skills, such as:

• Active listening
• Empathy
• Assertiveness
• Conflict resolution
• Building and maintaining friendships

Next Steps

If you’re interested in implementing the Fork in the Road game and other Social-Emotional Learning activities in your classroom, we invite you to sign up for free samples of these resources and more at Everyday Speech. Explore a variety of materials designed to support educators in teaching essential life skills to students in special education.