Introduction

Texting is a popular form of communication among high school students. As educators, it is crucial to teach them the proper etiquette and rules while texting, ensuring that they engage in respectful and considerate conversations. This blog post will discuss an easy-to-implement, no-prep activity for teaching high school students proper texting etiquette, as well as further discussion questions and related skills in the realm of social-emotional learning.

No-Prep Activity: Texting Role-Play

In this activity, students will participate in a texting role-play to practice proper texting etiquette. Divide the class into pairs, and ask each pair to come up with a topic or scenario for their texting conversation. Then, have them engage in a simulated texting conversation using notepads or a shared document, following the guidelines below:

• Take turns sending messages, simulating a back-and-forth conversation.
• Avoid sending texts too early or too late (e.g., before 7 am or after 9 pm).
• Wait for a response before sending another message.
• Only engage in texting conversations with known individuals, such as friends or family members.

After the role-play, ask students to reflect on their experience and discuss what they learned about proper texting etiquette.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to follow proper texting etiquette when communicating with friends and family?
2. What challenges might you face when trying to follow these texting rules, and how can you overcome them?
3. How does following proper texting etiquette contribute to building positive relationships and fostering social-emotional learning?
4. Can you think of any other texting guidelines that might be important to consider in your daily life?
5. How can you apply the principles of social-emotional learning to other forms of communication, such as phone calls and face-to-face conversations?

Related Skills

Teaching proper texting etiquette is just one aspect of social-emotional learning. Other related skills that can be taught alongside texting etiquette include:

• Active listening: Encouraging students to genuinely listen and respond thoughtfully to others during conversations.
• Empathy: Helping students understand and share the feelings of others, fostering more compassionate communication.
• Conflict resolution: Teaching students how to address and resolve disagreements in a respectful and constructive manner.
• Respect for boundaries: Encouraging students to respect the personal boundaries of others, both in person and online.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about teaching proper texting etiquette to high school students, consider exploring more social-emotional learning resources and activities. To get started, sign up for free samples of skill-building materials and activities at Everyday Speech. By incorporating these resources into your teaching, you can help students develop valuable communication skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.