Introduction

Middle school can be a challenging time for students, with many distractions and annoyances that can hinder their ability to focus and learn. As educators, it is crucial to help students develop the skills to address these behaviors calmly and politely. In this blog post, we will discuss an activity that teaches middle school students how to handle annoying or distracting behaviors effectively without escalating the situation. We will also explore discussion questions and related skills to support students in their social-emotional growth.

No-Prep Activity: The Polite Request Game

This activity requires no preparation or materials, making it an easy and accessible way to teach students how to address annoying or distracting behaviors. Here’s how it works:

1. Divide the students into pairs.
2. Ask one student in each pair to think of a distracting or annoying behavior that they might encounter in everyday life (e.g., someone tapping their foot, humming, or talking loudly).
3. The other student should practice addressing the behavior by following these steps:
   1. Staying calm.
   2. Politely asking the person to stop the behavior and explaining why it’s bothering them.
   3. Saying thank you after the person stops the behavior.
4. After the first student has practiced addressing the behavior, the pairs should switch roles and repeat the exercise.
5. As a class, discuss the strategies used and how they might be applied in real-life situations.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to stay calm when addressing annoying or distracting behaviors?
2. How can we ensure that we are being polite when asking someone to stop a behavior?
3. What are some examples of distractions or annoyances that you have encountered in school? How did you handle them?
4. Why is it important to thank the person after they stop the behavior?
5. How can practicing these skills help improve our relationships with others?

Related Skills

Developing the ability to address annoying or distracting behaviors is just one aspect of social-emotional learning. Other related skills that can help students navigate difficult social situations include:

• Active listening: Ensuring that we are fully engaged and understanding the other person’s perspective.
• Empathy: Putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes and understanding their feelings and emotions.
• Conflict resolution: Developing strategies to address conflicts and disagreements in a constructive and respectful manner.
• Assertiveness: Expressing our needs and feelings clearly and respectfully, without being aggressive or passive.

Next Steps

If you’re interested in exploring more activities and resources to help your middle school students develop their social-emotional skills, we invite you to sign up for free samples of the discussed skill and others at Everyday Speech. By incorporating these activities into your classroom, you can help your students build a strong foundation for navigating social situations and growing emotionally.