This fun cootie catcher activity is the perfect tool to teach middle school students about situational awareness! Make sure to click to button or link here to download!
Teaching Situational Awareness to Middle School Students
Everyday Speech uses the concept of a Social Chameleon to teach situational awareness. A Social Chameleon can adapt to any situation because they’ve learned how to tune into what’s happening, notice the actions of others around them, and then decide how to act.
Free Situational Awareness PDF
1. Lay the Foundation
Start by listing different locations where we have to change our behaviors. Think about the various places middle school students go during their week and talk about the different behaviors expected there. We act very differently at the mall or movie theater than we do when in school or at home.
2. Begin to Notice Others
Teach how to be on the lookout for others’ facial expressions and body language. Next, think about if we can match those clues to a feeling. Noticing the behaviors and feelings of others can also help us figure out the set of rules or behaviors for different situations.
3. Use Our Free Situational Awareness PDF
Cut out and fold up the cootie catcher (instructions included) and talk through the 8 given scenarios on each turn. Ask your middle school students what kind of behaviors they would use in each situation. You can also talk through what would it look like if they didn’t use those behaviors and had a mismatch for the situation.
Sample Video
For more time saving tips, try out this sample video-modeling lesson. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here! We release new videos, games, & activities every month so you’ll always have no-prep materials ready to go!
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No-Prep Activities for Teaching Students Situational Awareness
