Introduction

In this blog post, we will discuss a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) activity called “Guess What Happens Next.” This activity is designed to help elementary students understand the consequences of their actions in school and how these actions can impact the feelings of others. The activity encourages students to think critically about various situations and predict how people might react. By participating in this activity, students will develop their empathy and social awareness skills, which are essential for building healthy relationships and fostering a positive learning environment.

No-Prep Activity

“Guess What Happens Next” is an engaging and easy-to-implement activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. The activity can be done by simply narrating scenarios to your students and presenting them with multiple-choice options for what may happen next. Here’s how it works:

1. Introduce the activity to your students by explaining that they will be presented with various school-related situations and will need to guess what happens next.
2. Present a scenario to the students. For example: “Sara sees that her classmate Tom is struggling with his math assignment. What do you think Sara will do next? A) Offer to help Tom. B) Laugh at Tom. C) Ignore Tom.”
3. Give students time to discuss their thoughts and make a prediction.
4. Reveal the correct answer and discuss the reasoning behind it.
5. Repeat the process with additional scenarios, encouraging students to think about the consequences of each action and how it might affect others.

Discussion Questions

After completing the “Guess What Happens Next” activity, use the following discussion questions to stimulate further conversation and reflection among your students:

1. How do our actions in school affect the feelings of others? Can you think of a time when someone’s actions made you feel good or bad?
2. Why is it important to consider the consequences of our actions before we act? How can this help us make better choices?
3. How can understanding the feelings and perspectives of others help us build stronger relationships and create a more positive learning environment?
4. What are some strategies we can use to improve our empathy and social awareness skills?
5. How can we support our peers when they are struggling or having a difficult time in school?

Related Skills

In addition to empathy and social awareness, “Guess What Happens Next” also helps students develop other essential SEL skills, such as:

• Self-awareness: Recognizing and understanding one’s own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Responsible decision-making: Making constructive choices based on ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms.
• Self-management: Regulating one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations.
• Relationship skills: Establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with diverse individuals and groups.

Next Steps

If you found the “Guess What Happens Next” activity helpful and would like to explore more Social-Emotional Learning resources for your students, we encourage you to sign up for free sample materials at Everyday Speech. These samples cover a wide range of SEL skills and are designed to help educators create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students.