Middle school is a critical period for developing strong situational awareness skills. During these years, students navigate a variety of complex social settings–classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and extracurricular activities. Students are expected to read social cues, understand unspoken norms, and anticipate the needs or feelings of others. For many, these abilities do not develop automatically and require explicit instruction and practice. The Thinking About Others Discussion activity by Everyday Speech offers clinicians an effective, engaging approach to address this need in a practical format for middle school students.

What Is Situational Awareness?

Situational awareness in the school setting refers to the ability to observe and interpret what is happening around oneself to respond appropriately. This means being able to notice people, settings, body language, and events, and then use that information to guide one’s words and actions. For middle schoolers, situational awareness goes beyond basic observation. It involves:

• Noticing how peers’ moods and reactions shift in various settings.
• Interpreting tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions.
• Recognizing group expectations, such as when it is appropriate to speak or stay quiet.
• Understanding the subtleties of different environments–for example, how behavior should shift between the library and the cafeteria.
• Anticipating the impact of one’s actions on others in the moment.

This ability can be especially challenging for students who struggle with perspective taking, social communication differences, or anxiety in social situations.

Why Teach Situational Awareness?

Skill-building in situational awareness supports students’ participation, connection, and safety throughout their school day. Teaching these skills is often essential for students who miss social information or who misinterpret others’ intentions. Some of the key reasons to target situational awareness include:

• Enhances positive peer interactions, friendships, and group work.
• Reduces misunderstandings or unintentional conflicts.
• Promotes student confidence in both familiar and unfamiliar settings.
• Equips students to adapt behavior in various contexts.
• Supports safety by helping students recognize social and environmental cues.
• Fosters empathy through understanding how actions affect those around them.
• Lays the foundation for long-term social and life skills development.
• Encourages self-reflection by considering both external cues and personal responses.

Explicitly teaching and practicing situational awareness makes this abstract concept more tangible, empowering middle schoolers to engage effectively in day-to-day situations.

Lesson Plan: Using Thinking About Others Discussion

The Thinking About Others Discussion activity is a structured, printable resource from Everyday Speech designed specifically for middle school students. The downloadable PDF activity is available here. It helps students practice thinking through real-life social situations, reflecting on both their own perspectives and those of others in the scenario. Here is a step-by-step guide to using this resource with a small group or individual students.

Step 1: Prepare the Environment and Materials

Print copies of the Thinking About Others Discussion PDF for each student or display the sheet digitally if working remotely or with a smart board. Arrange seating so all participants can see the prompts and each other, promoting open discussion. Optional: Provide writing utensils if students will write responses.

Briefly set the expectation for supportive, respectful discussion. Emphasize that there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ feelings or interpretations, and that everyone benefits from considering situations from multiple angles.

Step 2: Introduce Situational Awareness and Purpose

Begin with a clear, simple explanation of situational awareness suitable for middle schoolers. For instance: “Situational awareness is noticing what’s happening around us and using that information to help us make decisions about what to say and do. This helps us fit in, stay safe, and know how our choices might affect other people.”

Connect this to the activity by explaining that the discussion prompts will help everyone practice looking at situations from more than one point of view.

Step 3: Review and Discuss Scenario Prompts

Walk through the scenario(s) provided in the PDF. Read the scenario aloud or have a student volunteer to read. Pause to clarify any vocabulary or social context details as needed, especially for students who benefit from direct instruction.

Ask students to identify:

• Who is involved?
• Where is the situation taking place?
• What is happening?
• What clues do we have about how people might be feeling?
• What are some possible feelings or thoughts for each person in the scenario?

Encourage students to reference the text but also use their own social experiences. If the group struggles to identify the emotions or cues, offer support by describing body language, facial expressions, or tone that might typically occur.

Step 4: Facilitate Group Discussion and Perspective Taking

Use the discussion questions provided in the resource. Invite students to share their personal reactions first, then guide them to consider how others might be thinking or feeling. Model statements like, “If I were in this situation, I might feel…” and prompt reflection: “Why might the other person feel differently?”

Common prompts to deepen discussion:

• How would you feel if you were in [character]’s place?
• What could someone else in the room be thinking?
• Is there a different way to interpret what happened?
• What might help the people involved feel more comfortable?

Group discussion helps normalize seeing scenarios from multiple viewpoints and promotes deeper situational analysis. Encourage respectful disagreement and model language for differing opinions.

Step 5: Practice Generating Flexible Responses

Once students have discussed feelings and perspectives, prompt them to brainstorm positive, flexible ways each character could respond. Guide students to connect their situational understanding to real-world choices.

Questions might include:

• What is a helpful thing [character] could do or say next?
• How could you show you notice how others are feeling?
• What might help prevent misunderstandings like this in the future?

Encourage students to consider both words and nonverbal actions when proposing solutions. Reinforce that flexible responding is a key outcome of strong situational awareness.

Step 6: Written Reflection or Role-Play (Optional)

To reinforce learning, invite students to jot down their ideas or do a brief role-play of the scenario using improvised dialogue. Role-playing solidifies the skill by giving students the chance to see, hear, and feel the effect of different choices in real time. If writing or performing is not appropriate, a verbal summary can also be effective.

Supporting Situational Awareness After the Activity

Skill acquisition requires ongoing opportunities to practice and generalize situational awareness across daily routines. After using the Thinking About Others Discussion activity, consider ways to support continued growth:

• Point out real-life examples of situational awareness throughout the day. (“What clues tell us this is a quiet place?” or “How did you know your friend was upset?”)
• Use think-alouds to model noticing, interpreting, and responding to social information.
• Give students frequent chances to predict how a peer or adult might react in typical school scenarios.
• Celebrate moments when students successfully interpret a social cue or adapt to a setting.
• Provide visual reminders or checklists for students who benefit from step-by-step supports.
• Incorporate quick scenario discussions or check-ins during transition times.
• Partner with teachers to reinforce these strategies in the classroom.

Creating an environment that values awareness of self and others encourages consistent, comfortable practice. Over time, these skills can become a natural part of students’ social toolkit.

Wrapping Up: Building Stronger Awareness in Every Setting

Strengthening situational awareness in middle school students is a process that requires patience, explicit instruction, and meaningful practice. Tools like the Thinking About Others Discussion give clinicians practical, no-prep options to spark conversation, reflection, and growth. By helping students recognize and interpret the social cues that surround them, educators lay the groundwork for improved connection, safety, and long-term self-confidence. Thoughtful support and regular reinforcement ensure that students develop the awareness they need to thrive in every setting, both in and out of school.