Overview - SOCIAL SKILLS ACTIVITIES FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS
Product Type: Curriculum
Author: Darlene Mannix
Number of Pages: 216 pages
Reproducible: Yes
Age Appropriate Level: Middle School, High School, Adult, Special Education
Copyright: 1998
Social Skills Activities for Secondary Students with Special Needs is a 216-page, ready-to-use curriculum to help special students build the skills they need to interact successfully with others. The thought-provoking activities are designed not only to enable students to get along with others, but also to control a situation by actively participating in its outcome. The text is ideal for special educators, counselors, and other professionals.
Contents
Part 1-Social Skills that Are Helpful and Necessary.
Twenty skills with five to seven reproducible worksheets each deal with the introduction and teaching of what each of the skill involves. These skills are structured and can easily be teacher or adult-directed, incorporated into a group classroom setting, or conducted in small groups. Each of the following typically contains the Rationale, Student Worksheets, Teacher Tips, Parent Pointers, and Practice Activities for further study.
The skills covered are:
-Being a Good Listener
-Understanding Another's Point of View
-Being Able to Communicate
-Negotiating or Compromising
-Assessing a Situation
-"Reading" Other People
-Making a Good Impression
-Controlling Your Emotions
-Revealing Yourself to Others
-Working with Others
-Making Others Feel Comfortable
-Making and Keeping Friends
-Standing Up for Your Beliefs
-Having a Good Sense of Humor
-Using Common Sense
-Developing a Good Reputation
-Reacting Appropriately to Peer Pressure
-Making Good Decisions
-Viewing Situations Realistically
-Being Flexible
Part II-Social Skills in Action.
After students have completed the training in Part I, they are ready to begin applying the skills to "real-life" situations.
The material in Part II is organized as follows:
-Five different settings are presented: home, school, work, among peers, and community.
-For each setting, three levels of social development are presented: 1) Typical, routine situations that almost anyone would encounter; 2) more complicated or unusual situations; and 3) opportunities to explore ways to create an excellent or more involved social life.
-Each of the five groups contains 15 worksheets, 75 in all. Any of the worksheets can be selected and used for student application. They are in no particular order. The worksheets require both specific answers and open-ended student input and discussion. Discussion is, in fact, a crucial element of all of the lessons.
-Examples of Part II activities include Getting Along with Parents and Siblings, Handling Competition, Feeling Like a Misfit, Helping Others a School, Developing Good Work Habits, Choosing to Befriend Someone, and many more.
Special Features
The book is printed in a large, spiral-bound format that folds flat for easy photocopying of all the activities as many times as needed. Complete Answer Keys are also provided.
About the Author
Darlene Mannix received a B.S. from Taylor University and an M.A. in Learning Disabilities from Indiana University. She has taught emotionally and mentally disabled, language disordered, and learning disabled students of all ages. She is an active member of the Council for Exceptional Children.