Erin Crawford

Theater Lesson Plan (Day 2 Lesson Plan Idea)

Enduring Idea (Big Idea): All people use communication to express feelings and ideas.

Lesson Title: Social Skills in the Work Place

Grade/Class: 8th – 12th grade, Special Education Setting (Life Skills)

Time Allotment: 4-5 classes, 50-60 minutes each

Overview

1. Lesson Summary:
 Students will use previously learned information about different forms of
communication and they will be applying it to real world examples. Students will
focus on examples based in the workplace. They will watch examples of social
stories, acted out, and then they will follow scripts in pairs an act out their own
social stories provided to them. After practice and preparation, the pairs will
perform their social story for the rest of the class to critique.
2. Artworks, Artists, and/or Artifacts:
3. Key Concept(s):
 Communication affects both the giver and the receiver.
 Communication can have positive, negative and neutral outcomes.
 Communication can affect how people feel and react.
4. Essential Questions:
 How can communication affects both the giver and the receiver?
 How can communication can have positive, negative and neutral outcomes?
 How can communication can affect how people feel and react?
5. Standards:
 PA Standards for Arts & Humanities:
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 9.1.B – Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate

arts elements and principles to produce, review, and revise original works
in the arts.
 Theater: stage production, read and write scripts, improvise,
interpret a role, design sets, direct
o In the lesson- Students will read a script and prepare a
social story performance for the rest of the class to observe.
 9.1.5.E – Know and demonstrate how arts can communicate experiences,
stories or emotions through the production of works in the arts.
o In the lesson- Students will observe and critique social
stories for emotions and appropriate and inappropriate
communication techniques.
 PA Standards for Subject Content:
 13.2.11.A – Apply effective speaking and listening skills used in a job
interview.
o In the lesson- Students will develop proper communication
techniques that can be later used in the workplace.
 13.2.11.E. - Demonstrate, in the career acquisition process, the application
of essential workplace skills/knowledge, such as, but not limited to:
 Commitment
 Communication
 Dependability
 Health/safety
 Laws and regulations (that is Americans with Disabilities Act,
Child Labor Law, Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA, Material
Safety Data Sheets)
 Personal initiative
 Self-advocacy
 Scheduling/time management
 Team building
 Technical literacy
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 Technology
o In the lesson- Students will develop knowledge about the
workplace skill, communication and how to implement it
appropriately in the setting.
 PA Eligible Content or Alternate Eligible Content: CC1.4.1112Ka –
Identify and/or use vocabulary specific to a real-world topic
o In the lesson- Students will be working with vocabulary
appropriate for a workplace and working through real
world situations.
6. Interdisciplinary connections:
 Students will be able to understand how theater can help us understand the world
around us, specifically in communication, through practice and discussion.

Objectives

1. Knowledge: Students will effectively identify forms of appropriate and inappropriate

forms of communication through critiques, 80% of the time.
2. Skills: Students will effectively read a script and perform for the class allowing them to
develop social skills for the workplace.
3. Dispositions: Students will use theater to demonstrate communication through social
stories.

Assessment

 Teacher will observe and monitor student participation in the script reading and
performance.
 Teacher will observe student correctness when critiquing performances, each student
should be asked to provide a comment five times, using a student checklist to monitor
performance.
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Instructional Procedures

1. Motivation/Engagement:
 The teacher will act out/perform a social story using inappropriate communication
skills that are designated on the social story script. These inappropriate
communication skills will be extremely evident and theatrical to grab the
student’s attention. (5 minutes)
 Teacher self-talk about the inappropriate communication in the performance. (3
minutes)
 Tell the students that we can learn about how to act and communicate through
theater and practicing appropriate communication skills, unlike the ones just
performed. (2 minutes)
o The day prior to this will be spent reviewing the different forms of
communication verbal, nonverbal, written and listening. A video will be
shown to review these four types of communication and how important
communication is in the workplace, this is the hook. After the class
discussion review the students will take a five question Kahoot quiz to
reinstate the different types of communication.
 Kahoot- https://create.kahoot.it/details/communication/5aedb187-
4b58-4463-a36e-0312ba01d948
 Video-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO8Jz7b9wH8&index=3&lis
t=LLwOdbcNCnj0Q61N37ToyhLQ
o For the days following this lesson plan, day three will be spent practicing
so the hook will be reviewing the task and possibly another short teacher
performed social story. Days 4 and 5 will be student performances and
student critiques of appropriate and inappropriate communication
behaviors.
2. Development:
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 The teacher will inform the students that they will be preparing a performance
focusing on communication in the workplace, as the teacher had demonstrated for
the class. (2 minutes)
 The teacher will review with the class what a social story is and how they are
typically used and that we will be adding a theater piece to the idea and that ours
will look more like a theater script. (Social stories are typically written on paper
with images to help students understand how to do something appropriately. They
are typically just read not performed.) (5 minutes)
 The teacher will use a sample social story, the one used in the hook, and walk
through how the process will work. The students will be told that, “Today you are
going to be paired up and given a social story script. You will work together to
create a performance for the class to watch and then discuss. We will be looking
for appropriate and inappropriate communication. On your script it will tell you
what words to say and how to act, both appropriate and inappropriate. I will show
you how to work through this and then you will do it with a partner. First you will
read through the script with your partner, I am going to do that now.”
o Read the script aloud.
“After reading my script I am going to talk about the script with my partner.”
o Provide an example of how to talk about the parts of the script.
“Once I look over my script I need to figure out how to choose who is going to be
which character and then work on how we will act out the script. After we
practice reading the script, we will add motions and movements to make it
theater. Now I am going to pair you guys up and I will give you a script. I want
you to follow the steps we just talked about to begin working on your
performance. I will write them on the board for you to follow if you would like.
We will work on this over the next couple of days.” (25 minutes)
o Write the steps on the board.
o Pair students up and hand out scripts.
o As the students work in their pairs, walk around and monitor each groups
progress and that each student in participating and able to share ideas. (10
minutes)
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3. Culmination/Close:
 After a few minutes of working, ask all of the students to come back to their desks
if they have scattered around the room to work.
 Students will put away their scripts in their folders and the teacher will close with
discussion.
o Ask the students, “What will be hard about this project” “What will be fun
about the project?” “What are we going to learn about from this project?”
(8 minutes)

Preparation

1. Teacher Research and Preparation:

 I will need to prepare a performance of a social script. I will also need to make
sure that a white board or smart board and a writing utensil are available for
writing the steps for the performance down for the students.
 Vocabulary-
o Communication- exchanging information between two or more people
o Verbal- with noise, in the form of words
o Nonverbal- not involving using words or speech
o Expression- the look on someone’s face that shows an emotion
o Body language- communicate through movements and gestures
o Social Story- a story with steps and pictures, used to support safe
interactions
o Theater- live performance to present a story
o Script- a written play or movie
o Performance- presenting a play or other entertainment
 References:
o https://carolgraysocialstories.com/
o http://www.pdesas.org/
2. Instructional Resources: Social Scripts
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3. Student Supplies: Social Scripts

4. Adaptions/Modifications: This lesson is designed for a Special Education setting so it
would need to be accommodated initially to fit all student’s needs. An example of an
accommodation would be for someone who is an English as a Second Language (ESL)
student, a translation for the scripts could be provided as well as a translator for when the
student is performing at a later date. Also, for someone who has a difficult time reading,
give them a shorter script with simpler words.
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Social Script

Asking Where Something is in the Store

Person Speaking What you are Saying Movement

Customer Excuse me. Stand behind worker

Worker Ignore customer

Customer Um, excuse me. I have a Tap worker on shoulder

question.

Worker Um, what do you want? Stay facing away

Customer I would like to know where

the shampoo is.

Worker Oh, it is over there in isle 6. Turn around before talking

Customer Thank you. Walk away

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Social Script

Being Given Directions from a Boss

Person Speaking What you are Saying Movement

Boss Hello, could I talk to you for Walk to worker

a minute.

Worker Yes, you can. Walk with boss

Boss I noticed you put the bread in

the wrong spot….

Worker I didn’t! Interrupt boss and yell

Boss I am not upset I just wanted

to tell you so you could fix it.

Worker Oh, ok. I will go fix it then.

Boss Thank you! Be happy

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Social Script

Working at a Cash Register

Person Speaking What you are Saying Movement

Worker Hello, is this all? Grabbing items

Customer Yes

Worker Ok Rolling eyes

Worker Your total is 7 dollars and 56

cents ($7.56).

Customer Ok Hand money

Worker Thank you. Here is your Hand money back

change.

Customer Thank you Walk away

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Social Script

Talking with my Coworkers

Person Speaking What you are Saying Movement

Coworker Hi, how are you? Wave

You Good

Coworker That is good. What did you

do yesterday?

You Did you see the front sign? Pointing to the window

Coworker Um, that is not what I asked

you.

You Oh sorry, what did you say?

Coworker I asked what you did

yesterday.

You I went to the park.

Coworker That sounds fun!

You It was!
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Social Script

Dealing with an Upset Customer

Person Speaking What you are Saying Movement

Customer I am not happy right now! Yelling

Worker I am sorry, how can I help?

Customer They do not have my Yelling

toothpaste!

Worker What kind is it?

Customer Original Crest Calming down

Worker Let me look in the back. I

think we have some.

Customer That is very nice. Thank you.

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Scripts and Their Mistakes

Asking Where Something is in the Store

Mistakes: Ignoring customer, not turning around to talk, tone of voice

Being Given Directions from a Boss

Mistakes: Interrupting, yelling, and not listening to start

Working at a Cash Register

Mistakes: Rolling eyes

Talking with my Coworkers

Mistakes: Not asking how they were back, not listening, not answering question

Dealing with an Upset Customer

Mistakes: Yelling