Communication is a vital aspect of the human experience. Whether it be communicating with a friend on the other side of the world through written email exchange, communicating face-to-face with a colleague to settle a disagreement, or communicating non-verbally with body language to show understanding, humans have found ways to communicate since the beginning of time. Communication is simply the act of transferring information from another place to another and facilitates the spread of knowledge as well as builds and creates relationships.
Communication is the foundation for creating healthy and positive relationships. When we communicate effectively, we are able to tell others how we feel about a situation, issue, or experience in a productive manner. One of the main pillars that effective communication is built on is respect; respect for oneself as well as respect for others one is communicating with. When we are respectful to others we are communicating with, through making eye contact and actively listening, we have the ability to create positive relationships where all sides are heard. Being respectful while communicating can lead to being more open-minded, empathetic, and compassionate towards others as well as towards ourselves.
It is clear that communication is a fundamental part of life, but when are we taught explicitly how to communicate effectively? In traditional K-12 schooling, students move from class to class, subject to subject, with expectations to participate in and stay engaged in their studies. Through just one day at school, students at all grade levels may have homework to complete, presentations to present, group projects to participate in, and extracurricular activities to attend. In these examples of a student’s daily journey at school filled with homework, group work, and presentations, communication is fundamental. If a student has a question about an assignment, they need to know how to ask for help; when a small group has a project for class to prepare for, they must know how to let all voices be heard; when a student has to give a presentation to the class, they must know how to present clearly and concisely; and a student on any type of team or extracurricular activity needs to know the importance of teamwork and how to communicate effectively. Students move from the basic principles to the advanced theories of literacy, math, social studies, and science throughout their schooling yet might not have the same experience learning how to communicate effectively. Communication is a critical skill to have and develop, yet when are students directly learning how to communicate?
Here at Empowering Education, we feel teaching youth the importance of effective communication as well as providing real-life examples and scenarios to practice and build communication skills is a gamechanger. As communication is a key principle of social and emotional learning, the Empowering Minds curriculum sees communication as one of the foundations for nearly every lesson. Empowering Minds teaches students how to effectively communicate through practicing and creating I-statements, through learning ways to become an active and mindful listener, through learning how to communicate ones’ needs and work to solve problems with peers, through learning the vocabulary and building an emotional literacy toolbox, through practicing and encouraging positive self-talk, and through lessons focused on compassion, cooperation, and kindness for oneself and others.
Communication is an essential and key concept of social and emotional learning. Students must have continued experience throughout their K-12 schooling surrounding effective ways to communicate, to listen, and to advocate for themselves and others. The Empowering Minds curriculum uses communication skills as a basis for many lessons and offers teachers and students hands-on experience for building, practicing, and fostering these essential skills.
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Students will learn how to listen actively.
By the end of the lessons, students will be able to:
- Explain the five steps of active listening
- Practice listening with a peer
Research shows that people who have been taught to listen are better at it.
This lesson starts with a mindful listening activity: listen to the sound of a bell/chime for as long as possible. Students then share reasons why listening might be challenging for them. The story then follows Munchy and Jumpy as they mistakenly disrupt a family of beavers after not listening closely. After the story, students learn five helpful steps to active listening, followed by an activity in which students sit back-to-back and practice their listening skills by guiding their peer to draw a picture. Students end by drawing themselves actively listening to a friend.
Listening is hard! Talk about the challenges of listening to online lessons. Students probably have something to say about this!
For the back-to-back drawing activity, the teacher can present the instructions or send them to a student ahead of time so they can lead the activity. The leader should not use hand gestures. Try one round without allowing questions and another round where participants may ask clarifying questions. Compare the results. The math manipulative activity may be performed in the same manner. Students may create a 5-Steps to Listening poster.
For the back-to-back drawing activity, the teacher can present the instructions and allow time for the students to draw on their own. Try one round with few instructions and another with clear, detailed instructions. Students should compare their results. Show the 5-Steps poster and instruct students to complete one for home.
Active Listening Lesson for the Beginning of the Year
Listening is an important skill that many don't realize needs to be taught. Meet Howard B. Wigglebottom, an adorable bunny who has a hard time being an active listener. I use this lesson at the beginning of the year to teach young students how to listen with their whole body. Through Howard's mistakes we learn what makes a good listener. In addition, I begin to teach feelings through this story [happy, proud, and sad.] Included in this lesson is an activity for students to complete and disc
Creating Classroom Community: Teaching Kids How to Discuss
Do you want your students to have productive, respectful discussions about academic content and social injustices and issues?These activities will build your classroom community and help your students develop discussions skills that they will internalize and use all year! The skills they learn are transferable to all kinds of situations both in school and throughout their lives. Using academic discussions puts the 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem s
What is McCarthyism? And How Did it Happen, a video on TED-Ed by Ellen Schrecker, is a great tool for helping students build context for McCarthyism and the Red Scare. In my classroom, I use this in preparation for reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible. However, sometimes my students need some help being active listeners and following along in a meaningful way, so I made this listening guide to walk students through the video from beginning to end. This ready-to-print and use tool can be used to
Class Act Listener Poster
Teach your students how to be an active listener with this adorable acronym! Each letter in "CLASS" stands for a cue that shows students how to be active listeners. If you teach each letter at the beginning of the year, your kids will be trained to be good listeners for the rest of the year!
Communication Skills
Jenn Liu -- Engaging to Empower
Teach your middle or high school students the number one thing they need to know for college and career readiness and success: communication skills! Also known as soft skills, people skills, interpersonal skills, employability skills, social skills, or emotional intelligence, communication skills must be taught! This interactive Google Slides presentation covers the basic and most important skills needed for good communication! WHAT'S INCLUDED:Questions to hook students and activate prior knowle
Business Communications Semester Course
--This course can be taught in the classroom or online!--Absolutely NO PREP Required of the teacher!--50 days of lessons for 84-minute classes!--Over 300 materials to teach this class!--All materials are editable to meet your classroom needs!This is a SEMESTER COURSE with daily lesson plans for business communications, that we have created ourselves. This is an introductory course designed to give the students an overview of Business Communications. They will develop skills that are expected of
Radiolab Lesson
Allow your students to develop active listening skills while analyzing the effects of a controversial law. Students will listen, analyze, question, and discuss the ideas presented in this compelling 1-hour podcast [which you can break up into more than one class period]. If you are looking for a meaningful way for your students to develop and deepen multiple skills, RadioLab podcasts are perfect.What The Podcast Is About:This riveting podcast depicts the story of a specific incident where EMS wo
A Guidance Lesson on Active Listening, Grades K-1
This lesson focuses on teaching students how to use active listening skills then the activity reinforces examples of what active listening actually is.For use with Grades K-1.INCLUDED IN THIS COMPRESSED FILE:►"I Can Be An Active Listener" Task Cards [PDF File]►Lesson Plan [Word Doc] aligned with ASCA standards, including objective, procedures, materials list, and assessment instructions.►Printable Worksheet [in the PDF File] for assessmentIMPORTANT INFO:►FILE TYPE: PDF and Microsoft Word doc, ar
Are you looking for an interactive read aloud that teaches students how to be active listeners, rather than nonstop talkers? If so, then Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker by Christianne C. Jones is the perfect book for you and your students. Nonstop talker, Lacey Walker, loses her voice one day and discovers so many awesome things about other people and the world around her. [Hard copy is not needed as I do provide an online read aloud.] This interactive, literature unit is complete with lesson plan
Citizenship Report Active Listening Rubric for Kindergarten
This rubric is designed to give students feedback on how they are doing being an active listener at school. The behaviors of an active listener need to be explicitly taught by the teacher. Children need to practice daily and teachers need to give constant feedback to help children learn the characteristics of an effective listener right from the start in kindergarten. The smiley face grading system is easily understandable for five and six year olds, as well as parents. The rubric design is
Social Narrative- GROWING BUNDLE!
How To Apologize Social Narrative StoryThis social narrative supports students to learn how to apologize and repair when they have unsafe or unkind actions in the school setting!Safe Hands, Safe Body Social Narrative StoryThis story helps students learn and utilize replacement behaviors for hitting within the school setting!Stop, Think, Choose Social Narrative StoryAn engaging and fun social story to teach young students ways to take care of their big feelings!This book utilizes the "Stop-Think-
The development of speaking and listening skills is an integral part of a balanced education, for language learners and other students alike. In order for students to learn how to expertly engage in collaborative discussion, become active listeners and effective speakers, strategies in listening and speaking must be explicitly taught, modeled, practiced, and assessed.This bundle includes the following resources [in English and Spanish] to introduce and assess listening and speaking skills in yo
Accountable Talk Unit Bundle
Conversations are a large part of our learning environment. Teaching children HOW to have these conversations and be accountable for them takes time and practice. This 10-lesson unit provides you with a guided plan for introducing children to the concept of accountable talk. The unit provides scaffolds to help students take ownership of their role in conversations, utilizes effective instructional strategies to keep students engaged and focused, and offers anchor charts to help remind students o
Are you interested in fostering a positive Classroom Community by teaching your students to be active listeners and effective speakers? This ultimately has a direct impact on engagement and learning for all students, including English Learners. Collaborative talk leads to deeper understanding and meaningful learning. This comprehensive unit focuses on "Active Listening," along with "Turn and Talk" and "Accountable Talk," all essential, lifelong skills that prepare students to become engaged, act
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If you teach Saxon Phonics, I have created printable word cards for your convenience. Cards are in primary colors of red, blue, yellow, and green. Print, laminate, and hang for your word wall. These cards are also great for printing to send home for flashcards, or game play in the classroom. [We love to play sight word POP with flashcards!] If you would like these in a different color, please let me know.*Updated 5-11-20 to include the words "love and "every" in the PDF file. I have also include
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No prep required! No laminating, cutting, assembly, or using expensive colored inks. Just print in black and white on standard 8.5x11 paper, supply some crayons, and you're all set.Our Kindness Poster Pack is designed for kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade classes – or any other students in need of a simple and creative way to express kindness and empathy. Once colored, these posters make a fantastic addition to your classroom's decor – especially when hung up as banners on a wall
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Teach about specific executive functioning skills with this advanced workbook, including: planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, metacognition, self-control, sustained attention, flexibility, and perseverance. Detailed information, compensatory strategies, examples, practice, and meanginful activities are included for every executive functioning skill. With over 130 pages, you will have everything you need to teach these skills thoroughly! These are great mater
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Teach early literacy skills with this easy-to-read alphabet word wall for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, SPED, RTI, and early childhood classrooms. Enhance your early literacy curriculum with this set. This simple set lets kids focus on the important information without being distracted by fluff. Use the set of word cards on word walls, pocket charts, word rings, etc. Perfect for your preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and SPED classroom.Simple cards are easy to read!FLEXIBLE - many options are
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Teaching Probability in French? This unit has it all! With 7 games, as well as several printable pages, students will enjoy these fun activities. This package focuses on the following vocabulary: juste, pas juste, impossible, possible, certain, probable, improbable, moins probable, également probable, plus probable Center activities include : self-correcting puzzles, literacy linked mini-book, odd/even dice game, guess what is in my bag and several spinner activities. These activities pair w
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When teaching place value in 2nd grade, worksheets simply aren't engaging or exciting enough for students! Our place value unit includes everything you need from place value games and charts to mini-lessons, crafts, and printables so your lessons are both fun AND informative. With this unit, you have four full weeks of done-for-you instruction.Each day includes a word problem, minilesson, activity, and interactive notebook entry.Unit 1 focuses on Place Value: 2, 3, and 4 digit numbers [up to 99
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If you teach vowel teams, this pocket chart center would be perfect for you. You get 9 vowel teams! [ea, ee, ay, ai, oa, ui, ue, oo, oe]. Each vowel team comes with picture cards, word cards, and a vowel team header that are ready to be put together in your pocket chart. I have also provided 9 independent practice printables for your students to use after they have put the pocket chart together. THIS SET IS BOTH IN COLOR, AND BLACK AND WHITE FOR EASY PRINTING!© Copyright - Crystal McGinnis. All
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This sentence structure teaching unit includes materials for direct instruction, student practice, and assessment. In this unit, students will learn about the four types of sentence stricture: simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences. This lesson plan includes:- a 42 slide, editable, animated, color-coded PowerPoint- a 42 page, secured PDF file with worksheets, tests, and more- a diagnostic pre test- multiple worksheets- a hands-on classroom activit
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Use these lessons to teach critical social skills of empathy and perspective-taking to older kids, including understanding perspectives, accepting different perspectives, flexible thinking, understanding social cues, developing empathy, using perspectives to resolve conflicts, and more. This resource includes 10 core lessons, each with several activities for extended practice. A total of 42 activities are included! The entire unit focuses on how to help kids and young adults learn perspectives a
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These lessons, activities, and posters teach specific executive functioning skills including: planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, metacognition, self-control, sustained attention, flexibility, and perseverance. Each lesson includes a description of the skill, a pre-assessment, and activities to practice the skill. These introductory lessons can be used with students from upper elementary all the way through high school. Digital VersionA digital version for G
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These lessons, activities, and posters teach specific executive functioning skills including: planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, metacognition, self-control, sustained attention, flexibility, and perseverance. Each lesson includes a description of the skill, a pre-assessment, and activities to practice the skill. These introductory lessons can be used with students from upper elementary all the way through high school. Digital VersionA digital version for G
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These interactive printables are perfect for teaching or reinforcing prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Prefixes addressed {re-, un-, pre-, dis-, mis-, de-}Suffixes addressed {-er [a person who], -er [more], -est, -ful, -less, -ed}1. Trace it/Color it – Students trace or color words based on the prefix or suffix.2. Find it – Students go on a word hunt [using classroom books] to find words using the given prefix or suffix.3. Define it – Students use what they know about the given prefix or suffi
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Are you looking for a resource to teach rhyming? This is a hands-on rhyming, CVC word family, and fine motor activity for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, RTI, SPED, early childhood, and at home learning. This CVC rhyming clip card activity will help you teach kids to identify rhymes, provide fun rhyming practice, and can be used for rhyming assessment.***Please note that this product is included in my CVC Clip Card Bundle. If you purchase the money-saving bundle, you do not need to purchase this
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This unit has everything you need to teach your prek - kindergarten - first grade or even upper grade students all about what it means to be a friend, how to make friends, how to deal with conflicts and find resolutions, how to give compliments and other important social skills. Included in this unit are social skills scenarios and stories, role playing activities, I Can posters about friendship, sentence starters, writing prompts, and so many fun printables and activities to go with our favori
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Properties of Matter – Hi teachers! Are you teaching your students about properties of matter – shape, color, texture, size, weight, temperature, and buoyancy? If you need materials to supplement your teaching then this unit might be just what you need. Included are 120 real life full color pictures of objects to demonstrate each property of matter and spark your kiddos interest. In addition, posters, printables, and interactive notebook pages to reinforce what they are learning. Here is w
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Are you looking for activities to use when teaching about nouns, verbs, and adjectives? Your students will enjoy the variety of activities! This pack has anchor charts, printables, flap-books, writing crafts, and more! Here's a look at what is inside:1. Posters for Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives2. Adjectives Tell Us Anchor Chart Templates3. We Name Nouns Anchor Chart Templates4. Noun Chart Anchor Chart Templates5. Noun Town Anchor Chart Templates6. We Can Name Verbs Anchor Chart Templates7. Strong
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Looking for something to help you teach and practice using common measurement tools? These posters, fact book, task cards, and practice pages will teach your students about measurement tools in no time! Tools included are scale, balance, ruler, measuring cup, measuring spoon, tape measure, stop watch, and thermometer. Students will love all the engaging activities, and you will love that it is print and go ready!PRODUCT INCLUDES:Fact Book: 10 page fact book includes facts, a picture, and a que
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Helping Verbs [speech therapy or regular/ special education] - teach and practice! Use this grammar activity to provide your students with tons of practice with subject verb agreement for helping verbs. Students fill in the blank with the correct helping verb, including is, are, was, were, has, have, do, and does. In this helping verbs game, there are 30 interactive task cards with 3 tasks per card for a total of 90 opportunities to practice this skill! WHAT’S INCLUDED?· Description and Suggest
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This primary science unit has everything you need to teach the standards in a fun, hands-on way. We learn about bones, muscles, organs, the human brain, and our five senses. Students can dive deeper with beautiful slideshows, reading passages, writing prompts, vocabulary activities, hands-on experiments, crafts and more! Lesson plans and outlines are included for your convenience.This unit works well for a pre-k, kindergarten or first grade classroom.------------------------------------------
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This primary science unit has everything you need to teach the standards in a fun, hands-on way. We learn about bones, muscles, organs, the human brain, and our five senses. Students can dive deeper with beautiful slideshows, reading passages, writing prompts, vocabulary activities, hands-on experiments, crafts and more! Lesson plans and outlines are included for your convenience.This unit works well for a pre-k, kindergarten or first grade classroom.------------------------------------------
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“I have never been very confident when it comes to teaching writing, and I am always looking for products to help me out. Until now, I have never been able to find something that just "fits" my style. This product is so thorough, everything that I need is right here, and I love how everything is laid out day by day. I am going into this school year more confident in my writing lessons than I have ever been.” - Jessica D.If teaching writing has ever made you cry, weep, tear out your hair, questio
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Kids love Dot to Dot puzzles, especially colorful ones. Here we have 30 connect the dot worksheets of varying difficulty to cater kids of different abilities. Students can enhance their counting skill of both forward and backward number sequences with these worksheets. Each page has a different level of difficulty: 1-10, 1-23, 1-25, 1-27, 1-30, 1-40, 1-44, 1-50, 1-59, 1-75, etc…Be creative to use this package as your morning work.THANK YOU!I really appreciate you purchasing my teaching resources
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Character Education [aka social skills] are skills that teachers need to teach just like they need to teach letters and sounds. It is a life skill! The units in this bundle includes tons of visual supports, classroom routines, social stories, songs, engaging activities, vocabulary building, character education rich books, specific lesson plans, positive notes, and much more. Create a classroom community of confident students who can solve problems, follow rules and routines, be kind to others, h
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This American Indian unit bundle includes everything you need to teach your students about the 7 tribes: Hopi, Inuit, Kwakiutl, Pawnee, Seminole, Iroquois and Nez Perce. Includes: American Indian Important Info Note ChartAmerican Indian Classroom Posters - Set of 7American Indian PowerPoint and Notes Sets [Hopi, Kwakiutl, Pawnee, Seminole, Inuit, Iroquois, and Nez Perce]American Indian Internet Scavenger Hunt WebQuests [Hopi, Kwakiutl, Pawnee, Seminole, Inuit, Iroquois and Nez Perce]American I
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This 2D Shapes unit is packed with fun, engaging activities that will teach your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students the basic shapes and their characteristics. Everything I could think of is in this pack including tons of build it cards, games, posters, sorting activities for charts, sorting pages, art/craft activities, mini books on each shape, emergent reader, and shape hunts! The 2D Shape Unit easy to prep which is less work for you. Labels and binder covers are included to help you