ExploreWithDora

This lesson is designed to teach learners about finding common interests when speaking to others. Learners will be introduced to tips on choosing friends, what are common interests and why they are important in a friendship, how to identify common interests in others, and will be given an opportunity to practice some of their new skills. I have used this lesson in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

This lesson aims to teach learners about community helpers. For example, learners will get experience with learning about their community, identifying examples of community helpers, and will get practice with asking for help. I have used this lesson in the past with students on the Autism Spectrum.

This lesson aims to teach learners the characteristics of a good friend, the different types of friendship, and some general guidelines for getting to know others. This lesson is most applicable with older students (upper elementary, middle school, high school, adult day support classrooms). I have used this lesson in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

Here's a classroom activity for your students to practice identifying common interests. Place a number 1-4 in each corner of the room. Read one of the questions below out loud to the students. The students should choose which of the options they agree with the most. The students should walk to the number associated with their chosen answer. Students should notice who has chosen the same answer as them.

Practice turn taking during conversations with a board game! This game includes 27 scenario and questions cards. Players will take turns drawing cards and following the directions on each card. After each player completes the instruction, they should move their game piece to the appropriate colored square on the game board (e.g., if a purple card was drawn, the player should move to a purple square). I have used this activity in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

A classroom activity that aims to help students practice identifying who to ask for help in the community. Students will be broken up into two groups. One group will be assigned roles as Community Helpers. The other group will take turns reading the scenarios and practicing asking the right community helper for help. I have used this activity in the past with students on the Autism Spectrum.

Here's a quick worksheet you can use to have your students practice their introductions. Students will practice identifying the three parts of an introduction and create a list of fun facts about themselves that they would use when introducing themselves to start a conversation.

Here's an activity for your students to practice listening during conversations. For the first round, ask a different student about their interests for each category. The other students should be sure to listen to their classmates’ answers and try to remember as many as possible. For the second round, take turns asking the students about their classmate’s answers. See if they can remember who’s answers match up (e.g., “Who said their favorite color was blue?” “Who said their favorite sport was b

Here's an activity for your students to practice identifying the difference between sentences and questions. Cut out and divide the sentences up amongst everyone. Place two buckets on each side of the room, one labeled STATEMENTS and one labeled QUESTIONS. As fast as they can, players should figure out if the sentences they have are STATEMENTS or QUESTIONS and put them in the matching buckets.

This lesson aims to teach learners the basics of social niceties and compliments and how to give compliments to their peers, while incorporating plenty of practice opportunities. This lesson is most applicable with older students (upper elementary, middle school, high school, adult day support classrooms), due to the complexity of the subject. I have used this lesson in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

This lesson is designed to teach learners about finding common interests when speaking to others. Learners will be introduced to tips on choosing friends, what are common interests and why they are important in a friendship, how to identify common interests in others, and will be given an opportunity to practice some of their new skills. I have used this lesson in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

This bundle aims to help teach the difference between open-ended vs. closed-ended questions, why follow-up questions are important, and when to ask different types of questions. I have used this bundle in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

A 20-question quiz on the social skills needed to keep a conversation going. An answer key is included.

A 16-question quiz on asking community helpers for help. An answer key is included.

Practice greetings and introductions with a board game! This game includes 27 scenario and charades cards. Players will take turns drawing cards and following the directions on each card. After each player completes the instruction, they should move their game piece to the appropriate colored square on the game board (e.g., if a yellow card was drawn, the player should move to a yellow square). I have used this activity in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

This lesson and activity aims to teach the difference between open-ended and closed-ended questions. Includes two practice activities to help students create and use open-ended questions about a variety of topics. I have used this activity in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

Practice body language and gestures with a board game! This game includes 36 scenario and charades cards. Players will take turns drawing cards and following the directions on each card. After each player completes the instruction, they should move their game piece to the appropriate colored square on the game board (e.g., if a yellow card was drawn, the player should move to a yellow square). I have used this activity in the past with older students on the Autism Spectrum.

Learning to stay on topic during a conversation is an important social skill, but can be particularly challenging for learners. This lesson is designed to teach learners why it is important to stay on topic while talking with peers, how to pick a topic of conversation, and what conversation topics may be appropriate. This lesson is most applicable with older students (upper elementary, middle school, high school, adult day support classrooms), due to the complexity of the subject.

A worksheet for students to practice identifying what they do and do not find funny. Students should fill out each column in the chart to learn more about their senses of humor.

Here is a fun activity for students to help them discover their common interests! Students will fill in their own interests for each category. Then, students will ask each other questions about each other’s interests, making sure to ask a different person for each category. When completed, students should circle any boxes where their answer and a classmate’s answer match. Includes both text-only and picture versions.