Social Skills Asessment Report & Instructional Unit For Teaching Listening Skills
Author: Cynthia Moy

Lesson 1 – “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” -  song and dance.

Objective: Students will touch the body part that corresponds to the named body part in the song.
        Goal:  Cristian will touch each body part 8 out of 10 times.

This lesson is to be completed over the course of 5 days.  Start each lesson with this activity as a warm up for the following lessons.  Repetition of this activity allows for mastery and allows for children to get themselves ready to listen.  Also, Cristian needs a lot of repetition before he understands what to do during games or song activities.  By giving Cristian more time to absorb and understand how to perform this task, he will be more likely to achieve his goal.  I felt that one time was not fair to assess his listening skills, especially since he has so much difficulty with comprehension.  (5 assessments will be conducted.)

    Materials/environment:  teacher, children, sing at carpet or behind chairs, assessment sheet

Day 1
    Procedures/Steps:
1.    Sing the song once with children demonstrating and reviewing each body part.
2.    Teacher says a line and class repeats, teacher says next line and class repeats.  Repeat process until the entire song is rehearsed.
3.    Sing the song together and everyone must touch the corresponding body parts. (slowly)
4.    Whole group sings song – “Head, shoulders, knees and toes.” (moderate pace)
5.    Classroom para observes Cristian to monitor his on task behavior.  Para checks off which body parts Cristian correctly touches during the song. 

Days 2, 3, 4, 5
    Procedures/Steps:
1.    After lunch, children stand behind chairs and sing the song “Head, shoulders, knees and toes.”  The teacher alters the pace- slow, moderate or fast.  This is done to assess the students’ listening skills.  Due to the predictability of the song, kids may assume the directions or pace. 
2.    Classroom para observes Cristian to monitor his on task behavior.  Para checks off which body parts Cristian correctly touches during the song. 
Assessment:  see appendix

Lesson 2 - “Simon Says” -  movement activity

Objective:  Students will listen to verbal command and will correctly perform the verbal command.
        Goal:  Cristian will follow verbal commands 8 out of 10 times.

This lesson will also be completed over the course of 5 days.  This activity will be conducted before the extended day period. This activity will serve as a warm up for the following lesson.  Repetition of this activity allows for mastery and allows for children to get themselves ready to listen.  Also, Cristian needs a lot of repetition before he understands what to do during games or song activities.  By giving Cristian more time to absorb and understand how to perform this task, he will be more likely to achieve his goal.  I felt that one time was not fair to assess his listening skills, especially since he has so much difficulty with comprehension.  (5 assessments will be conducted.)

    Materials/environment:  teacher, children, sing at carpet or behind chairs, assessment sheet

Day 1
    Procedures/Steps:
1.    Teacher explains rules and practices one time with the kids.
a.    “Simon says touch your head.” – students must touch their head, teacher models.
2.    Teacher explains that if a student performs the wrong task, s/he sits down.
3.    Teacher dictates:
a.    “Simon says…
1.    touch your nose
2.    touch your shoulders
3.    touch your head
4.    touch your stomach
5.    touch your toes
6.    touch your elbows
7.    touch your ears
8.    hop on one foot
9.    jump in place
10.    sit down in your spot

Days 2, 3, 4, 5
    Procedures/Steps:
1.    Before the extended day period begins, the teacher will play a short game of “Simon Says” while students stand behind their desks. 
2.    The teacher will dictate the various steps in a different order, so children do not anticipate the task.
3.    Classroom para observes Cristian to monitor his on task behavior.  Para checks off which body parts Cristian correctly performs each task. 

Assessment:  see appendix

Lesson 3 – Transition Game

Objective: Students will learn to be aware of their surroundings.
        Goal:  Cristian will tolerate waiting and listening before rushing into next activity.

This activity will be used at the end of the day for pack up and at the end of each of the next two social skills lesson for a total of 5 assessments.  Repetition of this activity allows for mastery and allows for children to get themselves ready to listen.  Also, Cristian needs a lot of repetition before he understands what to do during games or song activities.  By giving Cristian more time to absorb and understand how to perform this task, he will be more likely to achieve his goal.  I felt that one time was not fair to assess his listening skills, especially since he has so much difficulty with comprehension.  (5 assessments will be conducted.)

    Materials/environment: teacher, children, perform at carpet/behind chairs, assessment sheet

Day 1
    Procedures/Steps:
1.     Teacher explains the rules of the game.  Teacher uses a student model (child who has high listening skills). 
Rules  - The teacher calls out a direction and children must pay attention.  Only the children who meet the criteria must act out the direction.  For example, “If you are wearing blue jeans, put your hands on your head.” Only children who are wearing blue jeans should put their hands on their heads.  If a child who is wearing anything other than blue jeans puts his/her hands on his/her head, s/he will sit down.

2.    Dictate:
a.    If you are a girl put your thumbs up in the air.
b.    If you are a boy, cross your arms.
c.    If you are wearing glasses sit on your knees/kneel.
d.    If you are wearing anything with the color blue, stand up.
e.    If you are wearing anything with the color red, stand up.
f.    If you are wearing sneakers, put both hands on your head.
g.    If you are wearing a watch, put both hands on your shoulders.
h.    If you are wearing a short sleeve shirt, use both hands and touch your knees.
i.    If you are wearing a long sleeve shirt, stand up and touch your toes.
j.    If you are wearing a necklace, use both hands and tap your shoulders.

3.    Classroom paraprofessional observes Cristian to monitor his on task behavior.  Para checks off if he responds correctly to each statement.   (i.e. If he is not wearing red, he does not do anything.)

Day 2, 3, 4, 5
    Procedures/Steps:
1.    At the end of each of the following social lessons, the teacher will call students to get their belongings according to what they are wearing.
2.    At the end of each day, prior to pack up, the teacher will call students to get their belongings.
3.    Classroom para observes Cristian to monitor his on task behavior.  Para checks off if Cristian responds correctly to the teacher directions. 

Assessment:  see appendix

Lesson 4 – Art Activity (science)
Objective: Students will listen to step-by-step directions, with modeling, to complete a plant/flower diagram with labels.
Goals:
1. Cristian will color and cut each part of the flower without losing pieces or cutting pieces incorrectly (i.e. cutting off parts of the leaf).     
2. Cristian will glue 4/5 parts of the flower/plant in the correct areas on the paper.
3. Cristian will correctly label 4/5 parts of the plant.

Materials/environment: construction paper, flower template, crayons, scissors, glue,  assessment sheet

    Procedures/Steps:
1.    Children must color all parts of the flower; teacher will review what each part is.
2.    Children must cut each part of the flower from the paper.
3.    Children will arrange the pieces in the correct order and then may ask for glue.
4.    Children will glue the pieces in the correct order.
5.    Children must glue the labels in the correct places on the plant.

Assessment:  completed art project (see check off sheet in appendix)

Lesson 5 – Playing a group word game.  “Word Family Game”

Objectives:
1.  Students will say “excuse me” when they take a word family target card from another child.
2.  Students will read/say the word family cards and identify which word family ending it contains.
       
Goals:
1. Cristian will identify which word family target card that his card matches, 8/10 times.     
2. Cristian will say “excuse me,” without yelling, when taking a target card from another child 8/10 times.
3. Cristian will take the target card nicely, without snatching, 8/10 times.

Materials/environment: word family cards, word family target cards, students work on floor/desks in groups of 4-6 students.
    Procedures/Steps:

1.    Teacher explains the rules of the game.
a.    There are 4 target word family cards (on large colored paper).
b.    The teacher will read/review the target word family cards with the students. (repeat as necessary, give examples if needed)
c.    Each child gets a turn to take a card.  First the teacher starts the game to show how to play.
d.    Teacher takes a card from white deck.
e.    Teacher shows card and reads the word/picture.
f.    Teacher asks children- “what word family is this word from?”
g.    Children must identify the word family; then the teacher takes the target family card.
h.    The next child picks a card and reads it. Child finds the target card.  This continues until a child get a card that belongs to a target card that another person is holding.  The child must say “excuse me” before taking the card from the other child.
i.    Game proceeds and teacher directions/assistance fades out.

2.    Cristian’s assessment begins; para checks of target behaviors on assessment sheet.
3.    Teacher monitors and provides minimal assistance (only reminders) with reading words and identifying pictures.

Assessment:  see appendix

Lesson Outcomes
    Surprisingly, Cristian followed directions very well for the “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” song.  He achieved an accuracy of 80% on the first day.  The second day, during the second half of the song he did not pay attention to the words and assumed what body parts to touch.  The third, fourth and fifth days, Christian’s attending skills improved.  I realized that Cristian had difficulty following the song, when the verse changed.  In 3 out of 5 times, he missed touching his eyes because “eyes” is a new body part after the repetitious and predictable verse which only consists of touching the head, shoulders, knees and toes.  Overall, Cristian met his goal of correctly touching each body part 8 out of 10 times.
    During the Simon Says game, Cristian did not do well on the first day.  He only achieved 3 out of 10 steps correct.  Cristian had a hard time understanding the rules; he was not paying attention to the teacher and was following other children (not as cognitively high) who were not performing the correct tasks.  The more we played the game, the better Cristian’s listening and direction following skills became.  Overall, Cristian met his goal of correctly following verbal commands 8 out of 10 times.
Cristian had a hard time on the first day that the class played the Transition Game (lesson 3).  Cristian kept performing actions when he did not meet the teacher’s criteria.  For example, the teacher told the children to stand up if they are wearing blue.  Cristian was wearing a completely red windbreaker suit and stood up.  The other children told Cristain that he did not have blue and that he needed to sit down.  By the fourth time the class played the game, Cristian was able to attend to and follow the directions in 8 out of 10 trials.
The completion of the tasks in lesson 4 was more complex and difficult for Cristian.  Directions included multi-steps, which required a lot of Cristian’s attention.  Cristian was able to color all of the parts of the plant, but he had difficulty cutting each part because he did not remember the directions of how to cut them.  Although the teacher model was posted on the board, and other children were trying to remind him how to cut the pieces, Cristian paid them no mind and cut the pieces the way he wanted.  He cut 3 out of 5 pieces correctly.  Cristian glued 4 out of 5 pieces in the correct positions.  Cristian glued the roots on top of the brown soil paper, as opposed to underneath the flap of the brown soil paper.  Cristian was able to label all parts appropriately.
During the word family game Cristian was able to find the target word family cards 10 out of 10 times, he said excuse me without snatching 9 out of 10 times, and he said excuse me without shouting 5 out of 10 times.  Cristian was really engaged in this activity.  He read each card nicely, but he was not aware that he was yelling at the other children for the target cards.  He kept screaming, “Excuse me!” at the other children.  The teachers had to tell Cristian, “Talk nicely.”  After several verbal reminders, we realized that Cristian did not understand that he was screaming.  One of the paraprofessionals explained to Cristrian that he is screaming at the other children.  After we explained the situation to Cristian, he knew what to do when the paraprofessionals told him, “Talk nicely.”
Overall, Cristian’s listening skills are improving, but he still displays difficulties with new multi-step tasks.  His social skills are improving as he is becoming a little more aware of others and he is learning to wait his turn.  Cristian is currently functioning at and above his cognitive age level.  His major deficits lie in socialization and listening to directions.  Because Cristian is so smart, he does not like to listen to what others say and likes to assume what the other person is saying.  I will continue to play these games with Cristian because I see that it has already begun to shape his behavior by making him more aware of his peers and his surroundings.  Through the games, he has learned to wait his turn and to listen to other’s responses.

APPENDICES

Assessment #2 - Simon Says          Please record:       +  if target behavior is displayed.
                                -  If target behavior is not displayed.
 
 Target behavior: Cristian must listen to directions and perform the corresponding action.
Trial #    DAY 1
(Initial)    DAY 2
Before extended day    DAY 3
Before extended day    DAY 4
Before extended day    DAY 5
Before extended day
1                   
2                   
3                   
4                   
5                   
6                   
7                   
8                   
9                   
10                   
Total    /    /    /    /    /  /

Assessment #3               Please record:       +  if target behavior is displayed.
                                -  If target behavior is not displayed
 
Target behavior: Cristian must listen to directions and perform the corresponding action.
Trial #    DAY 1
(Initial)    DAY 2
End of day    DAY 3
After social lesson 4    DAY 4
End of day    DAY 5
After social lesson 5
1                   
2                   
3                   
4                   
5                   
6                   
7                   
8                   
9                   
10                   
Total    /    /    /    /    /

Assessment #4               Please record:       +  if target behavior is displayed.
                                -  If target behavior is not displayed.
 
Target behavior: Cristian must have a completed plant diagram containing the following:

Step    Colored?    Cut w/o parts missing?    Glued/assembled correctly?    Labeled in appropriate place?
1.  roots               
2.  stem               
3.  leaves               
4.  flower               
5.  seeds               
Total    /    /    /    /

Assessment #5               Please record:       +  if target behavior is displayed.
                                -  If target behavior is not displayed
 
Target behavior: Cristian responds by finding the target word family card, without shouting and says “excuse me” without snatching.

Trial    Finds target word family card.    Says excuse me w/o snatching.    Says excuse me w/o shouting.
1           
2           
3           
4           
5           
6           
7           
8           
9           
10           
Total    /    /    /

This unit was completed as a course requirement while Cynthia Moy was a graduate student in the Graduate Program in Behavior Disorders in the Department of Special Education at Hunter College of the City University of New York.  It is used with her permission.

THANKS CYNTHIA!



Click on your "Back" button to return to main page for social skills.