Social Detectives Small Group
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Why is this group called Social Detectives?
Social Thinking is the "process of interpreting and responding to others' thoughts, emotions, and actions to achieve social goals". These skills need to be explicitly taught, understood, developed, and practiced as children observe and make sense of social clues around them. This group will teach students more about how to observe, make predictions, and interpret clues in context, to better understand how to respond to meet social goals.
Session 1: Calling All Detectives!
π The Big Pictureπ
When at school, we are all detectives. We observe, gather clues, and solve problems all day long! We can be math, science, reading, play or even social detectives.Β
During their first group, students will be welcomed to group, learn group norms and expectations, and take a pre-group survey to help them track their growth.Β
Session Objectives:
Students will define and understand group norms
Students will become acquainted with each other
Students will share what they know about detectives
Students will define detective words
Vocabulary:
group norms - rules about how group members should interact
confidentiality - keeping someone else's information private unless they give you permission to share
observe Β - noticing or seeing something; watching something or someone carefully
clues - a sign or piece of information that helps you solve a problem or answer a question
predict - statements about what might happen in the future based on observations, clues, and smart guesses.
guess - an answer based on clues
Session 2 & 3: My Smarts, Your Smarts
π The Big Pictureπ
We're all wired differently. We each have our own likes and dislikes, strengths, and challenges. We have smarts in many different areas. Some people have smarts in academic areas, like writing, coding, or science. Some people have physical smarts if they play a sport. We have smarts around our interests and hobbies, and social smarts. Understanding this is the foundation of our self awareness.
Talking about smarts as brain wires is one way to teach about different types of learning strengths and areas for growth. We can think of things our brains make easy for us as long, thick wires. These long, thick wires show strong connections and that we've acquired knowledge over time through experience and practice. We can contrast this with short, thin wires, things that are not as easy or that we don't have a lot of knowledge or experience with.
Session Objectives:
Students will identify three or more types of smarts that define them.Β
Students will design a personal smarts chart to show their different types of smarts.Β
Vocabulary:
thoughts - silent words or pictures in our brains; we have thoughts about others and they have thoughts about us
brain smarts - all the ways we are intelligent and able to learn and use our knowledge to solve problems and make decisions
school smarts - different types of smarts in our brains that we use for school learning - math, computer, music, science, and more
social smarts - we use this when we are around other people; helps our brains know that others are having thoughts about what we do or say and we are having thoughts about what they do or say, when we're together
Activity:Β
During session 2 we learned about our different types of smarts and during session 3 we made our play dough brains to show all the different parts of our smart, smart brains!
π‘The More You Know...
π For Caregivers: The Different Ways Your Child Learns, Scholastic, Inc.
Home-School Connection
πActivity:Β
Create family brains. Compare and contrast strengths and challenges. Discuss how you can help each other grow and learn (make sure to highlight how your child has strengths that could help you learn new things, too!).
Sessions 4 & 5: Clue Collector Club
π The Big Pictureπ
Humans have many ways to gather or collect clues in the situation. We use our senses (eyes, ears, touch, etc.) to attend to what is happening. We use our brain and feelings/heart to interpret the clues we gather. We do this in classrooms, hallways, and on the playground. We do this when we read a book or write/draw for others and when we are sharing space with others at home or in the community.
Knowing what to do or not do in a situation requires that we are first social observers (attend) to gether the clues to figure out what to do with that information (interpret). Teaching students thta there is a "formula" for figuring this out cna be a game changer for many. The situation is the context that informs comprehension of face-to-face interactions, videos, texts, books, and more.
Session Objectives:
Students will define three or more types of detectives
Students will state the parts of a situationΒ
Students will explain how Social Detectives use the situation (place + people + what's happening) to collect clues
Vocabulary:
Senses are sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
Situation is the place, people and what is happening at a given time.
Collect to gather or bring together.
Magnifying glass is a tool with a curved piece of glass that makes things look bigger; helping you see small details you might miss.
Activity:Β
During session 3 we had fun making our own magnifying glasses and during session 4 we practiced using them to search for clues in different stories.
Home-School Connection
πActivity:Β
Ask your child to use their magnifying glasses when reading a picture book to zoom in on characters faces or body language. You could also get a "Where's Waldo" book and ask them questions.
Session 6 + 7: Smart Guess Toolbox
π The Big Pictureπ
Humans have many ways to gather or collect clues in the situation (reminder: place + people + what's happening). We use our eyes and ears, which are called senses, to attend to what's happening. We use our brain and feelings/heart to interpret the clues we gather. When we gather clues, it helps us to read (or understand) what others are planning to do next. We gather clues to read the plan on the playground, when reading books, and while interacting or sharing space with others.
Social attention (of others and self) starts with knowing what parts of one's body and brain are used in the INPUT of information (ears, eyes, touch, smell) and which parts help us to INTERPRET that input (thinking with brain and feeling with heart/emotions). If students are attending to information in their environment that is not relevant to the context (e.g. attending to their favorite book on the desk rather than instructions), then their interpretation of what is happening will match their attention, often resulting in missing important classroom clues and/or not understanding lessons or activities.
Session Objectives:
Students will list three ways to gather clues
Students will explain how clues help us to read others' plans
Students will state the components of a smart guess toolbox
Vocabulary:
Senses are sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
Remember means to think something again or keep something in your mind so you don't forget it.
Smart guess when we take what we observe and know to make a guess.
Activity:Β
During session 5, students learned what the formula is for making a smart guess and practiced using this formula to make smart guesses about what was happening in different stories. During session 6, students practiced these skills in real time, by observing classmates at lunch, in the classroom, etc.
Home-School Connection
πActivity/Game:Β
Games like HeadsUp (app) and Hedbanz (game board) can be used to help students practice using their senses to make guesses!
Session 8: Making a SMART Guess
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