Social Skills

Social Skills are explicit behaviors that need to be taught. Many students learn these skills through common daily interactions. Other students need explicit instruction. The following are the benchmark learning targets for the MOSAICS Academy's social skill instruction.

Basic Interaction Skills

Benchmark Learning Targets:

Make eye contact when talking with someone.
Make eye contact with the teacher in class to show you are listening.
Greet others by saying “Hi” and making eye contact.
Use your manners by saying “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” and “I’m sorry.”
Be polite and kind to others, whether or not they are your best friend.
When you see someone who needs help, offer to help them.
When you see someone who could use support, offer to support them (ex: offer to eat lunch with them, ask if they need to talk).
Keep personal space when talking with others.
Give genuine compliments is a nice thing to do (ex: “I like your new shoes”).

Conversation Skills

Benchmark Learning Targets:

Keep eye contact when talking to someone.
Answer a question when someone asks you.
Show you are interested when someone else is talking by keeping eye contact and occasionally nodding your head.
Keep the conversation going with someone by asking more questions or commenting on the topic.
Take turns talking when there is a natural break or pause in the conversation.
Wait your turn and don’t interrupt.
Stay mostly on the topic the other person is talking about.
Pay attention to others’ social cues such as starting to walk away, looking at the clock, looking away, or engaging in another activity.

Empathy Skills

Benchmark Learning Targets:

Look for clues to help consider how someone else might be feeling.
Clues to help you might be facial expressions, their actions, or body language.
Consider what someone else might be thinking.
Be sensitive to the feelings of others (ex: don’t talk about getting a good grade on a quiz when you know someone is really upset about their grade).
Consider why someone else might think or feel a certain way, even when you don’t have the same perspective.
Listen to others and their point of view, even when you don’t agree.
It’s okay to respectfully disagree on topics or ideas.
Be polite and understanding when you disagree with someone, rather than making fun of them or making them feel bad.

Relationship Skills

Benchmark Learning Targets:

Be kind and thoughtful to your friends.
Show kind gestures when a friend might need some suppoert (ex: ask if they need a tissue when crying or ask if they need to talk if upset).
Be dependable with your friends (ex: if you say you’re going to call, call!).
Relationships need space sometimes.
Give space to friends and don’t “strangle” your relationships by communicating with the person too much (ex: calling 20 times a day).
It’s good to have more than one friend.
Be happy for others when they find success or do well with something.
Friends should have a mix of who make decisions (ex: if yoyu decided the movie this time, let your friend decide next time).
You can respectfully disagree with your friends on topics.
If you get into an argument, give space and time before fixing things.
Bullying and violence are not okay in relationships.

Conflict Resolution Skills

Benchmark Learning Targets:

There are often multiple ways to solve a problem.
Think of possible solutions to a problem before jumping in.
Consider what the consequences for each solution might be, including how they will affect you and others.
It’s always better to be honest and take responsibility for your actions.
It’s important to understand all the facts, instead of making assumptions.
Gossiping and making rumors in not okay.
If you need to talk to someone, go to them directly.
If you make a mistake, apologize by admitting what you did wrong, saying you are sorry, and asking if there is a way to undo any damage you might have caused.

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