MVP 2.0 - Lessons in SEL - Communication

-Restorative Communication-

HOW TO USE THIS LESSON: The webpage below is intended to be projected for students to follow along. It includes basic instructions, definitions, etc. to guide students. Depending on your technology, you can have a student in charge of scrolling through the site, on your cues. Just have them try not to scroll past the thin purple dividers or thick colored banners until you are ready to start that next section!

You will also need to download and/or print this facilitator's guide. This document contains extra instructions, facilitator's notes, and other behind-the-scenes content necessary for the lesson.

Grade 12 - Restorative Communication (25-30 minutes)

Objective: You will learn about the power of storytelling, gain comfortability sharing your own stories, and learn how to use storytelling to find hidden connections with others.

Introduction

Sit in a circle and listen to the following thoughts:

As long as there have been people, there have been stories. Storytelling is a fundamental part of being human. Stories make up our history and guide our future. Some stories have lasted hundreds and thousands of years and are still being told. Stories began with the oral and aural tradition, meaning they were passed on by being told, heard and retold. Stories are powerful. They can teach us morals and values. They can teach history. They can entertain or even scare us. Stories can make us laugh, cry, and make us think in ways we never thought we could.

The stories that we tell allow us to share information in a way that creates an emotional connection. By creating an emotional connection, we can gain a deeper understanding of other people's experiences. Stories are rooted in every culture. Stories about our ancestors can teach us about where we came from and the things we have in common with other people around us. You probably have favorite stories of your own. Maybe they are stories about your family that you heard from your parents or grandparents, or your own stories based on your own experiences. Wherever they come from, stories are the common thread that runs through us all.

You will be working together to create your own classroom story, as a way to become familiar with story telling.

The first person in the circle will begin the story with, “Once upon a time there was a group of students….” and then will complete the sentence.

Each student adds one meaningful sentence that builds on the sentence that came before it. The story should travel all the way around the Circle (twice if the group is small).

The last person in the circle contributes the final sentence, and then states, “.....and that for now is The End.”

Be creative and reflective to tell the story of this classroom. You can be inventive, but the stories should include pieces of truth.

After everyone has contributed to the story, briefly reflect on the following:

How true was it to reality?

How is the story impacted by being pieced together by so many storytellers?

Is there a message to the story?

Main Activities

For the next activity, you need to work in groups. You will have the opportunity to apply what you've learned about storytelling in these groups.

You are invited to spend a brief moment reflecting on one of the following prompts. Please use only 1, or 1 per group.

What was your favorite toy as a child? Why was it special to you? What memories stand out with that toy?

Look at your shoes. Where have they taken you? Where do you hope they take you in the future?

What is your favorite place you have visited or favorite place to spend time? Tell a story of a time you were there.

Each person is invited to take a turn telling their story.
The job of everyone else present is to listen actively. Think about what we've learned: listening with openness and intentionality, paying attention to what is said and what is left unsaid, and not passing judgement.
After a person is done sharing their story, they should say "I pass to... (the name of the person on their left)"
This person will then share their story, until everyone has had an opportunity to share or pass.
If someone does not feel comfortable sharing, they can simply pass to the next person.

Closing

One of the most important roles that storytelling plays is that it creates connections between people. This activity will make those connections visible. Spend a moment thinking about the reactions and emotions that you noticed while listening to your peers' stories, and the ways that you may have realized you are similar to or different from each storyteller.

We will be creating a web of these connections.

One student in each circle will begin with a ball of yarn. They will share a connection they made with another student's story, and then pass the ball of yarn to that student. Make sure to keep hold of the end of the yarn each time you pass, so we wind up with a web!

Remember, these connections can be similarities, differences, thoughts, or emotions that popped up while listening to the story. We are all connected, so everyone should get tied into the web!

Looking for a little more content?

Extension Activity

Have students write down the names of each peer in their circle.

Challenge them to recall from memory what each person's story was about, and write it down. Point out that this is the part of active listening that focuses on what *was* said.

Next to each story, challenge them to write something that they learned about that person because of that story, or a value they'd guess that person has after hearing the story. Point out that this is the part of active listening that focuses on the underlying meaning of the person's story, even if it wasn't explicitly verbalized.

If you had a small group, you may wish to have students "fact-check" their memory and guesses with their peers.

Introduce to students the following three principles of being a great listener

Focus your attention on the speaker. Let the person know that you are listening. How can you do this? (You can do this nonverbally by nodding and making eye contact. You can also show that you are focusing by not doing something else while the person is talking and by not interrupting.)
Confirm what you are hearing. You can do this by repeating parts of what the person says or by summarizing what’s been said. You can also repeat or summarize silently to yourself.
Respond to the speaker in some way to show that you have heard and understood what has been said. You might ask questions, make comments, or continue the conversation.

Reiterate that being a good listener is an important key to communication.

Like this lesson? Here's another on this topic:

<-- Communication for Level Two

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