Unit Plan 16 (Grade 3 Counselor): Joining Groups and Including Others
Teach Grade 3 students to join groups respectfully, include classmates, offer roles, and use compromise during games, conversations, and group work.
Focus: Help students practice joining group work, games, or conversations respectfully while also learning how to include others. The counselor uses role-play scenarios where a student wants to join a game, a group already has roles, or someone is being ignored. Students practice language for joining, inviting, offering roles, and adjusting plans so more people can participate.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: School Counseling (Inclusion • Respectful Communication • Conflict Resolution)
Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 30 minutes per session
I. Introduction
This Grade 3 counseling lesson helps students practice two important friendship and group skills: joining respectfully and including others. Students learn that joining a game, conversation, or group activity can feel nervous or awkward, and that classmates can help by noticing when someone wants to participate. The counselor emphasizes that belonging grows when students use respectful words, listen to one another, and make space for others when possible.
Students work through realistic Grade 3 situations involving recess games, partner work, group projects, lunch conversations, and classroom activities. They practice asking to join, inviting someone in, offering a role, adjusting rules, taking turns, and using compromise when there is disagreement. The goal is for students to understand that inclusion does not mean every situation works perfectly, but students can still respond with empathy, respect, and safe problem-solving.
Essential Questions
- How can students ask to join a group, game, or conversation respectfully?
- How can students include others during recess, group work, lunch, or classroom activities?
- What words help classmates feel welcomed, respected, and valued?
- How can students use compromise, turn-taking, or adult help when joining or inclusion problems happen?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify how a student may feel when they want to join a game, group, or conversation.
- Practice respectful language for joining, inviting, offering roles, and including others.
- Explain how empathy helps students notice when someone may feel ignored, nervous, left out, or unsure.
- Use active listening and connected responses during joining or inclusion scenarios.
- Choose safe and respectful conflict-resolution strategies, such as compromise, turn-taking, assertive communication, walking away, or adult help.
- (Optional Session) Apply joining and inclusion skills through role-play, scenario sorting, or a group participation challenge.
Standards Alignment — Grade 3 (ASCA-based Custom)
- C:S3.3a — Show Empathy and Respect for Others
- Recognize how others may feel and respond with kindness, respect, and care.
- Example: A student notices a classmate looks left out and says, “Do you want to join our game?”
- C:S3.3c — Communicate Respectfully with Peers and Adults
- Use respectful words, active listening, and connected responses during conversations, disagreements, and group work.
- Example: A student says, “I disagree, but I understand your idea. I think we should try this plan instead.”
- C:S4.3c — Resolve Conflicts Safely and Respectfully
- Use respectful words, compromise, turn-taking, assertive communication, walking away, or adult help to resolve conflict without unsafe or hurtful behavior.
- Example: A student says, “Please stop calling me that. I do not like it,” and gets adult help if the behavior continues.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can ask to join a group or game respectfully.
- I can invite others to join when possible.
- I can offer a role so someone can participate.
- I can use respectful words and listen to others’ ideas.
- I can use compromise, turn-taking, or adult help when a problem happens.