Staying on Topic: Behavior Basics

Social Emotional Learning should be a component of every classroom. Teaching students how to behave and to set expectations is a huge component of any classroom management system and is also a necessity in todays world. Today I am going to talk to you about teaching kids to stay on topic.

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Why Teach the Behavior?

Staying on topic is important for students to remember and practice in the classroom. Students who can stay on topic are able to keep comments and questions that are relative to the topic of conversation. It is a way to show respect to teachers, peers, and to the conversation itself.

How to Make a Strong Student?

Students who can stay on topic during instruction are able to participate with meaning. They are able to contribute to their learning and other’s learning. Students can participate in casual conversations with their peers when they can stay on topic demonstrating appropriate engagement.

Generalizing the Behavior Skill

Staying on topic is a social skill that can be generalized to all school settings while when talking with teachers and peers. Students will need to master this skill as they age to be accepted into peer groups. Conversating on topic is a skill that students will use throughout their lives when talking with other people.

What is Behavior Basics?

Behavior basics uses direct instruction each week to build strong students and it also sets them up for success in learning and in life. Direct instruction, discussions, interactive activities, review pages, reading extension activities and data collection make this program a complete program to meet student, teacher, parent and administrative needs. To learn more about the Behavior Basics Program, read all about it HERE.

The three individual components that make up the entire program are:

How to Teach Staying on Topic:

To learn more about the Behavior Basics Curriculum, read more HERE. Each behavior basics lesson has a lesson plan with a weekly overview for the teacher or staff to implement at a work center.

To teach staying on topic, the Behavior Basics Curriculum lesson includes:

*While a weekly guide is provided, the materials can be used in any way that fits your students needs in a shorter or longer period of time!

Classroom Posters

A poster is included to post in your classroom to easily reference throughout the week of instruction. It includes the title of the behavior lesson and one real photo.

Family Resources

It is also important to communicate with families when working on big skills such as behavior to generalize the skills in all settings. Two formats are provided for you: a half sheet parent newsletter and a newsletter/ homework worksheet are included. Some teachers may decide to send home a copy of the social story as well.

Social Stories (4 levels)

For direct instruction, use a social story to teach the behavior skill of staying on topic. Social stories help visual leaners and students with limited reading ability.

Four levels of social stories are also included:

Discussion Questions & Worksheets

Following direct instruction with social stories, you can facilitate a classroom discussion. A staff discussion page, student participation sticks and student response worksheets are all included with 10 yes/no questions. Teachers are able to add to these questions how they see fit for their kids needs or to elaborate to require more than a yes/no answer.

Also included are student response sticks. Teach students to simply raise the yes/no stick to answer the question. There are also two levels to these sticks to make for easy differentiation within your classroom:

Coloring Pages

Disguise learning in a fun away with a coloring page. While coloring students can discuss what they are coloring and why it relates to the behavior of the week.

Interactive Notebook Pages

Here is a hands on, interactive notebook activity to help generalize the staying on topic. It also includes one page to create, shown below. Each behavior basic interactive notebook page comes in two versions and is all black/white for easy printing.

Each behavior basics interactive notebook activity comes with clear, visual instructions for students. Each page comes with a picture step by step for students to follow along. You can print these out and store in a binder from year to year or project them on the smart board for easy use.

All the materials you need to set up interacts notebooks in your classroom are also included:

Review Pages

Simple review pages are also included to assess student’s knowledge on staying on topic.

There are 4 levels of assessments included:

Focus Board Pieces

Each behavior basics lesson ends in a way for students to share the new skill they have learned with others. Students so often are able to read and recite facts from a story, but struggle with applying it to the “real world.” Simply set up a focus board in the beginning of the year like this:

Focus board slips are included because they help build a loving and happy community within your classroom. They also build successful students. There are two levels of focus board slips for easy differentiation within your classroom. Each focus board slip comes in two versions:

Certificate of Completion

Also included is a certificate of mastery for students to receive!

Reading Extension Activities

Picture books provide a fun alternative to direct instruction to teach the basics of behavior. These books provide critical thinking and hands on activities for extension activities in your classroom! To read more about the Behavior Basics Book Club, click HERE.

For teaching students how to stay on topic, I like reading the book, The Conversation Train, by Joel Shaul. You can find the book on amazon (affiliate link) or your local library!

Story Lesson Plans

A lesson plan/guide is provided to help teachers and staff with an in depth read aloud activity. Included in the lesson plan:

Anchor Charts and Reading Response Worksheets

Following the read aloud, complete a whole class anchor chart. This discussion anchor chart is a great way to implement deeper discussions and build further understanding of staying on topic.

Following the whole group anchor chart, students can complete their own reading response worksheet.

Directed Drawing Activity

Also included is a directed drawing lesson to incorporate arts while also discussing how to stay on topic.

Take Data and Assess

Teaching behavior skills is important. It is also important to track students progress in mastering behavior skills. To help you implement IEP goals, track progress and communicate progress to all members of the IEP team I have created a staying on topic behavior basics data bundle. Included is:

To learn more about the Behavior Basics Data Bundle, click HERE.

Want to See More?

Behavior basics uses direct instruction each week to build strong students and set them for success in learning and in life. Direct instruction, discussions, interactive activities, review pages, reading extension activities and data collection make this program a complete program to meet student, teacher, parent and administrative needs. The three individual components that make up the entire program are:

The Behavior Basics Program consists of 60 different lessons focusing on 60 different common behaviors. These lessons are broken up into 4 units. To read more about each unit, click below: