7th Grade Observations And Evaluations Lesson Plan Example (Social Emotional Learning)

Topic: Observations vs Evaluations in Nonviolent Communication

Objectives & Outcomes

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify observations vs evaluations in nonviolent communication and use them appropriately in communication.

Materials

• Nonviolent communication handouts (one per student)
• Examples of observations vs evaluations (e.g. "You're late again," vs "You're always late")

Warm-up

• Ask students to share a recent experience where they had to give or receive feedback to or from someone.
• Ask the students to share:
• What did they have to give or receive feedback about?
• How did the other person respond to the feedback?
• How did the students feel about giving or receiving the feedback?

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of observations and evaluations using nonviolent communication (NVC) as a framework.
• Explain that when we communicate, we usually have one of two intentions: to make an observation about something that is happening or to make an evaluation of it.
• Observations are statements about what is happening in the present moment. They are non-judgmental and descriptive. For example, "I see that you have your headphones on and aren't listening to me," or "I notice that you haven't done your homework yet."
• Evaluations are statements about what we think or feel about what is happening. They are often based on our own needs and values. For example, "You're being disrespectful by not listening to me," or "You're being lazy by not doing your homework."
• Ask the students to share some examples of observations and evaluations using the above examples as a guide.

Guided Practice

• Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
• Give each group a scenario and ask them to identify any observations and evaluations. For example, "Your friend didn't invite you to a party," or "Your teacher is giving a difficult test."
• Allow time for the students to discuss and come to a consensus on their observations and evaluations.
• As a class, discuss the observations and evaluations that the groups came up with and discuss why they made the choices they did.

Independent Practice

• For independent practice, have the students complete the Observation Exercise on page 51 of the NVC Resources Guide (see resources).
• Have the students work independently to complete the exercise, and then discuss as a class any observations and evaluations that they came up with.

Closure

• Review the key points of the lesson: observations are facts, whereas evaluations are feelings or opinions about the facts.
• Ask the students to share one thing they learned about observations and evaluations in today's lesson.

Assessment

State:

• Observe the students during the role play to assess their ability to identify observations vs evaluations.
• Ask the students to write a short paragraph about the importance of making accurate observations in nonviolent communication.
• Evaluate their paragraphs for understanding of the topic.