Social Skills for School and Home
Kelly McKinnon
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
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Introduction
What are social skills? Why are they important to teach to children with
autism?
Social rules, explicit and implied, are everywhere. It is easiest to notice them when
they are missing in children, such as when your child makes an unusual statement,
walks the perimeter of the playground instead of joining into the game, or when your
child has difficulty losing the game or getting off the computer when asked.
“Missing” social skills generally accompany children with an Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD). As a result, children on the autism spectrum often end up frustrated
and socially isolated. Teachers feel frustrated, as do parents. Research shows that
children with autism may be even more likely to experience loneliness & poor quality
friendships then their typical developing peers” (Bauminger, Kasari, 2000).
As practitioners we are faced every day with the challenge of developing and teaching
appropriate skills for children on the Autism Spectrum. Teaching social skills has
become a popular topic in the world of autism, with many different perspectives of
what social skills are and how to teach them. If you ask teachers what social skills
means they may include the ability to sit and listen, raise your hand and follow
classroom directions. If you ask a speech and language pathologist, they may include
the ability to use language or to see someone else’s point of view; if you ask a parent,
they may say the ability to have friends and spend time with them. Are all of these
social skills? Of course!
As behavior analysts, we are frequently faced with teaching and supporting children
with autism. A great deal of research has demonstrated that using an ABA approach is
a very effective way to teach and support children with autism. This includes teaching
children in their homes, in the community and in their schools. As consultants,
therapists and educators it is our job to be sure that best practice techniques are used in
all of these environments. This includes teaching social skills to children with autism.
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What is ABA?
and why use this approach to teach social skills
What is it? ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis is often and incorrectly described as
“tabletop” work with children with autism. It is also often described incorrectly as
“1:1” work with children or even to define early intervention services. Many critics of
ABA say it “creates robotic-like children”. Unfortunately, these are all incorrect and
“watered-down” concepts of what is truly ABA.
For many years, a primary instructional method of behavior therapy has been the
discrete trial teaching method (DTT). This approach can best be defined as an adultdirected teaching method, with frequent or massed trial presentation of materials
(Lovaas et al, 1981). While discrete trial teaching has been shown as an extremely
effective method for teaching many new skills, it should be noted that it is not the only
method of teaching skills in a behavior program repertoire. Unfortunately, for many
reasons, many ABA practitioners and school programs attempting to imitate the
success of ABA programs have come to rely solely on this technique, and, in effect,
created some of the bad press that can surround ABA. The result is that many people
believe that an ABA program means table work, or “go into a therapy room alone,” or
work solely in a 1:1 teaching formula using a discrete trial method.
The definition of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is an approach that uses
instructional technology designed to change behavior in a systematic and measurable
way.
Note that the “Applied” in applied behavior
analysis, means functional and meaningful. It
means that the child is able to use the skill in
context in his/her daily life and in his/her
community, where the opportunities to use
the skill would be most naturally occurring.
 Important note:
Reinforcement will increase the
likelihood that a child will
perform a skill again.
Note that “behavior analysis” means looking at why a child does something—what is
maintaining that behavior. Another way to think about it is this: why is that child doing
that behavior? What do they “get out of it”? Or conversely, why ISN’T that child
demonstrating a behavior (why aren’t they playing or talking with other children?)
Very simply (in its most basic form) ABA is this:
 Determining skills to decrease, with matching skills to increase
 Teaching new skills by breaking them down to simple components
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 Systematically teaching skills by using a hierarchy of prompts to ensure a
student will succeed (with fading of prompts included in your teaching)
 Reinforcing instances of responses to ensure that the response (skill) will occur
again
 Measuring and tracking skills to ensure success
A genuine and comprehensive ABA program uses a wide variety of teaching methods
aimed at increasing skill deficits in children with autism (Maurice, Green & Luce,
1996), including the techniques of direct instruction (teacher-led activities, discrete trial
teaching); activity-based instruction (instructional trials are embedded within a specific
activity, such as language targets in an art activity); and incidental teaching (childdirected activities) and naturally occurring opportunities to provide relevant teaching
instruction.
Methods include shaping skills (taking advantage of related responses the child already
has, and reinforcing closer and closer approximations to the desired response), and
errorless teaching methods and planned prompt fading (fading adult presence &
support as child gains skill mastery). Other methods of supporting and teaching desired
skills include reinforcement procedures & reward systems (including varying
reinforcement schedules), token economies, behavior momentum methods to ensure a
students attention and compliance and self-monitoring procedures, All of these
techniques can help support a child successfully across a variety of learning situations,
including 1:1 situations in school, and help support and maximize learning in other
therapeutic modalities.
ABA has been
well-researched
and documented
as an effective way
to teach new skills
to children with
autism
In 1996 the Early Intervention Program of the New York State
Department of Health initiated a comprehensive review of the
literature on the different interventions of Autism. The final
product, Report of the Recommendations of the Clinical Practice
Guidelines: Autism/Pervasive Development disorders: Evaluation,
Assessment, and the Intervention for Young Children, outlines the
recommendations of a panel of experts working in the field of
autism.
The National Research Council, in their text, Educating Children with Autism, 2001,
states that, “for a child with an autistic spectrum disorder to be included in mainstream
settings, the child must be able to manage social experiences. This requires careful
consideration on the part of the school staff”.
Although consensus regarding all effective forms of treatment for children was not met,
the committee did agree on the following:
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1. Entry into intervention programs as soon as an autism spectrum diagnosis is
seriously considered;
2. Active engagement in intensive instructional programming for a minimum of 25
hours, 5 days a week, with full year programming
3. Functional, spontaneous communication should be the primary focus of
early education
4. Social instruction should be delivered throughout the day in various
settings, using specific activities and interventions planned to meet ageappropriate, individualized social goals.
5. The teaching of play should focus on play with peers, with additional
instruction in appropriate use of toys and other materials.
6. Intervention strategies that address problem behaviors should incorporate
information about the contexts in which the behaviors occur; positive, proactive
approaches, and the range of techniques that have empirical support (e.g.,
functional assessment, functional communication training, reinforcement of
alternative behaviors).
Pamela Wolfberg, a leader in teaching social play to children diagnosed with autism
noted that, “Children with autism often gravitate to repetitive play activity, to pursuing
obsessive and narrowly focused interests. Without specific guidance, they are less
likely to engage in functionally appropriate play with objects” (Wolfberg, 1999).
Finally, the Chapter three of the Surgeon General’s report on Mental Health 1999
states, “Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral
methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning
and appropriate social behavior”.
The evidence is overwhelming. Teaching to the disability, under IDEA, means teaching
social skills to children on the autism spectrum as a priority. Using ABA
methodologies to teach means using evidenced-based practices.
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Social Skills for School
Social skills in school sounds easy. It sounds like a natural place for social
development to occur. And it does. However, school is also a very organized,
regimented place, where conformity is important, and knowing how to follow the rules
is vital. Complicating the issue is this: children are not taught how to be social; they are
just supposed to be social. Social skills is not typically part of the schools’ curriculum.
Children are supposed to know. We know now that a primary need for children with
autism are social skills. Therefore, if we are truly teaching to and for the disability,
social skills must be included in the IEP process.
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The IEP Process
getting social skills into your IEP
The IEP process can be very difficult to maneuver. It is crucial that the process occur,
and that whenever possible, school personnel and families work together. Many times,
it is the planning and the conversations before the meeting where the “real meeting”
happens. That way there are no surprises at the meeting, and everyone knows what
everyone is looking for. Your IEP should really be just a place where you sign papers,
because all of the work has been done ahead of time.
1. Use the Social Skills Checklists* to assess social skill needs
2. Complete observations & interviews of those involved
3. List skill deficits/areas of need
4. At the IEP determine your skill deficits,
and order of priority
5. With your skill need areas, write measurable goals
6. Determine strategies to obtain these goals
7. Determine frequency/support needed to implement
strategies you have determined
8. Develop a data system to determine progress
and when it is time to move forward in benchmarks
9. Develop a communication process with entire team
to help with practice and generalization
10. Post-test assessment in one year to check progress
11. Determine next steps in skill needs, call new IEP, to
add/address new goals as determined from assessments
* The Social Skills Checklist by Kelly McKinnon in the book, Social Skills Solutions by Kelly McKinnon & Janis
Krempa.
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Step 1: Evaluation & Assessment of Social Skills
Knowing where you are and where you need to go is the key
Many social skill goals in IEP’s appear to be virtually pulled from “thin air” as
professionals grasp to address social skill needs without appropriate assessment and
planning. Assessment of appropriate social skills needs is key. Knowing where you are
and where you need to go is vital to the systematic and appropriate teaching of social
skills, to avoid socially “splintered” skills.
The Social Skills Checklists was developed to break down specific social skills needed
by children with ASD. They can be found in my corresponding manual, Social Skills
Solutions, Teaching Social Skills to Children with Autism, Kelly McKinnon, M.A.,
BCBA and Janis Krempa, M.Ed., BCBA. The checklists are meant to provide a
reference list of skills that are frequently identified as specific areas of need for the child
with autism. You will notice that on each of the checklists (each level) the social skills
become progressively more sophisticated and detailed.
It is recommended that the Social Skills Checklists be used to determine social skill
needs, matching social skills goals to the Core Deficits of the diagnostic criteria for
autism
Core Deficits of Autism
Area 1: Social Language
Area 2: Social reciprocity,
nonverbal gaze, play
It should be noted that there are other social skill
assessments available. Check with your school
psychologists for tools that they use.
Area 3: Restricted interests,
stereotypy
The Social Skills Module Areas were designed to look at social skills from a
developmental perspective while looking at the core deficits often identified in children
with autism. Social skills from this perspective include looking for social deficits and
matching them to the core deficit areas of autism in the areas of:
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 Social Area: Module 1: Joint attention; social referencing, imitation>
Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 2
 Social Area: Module 2: Ability to acknowledge and greet others in our
world >for YOU
 Social Area: Module 3: Ability to interact with others, play>
Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 3
 Social Area: Module 4: Ability to calm self and self-monitor>
Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 3
 Social Area: Module 5: Social Language~ Functional language>
Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 1
 Social Area: Module 6: Perspective taking & Theory of mind>
Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 1 & 3
 Social Area: Module 7: Ability to problem solve, critical thinking>
Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 1 & 3
 Social Area: Module 8: Ability to adapt to advanced language and all
that comes with it: social pragmatics, including interpreting social clues,
inferences> Corresponds with ASD Core Deficit Area 1
 Social Area: Module 9: Community & Friendships> Corresponds with
ASD All Core Deficit Areas
Use the Social Skills Checklist from my first book to assess your child’s needs in a 1:1,
small group or larger group setting, across the above developmentally appropriate
milestones.
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There is a great deal of literature on the success of ABA programs (Applied Behavior
Analysis) to teach children with autism. A review of ABA earlier in this book indicated
the wide-variety of methods used within a good ABA program. It is important to
consider your student’s setting when addressing learning, and to be careful not to keep
your child in a 1:1 teaching “rut” if you are using ABA principles. The Socials Skills
Checklist in my companion manual includes looking at setting, to ensure that once a
child is able to demonstrate a social skill in a 1:1 setting, this skill is introduced into a
larger setting. Additionally, the activities to teach in the second portion of this group
will focus largely on joint attention and referencing skills, all important to move from a
1:1 type of learning environment to a group setting, which is more common in a school
environment. Literature on group learning and inclusion should also be taken into
consideration, and often includes the following:
How do you know your child is ready for group learning?
Child acquires
new skills in a:
1:1 situation
Child acquires
new skills in a:
small group
Child is learning to
follow basic adult
directives
Child is learning to comply Child is learning to comply
to demands with other
to demands with other
peers nearby
peers
Child is able to
communicate basic
wants & needs
Child is ready/learning
to engage in
activites with peers
Child is ready/learning
to engage in
activites with groups
Child has low rates of
aggressive behaviors
Child has low rates of
aggressive behaviors with
peers
Child has near 0 rates of
aggressive behaviors with
peers
Child is able to delay
reinforcement for
several minutes
Move to next level
Child is learning/ready
to delay reinforcement
with peers
Move to next level
Child is eady
to delay reinforcement
with peers
Great!
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Child acquires
new skills in a:
In classroom/large group
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Step 7: Using peers to teach social skills
very effective when planned systematically
Mentor and “buddy” programs are popping up in many school systems, with children
rewarded for their time spent as buddies. Some very good work is happening with
these programs, but some are faltering due to lack of organization and training for the
peers.
I have worked with some very talented teachers and schools that have done some
terrific training with buddies, teaching the buddies to “walk in the shoes” of a child
with autism. These teachers put together visual handouts explaining about autism, and
spent time showing the students what it was like to have trouble with fine motor skills
by having the buddies have to do things with thick gloves on, or have the buddies try
and take in a lot of information from the teacher that was presented half in English and
half in a foreign language to see what it is like to have language processing difficulties.
The buddies in their programs were very committed buddies!
Training peers should happen several times during your peer program. Initial training
should be done prior to using your peers. After the initial training, providing feedback,
training and support is recommended.
Setting up a mentor/buddy program in schools
Here are some steps:
1. Identify your students in need, and your goals. Is your goal to develop friendships? If
yes, consider same-aged peers or one grade above. Is your goal to have your students
act as teachers? Identify students 2-3 grades older. Is your goal to have someone to
“look out” for your student throughout the day? Consider same-aged or slightly older
students.
2. Identify periods/times of day that you need mentors. Examples may include lunch,
P.E., elective periods, homeroom, etc. These times of day should not interfere with the
academic needs and schedules of the students volunteering their time.
3. Set up a reward/incentive program for your peers. You are asking young students to
give up some time of their own. Some may do it because that is the “kind of kid they
are”. However, this may wear thin. Incentives will help keep the motivation going.
When helping and supporting all students is a culture of the school from the top down,
students are more likely to be involved. Examples of incentives may include: Every
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10 times a student mentors, earns a pizza party for the group; every 20 times a student
mentors, earns a free period; every 40 times a student mentors, earn a trophy and name
announced, etc. Make it cool to do this.
4. Pick students. You can target certain groups of existing students, such as honor roll
students, student government, etc. Or, you can ask all students in each grade. Ask the
students, and let them know of the incentive program.
5. Send home permission slips or notices. Get parental permission for your mentors to
be using their lunch, elective time, etc. to help other students. Ask your parents to be on
board, to continue to support their child for what they are doing.
6. Set up training. Gather your mentors and have a training. *see training handouts for
ideas. Do monthly mentor support meetings with pizza to keep them interested, and
informed.
7. Schedule your mentors. Giving the mentors a particular time to be helping will help
keep everyone organized.
8. Use sign-in sheets. These can be organized by one teacher, or each student can be on
an honor system and keep their own and turn them in. Or, a sign-in sheet can be kept in
a guidance office or somewhere similar that the students can go to commonly and signin with.
9. Keep track of your students and their volunteering time. The long-term success of
this program will be largely based on the incentive program.
10. Bring in new mentors, or give your mentors a break every so often to keep them
fresh!
11. Use your mentors for many different types of activities, including help with
conversation at lunch, help at P.E., touring new students around the school, help
tutoring other students is one example.
Congratulations! You are on your way to a successful
mentor program, with peers ready and trained to help
generalize your social skills!
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Training your Mentors/Buddies
Friends Helping Friends
As a friend and mentor, you will be asked to help other kids with things
they need help with.
It is really GREAT that you are willing to help other kids. That makes
you a GREAT person!
When kids make fun of, or leave out other kids, it hurts their feelings.
 Imagine if you didn’t have any friends. How would you feel?
 Imagine if others ignored you because you were different?
 Imagine if others ignored you because you had trouble doing
things?
Spend a minute role-playing or thinking about what it would be like if
you had difficulty with something, and what kind of help you would
need or like from others!
Thank you for being a Shark Mentor- a friend, a buddy!
What will you be doing?
As a buddy, you may be……….
 Talking with other kids that don’t know how to talk as well, or
know what to say. Here is what you can do:
-Say “Hi” just as you would to your other friends
-Get their attention if they are not looking right at you- try
tapping them on the shoulder, or calling out their name
-Ask direct questions such as:
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“What is your favorite movie?” or “what video games do you like”
-Talk about your favorite things: movies, videos, TV showsthen ask them questions if they seem interested.
-If they don’t answer you right away, try it again
 You may be spending time with other kids that have a hard time
learning or playing games. Here is how you can help:
-Ask the child to play a game- find out what they may already
know how to play, then try that first
- Play with them, showing them how to do things that they might
not know how to do
-Talk to your buddy during the game- if they do something right;
tell them- just like you would want to be told
-Stick with it- but ask for help from a teacher when you don’t
know what to do, and they will help you
 You may see this person around school. Here are things you can
do to be a good buddy:
-Say “Hi”, even when it is not your time to spend with them
-Don’t talk bad about them to others- you wouldn’t like that
-Stick up for them if anyone is teasing them or bothering them
-Ask them if they need any help, or help them if you see they need
it
-Ask if they want to join in your group
 By doing all of these things, you will be seen as a good person,
and role model by your friends and adults!
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Mentor/Buddy Activities
Morning meet & greet:
Every morning, have all students matched up with a student from their
class (including your target student), and have the students greet each
other each morning, engage in a fun, preferred activity, and start the
day together. This benefits all students!
Daily plans:
Whenever possible, pair or group students throughout your day with
“buddies”, with an eye toward friendship. If your class is a contained
classroom, reverse mainstreaming is an excellent way to work together
in art or music, or even reading together. When it is scheduled, and
students are paired according to interests, this can go well.
Lunch bunch:
I am not a typical fan of lunch bunches, because of two reasons: first,
it is often done in an exclusionary manner, where the target student
and various, random students are pulled away to a place where no one
else is. Second, the conversation skills taught tend to be artificial, and
not like most children talk at lunch.
Instead, I have had a few novel ways to approach this that have had
some success.
Try an organized table. At this table, there is a “topic of
discussion” that is introduced at the table (generally something of
latest pop culture, such as a new movie coming out, or a sport, or a
toy, depending on the student’s age). An adult is nearby to facilitate,
and provide visuals and supports as needed, however this table is a
designated table. Students can be assigned there daily, or on a weekly
rotating schedule, a mix of students.
Try an older student paired with your designated students at
lunch, such as student leaders of the school. These students sit
together with your students, and lead conversations.
Recess:
An organized game or arts and crafts table is an excellent way for all
kids that are not good at the usual recess or sports activities to play.
Having supplies, a designated area, and an adult nearby to facilitate
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can be a simple, and cost effective way to get all kids engaged. Games
can include: simple board games, card games, and puzzles to do
together. It is often easier to start with a table type of game, as your
children become more skilled at social skills.
Facilitated sports activities is another way to organize and facilitate
social interactions. Have student leaders be captains, and your
students paired and organized. It is rare that if an adult is nearby
“keeping the peace” and cheering on, that you will not get a group of
students to come!
Consider starting specialized clubs. Many students on the spectrum
have wonderful talents. Survey them. Get a Lego club going, or a comic
book club, or a chess club. Having a designated day, time and location,
will help keep this group going and consistent. Many times other
students in the school will want to join too.
Reinforcement of your buddies/mentors and recognition will be the
important key for your program to be successful. Additionally, reinforce
and recognize your student’s participation as well. Everyone likes to
feel good!
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Sample sign-in form
Shark Mentors!
Please sign in! This will help us to keep track of points
for you to earn!
Thank you for your hard work!
Name
Date Date Date
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Date
Date
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Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Sample permission slip
Dear Parents,
Your child ____________________ has been recommended as a peer
role mentor in our school!
Responsibilities for being a mentor include: helping other
children at lunch to talk and have friends, helping others that
need help with certain subjects, including P.E. and homework,
and helping new students to our school.
No academic time will be missed as a result of being a peer
mentor.
Because of your child’s hard work and dedication, they will have
access to our incentive program, which will include pizza parties,
awards and free periods earned in their day.
Please sign below if you give us permission to have your child be
a peer mentor. Please call if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Yes, I give my child __________________ permission to participate in
peer mentor club.
No, my child________________ cannot participate in the peer mentor
club.
Parent/Guardian signature
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Date
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Sample certificate for peers
Certificate of gratitude and
completion:
__________________
Has participated in the peer model
Shark Mentor Program!
Thank you for your hard work and dedication
to helping others!!
Name
Date
principle
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Step 8: Teaching social skills
in and throughout the school day
In a book titled, the Tough Kid Social Skills Book, by Susan Sheridan, PhD, Sopris
West publishers, she recommends that social skills be taught in classrooms on a weekly
basis for those students with social skill needs. The idea being, that if the classroom
teacher is on board and aware of social skills being taught, then students will be more
accountable.
In autism-specific or structured classrooms, teaching time is allotted daily for social
skill teaching. Individual skills checklists (previous chapter above) and whole-class
point systems are used daily. Social skill “themes” are taught weekly (or bi-weekly
depending on how much time is needed to fully learn and begin to demonstrate the
social skill). Speech and language teachers (SLP) join in and help role-play these skills
and help to breakdown the social skills for easy teaching.
In fully-included situations, group social skills can be taught by SLP’s and selfmonitoring and homework sheets are given to help aide in generalization. It is easier to
teach skills if they are clearly defined as part of the IEP process.
In upper-grades, guidance periods or electives are provided for specific social skill
classes. Use Peer Advisory Groups that need service hours to help in these classes.
Consider this: most schools have social skill themes, or character counts, or some
aspect of desired social skill behavior. Taking those themes and breaking them down
into more specific skills (using our ABA techniques here!), practicing those skills and
then use daily charts to track our use of those skills is one way to introduce and work
on group social skills.
Setting up school-wide reward systems given to all students demonstrating school
behaviors makes the practice school-wide and more effective!
There are many ways to teach new skills, and the second part of this book includes
some specific teaching strategies. Generally, here is a rule of thumb:
1. Break down your skills, and use visuals (handouts, videos)
to demonstrate the desired skill
2. Set up scenarios and role-play/practice this skill
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3. Reinforce the practice of the skill
4. Create, as best as you can “contrived” opportunities to use
the skills
5. Create “daily work charts” and have students self-monitor
themselves or each other when they use the skill
6. Use peers to practice and generalize (both in your initial
teaching and your generalization, such as at lunch/recess)
7. Homework or copies of your worksheets sent home for
parent information
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Here is one sample of how we took a school’s “theme” and broke it
down:
Teaching Social Skills
Lily Elementary School
School Theme was: Be Safe
Our breakdown:-Being nice to others/complimenting others
-Recognizing teasing/dealing with a bully
-Keeping your hands to yourself
-Dealing with peer pressure
-Recognizing a stranger and what to do
School Theme was: Be Respectful
Our breakdown:
-Definition of respectful
-Look/Listen to your teacher
-Look/Listen to adults & friends
-Use polite words
-Following school rules
-Waiting your turn
-Sharing/trading
-Being a good sport
-Joining into conversations/not interrupting others
School Theme was: Be Responsible
Our breakdown:
-Bring materials to class and be prepared
-Complete all assignments
-Help a teacher/Help a friend
-Avoiding fights/trouble
-Recognizing another’s feelings & helping them
-Keeping yourself neat & clean
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Weekly Lesson plans can then be taught on each skill that is broken
down. For example, on Monday, start with the theme: Be safe: being
nice to each other. Then, teach a lesson on being nice and
complimenting others, providing visual worksheets and rolemodeling/practicing on how to compliment. Make it a part of the entire
week, where everyone practices being nice, and your whole group
contingencies (from the previous chapter) are given out that week for
students “Caught in the act” of being nice to each other.
Additionally, you can give each student have a reward sheet, where
they earn tickets/points (using the existing classroom system) for
displaying the skills each day. Sharing this with the family each week
will allow them the opportunity to promote the skill being learned at
home as well, to help support generalization of the skill.
Sample daily work/reward sheet
Week of: _________________________
My name: _________________________
I am working on ____________________ this week
I will receive a point each time I demonstrate the skill!
Monday
Tuesday
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Thursday
Friday
Classroom behavior skills
Define the classroom behavior skills that you expect, and include this in your
classroom reward system.
Sample:
-Sitting still, oriented toward teacher, looking & listening
-Having materials ready and listening
-Raising hand to speak
-Sharing ideas and participation
-Writing down all homework assignments in daily planner
Classroom expectations are uniform from
class to class. This common language and common expectations help
maintain consistency for all students. Classroom behaviors are
visually posted, reviewed daily, and the positive reward system is
implemented daily for students that are “caught in the act”
demonstrating our classroom expectations.
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