Leading and Advocating for Inclusion
Students learn to initiate and sustain inclusion actions across two different settings, identify ongoing exclusion patterns and co-develop solutions with peers, advocate for a peer being excluded or treated disrespectfully, use and model accurate respectful language and help create classroom norms around it, and reflect on the class inclusion climate and identify what's working and what to strengthen.
Lesson Overview
π Everything a teacher needs before opening the lesson. Scannable in 60 seconds.
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to take specific, adapted inclusion actions across different settings, identify and help address ongoing exclusion patterns, advocate assertively for excluded peers, use and model accurate respectful language, and reflect on the class inclusion climate with specific evidence.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Building Inclusion as Practice | SoA-INC-5-1 Β· SoA-INC-5-2 |
| 2 | Speaking Up and Leading | SoA-INC-5-3 Β· SoA-INC-5-4 |
| 3 | Reading the Room: The Class Inclusion Climate | SoA-INC-5-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| RS-ADV-5-2 | Advocating for a specific change to a class pattern β directly reinforced in Segment 2 (advocacy move) and Segment 3 (identifying what to strengthen) |
| SoA-EMP-5-2 | Advocacy in the moment requires a compassionately calibrated response β assertive without escalating β reinforced in Segment 2 (5-3) |
| SoA-FAR-5-1 | Co-creating language norms and class agreements about respectful language connects directly to building fair community practices β reinforced in Segment 2 (5-4) |
Key Vocabulary
- Inclusion β actively making sure everyone has a real place in the group β not just allowing people to be there
- Exclusion pattern β a repeated situation where the same person or group is left out across multiple moments, not just once
- Advocate β speak up specifically and calmly for someone being excluded or treated unfairly
- Class norm β a shared agreement about how the whole class behaves, not just individual choices
- Inclusion climate β the overall sense in a class of whether everyone genuinely feels they belong, based on what people consistently do
- Language leadership β using accurate, respectful language consistently yourself AND correcting inaccurate language briefly, then immediately modeling the right version β building a class norm through both personal example and in-the-moment response
Materials
- Whiteboard or chart paper; markers (three-column chart for Segment 2: Passive | Aggressive | Assertive)
- Before the week begins: Post your unit anchor chart and I Can Statement where students can see them β you’ll reference both throughout the week.
- Optional: sticky notes for Segment 3 climate reflection activity
How this lesson is structured: Each skill segment below has an I Do (teacher models the skill with a realistic scenario) and a We Do (class practices together with your guidance). Independent practice β the You Do β lives in the practice resources that go alongside this lesson.
What Students Need Before This Lesson
- What’s inside
- What students should already be able to do
- Helpful to have in place
- 4 quick set-ups before the I DoInclusion is a specific action β not a feeling or an intention Β· Patterns vs. incidents β seeing the bigger picture Β· Speaking up for someone is not drama β itβs a skill Β· Language correction alone is policing β language leadership requires correction plus modeling
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 5 launches.
Introducing the Skill
- What’s inside
- Opening hook
- What weβre learning
- Why it matters
- Core sentence frameThe frame students use all week
This section opens when Grade 5 launches.
Building Inclusion as Practice
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: inclusion action adapted to one setting Β· Same skill, different setting: how the move changes Β· Wrong version β fix: incident response vs. pattern response Β· Non-conflict scenario: inclusion in a positive moment
- We do: 4 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 5 launches.
Speaking Up and Leading
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: upstander advocacy in the moment Β· Wrong version β fix: passive response and aggressive response vs. assertive advocacy Β· Language leadership: correcting and modeling accurate, respectful language Β· Non-conflict scenario: language modeling in a positive moment
- We do: 3 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 5 launches.
Reading the Room: The Class Inclusion Climate
- What’s inside
- I do: 3 teacher modelsTextbook example: full climate reflection with specific evidence Β· Wrong version β fix: vague reflection vs. evidence-based reflection Β· Non-conflict scenario: recognizing a class strength in a positive moment
- We do: 2 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 5 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Round 1 β Segment 1: Inclusion moves across settings and tackling patterns
- Round 2 β Segment 2: Speaking up and modelling respectful language
- Round 3 β Segment 3: Reflecting on our class inclusion climate
- Land the key idea
This section opens when Grade 5 launches.
Practice for every skill segment
Each lesson comes with independent practice — the “you do” — for each of its 3 skill segments, in print and digital.
Printable practice
Ready-to-copy practice pages for each segment.
- View and print in your browser
- Answer keys for quick checking
Digital activities
Share one link — students open it on any device, and you see their answers.
- Works on Chromebooks, tablets and phones
- Students just type their name to start
While you wait: from the SEL Resource Library
Social Awareness resources for Grade 5, ready to use today.
