Always Strangers (Part 2, Disc #3)

Summary of Story #5

Sofia recounts the process by which she was able to recognize the plumber as a community helper. She will affirm that although the plumber moved from the Red Total Stranger Space to the Red Stranger Circle, as he went from a total stranger to a community helper, the plumber will never move past Red. She does not know the plumber as an individual but recognizes his role as a community helper by his uniform and identification.

Teacher’s Note

Students are reminded that although there is no foolproof way of recognizing community helpers, they are encouraged to pay attention to the uniform, work environment, and identification of those claiming to be community helpers.

Program Aims

To show how a relationship with a community helper does not move past red stranger status
To create opportunities to practice social skills with people who are community helpers.
To show how a relationship with a stranger does not always change.
To create opportunities to practice keeping strangers at a distance.

Methods

Step 1

Review items from the conclusion section of “Kids on the Block” replaying the video vignette and using the reminders and cues as necessary.

Who is the most important person in your world of CIRCLES? Does that ever change?
Show the sign and indicate the Orange Wave Circle.
Describe the changes in touch, talk, and trust that occur as a person moves from the Red Total Stranger Space to the Orange Wave Circle.

Step 2

Inform students that today they will see a story about persons who were in Sofia’s Red Total Stranger Space who did not move to a closer circle.

Step 3

Show the action video vignette “Always Strangers” stopping after the plumber sequence is over.

Step 4

Ask students to recount from memory, or by referring to the video vignette intermittently, what the events of the story were. Use laminated figural icons to trace the development of this relationship and to show how the character progresses through the circles.

Step 5

Remind students that relationships can and do change over time when both people want a closer relationship. Of course, sometimes both people agree that the relationship should stay the same. This is called mutuality.

Step 6

Refer to the CIRCLES giant wall graph that is mounted in a convenient location. Using the large, laminated figural icons and with input from your students, create a story that parallels the story they have just seen.

Step 7

Tell students that now they can use their knowledge about relationships that do not change. Ask students to share how a stranger in their world of CIRCLES did a job for them as a community helper, but still remained a stranger. Students can use the laminated icons on the CIRLCES graph or practice by using the Circles Social Skills Utility™.

Step 8

Help students to process the level of touch, talk, and trust with strangers that become community helpers:

Touch - When Sofia recognized the uniform on the stranger she knew that she could only have business touch with him, if any at all.
Talk - When Sofia recognized the uniform on the stranger she knew that she could only talk about business with him.
Trust - When Sofia recognized the uniform on the stranger she knew that trust would only be related to his business role in the community.

Step 9

Affirm with your students that relationships can change, but they don’t have to. Sofia did not want the plumber to move to a closer circle. She kept their relationship strictly business like. In fact, when the plumber tried to get overly personal with Sofia by asking her about a movie, she quickly got her mother.

Step 10

Inform students that they now will see a story about how total strangers in the Red Total Stranger Space can stay in the Red Total Stranger Space.

Step 11

Continue the action video vignette “Always Strangers” and pause for discussion when the story concludes.

Step 12

Step 13

Remind students that relationships can change but do not have to. Although Sofia had thoughts about the total strangers after she noticed them, she kept them to herself.

Step 14

Step 15

Tell the students that now they can use their knowledge of how relationships can stay the same in the Red Total Stranger Space. Ask students to show how a total stranger in their world of CIRCLES remained a total stranger. Students can use the laminated icons on the CIRCLES graph or practice by using the Circles Social Skills Utility™.

Step 16

Help students to process the lack of touch, talk, and trust with total strangers:

Touch - Sofia did not touch the total strangers and they did not touch her.
Talk - Sofia did not talk to the total strangers and they did not talk to her.
Trust - Sofia could not tell if she could trust the total strangers or not, so she didn’t trust them.

For Greater Depth

Elicit the following information from the students, either from their memory or by replaying the action video vignette:

Sofia noticed that there were people around her, but they were total strangers.
Sofia didn’t know or care if she would ever see them again.
Sofia didn’t know anything about the total strangers.
Sofia had no business with the total strangers.

Conclusion

Replay the video vignette as needed to remind students that relationships do not have to change and that some people stay strangers forever. Remind students that in order to be appropriate when you are near a stranger they need to:

Not touch them
Not talk to them
Not trust them

Support Activities

Ask students where they are likely to see strangers.
Remind students that a person is a stranger if they don’t know each other, even if this is someone they admire, like a rock star.
See Part 2, Disk #4 “Cyberspace Rules” for Stranger considerations for online safety.

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Return to: Kids on the Block (Part 2, Disc #4) - Red to Orange

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Go to:

Always Strangers (Part 2, Disc #3) - Staying Red