Growing Together: Social Skills for a Stronger School Community
Allyson Sicard
ID-3041
School Name:Lake Park Elementary
Grant Request Grade:K-5
Grant Request Subject:Special Needs Students
Additional Details
The Everyday Speech curriculum will support students in developing critical social communication competencies by:
Increasing appropriate social interactions with peers and adults
Improving conversational turn-taking and topic maintenance
Enhancing understanding of emotions and social perspectives
Developing problem-solving and conflict-resolution strategies
Strengthening self-advocacy and self-regulation skills
Supporting successful inclusion within educational settings
The Everyday Speech Social Skills Curriculum will be used to provide explicit, evidence-based instruction in social communication skills for students receiving speech-language services and other students who demonstrate social communication needs. Through engaging video modeling, interactive lessons, role-playing activities, guided discussions, and real-life problem-solving scenarios, students will learn and practice essential skills needed for success in school and beyond.
Instruction will focus on key areas including:
Conversational skills and turn-taking
Understanding social cues and body language
Perspective-taking and empathy
Friendship and relationship-building skills
Self-regulation and emotional awareness
Problem-solving and conflict resolution
Social thinking and expected/unexpected behaviors
Self-advocacy and communication confidence
Students will participate in small group and individual therapy sessions where they can observe modeled behaviors, discuss social situations, practice skills in a supportive environment, and receive immediate feedback. Lessons will be aligned with students' Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and tailored to their individual communication needs.
By providing structured opportunities to learn and practice social communication skills, this project will help students improve peer interactions, increase classroom participation, strengthen social-emotional competencies, and build the confidence necessary to succeed academically and socially. The skills acquired through this program will support students in becoming more effective communicators, collaborative learners, and active members of the school community.
Students will develop stronger social communication, self-regulation, and problem-solving skills, leading to improved peer relationships, greater classroom participation, and increased academic and social success.
Grant funds will be used to purchase a one-year license for the Everyday Speech Social Skills Curriculum. This digital program provides engaging, age-appropriate lessons, video modeling, activities, and progress-monitoring tools that support social communication instruction. The curriculum will be utilized by the Speech-Language Pathologist to provide targeted intervention for students with pragmatic language and social communication needs, helping them develop skills that can be generalized across classroom, peer, and school settings.
Funding is requested to purchase a license for the Everyday Speech Social Skills Curriculum, an evidence-based digital resource that provides structured lessons, video modeling, and interactive activities to support students with social communication needs. The curriculum will be used during speech-language therapy sessions to improve social interaction, self-regulation, perspective-taking, and communication skills that contribute to academic and social success.
