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For students who struggle in social situations, modeling normal social behavior is an important support for moving forward. Social issues help model this behavior and set expectations, especially when students are exposed to new situations with different people.
Discover how social media can benefit everyone in your classroom, from autistic students in special education classes to regular students who need help managing emotions and behaviors. You’ll also find tips from TPT Teacher-Authors on how to use social media in your classroom, as well as how to write your own!
What is the story of the community?
A social story is a story that shows characters going through social norms and expectations. Created by teacher Carol Gray for autistic students, social stories for children and youth include pictures to model social interactions for students before they encounter new situations.
For example, a fire drill social story will use pictures and short words to show a character hearing the sounds, sights, and rules of a fire drill. Teachers will use this social media story before an upcoming exercise to familiarize their students with what is coming up and review the story after the test to reiterate social expectations.
Common types of social media
Social issues can deal with any behavior or social situation that you would like to teach your students about. Popular topics in social media may include:
- Daily routines (bathing, brushing, going to bed)
- Discussions (meeting new people, eye contact, casual greetings)
- Class behavior (to interrupt, to sit in your seat, to put your hands on you)
- Emotion regulation (calm down, express yourself, manage stress)
- Life changes (change, going to a new school, puberty)
- Peer relationships (making friends, accepting boundaries, empathy)
The best social media stories are specific, detailed, and solution-oriented. You may find that reviewing a community story throughout the year may be necessary for students to grasp concepts, as well as discussions about their experiences.
Benefits of Social Media
Research shows that social media has many benefits for autistic students, and can reduce disruptive behavior and increase desired behavior. Children’s social issues break down the steps of social interaction, allowing them to predict the reactions of others and the consequences of their behavior. They also describe subtle and hidden social cues that autistic students may miss.
But no matter your classroom setting and structure, social issues can benefit your students. They promote inclusion in the classroom by modeling characters who struggle with social situations, clarifying your classroom rules and expectations, and improving peer relationships by encouraging empathy and boundaries – which can help every student.
Social Media Resources for the Classroom
The best social stories are slow and vividly portrayed, allowing readers to make connections between the characters’ feelings and their own.
Use social issues to address school situations
With so many settings, transitions, and sensory outpourings, school can be a difficult place for many students. Bring these social media resources into your curriculum during the first weeks of school to guide students on how to act and what to expect during the busiest parts of the school day.
A teacher’s tip
I would recommend following up the social story with a dice game or discussion cards so the student can process the story orally. They can reflect while answering questions like “What would you do in this situation?” and “What advice would you give the character?”
-Rachel from Bright Futures Counseling
Lunchroom Expectations Community Matters Modified Autism Dining Room Rules Book
Posted by Kimmie D
Grades: PreK-2nd
Topics: Classroom Society, Learning about Social Emotions, Speaking and Listening
What can children expect to see and hear in the restaurant? Use the adapted social media book to help autistic students, normal students, and anyone who could use some guidance on school cafeteria rules and regulations.
The Social Issue of Riding the Bus
Written by Brooke Reagan
Topic: School Counseling
Riding the bus can be difficult for anyone, especially students with special needs. Help students of any age navigate the appropriate behaviors and expectations when riding the bus with illustrated community stories. The printable and digital versions of the resource provide colorful illustrations for each rule, including getting on and off the bus, holding hands, and using kind and gentle words.
The personal boundaries of the social space invader Autism Activity
By Badger State Speechy
Grades: 1st-6th
Topics: School Counseling, Speaking and Listening
General: CCSS CCRA.SL.2
Aligned with CCSS speaking and listening, this personal space communication story helps autistic students and students with social problems navigate maintaining space with their peers. Students identify what their hands and feet are doing, social rules, and non-verbal communication through engaging visuals such as teaching stories for different grade levels.
Manage classroom behavior on social issues
Ideally, your classroom should be a safe place for your students – and that includes their peers, too. Use these social stories to teach and remind students to respect others in concrete, easy-to-understand language that models.
A teacher’s tip
Use puppets to act out the concepts after reading the social story. This moves you from passive to active learning. Dolls lower their defenses.
-Rachel from Bright Futures Counseling
Hands to Me – Social Media Unit with 25 Activities, Visuals and Vocabulary
Written by NoodleNook
Topic: Literacy Education
Get ahead of classroom conflicts with a handy resource. Students complete comprehension activities, flashcards, and worksheets using supporting displays in both black-and-white and color versions.
Profanity Public Matters | Social Affairs | Good Language is a Social Issue
By Allie Szczecinski and Miss Behavior
Grades: PreK-3rd
Topic: School Counseling
Are your students suffering from profanity and inappropriate language in the classroom? Use a social script that focuses on good language to guide novice readers from insulting each other. It includes the social texts of a small book with visual bases that use both the words “profanity” and “insult” to meet students where they are.
Add social media communication principles to your SEL lessons
Many autistic students have trouble controlling emotions, especially in new social situations or times with extra sensory stimulation. These teaching tools guide students of all ages to use their emotions about social issues in emotional moments throughout the day.
A teacher’s tip
For many students – especially those with autism or social communication challenges – acting out a social story bridges the gap between “knowing what to do” and actually doing it in the moment.
-Mickelle from I LUV Special Ed
Calming Strategies: Social Stories and Visuals for Self-Control and Behavior
Courtesy of Autism Class-Christine Reeve
Grades: K-10th
Topic: Social Emotional Learning
This kit includes four social stories about others’ perspectives and problematic situations, all in visual format with a picture on each page for students to match the narrative with the pictures.
Social Skills Texts and Narratives – Programmable Stories for Middle and High School
With Method 2 Success
Grades: 6th-9th
Topics: School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Guide students to a variety of social situations through texts and narratives. Beneficial for middle and high school students working on building their social skills, the printable resource includes 20 social issues about change, waiting, managing emotions, homework, and more.
How to Create Your Own Social Stories
If you need a social media story that’s more specific to your classroom, you can create one yourself! All you need is a social situation, steps to walk in that situation, and a little artistic talent (or a good digital graphics program).
- Identify the audience for your story. Is this for autistic students, children with other developmental considerations, or general students?
- Find the purpose of the story, such as the social lesson you are trying to teach your students.
- Set a setting for your social media story, preferably one that readers know they’re about to meet.
- Separate the social navigation steps of the situation. Include one sentence per page (or quarter page).
- Create images, either by drawing them yourself or using a digital art program. You can also use clipart as long as it clearly shows the behavior of each character.
If you are teaching older students or children with low support needs, consider creating their own social media based on when they should be using social skills. Then they can share their stories to help their peers!
A teacher’s tip
Don’t rely on the story alone. Pair it with modeling, visualization, and repeated practice so that the skill can be used in the moment.
-Shelly from Shelly Swift BCBA
Social affairs guides and supports students
Social media works best when students (and teachers) know how to use it. Once you’ve used a few social media with your class, expand your repertoire with additional social media resources for different needs and grade levels, and see how well your students’ SEL and social skills improve. You can also enhance your curriculum with special educational resources that address these important steps, empowering your students to feel comfortable and competent in new situations.
