Connection Circle Slides Belonging Blueprint • Lesson 1
Restorative Practices & ASCA Standards
Connection Circle
Building trust, honoring every voice, and discovering the shared threads that make our classroom a true community.
Speak with Honesty
Listen with Empathy
Safe Space for All
Foundational Norms
The Four Sacred Circle Agreements
1
Respect the Talking Piece
Only the person holding the designated piece speaks. Everyone else offers full attention without side chatter.
2
Speak from the Heart
Share your real thoughts, feelings, and experiences with authenticity. Use "I" statements rather than assumptions.
3
Listen to Understand
Do not listen just to reply. Listen to genuinely discover who your classmate is and what matters to them.
4
Honor Confidentiality
What is shared in the circle stays in the circle, but the lessons and care we build leave with us everywhere.
Passing is always permitted: You always have the right to pass respectfully.
ASCA Student Standards
Social Skills for Community Success
Standard B-SS 2
Positive Relationships
Create and maintain positive, supportive relationships with peers and adults across our school.
In this room, that looks like:
Greeting peers warmly by name each morning
Inviting new peers into group work and discussions
Standard B-SS 4
Demonstrating Empathy
Show empathy and respect for commonalities and differences among individuals and groups.
In this room, that looks like:
Validating feelings before offering advice or judgments
Appreciating diverse perspectives and lived experiences
Restorative goal: We build a community where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
Circle Rounds
Today's Circle Sharing Rounds
Round 1 • Connection
Weather Report & Favorite Spark
"If your mood today were the weather, what would it be, and what is one thing outside of school that brings you genuine energy?"
Sentence Starter: "My weather today is... and my energy spark is..."
Round 2 • Care & Support
What I Need from My Peers
"What is one way classmates can show you care or support when you are having a difficult or stressful day?"
Sentence Starter: "When I am stressed, it helps when someone..."
Remember: Practice active body language—eyes or focus toward the speaker, bodies still, hearts open.
Interactive Challenge
The Connection Compass Interview
1
Pair & Sit
Partner with someone you do not yet know well. Face each other with open body posture.
Step 1 • 2 Minutes
2
Interview & Discover
Use your Connection Compass sheet to ask three curated questions and record insights.
Step 2 • 6 Minutes
3
Gift an Appreciation
Close by telling your partner one specific strength or value you noticed while listening to them.
Step 3 • 2 Minutes
"Everyone has a story that will make you love them if you listen long enough."
Partner Compass Activity Belonging Blueprint • Lesson 1 Activity
Connection Compass Activity
ASCA B-SS 2 & B-SS 4
My Name: ____________________
Date: __________
Class / Period: ______
Partner's Name: ____________________
Directions: Interview your partner with active listening and curious kindness. Listen to discover what makes them who they are, record notes in each quadrant below, and find the common ground you share.
Part 1: The Empathy Compass Interview
North • Passions & Energy
What is a hobby, interest, or music that gives you joy outside of school?
East • Safety & Belonging
What makes you feel respected and welcomed when you enter a room?
South • Hidden Strengths
What is a strength, skill, or trait you have that people might not know?
West • Needs When Challenged
When you are feeling stressed or stuck, what kind of support helps most?
Part 2: Bridging Common Ground (ASCA B-SS 4)
Two Common Threads We Share:
What did you find that you both enjoy, feel, or value?
One Unique Strength I Appreciate About You:
What perspective or talent does your partner bring to our team?
Part 3: Peer Care Commitment Note
Dear ____________________,
Read aloud to your partner, then sign
Write a 2-sentence pledge of how you will show care, respect, or support for them this school year.
Signed with care: ____________________
Belonging Blueprint • Restorative Practice Culture Curriculum ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors: Social Skills (B-SS 2, B-SS 4)
Circle Roots Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide • Lesson 1
Circle Roots Facilitation Guide
Instructional Blueprint
Timeframe: 45–50 Minutes
Arrangement: Circle & Paired Desks
Key Material: Talking Piece & Handouts
ASCA Focus: B-SS 2 & B-SS 4
Lesson Architecture & Pacing
1. Circle Gathering & Norming (10 mins) Slides 1–2
Arrange chairs in a circle with no desks in the middle. Introduce the physical talking piece (e.g., river stone, textured plush object). Establish that silence while others hold the piece is an act of communal respect.
Teacher Script: "In our circle, there are no front or back rows. Every person is an equal architect of our safety. When the talking piece passes to you, speak your truth. If you need to pass, hold it silently for two breaths, then pass with grace."
2. Low-Stakes Check-In & ASCA Framing (10 mins) Slides 3–4
Facilitate Round 1: Weather check-in and energizing spark. Explicitly teach ASCA Standard B-SS 4 (Empathy): listening without evaluating or fixing. Model active non-verbal cues (nodding, neutral gaze).
Teacher Script: "Notice how hearing each person's weather changes how you understand them. Empathy isn't feeling sorry for someone; it's feeling *with* them."
3. Connection Compass Paired Interviews (15 mins) Slide 5 & Handout
Pair students strategically (intentionally bridge social circles). Students complete the 4-quadrant interview and identify 2 common threads and 1 strength. Circulate to prompt deeper inquiry beyond surface answers.
4. Circle Debrief & Care Gifting (10 mins) Whole Group Circle
Reconvene the circle. Each student shares their written Care Commitment Note aloud to their partner or shares one unexpected insight they learned. End with a unified communal breath or clap.
Trauma-Informed Differentiation & Scaffolding
Reluctance to Share
Never force speech. Honor the "pass." Often, reluctant students will share on round 2 or when given written sentence stems. Praise the courage of presence.
Multilingual & Diverse Learners
Encourage native language vocabulary on the Compass sheet. Provide visual emotion cards and allow partners to draw representations of hobbies and needs.
Exit Reflection & Formative Check:
Collect the Connection Compass sheets. Review Part 2 (Needs When Challenged) to flag students who expressed specific social-emotional needs or stress triggers for individualized check-ins later this week.
Belonging Blueprint • Restorative Practices Implementation Series Lesson 1 of 2 Complete Guide
Community Blueprint Slides Belonging Blueprint • Lesson 2
Co-Creating Community Agreements
Community Blueprint
Moving beyond compliance rules to co-design shared agreements that protect our safety, dignity, and collective growth.
Shared Ownership
Clear Commitments
Restorative Repair
Mindset Shift
Traditional Rules vs. Community Agreements
✕
Traditional Classroom Rules
Imposed from top-down by authority figures
Focus on what NOT to do ("No talking", "Don't run")
Motivated by fear of punishment or loss of points
Leaves harm unaddressed and relationships strained
✓
Restorative Agreements
Co-created and owned by every single member
Affirms positive behaviors ("We listen with care")
Motivated by shared belonging and mutual respect
Provides a path to repair relationships when things go wrong
Key Truth: Agreements protect people and relationships, not just procedures.
ASCA Student Standards
Self-Management & Shared Responsibility
Standard B-SMS 1
Responsibility for Self
Demonstrate personal responsibility, self-discipline, and proactive accountability for one's own behavior.
Restorative Application:
Owning our missteps without deflecting blame or making excuses.
Standard B-SS 1
Effective Collaboration
Use effective oral and written communication skills and work collaboratively with diverse peers.
Restorative Application:
Co-designing shared norms and honoring each other's boundaries daily.
When we share responsibility, our classroom becomes a sanctuary for learning.
Restorative Framework
When Harm Happens: Four Questions
1
What Happened?
What were you thinking at the time? Share the facts calmly without shame or pointing fingers.
2
Who Has Been Affected?
In what way were people hurt or impacted? How did it affect our community’s sense of safety?
3
What Needs to Happen?
What actions can be taken to make things right, repair the damage, and restore the relationship?
4
How Do We Move Forward?
What will prevent this from occurring again? What support or agreement will keep us on track?
Classroom Pact Worksheet Belonging Blueprint • Lesson 2 Activity
Classroom Pact Worksheet
ASCA B-SMS 1 & B-SS 1
Student Name: ________________________
Date: ______________
Class / Period: __________
Directions: Co-create our classroom agreements by turning restrictive rules into restorative commitments, resolving a peer scenario, and signing the accountability pledge.
Part 1: Core Values Foundation
Circle your top THREE non-negotiable community values:
Respect Empathy Honesty Voice Courage Belonging
Why is one of your chosen values essential for your learning?
Part 2: Reframing Negative Rules into Restorative Agreements
Old Deficit Rule:
"No talking while the teacher talks."
Restorative Agreement Example:
"We honor whoever holds the floor with quiet, attentive presence."
Reframe: "Don't put down other people's ideas." Prompt: "We agree to..."
Reframe: "No slacking off or leaving group work to others." Prompt: "We agree to..."
Part 3: Restorative Repair Scenario (ASCA B-SMS 1)
Scenario: During a partner project, Sam makes a sarcastic joke about Alex's idea, causing Alex to shut down and refuse to participate.
1. Who was affected and how?
2. What restorative action repairs the harm?
Part 4: My Community Commitment Charter
I personally pledge to protect the safety and belonging of this classroom by:
I agree to be held accountable with restorative grace.
My Signature: ________________________
Belonging Blueprint • Co-Creating Classroom Culture ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors: Self-Management & Social Skills (B-SMS 1, B-SS 1)
Restorative Agreements Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide • Lesson 2
Restorative Agreements Facilitator Guide
Instructional Blueprint
Timeframe: 45–50 Minutes
Group Structure: Whole Group & Triads
Key Product: Co-Signed Class Charter
ASCA Alignment: B-SMS 1 & B-SS 1
Lesson Architecture & Facilitation Steps
1. Deconstruct Rules vs. Agreements (10 mins) Slides 1–3
Contrast external compliance with internal community ownership. Emphasize that community agreements answer: "How do we want to feel and treat each other in this space?" Frame standard B-SMS 1 as proactive self-discipline.
2. Values Affinity Consensus Protocol (15 mins) Worksheet Part 1 & 2
Students complete Worksheet Parts 1 & 2 in triads. Groups record their draft "We agree to..." statements on sticky notes and post them under core value pillars on the whiteboard. Synthesize clusters into 4–5 universal commitments.
3. Restorative Harm-Repair Simulation (10 mins) Slide 4 & Worksheet Part 3
Guide students through the Sam & Alex scenario. Teach the restorative questions: highlight that true accountability is about healing the relationship and repairing trust rather than sitting in detention or losing points.
4. Charter Ratification & Signing (10 mins) Slide 5 & Worksheet Part 4
Read the 4–5 synthesized class agreements aloud together. Every student signs their worksheet pledge and signs the large poster charter hung permanently on the classroom wall.
Teacher Script: 5 Restorative Inquiry Questions
Use during a quiet 1-on-1 restorative conference when an agreement is broken:
1. What happened? Invite the student to narrate facts without judgment.
2. What were you feeling? Identify the underlying emotional trigger or stressor.
3. Who was impacted? Encourage empathy for peers or learning flow.
4. What repairs this? Student proposes concrete restitution action.
5. How to stay on track? Identify what support or agreement prevents recurrence.
Year-Round Agreement Maintenance Protocol
• Weekly 5-Minute Temperature Check: Friday exit circle rating adherence (1–5 scale).30-Day Agreement Audit: Revisit the charter after 1 month to celebrate wins and adjust wording as classroom dynamics evolve.
Belonging Blueprint • Restorative Practices Implementation Series Lesson 2 of 2 Complete Guide
