Expected & Unexpected Behaviors Role Play Activity

Social Thinking Vocabulary

Expected and Unexpected behaviors are terms from the Social Thinking program by Michelle Garcia Winner and Dr. Pamela Crooke.  The authors explain that “Expected and Unexpected” terms replace referring to behaviors as “Appropriate and Inappropriate”.  They postulated that teachers and caregivers rarely acknowledge “Appropriate” behaviors; rather, more emphasis is placed on the negative term “Inappropriate”.  The latter insinuates disappointment and reprimanding, not teaching. In my experience, role-playing expected and unexpected behaviors is effective for teaching these skills to students.

You are a Social Detective

During my tenure in the school system, we frequently utilized the renowned social skills book: You are a Social Detective by Michelle Garcia Winner in our social skills groups. For the uninitiated, it starts with “smarts,” discussing our strengths, and then outlines expected school behaviors. The next part of the book gives examples of unexpected behaviors and discusses how these impact others’ perceptions of us. The authors released a second edition of You are a Social Detective in 2020, and it’s available digitally on Apple Books and Google Play.

Role Play

While working in schools, I collaborated with social workers for quick lunch social skills sessions, using the Social Detective book. With time constraints, we read during lunch, followed by role plays using slips of paper with expected or unexpected behaviors. I created some examples that you can get at this link.

I stored role play scenarios in a refurbished container covered in mustache duck tape, calling it “I Mustache You to Role Play.” Kids simply reached in the container and drew a paper to role play the expected or unexpected behavior. Overall, fourth graders loved this game for social skills. It was a great extension activity for You are a Social Detective.

For more information on Social Thinking and to view free video trainings for children, please visit this link.