Class Charter Creation

Overview

This 45-minute session with 6 mixed-ability 5th and 6th year students in an ASD-specific Irish school focuses on collaboratively developing a Class Charter. The charter promotes understanding and respect for diverse needs, self-regulation styles, and effective classroom behaviour aligned with the IE Curriculum framework for Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Wellbeing. The lesson emphasises personal responsibility, empathy, inclusivity, and communication that support positive learning environments.

Curriculum Alignment

Relevant IE Curriculum Framework Elements:

SPHE Senior Cycle (LCA and L2 Level)

ME.WB.5-6: Develop strategies to manage their emotions, behaviours and needs in various contexts.
ME.PR.5-6: Demonstrate respect for others’ differences and diverse needs and work collaboratively.
ME.CU.5-6: Understand effective communication strategies in group contexts.
ME.PP.5-6: Take responsibility for personal wellbeing and contribute to a supportive community environment.

Cross-Curricular Competencies

Communication and Literacy
Personal and Social Effectiveness
Problem Solving and Decision Making

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

Identify and articulate individual and group expectations and responsibilities for classroom behaviour and learning.
Demonstrate understanding that different students have differing needs, supports, and self-regulation styles.
Collaboratively create a clear, respectful, and inclusive Class Charter that acknowledges these differences and promotes support and respect.
Recognise signs of needing a break or support and communicate this effectively.
Show awareness that disrupting others’ learning is inappropriate and know proper ways to seek help.

Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

Clearly state at least three expectations and responsibilities that respect diverse learning and regulation needs.
Actively contribute to the Class Charter by suggesting ideas and listening to peers.
Explain why different people need different supports or strategies.
Identify types of breaks or strategies they personally use when overwhelmed.
Agree to use non-disruptive communication methods during lessons.

Resources

Large poster paper or whiteboard
Colourful markers
Visual supports/pictograms for regulation strategies and emotions (dyslexia-friendly fonts and colours)
“Feelings Thermometer” visual or similar self-regulation chart
Pre-prepared sentence starters on cards

Lesson Breakdown

1. Warm-Up & Engagement (5 min)

Use a simple group "think-pair-share": "What helps you learn best in the classroom?"
Questions prompt discussion about needs and preferences (quiet space, breaks, being listened to).
Emphasise everyone is different and that’s okay.

2. Introduction to Class Charter (5 min)

Explain what a Class Charter is: rules and agreements made by the class to help everyone learn and feel safe.
Show example statements highlighting respect, fairness, and listening.
Highlight that the goal is to respect diverse learning and regulation needs so everyone can do their best.

3. Group Brainstorm & Discussion (15 min)

Facilitate group brainstorming on expectations and responsibilities.
Prompt:
- How do we show respect for others’ differences?
- What should we do if we feel overwhelmed or frustrated?
- How do we ask for help politely?
- What behaviour helps everyone learn? What disrupts?
Use visual aids and sentence starters like: "I need...", "I feel better when...", "Please help me if..."
Teacher scribes ideas visibly. Validate all contributions.

4. Class Charter Drafting (12 min)

Review brainstormed points, group similar ideas.
Students collaboratively phrase and agree on final statements (e.g., “We listen when others talk,” “We respect that everyone learns differently,” “We take a break when we feel overwhelmed,” “We ask for help when needed,” “We avoid behaviour that disrupts others.”)
Write final draft visibly on poster paper/whiteboard with symbols/pictograms as supportive cues.

5. Reflection & Sign Off (5 min)

Each student shares one thing they learned or one promise they want to keep from the Charter.
Teacher orally affirms each contribution and explains how this will make the classroom safer and more respectful.
Students ‘sign’ (mark) the Charter with their name or personal symbol.

6. **Extension for Advanced Learners (Optional)

Design a personal ‘regulation toolkit’ that they can refer to when feeling overwhelmed (list sensory strategies, breaks, communication methods).

Differentiation Strategies

Student Needs	Adaptations & Supports
Language or literacy difficulties	Use visual supports, pictograms, simple language, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and reading aloud sentence starters
Social communication challenges (ASD)	Use clear structure, predictable format, small-group/pair discussions, raised hand signals for turns
Varied cognitive abilities	Provide sentence starters or key phrases, allow extra processing time, support via one-to-one guidance
Emotional regulation difficulties	Use the ‘Feelings Thermometer’, teach/check self-awareness of physical and emotional signs for breaks

Assessment

Formative assessment through observation of participation in discussions and group work.
Check understanding when students express the reasons behind charter points.
Use reflective share to assess personal connection to the charter.
Teacher records notes on engagement, contribution, and comprehension to inform future wellbeing lessons.

By centring the class discussion on respect for individual needs and proactive, patient communication, this lesson creates a safe space that models empathy and self-awareness essential for ASD learners as per Irish educational goals. This also fosters independence aligned with the LCA and L2 courses.

End of Plan

Teaching Instructions