July 12-16, 2021
Theme: ADAPTING
Skill Building: Asking Questions

Person-Centered Thinking & Safety
Monday July 12, 2021
Today happens to be Eat Your Jello Day
Image CC license from kreativnaradionicabubamara
Presenters: Review the theme for August (Adapting) and introduce the skill for the week: Asking Questions
Thematic Media
PRESENTERS: stop video at 5:15 minutes to skip the questions about the book "To Kill a Mockingbird"
This video is about questions to use in school, but they are similar to questions for when we are learning about safety, especially when you go back to in-person programming and need to keep up with all the changes in the rules.
Review the list of questions for making sure you understand directions or rules being announced.
- Can you please repeat that?
- I think you are saying. (then say what you think you heard) Do I understand correctly?
- Can you give an example of when that rule is needed?
- Is that rule true in all situations? Or are there times when we have to use judgement?
- Who can I ask if I forget these rules?
- If I make a mistake and forget a rule, how can I regroup?
- If I see someone else not following the rules, what should I do?
This video is about HOW to ask good questions and some examples. This is for making friends and being social. That will be different from when we listen to safety announcements in program.
Types of Questions
Logical questions
See how much you remember from the video. Match the question types to the examples.
PRESENTERS: Use the slide to go through the matching exercise
Clarification Questions (ESL video but still helpful)
Social Questions Video 2
This video is about HOW to ask good questions and some examples. This is for making friends and being social. That will be different from when we listen to safety announcements in program.
Skills Media
PRESENTERS: read the covid announcements aloud. Read the questions afterward and have everyone clap when they hear a clarification question and BOO when they hear a lazy question.
Announcement
Good morning everyone. Today we have an outing planned. I want to remind everyone that we will be taking our masks into the community and wearing them on the van. When we get to the library, I want everyone to take time outside and make sure we understand any signs or instructions on the door BEFORE we go in.
- Excuse me but I didn't hear. Can you repeat that last sentence?
- What?! What are they saying?
- So we are going to the library, correct?
- What about when I go to Marshalls with my mom?
- Can you carry my mask for me?
Questions that set up a joke (riddles)
02—you have to have a weird sense of humor to find this funny
Sequence the hour
What did we learn today in what order?

Civics & Community Awareness
Tuesday July 13, 2021
Today happens to be Embrace Your Geekness Day
Skill Reminder
Review the theme and skill for the week: Adapting and Asking Questions
Thematic Media
City Council meetings are open to the public and it's when you can ask your city government questions. This video is about a specific city. You can find out your city's schedule and go to the meeting when you have a concern you want to bring up.
Thematic Activity
You can ask your city council members questions. They have asked for the job of making your city a good place to live. You can find out how they plan to do it.
10 Questions to ask someone running for Local Office
Thematic Extension
PRESENTERS: Share screen and demonstrate how to look up the city council meeting schedule in your city. Find the page that tells the public how to submit a question to the city council. It's important to SHOW participants searches and verbally narrate what you are doing as you search.
Skills Media
Listen to this Question and Answer about Historical Places
What historical places can you find in your town?
PRESENTERS: Do a shared search to find historic sites in your region
Skills Practice
Listen to each announcement. Would you ask for repitition, clarification, or additional information?
02—Library bingo announcement at a school
03—have people do with their eyes closed (bus stops)
Sequence the hour

Well Being and Social Connection
Wednesday July 14, 2021
Today happens to be Pandemonium Day
Skill Reminder
Review Adapting and the idea of asking questions to be adaptable
Thematic Media
Our health is mostly a result of our habits. To adapt to aging and the passing of time, we can ask questions of our health care providers to make sure we understand how to take care of ourselves.
Before you go to a doctor visit write down the questions you want to ask and take them with you.
Questions to Ask Your Physical Therapist
Thematic Activity
Use this list to find types of doctors you didn't know about.
Think about your body for a minute. Is there any part of your body, your physical experience, that you think needs support or healing? Do any of the doctors on that list specialize in that part of the body or that kind of issue?
One important part of taking care of your health is to be able to ask your general doctor to REFER you, that means send you to see, a specialist in whatever you are trying to make healthy.
This is also called self-advocacy. Asking questions is one powerful way to advocate for yourself and your needs.
Thematic Extension
Making sure you have SAFE care
Questions you can ask your pharmacist
Skills Practice
When people ask YOU questions about your health you have the right to certain privacy and information.
PRESENTERS: pause and explain topics that go by fast or have complicated language.
HIPPA Privacy Rule (aimed at medical personnel but useful for clients to hear)
You can ask for
- copies of your health records
- copies of all agreements and disclosures
- explanations of how your health information will be used
- Accessible formats for any of these, for example if you are not a strong reader, you can ask your doctor to provide a different way of showing you what they do with your information.
Being your own health care advocate
Sequence the hour
Go back and remind one another of what we learned in what order.

Rights & Self Advocacy
Thursday July 15, 2021
Today happens to be Give Something Away Day
Skill Reminder
What is this week's skill? (clue—?)
Thematic Media
Self-Advocacy Skills Development
Thematic Activity
PRESENTERS: Share the questions in the slides and have participants repeat them. For the questions that can have different specifics included, change them a few times to show different scenarios. Remember to use the PRESENT button to fill the view with the whole slide and ESC to go back to regular.
Thematic Extension
You can use this skill of asking more and more questions in your ISP meetings, in your social activities, and in your self-advocacy skills. The more questions you ask, AND LISTENT TO THE ANSWERS, the more you'll understand your options and the people who share your world.
Skills Media
Kids Ask Will Smith Difficult Questions
Kids Ask Robert Downey Jr. Difficult Questions
Kids Ask Ronal Reynolds Difficult Questions
If you could ask anyone famous, alive or not, a question and the HAD to answer, who would you choose and what would you ask of them?
Skills Applied
What Goes Wrong With Communication
Think about the problems in the video. Have you experienced any of them? Are any of them common for you? What can you do about it?
A light and funny look at bad teamwork and good teamwork.
Notice that the animals are COMMUNICATING even if they aren't talking.
Sequence the hour
What did we learn in what order?

Knowledge & Fun
Friday July 16, 2021
Today happens to be Fresh Spinach Day
Theme and Skill Review
Adapting is changing to be successful in new situations. Asking questions is a major skill for adapting. Many new situations require us to learn a lot and we learn better when we know how to ask questions and make sure we understand the answers.
Sequence the Week
Review the week and recall what you learned each day in what order. These reminders will get you started.
- Types of questions
- Situations for questions
- Good questions vs lazy questions
Movie Time
PRESENTERS: Please describe the action on screen if you have participants who are blind. There is a lot of footage with just music playing.
Serious and uplifting - 20+ minutes "Two Strangers Who Meet 5 Times
Questions for Professional Situations
For each question below, clap if it's OK to ask someone in program, at a job, or of staff. Boo if it's too personal or NOT OK to ask in program, at work, or of staff.
- Did you enjoy your vacation?
- When are going to have kids?
- When does the lunch truck usually get here?
- How long is our break time?
- Do you plan to get married soon?
- How many siblings do you have?
- Do you want to see what's in my backpack?
- Can I borrow your car to go out for lunch?
- How much do you get paid?
- Can I borrow a pen?
PRESENTERS: Pause the video to read the riddles and answers aloud to the participants.
Interviewing animals with a tiny microphone.
Questions People Got Wrong
PRESENTERS: Stop the videos if interest dies--feel free to explain the correct answers or tell participants why the answers people give are wrong.
Jimmy Kimmel interviews on the street

Choosing Fun Stuff to Do
Need some help deciding on an afternoon activity?
The activities are numbered. These numbers corrospond to brief activity descriptions listen in the linked document below.


