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Day 2: Giving and Receiving Feedback

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Practice the feedback sandwich technique through three structured paired activities (verbal, written, drawn); apply feedback skills to a healthcare role-play
TEKS d(4)(B)
Deliverable Completed Feedback worksheet (3 steps) + 1 healthcare role-play observation note
Materials Chromebooks, H&L Powerskills Workbook (pp. 22-24), printed Feedback worksheet, paper for drawings, healthcare role-play cards, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: When was the last time someone gave you feedback that helped you improve? What did they say, and how did they say it?

Take 2-3 responses. Most students will name a teacher or coach. Bridge: good feedback uses a structure. Today the class learns the structure professionals use.

Activity 1: Feedback Sandwich Demo (8 min)

Source: H&L Powerskills Workbook, p. 22, "Giving and Receiving Feedback"

Project the workbook's feedback sandwich on the board:

  • First layer: Give positive feedback, highlighting something the person did well
  • Second layer: Address an area of improvement using clear, specific language
  • Third layer: End with another positive remark, emphasizing the person's strengths and room for growth

Demonstrate live with a student volunteer. Ask the volunteer to share their favorite hobby in 30 seconds. Then model the sandwich:

  • "You spoke with great energy and you really love your topic, that came through." (positive)
  • "One thing that would make it even clearer: tell us how long you've been doing it. Specific dates help the listener picture your story." (improvement, specific)
  • "You have a natural ability to make people interested. Keep doing what you're doing." (positive)

Then explain the workbook's distinction: verbal feedback is spoken, written feedback is in notes/edits/reflections.

Activity 2: Step 1 — Share It! (10 min)

Source: H&L Powerskills Workbook, p. 22, Step 1: Share It!

Pair students up. Each student picks a favorite food but does NOT name it. They describe the food using only details: taste, texture, smell, look. The partner tries to guess.

After the guessing, the partner gives verbal feedback using the feedback sandwich. The first student then takes a turn describing their favorite food.

Tracker note: students should follow the workbook structure exactly, both partners get a turn at giving AND receiving.

Activity 3: Step 2 — Write It! (12 min)

Source: H&L Powerskills Workbook, p. 23, Step 2: Write It!

Each student writes a short paragraph proposing a new school holiday. The paragraph must be persuasive, why should students and staff get a day off? They have 5 minutes to write.

Then they read their paragraph out loud to their partner. The partner provides written feedback in the workbook space (or on the worksheet). The written feedback must use the sandwich structure.

After both partners exchange feedback, each student reads the written feedback they received and circles ONE specific suggestion they would actually use to improve their paragraph.

Activity 4: Healthcare Role-Play (12 min)

Signal the shift before starting. The first two activities (favorite food, school holiday paragraph) used the feedback sandwich in a low-stakes register on purpose, students needed to practice the structure with nothing riding on it. Now the same tool moves into a register where the stakes are real. Give students 30 seconds to change mode: "We practiced with food. Now we're practicing with people's health. The sandwich is the same; the weight is different."

Pivot to the Health Science context. Distribute healthcare role-play cards:

  • Card A: A nurse explaining a difficult diagnosis to a patient's family. The family is upset and asking many questions.
  • Card B: A senior nurse giving feedback to a new CNA who skipped a step in patient hygiene.
  • Card C: A medical biller explaining a billing error to a patient who received a $5,000 bill they don't think they owe.

Pair students up (different partner from the Step 1-2 work). Each pair chooses ONE card and role-plays the conversation for 3 minutes. The role-play must include feedback or active listening.

After the role-play, partners switch roles and try a different card. Each student takes one observation note: "I noticed my partner used [feedback technique] when they said [direct quote]."

DOK 3: What conclusions can you draw about why active listening and feedback skills matter MORE in healthcare than in a job like data entry?

Facilitation Tip

Watch for students who turn the role-play into a comedy bit. Refocus them: "These scenarios happen every day in real hospitals. A nurse who can't deliver hard news kindly will burn out fast. Take it seriously."

Exit Ticket (3 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case / Scenario Application) · Printable PDF:

Scenario: A new medical biller on your team is fast but keeps entering the WRONG ICD-10 codes. Three charts in the past week have been billed incorrectly. Your supervisor asks YOU (the senior biller) to give them feedback before the next shift.

Write a feedback sandwich — 3 sentences — using today's structure:

  • Positive (1 sentence): _____________

  • Improvement with specific language (1 sentence, cite one specific behavior): _____________

  • Positive close (1 sentence): _____________

(d(4)(B))

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide a feedback sentence stem card: "One thing you did well was _. One thing to try is . Overall, __." Pair with a confident peer for the role-play.
  • Extension: Students who finish early try the workbook's "Extra Time" activity (p. 24): create 5 sentence starters for giving feedback. They share with the class.
  • ELL: Bilingual feedback sandwich poster. Pre-teach: Feedback = Retroalimentación, Improve = Mejorar, Suggestion = Sugerencia, Positive = Positivo. Pair ESL students with bilingual peers for the role-plays.