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Lesson 7 Using Words to Work Things Out Lesson Series

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Using Words to Work Things Out 

Student Teachers: Rachael Hall and Gabriel Bubon
Project Children L.E.A.D. Director: Dr. Vincenne Revilla Beltran
Subject Area: Diversity
Grade level: Third Grade
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes

 

Learning goals based on the Pennsylvania academic standards:

The overall purpose of this lesson is introduce, summarize and clarify major ideas presented in spoken messages. Through the theme of Using Words to Work Things Out, the students will listen to a story regarding conflict and resolution. The students will be required to relate the story to similar experiences, retell the story and define new words and concepts. Through a group discussion on conflict and resolution, the students will contribute by communicating with appropriate information or opinions to questions when asked, listen to and acknowledge the contributions of others and display appropriate turn-taking behaviors. Each student will participate in presenting a reading with a self-designed puppet to role-play a mock dispute that involves resolution with a mediator.

Pennsylvania academic standards:

Speaking and Listening 1.6

1.6.3 A. Listen to Others

  • Ask questions as an aid to understanding

  • Distinguish fact form fiction

1.6.3 B. Listen to a selection of literature

  • Relate the story to similar experiences

  • Retell a story in chronological order

1.6.3 C. Speak using skills appropriate to formal speech situations

  • Use appropriate volume

  • Pronounce most words accurately

  • Pace speech so that it is understandable

1.6.3 D. Contribute to discussions

  • Respond with appropriate information or opinions to questions asked

  • Listen to and acknowledge the contributions of others

  • Display appropriate turn taking behaviors

1.6.3 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations

  • Present oral readings

  • Participate in everyday conversation

 

Objectives:

To help students gain the necessary skills to understand how words can be used to resolve conflicts. Students will be expected to use active listening skills as well as communication and oral presentation skills to resolve conflict.

 

Materials:

  • Book: Angelina and Alice, Katharine Holabird

  • Construction paper and markers/crayons

  • Materials to make hand-held puppets, such as: rods, styrofoam balls, glue, yarn, googol eyes

  • Conflict resolution scripts (attached)

 

Adaptations and accommodations to differentiate instruction:

To accommodate students who are linguistic learners, conflict will be presented in a story, and through the scripted mock conflicts, the students will get to read in a group setting. For spatial learners, arts and crafts have been incorporated for expression of thoughts. For accommodation of the interpersonal learner, there is a group activity that encourages leadership.

 

In addition, for students who have trouble reading, phonetic support will be given.

 

Procedure:

 

Review - The teacher will ask students to make a picture of what conflict means to them to gain students' prior knowledge of the concepts involved with conflict and its resolution.

 

Introduce - The teacher will introduce conflict and its resolution through the presentations of student's pictures and a story.

 

Develop -

  1. Introduce concept of conflict

Ask students: What do you think of when you think of conflict? What kind of picture comes to mind?

 

Prompt: Maybe you see people tugging back and fourth

Maybe you picture knights in battle or

People arguing

 

  1. Ask students to draw a picture of how they see conflict.

 

Prompt (while students are putting pictures together):

Conflict can be between countries, friends, teachers and students. How about inner conflict?

Can anyone think of an inner conflict?

 

  1. Ask students to present their pictures to the class for a further lead into the concepts of conflict.

 

  1. Read Book Angelina and Alice - Students move to story corner

Ask Questions:

  • What kind of conflicts did we see in the book?

  • How does Angelina feel when the other children called her names?

  • What could Angelina have said to her friend when she was upset?

  • What feelings she could have shared?

  • How did Angelina's friend Alice help resolve Angelina's conflict?

  • Has anyone had a situation where a friend helped you with a conflict?

 

Summary: Working together Alice helped Angelina resolve a conflict. People can help one another resolve conflicts.

 

  1. Introduce concept of mediator as a person who helps resolve conflicts. A mediator must be a good listener.

 

  1. Listening skill activity - to help students understand that listening is important to resolving a conflict.

 

The teacher asks the students to think of something they want to take to the zoo, and tells the students that each person is going to share with the rest of the class what he/she picked to take.

 

Teacher tells the students: When it is your turn to tell us what you are taking you must repeat what the students before you are taking before telling us your name and what you are taking.

 

Teacher tells the students: The key to this activity is that you must listen closely to other students to be able to repeat what they have said.

 

After the activity the teacher explains a mediator's role is to listen to both sides and repeat each person's story so the other person can hear it from someone else.

 

In the listening skill activity, students will become actively engaged in the importance of listening and it will prepare them for a mock dispute with a mediator after they make their puppets

 

Assign -

 

  1. Students will be asked to create puppets. While they are creating the puppets they will get directions on how they will be using the puppets to act out a mock dispute.

 

  1. Students will be given character scripts (attached) of mock disputes and asked to use their puppets to role play a particular character.

 

Assess - 

  1. As a class, students will take turns sharing their ideas of who was right or wrong in the mock disputes, and how each character could have changed a particular behavior to have avoided the conflict.

 

Close -

X. The teacher will pull together all the concepts on conflict, and tell students that finding a resolution is the key to solving and resolving conflicts

 

References:

Holabird, K. (2001). Angelina and Alice. Middleton Wisconsin: Pleasant

Company Publications.

 

Scenarios

Situation 1

Johnny:

Every time Billy looks at me he laughs and say's I'm Stupid. It makes me feel sad.

Billy:

Johnny won't share his crayons with me. He says I have cuddies, but I don't have cuddies. He makes me mad.

 

Mediator:

 

Explain the rules:

  1. No put downs

  2. Tell the truth

  3. Do not interrupt

So Johnny you want Billy to stop laughing at you and calling you stupid.

Billy you want Johnny to start sharing his crayons and stop saying you have cuddies.>

Johnny if Billy will stop laughing at you and stop calling you stupid, will you share your crayons with him and stop saying he has cuddies?

Billy if Johnny starts sharing his crayons and stops saying you have cuddies, will you stop laughing at him and saying he is stupid?

 

Situation 2

Suzy:

Alice keeps pushing me while I'm in line for lunch. She says if I tell, she'll punch me. It makes me mad.

Alice:

Suzy keeps telling people I pick my nose. I don't pick my nose she makes me sad.

 

Mediator:

Explain the rules:

  1. No put downs

  2. Tell the truth

  3. Do not interrupt

So Suzy you want Alice to stop pushing you and threatening to punch you.

Alice you want Suzy to stop telling people you pick your nose.

Suzy if Alice stops telling people you pick your nose, will you stop pushing her in line and threatening to punch her?

Alice if Suzy stops pushing you and threatening to punch you, will you stop telling people she picks her nose?