What is Fair? Rights and Justice for a Kindergarten Classroom
Lesson 5: What Can We Do to Fix an Unfair Situation?
Teacher: Jackie Beck
Subject Area: Social Studies, Literacy, Drama
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Topic: Resolving Unfair Situations
MMSD Standards
-Language/Communication Standard: Grade K Students Will: Listen to and comprehend oral communication
-Social Studies: Political Science and Citizenship Standard 2: Support the need for fair rules and suggest fair suggestions
Social Studies: Behavioral Science Standard 6: Work together to find solutions to classroom problems
NCSS Standards
-People, Places, and Environment
School of Ed Standards
-Standard 1: Incorporates understanding of human learning and development
-Standard 8: Employs varied assessment processes
-Standard 9: Manages learning environment
Objectives
-SWBAT discuss possible actions to take in order to create a more fair situation
-SWBAT feel empowered by resolving an unfair situation from their life/the life of a classmate
Materials
- Students’ journals with previously written unfair stories
- Assessment checklist (see below)
Lesson Context
This is the final lesson on a five-lesson unit about fairness. In previous lessons, students have written journal stories about a time when they felt they were treated unfairly. Yesterday students were introduced to historical figures from the Civil Rights Movement who took action to make changes. In this lesson they will come up with ways to resolve their own unfair situations.
Lesson Opening
Remind the students that yesterday they taught each other about historical figures that made a difference in our history. These people found themselves in unfair situations and did something to create a change. Tell the students that today they will be returning to the stories that they created in their journal about an unfair situation and they are going to work together to fix the unfair situation.
Procedure
Group the students back into their jigsaw sharing groups (this will be 5 groups of 3 students, with one student from each guided reading group). Everyone will have an opportunity to share their story about a time when they found themselves in an unfair situation.
After each person shares, the group is going to decide on either one person’s situation, or a combination or two or more situations, to act out. But instead of just acting out the unfair part of the situation, the students need to come up with a way together that they can resolve the situation and make it fair. Be sure to walk around from group to group and offer support in terms of ideas of how to make sure that everyone is included in the skit.
Closure
The skits will be performed at the end of class. Each group will perform, with the other groups sitting on the carpet and watching (be sure to go over how to be an appropriate audience – would it be fair to the group performing if there were other people talking throughout their skit? J
Special Considerations
It is important that the students work together as a team in order to resolve the issue brought up in the skit. Be sure to walk around and talk to the students about what their skit will look like and ensure that everyone is involved in the performance. Even offer suggestions on “jobs” to do in the skit – student as him/herself, student performing the unfair act (if applicable), narrator, etc. And most importantly, make sure that every unfair situation is resolved/turned into a fair one!
Assessment
Please see attached file (below)
Subject Area: Social Studies, Literacy, Drama
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Topic: Resolving Unfair Situations
MMSD Standards
-Language/Communication Standard: Grade K Students Will: Listen to and comprehend oral communication
-Social Studies: Political Science and Citizenship Standard 2: Support the need for fair rules and suggest fair suggestions
Social Studies: Behavioral Science Standard 6: Work together to find solutions to classroom problems
NCSS Standards
-People, Places, and Environment
School of Ed Standards
-Standard 1: Incorporates understanding of human learning and development
-Standard 8: Employs varied assessment processes
-Standard 9: Manages learning environment
Objectives
-SWBAT discuss possible actions to take in order to create a more fair situation
-SWBAT feel empowered by resolving an unfair situation from their life/the life of a classmate
Materials
- Students’ journals with previously written unfair stories
- Assessment checklist (see below)
Lesson Context
This is the final lesson on a five-lesson unit about fairness. In previous lessons, students have written journal stories about a time when they felt they were treated unfairly. Yesterday students were introduced to historical figures from the Civil Rights Movement who took action to make changes. In this lesson they will come up with ways to resolve their own unfair situations.
Lesson Opening
Remind the students that yesterday they taught each other about historical figures that made a difference in our history. These people found themselves in unfair situations and did something to create a change. Tell the students that today they will be returning to the stories that they created in their journal about an unfair situation and they are going to work together to fix the unfair situation.
Procedure
Group the students back into their jigsaw sharing groups (this will be 5 groups of 3 students, with one student from each guided reading group). Everyone will have an opportunity to share their story about a time when they found themselves in an unfair situation.
After each person shares, the group is going to decide on either one person’s situation, or a combination or two or more situations, to act out. But instead of just acting out the unfair part of the situation, the students need to come up with a way together that they can resolve the situation and make it fair. Be sure to walk around from group to group and offer support in terms of ideas of how to make sure that everyone is included in the skit.
Closure
The skits will be performed at the end of class. Each group will perform, with the other groups sitting on the carpet and watching (be sure to go over how to be an appropriate audience – would it be fair to the group performing if there were other people talking throughout their skit? J
Special Considerations
It is important that the students work together as a team in order to resolve the issue brought up in the skit. Be sure to walk around and talk to the students about what their skit will look like and ensure that everyone is involved in the performance. Even offer suggestions on “jobs” to do in the skit – student as him/herself, student performing the unfair act (if applicable), narrator, etc. And most importantly, make sure that every unfair situation is resolved/turned into a fair one!
Assessment
Please see attached file (below)
| lesson_5_assessment.doc |
