Social
Learning:
Teaching Young Children Sensitivity
For younger students, read I'll Love You Forever by Sheila McGraw,
illustrator, and Robert N. Munsch (Firefly Books) or Boundless Grace
by Mary Hoffman (New York: Penguin, 1995). These books can be used to
start a class discussion on difficult topics, such as divorce or death.
Have students practice dealing with these scenarios in the pairs by role-playing
a conversation between two friends. Follow this activity by having the
class make sympathy cards to give to an imaginary friend who is dealing
with a difficult situation. Encourage the students to personalize the
card as much as possible and suggest ways inside the card that they can
help their friend. If students know of a friend who is upset, have them
create the card for him or her.
Helping Less Fortunate Children:
Through Online Lessons and Community Involvement
Planning a Trip to an African Village
The United Nations Childrens' Fund has excellent teaching resources for
teaching kids to help their less-fortunate peers. "Planning a Trip to
an African Village" is found at the UNICEF web site at www.unicefusa.org/issues96/sep96/guide/friend.html.
In this lesson, students are divided into groups of people and paired
with people they don't know very well. Their task is to plan a trip to
a remote village in Africa. The population of the village is two-thirds
children, who have been victims of a recent measles outbreak. Plus, a
drought has caused a severe case of malnutrition. Students have a limit
of $3,000 to spend on projects that will help the community. An online
worksheet from UNICEF, found at the site above, outlines the cost of all
these projects and materials. Students must present the teacher with an
action plan that will solve the problem in the village and is within their
budget. Students must identify the children's short term needs and weigh
them against the the long term needs of the village.
The Power of Peers: Classroom Ideas to Build
Positive Friendships
Helpfulness Hula Hoop Pass
Divide the class into groups of 5-6 students. Have all the students join
hands in a circle. Place a hula hoop on the arms of two students in group.
The goal of this activity is to pass the hula hoop around the circle without
breaking the circle. To do this, the students will have to bend their
bodies and help the person next to them move the hoop. After this activity,
teachers can talk about what made the groups successful: Flexibility?
Patience? Good listening skills? Teachers can stress that these are the
same traits that make a good friend.
Develop Conflict Resolution Skills
The following activity is recommended by UNICEF and is an excellent outline
of how teachers can set up peer mentoring programs to help other students:
"The cooperation crew is a team of students that will help
mediate and resolve disputes in your class. Children who have good interpersonal
skills and who are respected by their peers are often the best people
to teach other children. First, choose a few students for the crew. Spend
time working with them to develop the skills they will need to resolve
conflicts. Reinforce that their only job is to get the students on both
sides of the dispute to listen to each other and to work together to solve
a problem. They should ask seven questions when dealing with conflicts:
What is it that you need? What do you think the problem is? Can you think
of a way that we might solve this problem? Would you be happy with this
solution? Do you both agree to this solution? Is this the problem solved?
Can we talk again to make sure the problem is really solved? Let the class
know that when conflicts arise, they should ask one of the students for
help. When you see other children learning these skills, rotate the members
of the crew."
For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org/issues96/sept96/guide/talking.html.
Moral Models: Kids Help Kids Make Moral and
Ethical Decisions Everyday
Read Aesop's Fables with your class. As part of a language arts
lesson, introduce the idea of a fable and script a performance for students
in your class. Talk about how the fable attempts to teach a lesson about
interactions between people. At this age, it is important to have the
students make a connection between the animal characters and people. For
example, a teacher could ask students:
The moral of the story is _____; how do you think this applies
to how you act in the classroom, at recess, or after school with your
friends? Do any of the characters in the story make you think of a person
you know or a situation you have been in?
After a class discussion, select students for parts in the play. Plan making
the background and perform for parents. This lesson is applicable for language
arts, art, health, and social studies.
IdahoPTV
& PBS Online Resources:
Sites to See
Check out our publication for younger students: Connections
for related books and activity ideas to do with young children every
month.
Arthur: 100 Ways to Help One Another
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/arthur/teachers/activities/web/100_ways.html
Arthur: Acting Out
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/arthur/teachers/activities/web/acting_out.html
In The Mix: A Primer On Peer Mediation
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/educators/lessons/schoolviol1/index.html
In The Mix: Cliques, Friendship Groups, Or Boxes?
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/educators/lessons/schoolviol2/index.html
People Like Us: Class and Health (You Are What You Eat)
http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/resources/lessonplans/health.html
PBS Kids Democracy Project: City, County, Community
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/educators/citycounty.html
