Social

We Are a Family- Sierra Wall

Goal 14: Recognize their own and others’ cultural values and practices.

Materials: Photographs of children and adults in the classroom and members of their families, a display board, pen, paper

General Guidelines: Require photographs from families well in advance and assure that family photos will be returned. Do this by labeling the pictures. Take care of the pictures, when posting take care not to rip them. Pre-plan numerous activities using these family photos. (Done for older or more experienced children.)

Procedures:

Allow each student in the class an opportunity to talk about his or her family. Respond positively to student comments about similarities and talk about the range of possible family compositions in a positive manner.

Have student write stories about their families. Encourage students to write about family tradition, what they like to do together, and so on. Have student share their stories with other students. Reinforce the idea that each family does things in ways that are meaningful to its members.

Instruct students to independently graph the various families in the group. These graphs will be used to compare how all families are different.

Create a book call The Families in Our Class, include the pictures as well as stories. Make it available for students to “read.”

To Simplify Focus on what students can see in the pictures, such as family composition.

To Extend: Discuss family traditions more deeply by asking students to bring in and talk about family artifacts.

Store (For Children of All Ages)- Sierra Wall

Goal 17: Acquire rudimentary ideas of how goods and services are produced, exchanged, and consumed.

Materials: To create a store in the classroom it needs to be stocked with materials. These materials can be gathered from stores, families, and other sources. The stores may be general merchandise, such as a department store or grocery store, or a specialty shop, such as a shoe store. The store needs to include: cash, a register, bags for packing, order forms, pencils, chalk boards to list “specials,” and plastic grocery carts.

Procedure:

Begin this process by taking students to a local store. Encourage students to look for what is sold, how items are displayed, how money is exchanged, and who is working in the store. This field trip can be repeated at the end of the unit as a culmination and review activity.

Upon returning to the school have a conversation about what students saw in the store. Help students understand the roles of seller, customer, restocker, and so on. Decide as a class what the exchange will be (e.g., “paper” money, barter for other good or services, “play money”). If appropriate students can create money and create signs for the store.

Help students make shopping lists.

Occasionally, introduce real food items (if children are working in a food store) or a variety of sizes and styles of clothing, making sure that in each case you are fairly representing student’s experiences in their home or neighborhood.

To Simplify: Set up a grocery store or neighborhood bodega, whichever one the students are more familiar with.

To Extend: After students have been exposed to the store pose questions such as where the items might come from, how they are produced or manufactured, and how they get to the store. A further extension is for other children to offer a store to the rest of the school to raise money for charity or class trip.

Alike and Different (for children of all ages)- Starley Terry

Goal 15: Develop understanding and respect for the similarities and differences among people.

Materials: children’s book (The Skin I’m In by Pat Thomas or It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr), standing mirror, paper and pencil to record student observations.

Procedure:

Begin by reading your book of choice to introduce the topic.

Lead a discussion addressing similarities and differences. Emphasize that it is okay to be different and we should accept others for who they are.

Pair students together and have each pair make two lists, one entitled, ”We are alike” and the other, “We are different.” Instruct students to list physical differences/similarities and then encourage them to move on to differences/similarities such as: interests, ideas, preferences, skills, handedness, number of siblings, birthday month, etc.

Give students the opportunity to look in the mirror if desired. Allow students to add to both lists at appropriate times during the day. At the end of the day, review lists and have children observe all the differences and similarities they discovered about the each other.

Repeat the activity, mixing up pairs until all the children have had the opportunity to be paired with each other.

Extension: Without naming the children involved, read some lists to the class and have the class guess the pairs in question.

Adaptation: Focus only on physical attributes and add deeper dimensions as children mature.

Recycle-Ikles (For Children of All Ages)- Monica Thayne

Goal: Display responsibility for the environment.

Materials needed: Prepare medium-size plastic bags labeled with each student's name, and use safety pins to attach them to students' clothing.

Procedure: Hold a discussion with students about trash. Ask students questions like, "What is trash? How is trash made? What effect does trash have on the environment? What can people do to recycle materials they no longer use?" Next, demonstrate how each student will gather the trash he or she makes in a day and put it in the plastic bag. Inform students that at the end of the day they will categorize their trash and decide how to reuse it. Lastly, let children continue independently.

Set aside time at the end of the day for students to categorize what they have gathered in their bags. Ask each student, "What is one way you can recycle the materials you have gathered?" (include the collection bag as well). Inform students that they are now "Recycle-Ikles." Give each students a badge that says, "I am a Recycle-Ikle. I reduce, recycle, and reuse my trash."

Construct a recycling center where students may store the materials they gathered and urge students to reuse them the next day.

To simplify: Prepare a classroom collection bag rather than individual bags.

To extend: Perform the activity during a longer length of time. Assess if students can produce less trash as time goes by. Make a goal until the end of the school year. Widen the activity to involve the gathering of schoolwide trash. Conduct the same activity and thank each classroom for their hard work in cutting down on the trash they create over time.

Using Skits to Teach Social Skills *(For Children of All Ages) Matthew Thomas

Goal 1 Develop play skills.

Materials Dolls, puppets, and pictures of children playing; blocks and other items.

General information A technique that is highly effective for introducing and reinforcing particular play skills is by using skits or short scenes. Children enjoy watching presentations and can learn by your example how to interact. Students cannot learn everything by observation only, they must have certain features pointed out to them and teachers must ask questions to clarify any questions or misunderstandings. Children in the higher grade can benefit more by reenacting or making a play. The following are general guidelines to help with this activity.

Procedure

1. Select a play skill to focus on.
2. Use props such as dolls, puppets, pictures that represent human beings and not cartoon characters. The dolls should represent both genders and different races and physical abilities.
3. Have a short but specific script with five parts:
1. Demonstrate skill
2. Demonstrate lack of skill
3. Explanation by the adult
4. A student discussion
5. Children’s turn to use props
4. Have a list of questions or statements to help guide a discussion: (E.g., which characters demonstrated the skill, what was the reaction of each character, how do you think the characters could have been better? etc).
5. Practice the skit before discussing the skit with the students. Have notes if needed.
6. Present the skit. Place students in a way that they all can see you present your skit.
7. Introduce/start the skit by something to the effect of “We are going to talk about friends. Here are two of mine (the dolls). Their names are Johanna and Trevon. They are your age and also go to school. Let’s see what happens to them during their school day.”
8. After presentation start to guide a discussion with the questions from step four.
9. After receiving students’ suggestions replay a scene using their suggestions. Have them predict what will be the reaction to the other dolls with the new scene.
10. Help the students decide if their scenarios and solutions were helpful. Remember to praise students when they find solutions.
11. Students learn by repetition so be sure to present the specific skill more than once and in different ways throughout the school year. Switch up the roles every time there is a skit.

To simplify Put students into a small group instead of as a class. Keep the skits shorter and more simple.

Extension Have the students come up with a scenario or skill and make their own skit. Have them be more creative and self lead.