Finding Common Ground (Grades K-5)

Character Education and SEL Lesson on Citizenship and Common Ground

Overview: Students will explore the benefits of finding common ground with others in their community. This lesson promotes good citizenship.

Character Education Objectives: 

Students will:

  • experience finding common ground with others.
  • discuss how collaboration and community are impacted by citizens finding things in common.
  • journal about how they can connect with others in their communities. 

Directions:

  • Identify an area to play this game. Specify where “out” will be (to keep group together even though they are out).
  • On a signal, have everyone walk around and mingle saying, “mingle, mingle, mingle”—until the leader shouts a number.
  • When the number is announced, everyone must get into a group of people of that number. For example, if the leader says “3” then students should be getting in groups of 3.
  • Anyone not in a group is “out”. All members of any group having more or less than the specified number are “out”.
  • After playing one round, the leader will call out a new number and add the following characteristics as the number is called:
    • People:
      • of the same age
      • in the same grade
      • who live in the same city
      • with the same shoe size
      • with the same eye color
      • who love to eat the same food
      • who like the same kind of ice cream
  • Keep playing until you get down to one or two people and then discuss.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Ask students:
    • Was harder to find a group after you started grouping by things in addition to than numbers.
    • Did you learn things you have in common?
    • Did you feel more like you belonged when you learned about what you have in common with other students?
    • How did it feel when you couldn’t find something in common and were out of the game?
    • Do you think it is possible to have nothing in common with someone?
    • When working in a group, is it easier when you have something in common?

Journal:

  • Encourage students to journal about how they can find common ground with others. Ask students to think how they can find things in common with others in their school, home, teams, clubs, neighborhoods, etc.  Ask students to think about questions they could ask if they are having a hard time finding something in common.

Citizenship is one of the Six Pillars of Character. Click here to learn about the Six Pillars of Character.




Fairness and Appearances (Grades 6-12)

Overview: This lesson explores fairness and appearances. The lesson explores a group of children who could not live with the lack of fairness shown to one couple.

Objectives: 

Students will:

  • discuss fairness and appearances and the impact of judging people based on their appearance.
  • review a video about one couple’s journey when they were judged based on their appearances.
  • create a sample social media post about not judging others based on their appearance.

Opening Reflection:

  • How have you or how do you judge others based upon their appearance?

Review content (small groups or whole group): 

  • CBS Evening News  (2018) Students take action after hearing couple’s honeymoon story. Youtube.com. https://youtu.be/AeVrH_3igzk
    Gilbert Caldwell and his wife, Grace, didn’t get the honeymoon they dreamed of 60 years ago. They were turned away from a hotel for being black. After teaching a powerful lesson to a group of students, they recently got a second honeymoon. Steve Hartman has their story “On The Road.”

Whole Group Discussion: 

  • What surprised you about the story in the video?
  • How did the students right an injustice years later?
  • How do you assume the couple felt then and now?
  • What is harmful about judging others based on their appearance?
  • What injustice do you see in your school based on appearances?

Reflection:

  • Create a sample social media post about accepting others regardless of their appearance.

Fairness is one of the Six Pillars of Character. Click here to learn more about the Six Pillars.




Fairness (Grades K-5)

Overview: This lesson explores how an unfair situation can lead to frustration or anger and how to resolve it. It also allows students to demonstrate their understanding of fairness by recreating the rules to make a game fair for all participants.

Objectives: 

Students will:

  • experience an intentionally unfair game and discuss the impact of unfair situations
  • brainstorm how to make a game fair for all participants

Materials needed: Beach balls

Directions:

  1. Ask to the group to line up shortest to tallest. Divide the line in half so all the shorter people are on one team and the taller people are on the other.
  2. Have the taller people get in a circle on the outside with the shorter people in the center.
  3. Have them play a game of keep away where the outside circle tries to keep the ball away from the others. If someone in the middle gets the ball, the inside participants switch to the outside circle and the others go inside.
  4. After playing for a while, the taller team will most likely be keeping control of the ball and the shorter team may be getting frustrated.
  5. At this point, change the rules. Tell the taller team that they must all put one hand behind their back or in their pocket while they play.
  6. Play again now that the game is in favor of the other team.
  7. Put students in small groups and have them come up with a way to play the game that would be fair for all participants. Bring the students back together and come up with a set of rules for the game that all students agree is fair. 
  8. Play the game with your new class rules.

Discussion Prompts:

  • How did you feel when the game was in your favor?
  • How did you feel when the game wasn’t in your favor?
  • Do you ever get angry when things seem unfair?
  • What is a better way to handle an unfair situation?

Fairness is one of the Six Pillars of Character. Click here to learn more about the Six Pillars.




Responsibility Artwork (Grades 6-12)

Overview: Students will create responsibility artwork with a quote.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • research quotes or proverbs about responsibility.
  • share their favorite quote on responsibility.
  • create a drawing featuring their quote.

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Markers
  • Colored pencils
  • Access to the Internet to research quotes about responsibility 

Opening Reflection: 

  • Find a quote about responsibility that speaks to you.

Independent Creative Time

  • Create responsibility artwork of your favorite responsibility quote. 
  • Examples:

Group

  • Share your drawing. Why you chose this quote about responsibility?
  • What does this quote look like in your life?

More Resources:

  • Responsibility is one of the Six Pillars of Character. Click here to learn more about the Six Pillars.
  • See more posts about responsibility by using the filter on our blog.
  • Quotes about responsibility:
    • “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
    • “Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.” – James Michener
    • “If you think you are too small to make a difference you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” – African proverb
    • “If you think you are too small to make a difference you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” – Dalai Lama XIV
    • “When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had.” -A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
    • “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
    • “Life isn’t perfect, any failures you have are actually learning moments. They teach us how to grow and evolve.” – Phillipa Soo



Working with a Team (Grades K-5)

Overview: This lesson highlights the importance of bringing our best selves when working with a team.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • determine roles for each team member
  • practice bringing their best self to a group task through their defined role
  • reflect on the effects of roles and responsibilities in a group

Materials needed:

  • A deck of cards for each group

Directions:

  1. Put students in groups of 2-4. Each group needs to have at least one builder and one supervisor. If you have more than two students in the group, allow the students to decide how many builders and supervisors they want within their group, as long as there is one of each.
  2. Give each group a deck of cards.
  3. Instruct the group that their task is to build the highest tower of cards they can.
  4. Only builders may touch the cards, but cannot talk. Only supervisors may talk, but cannot touch the cards.
  5. The team must start over each time the tower falls.
  6. Set a time limit. At the end of the time limit, allow students to negotiate more time. For example, let students continue if they can negotiate a trade (if don’t use their dominant hand, don’t talk etc., then they get one more minute to work).
  7. At the end of the time limit, see who has the tallest tower—then let them blow it down!

Discussion Prompts:

  • It is possible that they won’t be very successful at this activity. If they aren’t, ask them what they could have done better or differently.
  • Was it hard to only be a builder or only be a supervisor? Why?
  • Why does brining your best self and all of your talents important when you are on a team?



Disagreeing with Respect (Grades 6-12)

Overview:

This lesson focuses on disagreeing with respect.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • review a video about respecting others even when you disagree.
  • discuss what it means to respect others through disagreement.
  • reflect on their own level of respect during disagreements.

Materials:

Lesson:

Opening Reflection 

  • What does this quote teach you about disagreeing with respect? “Do not focus on being right, focus on getting it right. “

Review content (Whole Group) 

Whole Group Discussion 

  • What was your favorite take away from the video?
  • What are the differences between healthy and toxic disagreements?
  • How can you show respect even when you disagree?
  • What are some hot topics that people around you, on the news, or in the community disagree on?
  • What examples have you witnessed of people handling disagreements disrespectfully and respectfully?
    • Compare the outcomes and emotions in those disagreements.

Reflection

  • Think about the last disagreement you had and consider ways you showed respect or ways you could have modeled respect better. What is a strategy discussed today that you can try to remember for the next time you have a disagreement?

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Respect and Teamwork (Grades K-5)

respect and teamwork

Overview:

Students will practice the skills necessary to show respect and teamwork through a group project to build a structure. Students will practice teamwork, giving helpful feedback, and patience.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • practice patience while being limited in their abilities during the challenge.
  • demonstrate effective teamwork by completing the structure together.
  • reflect on how feedback can change the outcome of the project.

Materials:

  • Materials to build a structure: pieces of wood, cardboard blocks, etc.
  • Sample structure should be built ahead of time and piles of exact same building materials laid out for each group.

Lesson:

  1. Divide students in groups of 2-4.
  2. Facilitator shows group the structure. Allow them to look at it for at least one minute.
  3. Give the instruction that each person will take a piece or pieces and must not touch any other pieces other than their own or the group will have to start over.
  4. Each person in the group takes a piece or pieces of building material.
  5. The group now duplicates the structure like the original.
  6. Give the group a set amount of time. If they need more time, negotiate for what they are willing to give up (talking, one arm behind back, etc).
  7. If groups are having trouble, take a time out and have them discuss how they are going to do it, then have them try again.

Discussion:

  • Discuss the process they used either by plan or by default.
  • Discuss what they heard while they were working, were people being encouraging or critical? How did that make them feel? Did they do anything to change the atmosphere?
  • Discuss patience. Is it hard or easy for them?
  • How does this activity reflect other things they have to do as a group or team?

More:




Trust and Safety (Grades 6-12)

Trust and safety lesson

Overview Students will reflect on their responsibility for trust and safety.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • Read essays on trust and safety.
  • Reflect on how they keep themselves safe.
  • Consider ways they could protect themselves better.

Opening Reflection

  • How do you keep yourself safe in today’s world?
    • Utilize chart paper and markers or a polling/word cloud online tool to record responses. 

Small Groups:

  • Read two different essays (above) by teens about trust and safety.
  • Highlight ways these teens suggest you must learn to trust yourself for your own safety.

Whole Group

  • Why do you need to trust yourself?
    • Who is to blame when you make a mistake?
    • Why is it challenging to keep yourself safe in this world?
    • How can teens learn to trust themselves to be safe physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? (Consider online and physical location)

Reflection (5 mins): 

  • Reflect on your own ability to trust yourself to keep you safe. 
    • What are some ways you already protect yourself?
    • Where or how could you improve?

More:

  • For more lessons, use the filter tool to find lessons by value and age range.



Trustworthiness (Grades K-5)

Trustworthiness lesson

Overview: Students will participate in an activity where they will have to rely on the trustworthiness of their peers.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • Consider how it feels to rely on the trustworthiness of others.
  • Discuss how trustworthiness is related to caring and respect.

Materials needed: Blindfolds

Directions:

  1. Put students in pairs. (This lesson may also work in groups of three or four.)
  2. One partner puts on a blindfold with their partner or group members standing at least 10-15 feet away.
  3. When the blindfolded person gets the blindfold in place, the others begin to walk toward the blindfolded person slowly until the blindfolded person holds up their hands and says, “Stop.”
  4. (Optional variation) Allow the sighted player to approach their partners from any direction, trying to sneak up on them without them knowing where they are.
  5. Trade places until all have had a couple of chances to be the sightless participant.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Ask participants how it felt when they were blindfolded—could they “feel” when the other person was getting close? Relate this to our issues of personal space.
  • Ask participants how it felt when they were sighted? Did they feel superior? If so, discuss how that sense of “control” or “power” can be used well, or how it is sometimes used poorly (like with teasing and bullying).
  • Pick up on any comments you heard and process them out. Ask them how it felt to be the one at risk. Relate to caring and standing up for someone if they are being bullied.



Digital Citizenship (Grades 6-12)

Overview:
Teaching students to think about their digital citizenship through the lens of integrity is important in this digital world. This lesson will give students an opportunity to discuss ways to engage an active conscience to model integrity as digital citizens.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

  • explore their digital footprint. 
  • discuss why it is important to protect your identity and reputation online and offline. 
  • utilize Rules of an Active Conscience to determine what to post on social media.

Materials:

Lesson:

Journal: (5 mins)

  • Google yourself.
  • Write down what you noticed about your digital footprint. 

Whole Group Discussion (15 mins)

  • Share what you noticed about your digital footprint.
  • Why is it so important to be a good digital citizen in today’s world?
  • Share headlines of digital footprints impacting citizens:
    • Harvard rescinded 10 offers of enrollment for students who posted explicit and racist pictures on social media.
    • Woman tweeted a racist post about her trip to Africa when she boarded the plane. She was fired by her boss before the plane landed.
    • Students photoshopped an unflattering picture of a teacher and posted it on the Internet. They students involved were suspended, legal charges were filed, and the students faced five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.  
    • A woman posted a picture of herself dressed like a Boston Marathon Bombing victim to Instagram for Halloween. She was fired because of the insensitive nature of the post.
    • Students posted a meme making light of gun violence at school and they were arrested. Students who liked the post were suspended.
  • What you share on social media matters. It can impact you today and in your future plans and career. Your digital footprint exists and can be used against you when you least expect it. Something you find funny or impulsively post can get you fired, arrested, or fined.
  • Discuss in small groups how the Rules of An Active Conscience can help you decide what to post on social media. 

Small Group Discussion (15 mins)

  • Read each Social media post on the To Post or Not To Post Handout and determine which of the Rules of Active Conscience it breaks.
  • Share your findings with the teacher.

Exit Ticket:

  • Generate a social media post that meets the Rules of Active Conscience. 
    • Use the following site to create a fake account post: https://zeoob.com/ if students do not have one they can use.