unit introduction - health unit · student introduction welcome to the inclusion unit! this is a...

5th Grade Unit Introduction

Sub-Concepts Covered: Equity, Fairness, Kindness

Kindness in the Classroom lessons teach kindness skills through a step-by step framework of Inspire, Empower, Act, Reflect and Share. Each lesson starts with the ‘share’ step to reinforce learning from previous lessons. The ‘act’ piece is woven into the lessons but really takes place in the projects. In the Inclusiveness Unit, students will talk about inclusivity through the lens of the other kindness concepts as well as through the sub-concepts of equity and fairness. This unit includes some hands-on activities that require teamwork, which also reinforces the concept of inclusiveness. Students will also participate in writing a mission statement of inclusion for their classroom, which will help reinforce this concept well beyond the conclusion of the unit.

Unit Objective Students will:

● Identify similarities and differences among different objects or people. ● Recognize how teamwork requires inclusiveness. ● Develop a mission statement through an acrostic poem around the qualities they value about inclusion. ● Apply problem-solving strategies to help make different situations fair, equal, and/or equitable for

everyone involved.

Student Introduction Welcome to the Inclusion Unit! This is a really great unit because you get to do a number of hands-on activities and will be challenged to look at inclusiveness using all of the kindness concepts you’ve studied so far! Inclusiveness is a great way to show respect, caring, and kindness - both to others and to yourself. You will also evaluate different situations for how fair and equitable they are, two concepts that are important for you to understand and look for in everyday life! Having a fair and equitable world will be the work of all of us.

● Recognizing similarities and differences (and how most things are more similar than they are different) ● Teamwork ● Connecting all of the kindness concepts studied so far: Respect, Caring, Inclusiveness ● Fairness and equality

Let’s get started with our first lesson!

© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. All Rights Reserved. www.randomactsofkindness.org

Unit Lessons Lesson Title Lesson Objectives Materials Required Lesson 1 Which One of These Doesn’t Belong?

● Identify similarities and differences among different objects or people.

❏ Shapes to compare/contrast ❏ (see lesson for website containing these

types of shapes)

Lesson 2 Kindness Escape Room: Teamwork

● Recognize how teamwork requires inclusiveness.

● Practice teamwork through a game situation.

❏ Paper for printing the scorecards and situation slips

❏ Envelopes for situation slips or staples if simply folded. The idea is to keep the situation somewhat concealed until the retriever returns to his or her team

❏ Stamper or some kind of marker to check off teams’ scorecards

❏ Could have prizes for the team that escapes first

❏ Scorecards ❏ Situation slips to be copied and cut out

Lesson 3 Inclusion Acrostic

● Recognize the value of including everyone, regardless of ability.

● Develop a mission statement through an acrostic poem around the qualities they value about inclusion.

❏ White board or smartboard, or large sticky notes, depending on how you want students to work on the acrostic. Ultimately you will need poster-making materials for the final acrostic display.

❏ Smartboard to project the video. ❏ Inspirational video:

https://www.passiton.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/153-sarah-greichen

❏ Score a Friend website and resources: http://scoreafriend.org/

Lesson 4 Fair But Equal

● Define fairness and equality. ● Apply problem-solving strategies to help

make different situations fair, equal, and/or equitable for everyone involved.

❏ Print out of the Equality/Equity image or smartboard on which to project the image

❏ Smartboard or other computer screen to project the “homework gap” video.




http://scoreafriend.org/

Unit Projects Project Title Project Overview Materials Required Project 1 Notable Quotables: Inclusiveness Posters

This project gives students an opportunity to learn some notable quotes about inclusion and diversity while practicing critical thinking skills in explaining and illustrating them.

❏ Large poster paper ❏ Slips of paper with the quotes on them.

Ensure each group has a quote (or, if you are having each student make a poster, find more quotes so that each person has a different quote).

❏ Markers or other media for the poster creation

Project 2 The Rules of Inclusion

This project helps students recognize the difference between cliques and friends and identify language that might cue them that people are leaving others out as well as identify rules for their classroom that they can abide by in order to make sure everyone is included.

❏ “Friends or Clique” worksheet ❏ Poster board / markers


Inclusiveness 5th Grade • Lesson 1

Which One of These Doesn’t Belong? In this lesson, students have an opportunity to use compare and contrast skills through an activity that will ultimately reveal that everyone’s perception of sameness and difference is, well, different! The aim of this lesson is to help students realize that even with differences, inclusion is possible end even likely strengthened! The goal is to get students to realize they are more alike with others than they are different. Including those who are different from you can create a meaningful relational experience. Inclusiveness Sub-Concept(s) Kindness Lesson Timeframe 30-35 minutes Required Materials ❏ Shapes to compare/contrast

(see lesson for website containing these types of shapes)

Standards Map This lesson aligns with CASEL Competencies, National Health Education Standards, and Common Core State Standards. Please refer to the Standards Map for more information.

Lesson Objective Students will:

● Identify similarities and differences among different objects or people.

Teacher Connection/Self-Care The topic of inclusiveness is often overlooked once we reach adulthood. We seem to falsely assume that loneliness, bullies, and cliques are a thing of the past. However, it is just as difficult, if not more so, once we have developed our own comfort levels on different hot button topics, personality types, and overall approaches to life. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but that’s not true! It might be harder, but we CAN and SHOULD strive to grow in kindness daily. This week, examine your surroundings at school carefully. Are there any new teachers that you are unfamiliar with? Maybe YOU are that new teacher and are feeling exceptionally shy. Identify 3 people this week to include in some capacity. Perhaps it’s the old “saved you a seat” at lunch adage, an invite to walk the playground during lunchtime, or even a morning coffee to brighten the day! Your efforts to include others will definitely increase the kindness quotient in your school exponentially.

Tips for Diverse Learners ● If there are students who will struggle with the abstract nature of the

activity (that there are no correct answers), you could work in a small group with those students to help guide their thinking and calm concerns about “getting it right”.

● Encourage creativity here! This is an opportunity for students who do more abstract thinking (and who might normally struggle with concrete concepts) to excel.

© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. All Rights Reserved. www.randomactsofkindness.org Page 1

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/lesson-plans/5_Inclusiveness_Unit_Standards_Map.pdf

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3-5 minutes In this unit, we are going to talk about what it means to be inclusive. Does anyone know what that word means? I know you have heard it before. Invite student response. Good! Inclusive means that we include or invite others to join us; we make sure everyone has a part - a role to play - and is contributing. Take 30 seconds right now to think of something you can do right here at school to make someone else feel included. After the time is up, have students turn to their neighbor and share their idea.

Inspire

12-15 minutes How many of you watched Sesame Street when you were younger? Does anyone remember the segment called, “One of these things is not like the other”? You can play this clip to jog memories if time and technology allow (29 second video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsRjQDrDnY8 In this segment, we are supposed to focus on the one object out of four that isdifferent. You might have heard this as compare and contrast; when we compare, we look to see how things are the same. When we contrast, we look to see how they are different. We are going to play a similar game now in small groups of three or four. Either have students get into small groups or assign small groups now. I want you to look at these shapes and identify which one doesn’t belong. Everyone should be able to contribute his/her ideas and it’s okay if you do notagree. Pick a shape set from this website. Project it on the screen, hand it out on paper (print ahead of time), or simply draw the shape set on the board. http://wodb.ca/shapes.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsRjQDrDnY8

http://wodb.ca/shapes.html

Example:

If you want, when groups are done, give them another from that same site:


Empower

10-15 minutes Bring the small groups back to the large group and have a discussion about what was decided. You will likely find that each group has different ideas about which shape is different. Note that there isn’t a right answer. Each shape is unique and any of them could be different in some way; in many ways, they are also the same. This will be an important point to hit with students; differences are often a matter of perception. When we find ourselves meeting new people or in new situations, what are some things we might feel or look around for? Invite student response. Students may talk about looking to see if they know anyone or if there is something familiar they can do or associate with so they feel more comfortable. Students might suggest they are quiet or hang out in the background because they feel shy, nervous, or they don’t want to stand out. They don’t want to appear different. The truth is that we are all the same in many ways and we are all different in many ways. If we wait to do something only when it feels comfortable or if we hang out only with people who look or act or think the same way that we do, then we will miss out on a lot that life has to offer! What if we look for what is different around us and investigate that? What if we celebrated that? And, as we learned from our shapes game, what we think of as different may not seem different at all to someone else. We need to set down our perception of difference and be open to the fact that what we think of as a difference could actually be thought of as sameness. Let’s look at our shapes again. Get back into your groups and one of you make a T-chart on a piece of paper. On the left, write “SAME” and on the right, write DIFFERENT. Determine a couple things that are the same about the shapes and then determine a couple of things that are different. I will give you 2-3 minutes to do this. Have students complete this task then ask groups to share their ideas. Then do a “popcorn” style call-out to collect student ideas. Interesting observations! Notice how we had some similar perceptions about sameness and difference, but we also had different perceptions. Some groups noticed things that other groups did not notice. Now, make another T-chart in the same way: SAME on the left, and DIFFERENT on the right. Now, start listing the ways in which your group members are the same and the ways in which your group members are different. This will require some conversation; don’t use external factors or physical characteristics alone. And, whenever you identify a difference, see if you can find or turn it into a similarity instead.


Reflect

3-5 minutes So, what are some things you learned about each other? Allow students to share. When you look at how either the shapes are different or how you are different, does that make any of the shapes or any of us less than anything or anyone else? Of course not! We often are told to look out for what is different as if it is a bad thing. But, in reality, differences make us unique and, really, we are probably more alike than we are different. As you think about inclusiveness in this unit, I want you to remember that our differences don’t have to separate us. In fact, our differences can actually make it easier to be inclusive; we all have something unique to share and contribute. When we only include things or people or ideas that are the same as ours, we will be missing out in big ways! We will talk more about this in the next lesson!

Extension Ideas

● If you have time, you can expand the T-chart idea to other

culturally-relevant topics that are important for your student demographic or community.

● Send the shapes home with students to do the activity with their parents/guardians or siblings to encourage discussion about diversity and sameness even within families.

Useful resources:

● Computer/smartboard to show the shapes or a printer to print off the shapes (use this website for inspiration: http://wodb.ca/shapes.html); you could also draw the shapes on the board for a very quick and easy adaptation

● Read up about the principle of “Which One Doesn’t Belong” by Christopher Danielson here: https://www.stenhouse.com/content/which-one-doesnt-belong#about-authors -- you may want to look more at this approaches with regard to teaching geometry

● For support on looking for sameness and embracing diversity, see this Penn State article: http://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/10/04/httpswww-youtube-comwatchvkzci3eoafk0/


http://wodb.ca/shapes.html

https://www.stenhouse.com/content/which-one-doesnt-belong#about-authors

https://www.stenhouse.com/content/which-one-doesnt-belong#about-authors

http://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/10/04/httpswww-youtube-comwatchvkzci3eoafk0/

http://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/10/04/httpswww-youtube-comwatchvkzci3eoafk0/


Kindness Escape Room: Teamwork In this lesson, students will learn about inclusiveness through the lens of teamwork. They will also review and demonstrate understanding of past unit concepts around respect and caring through an “escape room” simulation. Teams of four work together to solve four situations and earn a pass “out” of the escape room. The idea is to create a slightly competitive environment where students must work together toward a common goal while simultaneously reviewing key concepts from previous lessons. Inclusiveness Sub-Concept(s) Kindness Lesson Timeframe 30-40 minutes Required Materials ❏ Paper for printing the scorecards and

situation slips ❏ Envelopes for situation slips or

staples if simply folded. The idea is to keep the situation somewhat concealed until the retriever returns to his or her team

❏ Stamper or some kind of marker to check off teams’ scorecards

❏ Could have prizes for the team that escapes first

❏ Scorecards ❏ Situation slips to be copied and cut

out Standards Map This lesson aligns with CASEL Competencies, National Health Education Standards, and Common Core State Standards. Please refer to the Standards Map for more information.


● Recognize how teamwork requires inclusiveness. ● Practice teamwork through a game situation.

Teacher Connection/Self-Care The skill of working together on a team is one that is utilized throughout our adult lives. Your teaching partner, your grade specific teaching group, your school, and even your district are all run by structured teams that must find common ground to accomplish a shared goal. However, your assigned team doesn’t necessarily correlate with your desired team. The skills you use in your classroom every day can and should be applied to the various teams, committees, and boards you sit on both at school and beyond. Don’t expect tobe perfect. We all have our faults. It is easier to look outwards than to personally reflect. Before you start complaining or struggling with your group, ask yourself these three questions: How can I help? How might I be a problem for others? How can I help things go right? We all have strengths and weaknesses. Being open about them can help you in any team situation. Be up front about both what you can offer and where you may struggle!

Tips for Diverse Learners ● Students with anxiety may not respond well to the idea of an “escape

room” so adjust the presentation as necessary. ● Because each student will have a specific role on the team, there

should be an opportunity for everyone to contribute. If students are self-selecting groups and there are groups that do not have strong readers and writers, they may be at a disadvantage. Adjust requirements as necessary or pre-assign groups to ensure everyone can be in a role that gives them an opportunity to be successful.



Share

3-5 minutes How many of you have played on a team before? Invite student response. Can someone tell me what a team is? What are some qualities that make a good, successful team? Invite student response. Do you ever decide, before giving someone a chance, that he or she would not be good on your team? That you don’t want to include them? How might excluding - or, not including - others from joining a team hurt the team?

Inspire

5-7 minutes We are going to dive even further regarding teams. Let’s use the example of a baseball team. How many of you have either played baseball or softball or have seen a baseball or softball game? Let students respond. On a baseball or softball team, you have nine players out on the field at one time. Are those players all doing the same job? Correct! They all have different jobs, don’t they? And what happens if one of those nine players is missing? Can they play the game successfully? Right - they can’t. Teams only work if everyone participates and does his or her assigned job. Even if a team has a really good player, they still need everyone else. A single first baseman cannot win an entire baseball game. Teams sometimes have members that work individually to get a job done, likea gymnastics team or a golf team; each athlete is important but they don’t play together - they work on their own but the points they earn go toward the entire team. They still must each do his or her best to help ensure that everyone succeeds. Turn to your neighbor and do a think-pair-share about other types of teams (other than sports teams) and what each team member has to do in order for the whole team to succeed.


Empower

20-25 minutes Have you ever heard of those “escape rooms” where people need to work together and solve puzzles or riddles or problems in order to get out? Well, we are now going into the Kindness Escape Room! If time permits, you could prepare the room in advance with some escape room signs, suspenseful music, etc. (see ideas here: https://www.weareteachers.com/build-a-classroom-escape-room-lesson/) You are going to work in teams to address some situations about kindness, including concepts that we studied in our Respect and Caring Units. Each person has a special job to do and in order for your team to be successful, each person must do his or her job. Here are the teams [put students into teams of 4 or allow self-selection if that is best for your class]. On your team, you need a retriever, a reader, a writer, and a reporter. The retriever, on my mark, comes to get the first situation from my desk (they cannot run, though!). The retriever returns to the team and gives the envelope to the reader who reads the situation to the team. The writer writes down the team’s final decision or response on the scorecard and gives it to the reporter. The whole team must agree on the response and sign the card to verify the results. The reporter then walks the score card back to the teacher who will review and either approve or reject the answer. If approved, the teacher will stamp the score card. The reporter returns to the team, and high-fives the retriever who then goes back for the next situation. The retriever cannot leave his or her seat until the reporter high-fives them. Then the team repeats the same action for the next situation. As soon as you get all four stamps, you get to “escape”. The goal is to be the first team out! To keep the room in suspense, continue playing music in the background and/or have a buzzer at the desk that you hit or ring when a team escapes.

Reflect

3-5 minutes Ask the following questions:

● What was this experience like for your team? Did everyone feel confident in performing their duty?

● How did you assign team members roles? ● Was there ever any conflict on your team? ● What would have happened if one of your team members didn’t fulfill

his or her role?


https://www.weareteachers.com/build-a-classroom-escape-room-lesson/

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Kindness Escape Room Situations Ensure there is one of each of the four situations for each team; cut them out and put them in envelopes (or simply fold them in half and staple). Note for Teachers: With the exception of #4, the aim of these situations isn’t to make students simply recall facts or concepts; it is to apply them. Therefore, any answer has the potential to be the right answer. Make a quick judgement call, but if the response does not specifically address the question or is missing an element of kindness, caring, or inclusiveness, ask teams to rethink their response so that it is more specific or addresses a kindness concept in more detail. With #4, the apology should address the four steps in some way. If a step is missing, encourage teams to add it in. Four Steps to Making an Apology:

1. Realize you did wrong. 2. Sincerely apologize. 3. Explain yourself. 4. Make future plans.

Situation 1 Maddie is a new student in your class. She is from another state and her family just moved here. What are three specific things you and your classmates could do to make her feel welcome?

Situation 2 You heard a rumor about your best friend from a boy in your class named Trey. You talk to Trey and ask him to stop spreading lies about your friend. Trey says he doesn’t care what you say and starts making fun of what you are wearing. How could you respond that is assertive yet respectful?

Situation 3 You are feeling stressed. You have a big test on Friday. You have music lessons once a week and theater twice a week, so you don’t have a lot of time after school to relax. Your little sister is getting on your nerves, and you are nervous about your upcoming solo at the school music concert. Name three things you can do to help take care of yourself so that you don’t feel so anxious and stressed out, and explain how the strategy will help at least one of these specific stressors. (For example: You could ask your teacher for help studying so you aren’t nervous about your test. You cannot use this example as one of your self-care strategies!)

Situation 4 You took your mom’s phone without asking and accidentally dropped it and cracked the screen. Using the four steps you learned about in the Caring unit, write a sincere apology.



Inclusion Acrostic This lesson teaches students that in order to be inclusive, they have to value and understand its importance. Through a short video and large group discussion, students will help identify the qualities of inclusion that are important to them as a class. They will work on an acrostic poem that outlines these values and qualities to help remind them each day of their mission for inclusion. Inclusiveness Sub-Concept(s) Kindness Lesson Timeframe 30-40 minutes Required Materials ❏ White board or smartboard, or large

sticky notes, depending on how you want students to work on the acrostic. Ultimately you will need poster-making materials for the final acrostic display.

❏ Smartboard to project the video. ❏ Inspirational video:


❏ Score a Friend website and resources: http://scoreafriend.org/



● Recognize the value of including everyone, regardless of ability. ● Develop a mission statement through an acrostic poem around the

qualities they value about inclusion.

Teacher Connection/Self-Care Even as an adult, it can be difficult being the “new kid on the block”. Every new job, every move, every time your children transition to a new school; all of these result in a new set of people to meet! One of the most challenging aspects of these new beginnings is finding entry points into already formed social circles. As you introduce this valuable lesson to your students, take time to reflect on how you feel when this is required of you. If you are more of an introvert, putting yourself out there on day one may feel impossible. Start slowly and identify one person a week to approach. It is definitely easier to look for small groups of 2-3 people rather than approaching a larger group. On the opposite end, extroverts can come across as too overbearing, chatty, or even loud. Try to get involved in productive ways through committees, meetings, or other activities that focus your nervous energy. Whether you are an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between, asking permission in new social situations can be unnerving, but practice makes perfect, so get out there!

Tips for Diverse Learners ● If there is a student on the autism spectrum in class, consider how to

use the video and present the foundation of the lesson; while the lesson is not rooted in autism or in any other unique ability classification, it is part of the lesson set-up.

● Determine ahead of time if the whole class will be able to effectively work on the acrostic or if it should be done in smaller groups. Perhaps each group taking one letter of the acrostic and coming up with a variety of options that the whole class can vote on.






Share

3-5 minutes Let’s review what we discussed in our last Inclusiveness lesson. In that lesson we talked about what it meant to be on a team and then we played a team-based game. Can someone share what it means to be on a team? Invite student response. Good! Only when everyone is doing his or her job and working together can a team be successful. This ties nicely into today’s lesson because we need to work together as a classroom to complete our activity.

Inspire 7-10 minutes With Video: In this unit, we have also talked about not only looking for differences in things and people but, more importantly, looking for the ways that we are the same. One way that humans are the same, even if they look different or have different abilities, is our need to be loved, heard, appreciated, and included. Everyone wants to have purpose in life. We are going to watch a short video about a girl whose twin brother has autism. She realized that he struggled to make friends and she wanted to help him and others who were regularly not included. Watch Video (1 minute) https://www.passiton.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/153-sarah-greichen Ok - did you all hear what Sara said about her brother when he is included? What happens to Jacob when he is included? Answer: He feels like he can succeed in life and that he has a purpose. Isn’t this how we all feel when we are included? On the other hand, how do we feel when we are excluded or left out? Invite student response. Without Video: In this unit, we have also talked about not only looking for differences in things and people but, more importantly, looking for the ways that we are the same. One way that humans are the same, even if they look different or have different abilities, is our need to be loved, heard, appreciated, and included. Everyone wants to have purpose in life. Let me tell you a story. There is a girl named Sara who attends college now atColorado State University. She has a twin brother who has autism. When they were in high school together, one day when their mom picked them up from school, her brother got in the car and started crying. He told his mom that he had no friends. “Why don’t I have any friends?” he asked. Sara said her heart



broke for her brother; she had not realized that he struggled to make friends and she wanted to help him and others who were regularly not included. Have any of you not been included in something? We all have, right? How does it feel when we are not included? Invite student response. Even something small like being invited to play a game at recess or to sit down and eat lunch together can completely change a person’s day. The key is to be inclusive all of the time, though, not just occasionally. People want others to genuinely care about them.

Empower

15-20 minutes So, Sara, the girl I just told you about, actually did something to be authentically or truly inclusive and, more specifically, to help her brother, Jacob. She created a non-profit organization (that she originally started as part of a Girl Scout project) in Littleton, Colorado, which is now spreading across the country, called Score a Friend. There are flyers/downloadables you could print or share on the SmartBoard about Score a Friend if you want to. Find more at ScoreaFriend.org) The goal of the organization is to make sure that everyone is included and is an active part of the community, no matter their ability. This is their mission statement: Our mission is to build Unified Clubs in schools, supporting the education and activation of youth leaders to advance inclusion in the world for youth of all abilities. That is a pretty cool mission statement! Let’s talk a little bit about what a mission statement is. Does anyone have any idea what a mission statement is? A mission statement is a formal statement or sentence that sums up the values of a company, organization, or individual. It is a sentence that says what you think is worthwhile, what you support, and what you stand for. Most organizations have a mission statement. Did you know that our school has a mission statement? Read and/or display the mission statement of your school on the smartboard. I would like us to write a mission statement for our classroom that is specific to inclusion. If we value inclusion - if we make it our mission as 5th graders to include others - then everything else we’ve been talking about - respect, caring, kindness - will follow. It is hard to be inclusive if you aren’t also respectful, caring, and kind. We are going to make our mission statement a little different, though. We are going to use the word INCLUSION as an acrostic to help us brainstorm ways to make our classroom and relationships inclusive. An acrostic is where you take the letters in a word and use them as the first letter in another word. Continued on next page…



You can demonstrate this on the board or project acrostic examples on the smartboard:

You can do this in many ways: on the board, on the smartboard, in a large group, in small groups. The aim is to create one acrostic for the whole class and for everyone to contribute, but how you arrive at the acrostic is up to you. Ensure you are having discussion about the ideas that students are generating and connect them back to caring and respect.

Reflect

5 minutes When the acrostic is finished, review it with students. Have everyone read it out loud together and then sign it (if you have a paper version to hang in the room). When this is done, display it in a visible place in the room; perhaps close to the door so students are reminded of it as they exit. Remember our mission as 5th graders. We are older students now and younger students look up to us as examples. How we treat and include otherswill show everyone how we value people and what we believe in. They will know our mission by how we include others. And when we include others, especially those who might normally be excluded for some reason, we help them feel like they can succeed and that they have a purpose.


Extension Ideas

● Send a copy of the mission statement home with students or email it to parents; let parents know that this is the mission and invite them to regularly ask their students how they are fulfilling their mission.

● Send an acrostic poem template home for parents/kids to create a family mission statement. This acrostic could be for INCLUSION or could be for any of the kindness concepts (or, simply, KINDNESS).

● Explore the Score a Friend organization and see if this is a club your school would be interested in starting or sponsoring.



Fair But Equal In this lesson, students discuss the difference among fairness, equality, and equity. They will use real-life situations to help them think about the concepts of fairness, equality, equity, and inclusiveness. The lesson also helps them flex their muscles in empathy, thinking about certain challenging situations from the perspective of others. Inclusiveness Sub-Concept(s) Equity, Fairness, Kindness Lesson Timeframe 35-40 minutes Required Materials ❏ Print out of the Equality/Equity image

or smartboard on which to project the image

❏ Smartboard or other computer screen to project the “homework gap” video.



● Define fairness and equality. ● Apply problem-solving strategies to help make different situations fair,

equal, and/or equitable for everyone involved.

Teacher Connection/Self-Care How does fairness affect us as teachers? You are required to break up disagreements numerous times a day and teach others how to exercise fairness in a variety of settings, yet the concept seems elusive to even adults at times. Although fairness has two meanings, for this unit we are focusing on the ability to include others without showing favor. However, this skill is often overlooked in adulthood. Favoritism cannot be ignored as most people have experienced both sides of this double-edged sword. How can you consciously choose fairness in your day to day interactions with others? What subconscious tendencies do you have that may cloud your judgement? It might be a certain type of personality, a clique that has formed with close friends, or even getting stuck in the same routine every day during lunch. In order to practice fairness within your own world, you must first break out of your comfort zone and seek beyond the “usual”. Ask yourself this question each day this week: “How can I treat people in a way that does not show favor for some and not others?” Identify one action step you can take to move forward in your quest for fairness!

Tips for Diverse Learners ● Students can draw their responses to the situations instead of writing

them down or students could role play. ● Read through each situation first and ensure each student/group

understands the conflict.



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5-7 minutes In our last lesson, we created our classroom mission statement regarding inclusion. Let’s read it together. Read the acrostic as a class. Can anyone share how they have either fulfilled this mission or seen other 5thgraders fulfill it this week? Invite student response.

Inspire 12-15 minutes Today we are going to talk about an important part of inclusiveness: fairness, equality, and equity. These can feel like big terms. Let’s define them: Can someone explain the idea of “fair” to the class? Invite student response. Ok, now what about equality. What does that mean? Invite student response. Now, what about equity. Does anyone know what equity means? Invite student response; this will likely will be challenging. Offer up the following or a similar definition: Equity is when everyone has what they need to succeed. Let’s look at a good visual representation of these concepts.

(Image source: “ Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire.”.)


http://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/

http://madewithangus.com/

What is “equal” in the image on the left? Answer: Each person has a box to stand on. Why is this still not fair, though? Answer: Even with a box, not everyone can see. What makes the image on the right equitable? Answer: Everyone has what they need to succeed and have an equal and fair opportunity.

Empower

25-30 minutes Equity is tricky. We often think that if everyone simply has the same things - if things are equal - then things are fair. We know, though, that sometimes things are equal but they are still not fair or equitable, like we saw in the baseball image. Part 1: [The following activity requires video player capabilities (Smartboard would work well); if this is not an option, skip down to the second part of the Empower section.] We are going to look at another example. This is a video of two high school academic teams that competed against each other in a knowledge challenge. Watch what happens: Homework Gap (4:14) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkAlwGsxwE Even though both teams got “additional resources,” why was this an unfair situation? Did they have the same types of resources? No. One team got computers and other had books. Why weren’t the book resources useful? They weren’t able to look things up fast enough, compared to a computer. Part 2: Today, we are going to investigate some situations where things are equal but they are not equitable. Our job will be to figure out what we can do to give everyone the same opportunity to succeed. These are going to be situations that we might even see happen right in our classroom. This will be most effective if you can use real-life examples. Here are some you can use if you can’t think of any applicable situations.

1. Lee moved to your town from South Korea. He speaks some English but he is still learning. During tests, Lee struggles to read all of the questions and answer them, and the teacher does not speak any Korean. Everyone is taking the same test so that is equal, but it is not equitable for Lee. What could be done to make the test more fair for Lee?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkAlwGsxwE

2. Sam isn’t able to walk. He is in a wheelchair. The computer lab is on the 2nd floor and your class has keyboarding once a week. Sam usually stays in the classroom and works on a laptop while the rest of the class goes upstairs. This works okay, but Sam misses out on the instruction from the keyboarding teacher. He has equal access to the computers but not to the instruction, so it’s not equitable.

3. Lara is 11 and her younger sister, Ava, is 6. At home, the girls each

have chores to do. Lara has to wash dishes, clean their bathroom, and sweep the porch when it gets dirty. Ava has to pick up her toys and put away her clothes after Lara does their laundry. Lara gets frustrated because Ava does so much less than she does. The situation isn’t equal. Is it fair? Is it equitable?

Reflect

5 minutes Have students relay their responses to the situations you provided. Conduct a group discussion around the responses. Let’s review the definitions of fair, equal, and equitable again, because they are all related but they are different. Review definitions. When you see a situation that isn’t fair, isn’t equal, or isn’t equitable, think about ways you can help if it is reasonable to do so. Also, if you are in Lara’s situation, and you feel you do more than your younger siblings, think about whether that inequality is actually fair. If it is, you will need to adjust how you think about that situation. If it is not, maybe you could talk to your parent or guardian about it. Remember, you can advocate for yourself just as easily as you can advocate for someone else. Remember our mission and if you see someone being excluded through inequality or an unfair situation, work to include them and give them the tools to succeed.

Extension Ideas

● You could write story problems for math that include concepts around

fairness, equality, and inclusiveness (like the examples above). ● Students and parents can examine this issue at home, especially if

there are siblings at home. In what ways are household rules fair but not equal or both fair and equal.


Inclusiveness 5th Grade • Project 1

Notable Quotables: Inclusiveness Posters This project gives students an opportunity to learn some notable quotes about inclusion and diversity while practicing critical thinking skills in explaining and illustrating them. Inclusiveness Sub-Concept(s) Kindness Project Timeframe 25-30 minutes Required Materials ❏ Large poster paper ❏ Slips of paper with the quotes on

them. Ensure each group has a quote (or, if you are having each student make a poster, find more quotes so that each person has a different quote).

❏ Markers or other media for the poster creation

Students can do this project individually or in small groups. Groups are nice because some of the quotes are somewhat challenging and it might help students to discuss them with others. The aim is for students to explain the quotes in plain terms and illustrate a poster to go with it. The end products will be colorful expressions of inclusion that can decorate the classroom or other spaces in the school. The following quotes are recommendations, though you can pick others:

● Why fit in when you were born to stand out? - Dr. Seuss ● When you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give others

permission to do the same. - Nelson Mandela ● We could learn a lot about crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty,

some are dull, some are bright, some have weird names, but they all learned to live together in the box. - Robert Fulghum

● Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. - Albert Einstein

● Always remember that you are unique -- just like everyone else. - Margaret Mead

● Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain

● It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. - Sir Edmund Hillary ● People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.

- Harper Lee ● The time is always right to do what is right. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ● Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that

matter. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wrap Up: When the posters are finished, have students present them to the class and then display them - either in the classroom or in other school spaces; the lunch room or the library might be good options. Proposed Lesson Outcomes: Students will:

● Think critically about well-known quotes about inclusiveness and diversity.

● Design posters to highlight the meaning of their quote.


Inclusiveness 5th Grade • Project 2

The Rules of Inclusion This project helps students recognize the difference between cliques and friends and identify language that might cue them that people are leaving others out as well as identify rules for their classroom that they can abide by in order to make sure everyone is included. Inclusiveness Sub-Concept(s) Kindness Project Timeframe 25-30 minutes Required Materials ❏ “Friends or Clique” worksheet ❏ Poster board / markers

As a class, discuss the difference between a clique and a friendship group. Highlight the fact that cliques often have someone who is a leader and who dominates the group dynamic. This person also usually makes rules for the group and excludes other people who do not seem to fit the group dynamic (often superficially - they don’t look the right way, wear the right clothes, or have the right things). Friendship groups, on the other hand, allow people to be who they are; friends value each other’s unique qualities and seek to build each other up. Friendship groups, though kinder and more authentic than cliques, can still be somewhat exclusive. It can still be difficult to expand a friendship circle and let others in unless you are paying attention. Have students work in small groups to complete the worksheet “Friends or Clique”? When the groups are done, return as a class and discuss the answers. Note that answers may vary; students may have rationale for why all three groups in all three situations are cliques, though some may feel like the groups in #1 and #3 are friends while #2 is clearly an example of a clique. Ensure students can explain their answers and be open to discussion. You might need to point out that sometimes we assume clique behavior for certain reasons, like in the example of Marissa and the group of girls: Marissa was nervous that the girls would reject her, but that was not reality since she hadn’t actually talked to them yet. Wrap Up: At the end, as a large group, come up with 5-10 rules the class can follow to help keep friendship groups inclusive and eliminate exclusive cliques. Develop the inclusion rules as a large group and write them on a large piece of paper that can be posted prominently in the room. Posting these by the door might be a good area, so that students are reminded as they go out into the more social spaces of the school (lunchroom, media center, commons, recess, lockers, etc.) to be authentic friends and not exclusive cliques. Proposed Lesson Outcomes: Students will:

● Recognize the difference between friendship groups and cliques. ● Develop a list of guidelines to draw from when confronted with clique

behavior. ● Develop skills to build authentic friendships, include others, and stand

up for people who are treating others unkindly.


http://www.dictionary.com/browse/clique

Friends or Clique? Example 1: Danny sat in his desk cutting out shapes for the class project they were working on. He struggled to keep up as he was the only student who hadn’t found a group to work with. Danny had asked a couple of groups but they said they were full, so he worked alone. Near Danny’s desk, Brad, Ray and Blake were also cutting out shapes from pieces of paper for the project they were working on. Brad saw Danny sitting all alone. Danny hadn’t asked if he could join their group, but Brad knew others had said no and that he didn’t have a group to work with.

1. Are Brad, Ray, and Blake behaving like a friend group or clique? 2. Why do you think this? 3. What should Brad do?

Example 2: Samara, Iman, and Alisa sat at their lunch table whispering. Allie walked past with her tray, and suddenly they started laughing loudly. “Do you see Allie’s shoes?” said Samara. “Looks like she found them at one of those second-hand stores!” said Alisa. “That’s probably the same place she got that ugly shirt!” Samara and Alisa both laughed. Allie kept walking, pretending not to hear their comments. Iman sat there, feeling really bad about what her friends said about Allie.

1. Are Samara, Iman, and Alisa behaving like a friend group or clique? 2. Why do you think this? 3. What should Iman do?

Example 3: Marisa was new to school. At recess, she would stare at a group of girls in her class. They seemed nice enough but she was still nervous to go talk to them. What if they made fun of her? What if they were mean to her? What if they just ignored her completely? She watched as they talked and smiled at each other. Some of the girls looked over her way and smiled. Marisa took a deep breath.

1. Are the girls in the school yard acting like a friend group or a clique? 2. Why do you think this? 3. What should Marisa do?


5th Grade

Hello Parents and Guardians, Welcome to Unit 3 of our Kindness in the Classroom curriculum. For the next 4-6 weeks we will be learning all about INCLUSIVENESS. Since this topic has been explored before, we will focus on the following topics: TOPIC QUESTIONS WE’LL BE EXPLORING HOW YOU CAN HELP AT HOME You are Special ● What makes each of us special?

● How can we celebrate our uniqueness?

Talk with your child about what makes them and your family special? How can you embrace the things that are “different” from everyone else?

Inclusiveness ● How can we include others, even if we do not know them?

● Why is it important to give everyone a chance during games and other activities?

Discuss the connection between inclusiveness and kindness. Emphasize how including others requires kindness. We use our kind words and actions to make them feel welcome!

Fair vs. Equal ● How can something be fair but not equal? How can something be equal and yet unfair at the same time?

Explore the concept of fairness and equality. Identify ways that home rules might be different for children of different ages, yet fair due to abilities.

Key activities we’ll be doing:

● Embrace the differences we have among our peers

and in our community! ● Play a Kindness Escape Room game! ● Create an Inclusion acrostic poem! ● Examine the difference between fair and equal! If you have any questions about our Kindness in the Classroom lessons, please feel free to contact me at anytime. We are on this kindness path together! Sincerely,

TRY THIS AT HOME! Ask your child about the shape activity they completed in class. Complete it at home and examine the diversity that exists within your home. How are we different and how can we make each other feel more welcome and included even within our own home?


http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

5th Grade Standards Map

Inclusiveness Unit This Standards Map summarizes each of the standards met by all lessons within this unit. All Kindness in the Classroom® lesson plans have been mapped to the five CASEL Core Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Education Standards (NHES), and the national Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy and Mathematics. Utilization and adoption of these national standards and competencies vary by state. Teachers can use this resource to align their own state standards with each lesson.

Lesson 1: Which One of These Doesn’t Belong? CASEL NHES Common Core

Self-awareness Accurate self-perception Social awareness Perspective-taking Empathy Appreciating diversity Respect for others Relationship skills Communication Social engagement Relationship-building Teamwork Responsible decision-making Analyzing situations Evaluating Reflecting Ethical responsibility

Standard 1. Understanding concepts 1.5.2 - Identify examples of emotional, intellectual, physical, and social health. Standard 7. Practicing healthy behaviors 7.5.1 - Identify responsible personal health behaviors.

English Language Arts Standards Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. Language Conventions of Standard English: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Knowledge of Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.


https://casel.org/core-competencies/

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sher/standards/index.htm

http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

Lesson 2: Kindness Escape Room: Teamwork

CASEL NHES Common Core

Self-management Self-discipline Social awareness Perspective-taking Empathy Appreciating diversity Respect for others Relationship skills Communication Social engagement Relationship-building Teamwork Responsible decision-making Analyzing situations Evaluating Reflecting Ethical responsibility

Standard 1. Understanding concepts 1.5.2 - Identify examples of emotional, intellectual, physical, and social health. Standard 5. Decision-making 5.5.6 - Describe the outcomes of a health-related decision Standard 7. Practicing healthy behaviors 7.5.1 - Identify responsible personal health behaviors.

English Language Arts Standards Reading: Foundational Skills Fluency: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. Writing Text Types and Purposes: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. Language Conventions of Standard English: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Knowledge of Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.


Lesson 3: Inclusion Acrostic CASEL NHES Common Core

Self-awareness Identifying emotions Self-management Goal-setting Social awareness Perspective-taking Empathy Appreciating diversity Respect for others Relationship skills Communication Social engagement Relationship-building Teamwork Responsible decision-making Analyzing situations Evaluating Reflecting Ethical responsibility

Standard 1. Understanding concepts 1.5.2 - Identify examples of emotional, intellectual, physical, and social health. Standard 5. Decision-making 5.5.3 - List healthy options to health-related issues or problems. Standard 7. Practicing healthy behaviors 7.5.1 - Identify responsible personal health behaviors. 7.5.2 - Demonstrate a variety of healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve personal health. Standard 8. Advocating 8.5.2 - Encourage others to make positive health choices.

English Language Arts Standards Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. Language Conventions of Standard English: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Knowledge of Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.


Lesson 4: Fair But Equal CASEL NHES Common Core

Social awareness Perspective-taking Empathy Appreciating diversity Respect for others Relationship skills Communication Responsible decision-making Identifying problems Analyzing situations Solving problems Evaluating Reflecting Ethical responsibility

Standard 1. Understanding concepts 1.5.2 - Identify examples of emotional, intellectual, physical, and social health. Standard 8. Advocating 8.5.1 - Express opinions and give accurate information about healthissues.

English Language Arts Standards Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. Language Conventions of Standard English: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Knowledge of Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5.C Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.


unit introduction - health unit · student introduction welcome to the inclusion unit! this is a...

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