Respect Unit Helping Others Lesson Plan:
Materials Needed:
Thanks a lot, Triceratot by Guy Gilchrist Poster Board
Stacks of books Markers
Unit Journals Roll of Streamers
Pencils
Madison Metropolitan School District Standards:
Take care of personal belongings and respect those of others
Describe how all home and school members have rights and responsibilities
Demonstrate responsibility for their role within the school environment
National Council for Social Studies Standards:
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of individual development and identity
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic
Objectives:
Students will learn that helping others is a way to show respect for them
Students will learn that some things are easier with the help of others
Students will learn that friends help each other
Students will acknowledge their peers for times they have shown them respect by helping them
Students will create lists of ways one can help others
Lesson Opening:
Call all of the students to the carpet area. Once the students are all sitting, say that you forgot to grab all the books needed for the lesson and ask one student to grab the stack of books on the back table. Tell the rest of the students to wait patiently until this student has brought all of the books to the carpet area. Once the student is finished moving all of the books, say that you forgot that we actually do not need them and ask 3 students to bring them all back to the table.
*Note: Make sure that you choose a student who will not be overwhelmed by and capable of the task to bring the books to the carpet.
Procedure:
1. Ask the students which took longer—getting the books to the carpet or putting them back? Why do you think this is? Ask the one student who carried the books to the carpet what it felt like to not get help from anyone. Would it have been easier if you had help? Ask the other students how it felt to have to watch that student carry the books all by him/herself. Did you want to help? Explain to the students that helping someone is a way to show respect for them.
2. Read Thanks a lot, Triceratot to the students. While reading the book, ask these questions to the students: How do you think Rex felt when Triceratot wouldn’t help him? Was Triceratot showing respect for Rex? Would you have helped Rex? Why or why not? Why do you think Rex helped Triceratot? How do you think that made Triceratot feel? Would you have helped Triceratot? Why or why not? Did the characters in the book show respect for one another? How?
3. Next, tell the students to form a circle on the carpet. Tell the students to think about times when the other people in the circle have helped them. Explain to the students that they are going to get the opportunity to thank their friends who have shown them respect by helping them. Sit in the circle and thank a student for helping you. Then roll the streamers roll to that student while still holding onto the end of the streamers. Next, tell that student to thank someone for helping him/her and pass the streamers roll while holding onto the section that came to him/her. This student will then thank another student for helping him/her and pass the streamers roll in the same matter. Make sure to tell the students to choose a person to thank that is not holding a piece of the streamers yet until everyone has had a chance to thank someone else. Then, continue the process allowing students to thank others who already have a part of the streamers. Do this until the streamers roll is completely unrolled. Tell the students to look at all of the connections that have been made between them through helping each other. Tell them that you are glad that they all show each other respect by helping one another both in and out of the classroom.
4. Next, have the students go back to their seats and create a list of ways that they can help others in school in their unit journals. Tell them to get as many ways as they can think of onto their list. Tell them to think about all the things that people thanked each other for in the previous activity and all the ways people help them or they help people during school. Give the students time to get a good list going.
5. Have each table of students (or small groups of 4-6 students if they are not seated at tables) share their lists with each other. One student should start by naming one thing on their list. Then the next student will name one thing, then the next, and so on. Remind the students to actively listen to what their group members are saying and tell them to mark off things on their list that were already said. Have the students continue this process until they have all shared everything on their list. Also, the students should be adding things to their list that their group members say if they do not already have it written in their list.
5. Next, create a class list of ways to help others during school on the poster board. Go around the room and have each student give you something to put on the list one at a time. Again, remind the students to actively listen to what their peers are saying so that they do not repeat ways to help others. Continue this process until all of the students have shared everything on their lists.
Lesson Closure:
Hang the class list of ways to help others during school on the wall and tell the students to remember to try to do all of these things every school day. Remind the students that this shows respect for their classmates and for the school community as a whole.
Assessment:
Throughout the lesson, observe the students to assess their understanding of what it means to help others and why they should help others, their cooperation skills, and their active listening skills. Also, look at the students' lists in their unit journals to assess their writing skills and their understanding of helping others.
Extension Ideas:
Students can create posters depicting ways to help others at school that were included in the class list to display around the school in order to promote respect throughout the school community.
Make a classroom "Helping Hands" trophy that will be given to a new student every Monday by the last week's trophy winner. The student can prepare a speech for the trophy presentation that explains how the trophy winner was respectful by helping him/her. Also, each trophy winner can be given the task of writing a thank you card to the person who presented him/her the "Helpful Hands" trophy.
Students can make and deliver thank you cards for others in the school who have helped them during the school year emphasizing the fact that they appreciate the respect that this person has shown them by helping.
Students can come up with ways to help others in the community and follow through with their ideas.
