Cool Tool
I am responsible in the bathroom.
- Purpose of the Lesson:Explain to students that today the class will be working on Collective work and Responsibility(Ujima) and Purpose (Nia) in the bathroom. Ask students why it’s important for us to do this and give opportunity for student response.
- Teaching Examples:Using a Y chart (looks like, feels like, sounds like) or other visual representation (draw a toilet or sink), brainstorm purpose and being responsible in the bathroom. Examples –quickly and quietly take care of business w/o socializing, flush the toilet, wash your hands, keep water in the sink, honor privacy (“peek for feet”), use 1-2 towels and put them in the trash, report problems, use a quiet voice. Talk about why these are important and how they tie to collective work (all keeping the bathroom clean for each other) and purpose (quick, quiet and clean).
- Student Activities/Role Plays: When bathroom is available, take groups of students or go as a whole class to the girls / boys bathroom. Role play “peek for feet” (look under stall door, then knock on stall door before entering), washing hands, using 1-2 towels, quiet voice with several students.
- Follow-Up Reinforcement Activity Ideas:
- Hand out Falcon Feathers and verbal praise for returning from bathroom quickly or go in after whole class uses the bathroom to check how it looks – give group of students a feather/praise.
- Read the book The Potty Animalsby Hope Vestergaard (see Kim Dahl in LMC for a copy), this book uses animals to discuss potentially embarrassing issues children may have with bathrooming (washing hands, wiping properly, going when you have to instead of holding it too long).
- Use a voice scale from 1-10 to talk about being at a level 0-2 in the bathroom. Practice the scale starting with 0 (silent – use a closed fist to signal), gradually getting louder to a 10 (where Ms. Winn could hear them in the office). Have students count up the numbers 1-10 to practice.
- Use the word “acoustic” as a vocabulary word in class. Talk about how sound is amplified by equipment and also in certain areas/rooms. Show students how their voices are amplified in the bathroom and revisit using a 0-2 voice.
- Make signs to post in the bathrooms for washing hands by the sink, “peek for feet” on stall doors, or signs to use 1-2 towels (tied to Earth Day/conservation), or “Use it and Move it” signs for the hallway outside bathrooms
- A Collective Work & Responsibility - Ujima Award will be given out each week to the bathrooms that look the best. This will be determined by the custodians cleaning the bathrooms and the award will be displayed outside the winning bathroom and announced in the morning announcements on Fridays.