Life Skills Friendship Unit Lessons

Head-Royce School

Priscilla Hine, First Grade Teacher

Elizabeth Price Patel K-8 Librarian

Presented at CAIS, March 9, 2009

Lesson 1: What Is Friendship?

Understanding Goal

The students will understand the characteristics of a good friendship.

Classroom

Thinking Routine: “What’s Going On? What Makes You Say That?”

Show pictures from Annie Bananie and ask the class:

What’s going on? What makes you say that?

  • Discuss what the friends are doing
  • Make Text-to-self connections about friendships

(Bring ideas to library)

Library

Review: the class’ list of characteristics of a good friend.

Read: The Friendship Tree by Kathy Caple

Discussion w/thinking routine: What’s going on? What makes you say that?

What’s going on with Otis and Blanche that makes them friends?

Why do you say that?

Are there any things you’d like to add to your list of characteristics of good friends after reading this story?

Understanding Performance

Students will write down one affirmation while they’re in the library. Back in the classroom they will have time to figure out just how they’re going to do that one thing.

1.Affirmation: on a strip of paper, write one thing you will do to be a good friend this week. (library)?

2.Following morning: Share affirmations or act out several affirmations.

My Friendship Affirmation:

This week I will ______

______

______

______

Name______

Date:______

Reflection:______

______

______

______

______

Lesson 2: How can I make a new friend?

Understanding Goals

Students will practice making a new friend.

Students will understand the complexity of making a new friend.

Students will start to see the connection between classroom and library work.

Classroom

Thinking Routine: Think, Puzzle, Explore

Think: What it would it be like to make a new friend? How would it feel? How would you do it?

Puzzle: What questions do we have about new friendships?

Explore: What happens when you go out and make a new friend.

Library

1. Reflect: What were some characteristics of a good friend that you learned last week? Were there some things you didn’t know before? How did it feel to practice being a good friend? Was it easy or difficult to act out your affirmations? Why?

2. Read Owen and Mzee

3. Thinking Routing: Think Puzzle Explore with the book

Think: What did Owen and Mzee show me about making a new friend?

Puzzle: How can I do the things Owen and Mzee did, even though they’re animals and I’m human.

Friends don’t have to be alike in all ways.

Friend could be quite different from you.

Unexpected people could be friends

If you are a girl, a boy could be your friend, and vice versa.

Explore: See if there are books in the library that show new friendships.

Understanding Performance

(Done in the library, classroom, and at home)

  • Home project and writing
  • Thoughts on making a new friend form

Thoughts on making a new friend:

1. I’d like to get to know______,

because,______

______

______

2. I imagine ______

______

______

3. I plan to ______

______

4. Reflect on how it went:______

______

______

Home project: Make a new friend.

Lesson 3: Making New Friends and Keeping the Old

Understanding Goal

Students will understand that it is important to consider old friends’ feelings and to include them in play situations.

Classroom

Think Pair Share on the essential question/understanding goal

(record answers and bring to the library)

Library

  1. Review last week’s reflection
  2. Read: Lottie’s New Friend by Petra Mathers
  3. Thinking routine: What do you see? What makes you say that? Examine concrete examples of problems in the book. How were those problems solved? Talking points: fear, trust, text-to-self connections.

Understanding Performance

Introduced in library, done in classroom: Comic strip reflection: Students draw and write in comic strip form about: This is how I feel when I am making a new friend. Vs. This is how I feel when I see one of my friends making a new friend with someone else.

Lesson 4: What does a good host do? What does a good guest do?

Understanding goals

Students will understand what a good host does.

Students will understand what a good guest does.

Classroom

Thinking Routine: Think Pair Share on understanding goals.

Make a classroom poster on hosting and visiting.

A good host always…..

A good guest always…..

Library

Read: Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Thinking Routine: Think Pair Share. Two ways the characters in the book were good hosts/guests.

Understanding Performance

1. Reflection in the classroom. And Think Pair Share work in library.

2. Practice being a good guest/host as part of homework.

3. Provide kids with scenarios to act out.

Scenario 1: Greeting someone when they knock on your door. Greeting, what do you offer them? What would you like to do? What would you like to play? Showing them around so they're comfortable.

Scenario 2: Practice saying goodbye after playing game, cleaning, mom comes in and says time to go and they practice saying goodbye, thank you for coming. Thanks for having me, etc. Have class discussion as it unfolds.

Librarian to take pictures of skits.

Lesson 5: How do I stand up for myself in a friendship?

Understanding Goals

Students will build vocabulary, which helps them to communicate with their friends when there is a problem.

Classroom

Discussion:

1. How does it feel when you have something go wrong with a friend?

(List the feelings and discuss why)

2. Show posters and see if any words to describe feelings were left out.

(New posters for those)

3. Introduce “I feel…” statement.

4. Discuss how sometimes your friend can be showing their feelings without saying words.

5. Talk about the importance of speaking your feelings with the “I feel…” statement because sometimes people can’t understand if you don’t tell them.

6. Draw the feelings on the face and complete the I feel statement work sheet.

Library

Read The Hating Book By Charlotte Zolotow

Discuss: seriousness of using the word “hate,” what could the girls in the book have done better/where could they have used I feel statements? And how would I feel statements have helped them avoid their misunderstanding?

Understanding Performance

In class after library, act out 2 scenarios (Librarian takes photos to go with the process folio).

Scenario #1:

4 students

1 student everyone wants to sit with at lunch.

Difficulty is how can they accomplish this

First line: Can I sit next to you______?

Goal: Use “I feel” statements

Freeze action at various times to see how to help them solve from audience.

Scenario #2:

3 students

“Lunch box insult”

Someone makes the remark about a lunch box.

First line: Didn’t you have that lunch box in Kindergarten?

Goal: “I feel” statements.

Freeze action at times to get response from the audience.

Lesson 6: How to be an Ally

Understanding Goals

Students will learn what it means to be an ally.

Students will understand the definition of “ally.”

Students will learn ways to practice what an ally does.

Students will understand why it’s important to be an ally.

Classroom

Discussion: Defining “ally”

Thinking Routing: What’s going on? Why do you say that? With posters from books.

Materials: Posters made from pages of Make Way for Ducklings by McClosky, Nobody Knew What to Do by McCain, and Chester’s Way by Henkes

Library

Read: Nobody Knew What to Do by Becky McCain

Thinking Routine: Think Pair Share on why it’s hard to be an ally and some strategies for being an ally.

Understanding Performance

In class after library session, each student will paint an advertisement, or PSA, poster to post around school: Draw an image of someone being an ally. Have 3 written points the kids can use, like “It may be scary, but be brave.”

Materials:

Poster paper

Paint

Markers

Pencils

Librarian to photograph these posters around school and make a collage for student portfolios.

Lesson 7: Final Reflection of Unit:What Have I Learned?

Classroom

Students will look at their process folios and do a "Think, Pair, Write,

Share" about the following questions:

What was your favorite friendship assignment?

What was the most difficult assignment?

What was the most useful assignment?

Library

Students will do the same, TPWS, for: what was your favorite book (based on

prepared bibliography of books read).

Materials: Folders, Books we've read, Worksheets w/bibliography and

reflection questions

Finish up the following morning.

Understanding Performance Form:

Name:______

Friendship Bibliography

Being a Good Friend

The Friendship Tree by Kathy Caple

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

Making New Friends and Keeping the Old

Lottie’s New Friend by Petra Mathers

Friends Who Are Different

Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff

Sometimes, It’s Hard to Be a Friend

The Hating Book by Charlotte Zolotow

Double Dip Feelings: stories to help children understand emotions by Barbara Cain

Being a Good Host and a Good Guest

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Being an Ally

Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying by Becky Ray McCain

Other Good Books

Annie Bananie by Leah Komaiko

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

My favorite friendship book on this list is

because ______

Friendship Reflection

My favorite friendship assignment was

because

The most difficult friendship assignment for me was

because

The most useful friendship assignment for me was

because

Lesson 8: Celebration of Friendship Unit

Classroom

Make a book cover: "Friendship is..." and staple in pages of work.

Library

See a slideshow of student work