Module Two - Belonging to Groups

• each student is a unique and valued person .
  
• people belong to groups .
• cooperation is an important part of group behaviour.

Students will:

• describe and compare groups.
• graph information.
• identify and practice cooperative behaviour.

Students will:

• value cooperative behaviour.

Students may:

• plan and participate cooperatively in a group project.

• Brainstorm a list of all the groups the students belong to (e.g., Brownies, choir, soccer team, gymnastics class). Using hoops in the hallway or in the gym, name a group and ask them to go to a certain hoop if they belong to that kind of group. Include some categories (e.g., class, a family) that every child can identify with. In class, graph the information.
• Discuss how the class is a special kind of group that all the students belong to. Talk about ways in which the classroom can be a happy and safe place for all the students. Read stories about appropriate (and possibly inappropriate) behaviours. Discuss and role play cooperative behaviour in various situations.
• Begin a timeline for the school year. Each time there is a special event, make a card identifying it and place it on the timeline.
• Compare your class with another class in the school.
• Introduce the concept of cooperation using a concept attainment approach.
• Use a T chart to show what cooperation looks and sounds like.
• Using various role-playing scenarios, have students identify and practice cooperative behaviours.
• With the students develop a project that will require cooperation.
• Using a variety of resources deal with the consequences of cooperative and non-cooperative behaviours.

Module 2: Activity Guide

Show the information about groups the students belong to on a graph. Use a large sheet of paper marked with a grid. Print the numbers (as many as there are people in the class) along the bottom and the names of various groups on the left.

Have students draw their faces on small (not larger than the size of the grid) pieces of paper. (Use self-adhesive note paper). Use these pictures to make `bars' for a bar graph.

The teacher may help the students place their pictures on the graph modelling the process of graph construction. Involve students in making decisions about the construction of the graph.

Interpret the graph. Print information in sentences (e.g., "Five of us sing in choirs.") on an experience chart.

The teacher may also choose to use the results to make a number or counting book.

For another graph, explore ways the classroom members could be classified. Make a graph according to a variable identified by the group (favourite restaurants, ways of getting to school, number of pets, birthday month).

Comparing groups

Compare your classroom to another classroom in terms of number of students, teachers, and teacher aides. Have each student in one room join hands with a student in the other room. Are there are any students left over? Which classroom has more students? Do the same for the teachers and teacher aides. Invite students to think of other variables that can be used for comparing the classes.

Make an experience chart. Start each sentence with a stem:

Our class has more______. Our class has fewer _______.

Teaching cooperation through concept attainment

Use concept attainment to develop understandings about cooperation. See This Is A Yes: Concept Attainment, Instruction Strategies Series No.1. Saskatoon: SPDU\SIDRU, 1991.

The teacher will use role-play situations to develop understandings of the concept cooperation. Place the words "yes" and "no" on the chalkboard. Explain to the students that you want them to guess what idea you are trying to mime. Tell the students that you are going to stand in front of the "yes" and mime a yes idea.

Present examples of a "yes".

Call upon a student volunteer to stand in front of the "yes" and show drying dishes. Instruct him to ask for some help when you walk up to him. When the student asks for help pick up another tea towel and answer, "Okay, I'll help you."

Call upon another student to stand under the "yes". Ask the student to act as if she is having trouble doing up the zipper of her jacket. When you walk towards her, say, "May I help you do up your zipper?"

Call upon another student to stand under the "yes". Ask him to mime building a tower with blocks. He is to ask for help when you approach. You join him and help build the tower.

Present examples of a "no".

Call upon a student to stand under the "no". Ask her to mime drying dishes and to ask for help. This time reply by saying, "No, I am too busy," and walk away.

Call upon another student to stand under the "no" and act as if he is having difficulty doing up a zipper. This time just ignore him and walk by.

Call upon another student to stand under the "no" sign and to mime building a tower out of blocks. When she asks you for help say, "Sure I'll help," and kick the tower over.

Have students identify examples of a "yes" or a "no".

Call upon a student to sit between the "yes" and "no" and to mime putting blocks into a container. When you approach, say, "Here, let me help you," and continue to pick up blocks. Have the Students identify the action as a "yes" or "no". Move with the student and blocks to the "yes".

Call upon a student to stand between the "yes" and "no" and mime reading a book. When she asks for help say, "Yes, I'd be pleased to help you." Stand beside the student as if you are helping with her reading. Ask the class to identify that as an example of a "yes" or a "no".
Move with the student to the "yes".

Call upon another student to stand between the "yes" and "no" and to mime putting blocks into a container. When he asks for help say, "No way, you dumped them out, you pick them up." Ask the students to identify that as a "yes" or a "no". Move with the student and the blocks to the "no". Have students role play a "yes" or a "no".

Call on a student. Instruct her to mime a "yes" or a "no". Mime kneading bread, stirring, or some other activity the students can identify. Ask the student to help you. After the child has role played a response ask the class to tell if the response was a "yes" or a "no".

Continue with other jobs like digging a garden, lifting a heavy box, and fixing the hinge on a door. Discuss the "yes" idea.

Ask the students, "What is the same in all of the yes examples?" "What is the "yes" idea?" Accept their suggestions. Through discussion bring out the understanding that the "yes" idea is cooperation.

Identify the attributes of cooperation. Discuss and role play what it looks and sounds like in the classroom.

Use discussion to guide the students to reflect on their thinking.

Create a class story or dramatic play illustrating how cooperation wins the day or make a book displaying examples and non examples of the concept cooperation. Use pictures from magazines.

Teaching cooperation through role playing scenarios

Read each of the following scenarios and discuss them in terms of cooperation. Have students suggest ways the people should have acted if the scenario does not demonstrate cooperation. Use the scenarios to stimulate further role play, exploring different outcomes and people's feelings in various situations.

Peter was supposed to be watching the baby while "mom"made supper. He noticed the soother fall out of the baby's mouth. The baby started to fuss. He knew that if he picked up the soother and gave it back to the baby, the baby would settle down. Peter kept on playing with his toys. The baby started to cry. Soon "mom" came in and picked up the soother and gave it to the baby.
Ask:
"How might Peter have acted differently?"

Dad had offered to take the children to the hockey game so mom could study for her test. They would have to hurry if they were going to get to the rink before the game started. Larry cleared the table and Sheila helped dad do the dishes. Tammy helped little Joe get on his snowsuit and boots. That was the toughest job of all. Soon they were all on the way to the hockey game and mom could have a few hours of quiet.
Ask (students may wish to mime their responses):
"How would you feel if you were the mother?"
"How would you feel if you were the father?"
"How would the children feel?"

Henry's dad told him he wanted to take him for a holiday next summer but they would have to try very hard to save money because the trip would cost a lot. The next day Henry and his dad were buying groceries. Henry saw a special kind of cereal that he had seen on television. Father explained that he had planned to make porridge so they could save money for their holiday. Henry started to sulk and whine. His father ignored him. He started to cry. Soon other shoppers were looking at him.
Ask:
"Why did Henry behave like that?"
"How would you feel if you were Henry's dad?"
"How might Henry have behaved differently?"

When Chris and Joanne got home from school they turned on the television and waited for dad to get home. When dad got home he watched television with the children while they waited for mom to get home. Mom was a cashier in the grocery store and didn't get home until after six o'clock. The family was very hungry by the time mom got home and it was not easy waiting while she made supper.
Ask (Students may wish to mime their responses.):
"How would you feel if you were mother?"
"How would you feel if you were father?"
"How would you feel if you were Chris?"
"How might the family have acted differently?"

After supper dad and the kids watched television while mom did the dishes. Then they all watched television together.
Discuss:
"How would you feel if you were mother?"
"How might dad and the children have acted differently?"

When Rosa and Jane arrived at school they noticed that the teacher had set out the paints. They loved to paint. They quickly took off their coats and ran over to the paints. Rosa grabbed a paint brush and knocked over the jar of red paint.
Discuss
"How would you feel if you were Rosa?"
"How would you feel if you were Jane?"
"How would you feel if you were the teacher?"
"How might Rosa have acted differently?"

One day Kevin became very sick in school. The teacher took him out of the room. The students worked quietly at their jobs until the teacher came back. She told the students that she had phoned Kevin's father to come and get him.
Ask:
"How would you feel if you were the teacher?"
"How would you feel if you were a student in the classroom?"

In the discussion about each of the scenarios, have the students identify cooperative behaviour.

Teaching cooperation using a T-chart

Use a T-chart to record information about cooperation.

• Put a "T" on the board.
• Above the "T" place the stem, "What cooperation...".
• On one of the arms of the "T" print sounds like and on the other arm print looks like.
• Brainstorm words and phrases to put under each arm. For example under sounds like you might have, "I'll help" and "that's a good idea", and under looks like, you might have phrases like "taking turns" and "listening to others".

Have students work in small groups to think of ways they can cooperate in the school. Bring the class together and share the ideas. Have students set personal or group goals to improve in certain areas. Ways to cooperate in the school may include:

• taking turns on the swings;
• returning playground equipment properly;
• returning library books on time;
• walking in the hallways;
• flushing the toilet; and
• saying `please' and `thank you'.

Exploring consequences of behaviour

Explore ways the actions of an individual may impact on the experience of the group using examples from the playground, the classroom, or groups to which the students belong.

Form groups to discuss situations where the behaviour of one can spoil things for others in a group. Discuss situations when cooperative behaviour is needed for the good of the group.

Make a group composition or big book about consequences. It could feature contrast, for example one page might explore the consequences of positive actions in a given situation and the opposite page could show the consequences of negative actions in the same situation. To make it appropriate for Grade One students, the actions could be presented in a pattern sentence format, for example,
I cooperate when I______ but I don't cooperate when I _____.
or
First statement:
Sometimes James does not cooperate in the classroom.
Stem:
James was not cooperative when he ____.
The teacher had a talk with him and he ___.
Closing statement:
Our classroom is a better place when James cooperates.

Pictures would illustrate the consequences of cooperative and uncooperative behaviour.

Cooperation and citizen action

For a citizen action project, plan and carry out one of the following projects (or a project suitable to your circumstances) to develop in the students a sense of cooperation in working through a project.

• Learn a poem to perform for an assembly.
• Pick up the garbage in your area.
• Draw pictures to be displayed in a public place or shared.
• Make a picture or craft to cheer up the room of an elderly person.

Suggested Resources

(listed in other bibliographies and catalogues)

Chime In Jean Malloch (ELA)
Oliver Pig at School Jean Van Leeuwen (ELA)
What Do You Have In Your Canoe? (Arts Ed)