BEING BRAVE: HELPING VERSUS HURTING

For Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grades

Debbie Layman

Elk City School

Introduction

A primary classroom is filled with many new school community experiences. Learning how to have empathy for others and using helping types of behavior so the school community is a positive place to be for learning is what this unit is about. This unit will use examples from history to model brave behavior and connect the student to the characters in the literature as a springboard for discussion on helping versus hurting actions.

The Task

The students will develop as a class a KWL chart about what they already know about bravery and helping and hurting words or actions. Through historical literature the students will make a chart of how the story represents these elements. At the end of the unit the children should articulate personal insights and connections to bravery and helping and hurting actions and will create a found poem about bravery and empathy- (helping phrases).

The Process

This project is for a multiage classroom. If some one was to do this project for just one grade level the process could be shortened depending on the grade level.

Day 1 Preset- To start this unit with younger students they will need some background knowledge on what is empathy and bravery. Start with a story from the reading series or of your choice that has these components in it. Our reading series starts out with the units I Am Your Friend and Helping Hands.

Day 2 Bring the class together by developing a class motto for the year that represents the themes of getting along and helping each other. What ever they brainstorm is there motto for the year. My class came up with WE ARE FRIENDS. Get a long piece of butcher paper and paint the motto in large print and then have the students decorate their banner as a team. My class put on handprints and wrote their names. This will be placed in the hall or in our room for the whole year.

Day 3 Introduces the concept of bravery and empathy with another story of your choice. Develop a KWL chart on what we know about being brave.

Day 4 Talk about connections in the student’s life where they feel someone they knew did something brave and add it to the KWL chart. Talk about characteristics of some one who shows empathy and someone who does not. How I brought this down to primary level is to use the phrases “helping or hurting”. Have the student’s brainstorm helping words and actions and then brainstorm hurting words and actions. Record them on the KWL chart so that new ones can be added as they come up during the day. Make the chart with a line in the middle and place all the helping comments above the line and all the hurting comments below the line. When you work with the students you can then start asking them if their action or behavior was above the line-, which is helping, or are they doing something that is below the line, which is hurting.

Day 5 The background knowledge has been build so now you can start implementing the historical literature into the process. The KWL chart can stay up for classroom reference. You will need 2 pieces of chart paper for each story you read. One will be labeled Being Brave and the other will be divided into two halves with helping on the top and hurting on the bottom. As you finish the story go to the chart paper and have the student tell you how the character or characters were brave. Go to the next chart and have the students reflect on the helping and hurting actions in the story. Have this ongoing throughout the year so you can add the historical events that you read about.

Day 6 The rest of the process is to implement this concept throughout the year as we go through historical literature that is connected to our curriculum. Here is an example of a lesson that I used with Heroes by Ken Mochizuki.

Preset- The history of our country deals with different cultures. Before reading about an era of history I will need to expose my students to children of different ethnic backgrounds. Because we are in such an isolated area I will use literature books, videos, Internet and music for this purpose. I am starting out this year with the Japanese internment camps. I will use the literature book Heroes by Ken Mochizuki. The preset I used for this lesson took three days of 20 to 30 minutes introduction. The first day I read the story Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say. We found Japan and talked about any connections the students had with anything Japanese. The next day we looked at primary source pictures of the Japanese culture by looking at the book American Origins, Tracing Our Japanese Roots by Gary Kawaguchi.

The third day we discussed an art print “Monday, Washing Day” by a Japanese artist Miyuki Tanobe. We also listened to a song sung in Japanese and then English called Sakura( Cherry Tree).

Objective: The students will learn about the Japanese. The students will learn the seven continents and be able to find Japan on the map. The students will use primary sources to talk about the roots of the Japanese and how they are part of the many groups that make up America. The students will reflect on the way people are brave and ways to be helping instead of hurting. The students will write a class found poem from the book, Heroes by Ken Mochizuki.

Procedure: The students will start the lesson off with chanting our class motto: We Are Friends. We will then review what we learned about the Japanese in the previous lessons. I will tell them that we will be reading several books about Japanese Americans that had to be brave. I will tell the students that we will text render the story. The students that are old enough will write down words or phrases that they like as I read the book, the others will just tell me from recall. We will then collect some of these words and phrases on chart paper as we read the story. At the end of the story we will review what we wrote and pick our favorite phrase for a repeating phrase. We will then read our found poem by starting with our repeating phrase read three to four other phrases and then ending with our repeating phrase. Depending on how many words the students generate will depend on the length of the poem. After we have finished the found poem we will go to our charts and recall what we thought showed bravery in the story. We will also go to our other chart and recall what were helping phrases and actions and what were hurting phrases and actions that the character encountered. We will end with the song Make New Friends.

Materials: Chart Paper, book Heroes by Ken Mochizuki, globe, United States Map

Teaching Model Used: Inquiry model

This is the type of lesson I will do with the other historical literature books through out the year.

Evaluation

Collaborative Work Skills: Being Brave

This project will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Teacher Name: Mrs. Layman

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Contributions

Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort.

Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A strong group member who tries hard!

Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A satisfactory group member who does what is required.

Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. May refuse to participate.

Problem-solving

Actively looks for and suggests solutions to problems.

Refines solutions suggested by others.

Does not suggest or refine solutions, but is willing to try out solutions suggested by others.

Does not try to solve problems or help others solve problems. Lets others do the work.

Attitude

Never is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Always has a positive attitude about the task(s).

Rarely is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Often has a positive attitude about the task(s).

Occasionally is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Usually has a positive attitude about the task(s).

Often is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Often has a negative attitude about the task(s).

Focus on the task

Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed.

Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person.

Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task.

Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.

Pride

Work reflects this student's best efforts.

Work reflects a strong effort from this student.

Work reflects some effort from this student.

Work reflects very little effort on the part of this student.

Working with Others

Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Tries to keep people working well together.

Usually listens to, shares, with, and supports the efforts of others. Does not cause "waves" in the group.

Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others, but sometimes is not a good team member.

Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Often is not a good team player.

Conclusion

The students should increase their background knowledge about the different cultures that make up America and some of the events that formed our country. The students should be able to transfer examples of being brave, and using helping instead of hurting actions and phrases in regards to working and playing with others.

I will continue this unit through out the year and connect historical literature with my standards. I will continue with the study of Japanese Americans with the books, Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, and So Far From the Sea by Eve Bunting. For community and the past some of the books I will use are: Homeplace, by Anne Shelby, My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins, and Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnel. For our unit on the Westward Movement I will use the books The Way West, Journal of a Pioneer Woman by Amelia Stewart Knight, Wagons West by Roy Gerrard, and Nine For California by Sonia Levitin. For the National Holidays I will use Encounter by Jane Yolen for Columbus Day. I will use The Wall by Eve Bunting and Cecil’s Story by George Ella Lyon for Veteran’s Day. I will use The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and Martin’s Big Words, The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport for Martin Luther King Day.

Teacher Information

Grade Levels: Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd.

Subjects: Social Studies and Language Arts

Teaching Models Used: Inquiry Model

Extensions to additional grades and subjects: This project could be adapted to any grade level.

Prior Knowledge: The age of the students will depend on how much time you need to develop the preset so the students will connect to the historical literature.

Curriculum Standards:

Social Studies:

398- Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills-

01. Acquire critical thinking and analytical skills.

c. Create and interpret timelines.

d. Obtain information from a variety of sources.

401- Migration and Immigration-

01. Understand the role of migration and immigration of people in the development of the United States.

a. Know that people come from different countries to live in the United States.

b. Describe life during the Westward Movement and Pioneer America.

403- International Relations and Conflicts-

01. Understand significant conflicts in United States history.

a. Describe war as a type of conflict.

b. Describe how individuals play a specific role during times of conflict.

404- Cultural and Social Development

01. Understand the cultural and social development of the United States

d. Identify similarities between different groups of people.

407- Citizenship Responsibilities and Rights.

01.Understand that all citizens of the United States have responsibilities and rights.

c. Identify characteristics of good citizens and name current people who exemplify these.

Language Arts/Communication Standards

689- Reading

02. Read a variety of traditional, technical, and electronic materials for critical analysis and evaluation.

d. Determine cause and effect relationships by responding to questions asking “who” “what” where” and ‘when”.

e. Draw logical conclusions based on information read.

690 Writing

03. Write a narrative essay which aligns with the fourth-grade Direct Writing Assessment.

c. Write and publish original creative works which incorporate descriptive language.

691 Listening

01. Listen for information and understanding.

b. Listen to gain enrichment and information about various cultures.

Other Information: When I first designed this project I thought I would also include and record classroom actions of bravery and helping actions and words. What I found out that it also turned into a reflection time on the students who had been doing the hurting behavior and that the experience was continually brought up. I.E. “ Remember the time when _____ did this and I stepped in.” By making it personal in a record running manner did not allow the children to work through something and let it go and go on. Just writing down the example from the historical literature flows the best and the students can make their own connections at the moment of a situation and them go on.

Integrating Kindergarten is very challenging for this project. How I did this was to do the main lesson in detail with the 1^st and 2^nd.I then included Kindergarten for the review and connected movement and music activities with them.

Credits, References & Resources

Music

Rise Up Singing The Group Singing Songbook by Peter Blood & Annie Patterson

Books

The Wall by Eve Bunting

Cecil’s Story by George Ella Lyon

Heroes by Ken Mochizuki

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

So Far From the Sea by Eve Bunting

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say

American Origins: Tracing Our Japanese Roots by Gary Kawaguchi

Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell

The Way West Journal of a Pioneer Women by Amelia Stewart Knight

Wagons West! By Roy Gerrard

Nine For California by Sonia Levitin

Bill Pickett Rodeo-Ridin’ by Andrea D. Pinkney

My Place by Nadia Wheatley

Home Place Anne Shelby

Encounter by Jane Yolen

Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

Martin’s Big Words The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rapport

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo

Art Print

“Monday, Washing Day” by Miyuki Tanobe

Internet

http://www.tolerance.org/teach/

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Contributions	Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort.	Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A strong group member who tries hard!	Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A satisfactory group member who does what is required.	Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. May refuse to participate.
Problem-solving	Actively looks for and suggests solutions to problems.	Refines solutions suggested by others.	Does not suggest or refine solutions, but is willing to try out solutions suggested by others.	Does not try to solve problems or help others solve problems. Lets others do the work.
Attitude	Never is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Always has a positive attitude about the task(s).	Rarely is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Often has a positive attitude about the task(s).	Occasionally is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Usually has a positive attitude about the task(s).	Often is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Often has a negative attitude about the task(s).
Focus on the task	Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task.	Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.
Pride	Work reflects this student's best efforts.	Work reflects a strong effort from this student.	Work reflects some effort from this student.	Work reflects very little effort on the part of this student.
Working with Others	Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Tries to keep people working well together.	Usually listens to, shares, with, and supports the efforts of others. Does not cause "waves" in the group.	Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others, but sometimes is not a good team member.	Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Often is not a good team player.