I don't know about you, but my students have a much harder time getting along as the year end approaches. In light of this, I've planned to do conflict resolution lessons this month! I'm using a really cute story with my K-3 students called, A Bug and a Wish by Karen Scheuer. In this story, one little boy learns how to use the phrase "It BUGS me when you ___________, I WISH you would ____________." I talk with my students after reading the book about the importance to talking to others when there is a problem vs. letting the problem stew and get worse. Sometimes people don't realize they've upset them, or that what they do bothers them. That's why they have to talk about it! We go through several examples of problems they may have with others and put it into the phrase above. After I feel they've got it, they get a coloring page or a small bookmark to color with a lady bug on it. For my older ones, I'm doing a similar lesson, but they are learning about "I messages," which I like to think of as more grown up version of "A Bug and a Wish." In the PowerPoint you can find on my TPT store, there are three videos from the Olive Branch where to cartoon characters have a conflict. We talk about how they resolved to conflict and what other options they could have tried. We also practice using I messages, which are elaborated on in the PowerPoint. My older students have a HUGE problem talking to each other about problems. They'd rather let it simmer and explode later, or talk to everyone else not involved. I've been working with several about changing that and I'm hoping these lessons help reinforce the importance of talking to each other to all of them! What lessons and materials do you use for conflict resolution? I'd love to hear some new ideas!
For my older babies, I do a lesson on actual conflict resolution instead of teasing. For this, I use a Powerpoint that you can find here in my TPT store. First, we talk about conflict and how it is a part of life. Conflict isn't bad until it leads to an argument or a fight. We want to keep if from getting to that point (hence a lesson)!
Then we talk about three styles of conflict. Each style has an animal that makes it easy for the kids to remember. My students love this part and are stopping me in the halls to tell me they aren't being sharks! The we watch The Zax, a short video of the story by Dr. Seuss. It is a wonderful adaptation and uses the original images from the story. They we talk about the style of the Zax and about their conflict and how they could've done better at resolving their conflict.
This is where the powerpoint in my TPT store ends.The reason for this is that I use a wonderful resource already on TPT in another store.
I do not want to take away from this person, so I have taken out the discussion and images of the SODAS model from the Powerpoint in my TPT store. However, my kids love this because they love soda! It really helps them remember the steps! Click HEREto get this awesome resource for FREE! In my lesson, I add images from this resource and we go through a couple of scenarios together using this model. The resource includes a worksheet where you can have the students work in groups if you'd prefer that. I whited out my detailed part of the activity for this post, but I added all the steps in a text box over the image I took from the resource mentioned above. I have each section staged to appear after we have talked about it as a group. This is a great way for them to see the process laid out!
How do you teach conflict resolution? What fun activities do you do with your students? What makes it click for them?
Wow I have been busy since returning to school! Attendance monitoring is a part of my job, and December attendance threw me through a loop this month. I'm finally starting to rise out of the ocean of phone calls and paperwork I do to monitor attendance. While I've been wading through attendance, I have been teaching lessons. This month my lessons are about conflict resolution. For my little ones (K-3), I am focusing on teasing. I use two videos based on the book Simon's Hook by Karen Gedig Burnett. The book and the lesson are very good, but the book has some parts that are very busy and can be hard for little ones to grasp. The author helped make these videos, so they are nearly verbatim from the book. You can find the links to the videos at the end of this post.
I start out my lesson by reviewing what we have already talked about this year. Then I explain that we are watching a video based on this book. I always take the book because sometimes technology fails! I tell them they are going to meet Simon, and Simon has a problem: he is being teased at school. We talk about what teasing means to make sure they understand. I then tell him he is going to talk to Grandma Rose and that she will help him solve this problem. Then we watch the first video. After the first video, I reiterate that when people tease, they want to see someone get upset; they want to see someone get sad or mad and react that way. I tell them to pay close attention as Grandma Rose teaches Simon five ways to handle teasing. Then we watch the second part. After it finishes we review the five strategies. To finish our time, I give them each a fish to color, and for the older ones, I ask them to write their favorite strategy in their fish, which one they plan to use next time they get teased. You can download the fish I use for my lesson for FREE in my TPT store! Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB6BnCYcG-4
I'm using a really cute story with my K-3 students called, A Bug and a Wish by Karen Scheuer. In this story, one little boy learns how to use the phrase "It BUGS me when you ___________, I WISH you would ____________." I talk with my students after reading the book about the importance to talking to others when there is a problem vs. letting the problem stew and get worse. Sometimes people don't realize they've upset them, or that what they do bothers them. That's why they have to talk about it! We go through several examples of problems they may have with others and put it into the phrase above. After I feel they've got it, they get a coloring page or a small bookmark to color with a lady bug on it.
For my older ones, I'm doing a similar lesson, but they are learning about "I messages," which I like to think of as more grown up version of "A Bug and a Wish." In the PowerPoint you can find on my TPT store, there are three videos from the Olive Branch where to cartoon characters have a conflict. We talk about how they resolved to conflict and what other options they could have tried. We also practice using I messages, which are elaborated on in the PowerPoint. My older students have a HUGE problem talking to each other about problems. They'd rather let it simmer and explode later, or talk to everyone else not involved. I've been working with several about changing that and I'm hoping these lessons help reinforce the importance of talking to each other to all of them!
