Improving Peer Relations Unit

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

Barbera Spears

Improving Peer Relations Unit – Feelings and Conflict Resolution Year Level: 1-2 Learning Outcomes: - Improve conflict resolution skills - Help give students the ability to express their emotions in constructive ways - Improve the self confidence of students Why is this unit of work important? This unit of work is important to students because of the strong connection between a learner’s wellbeing and their ability to learn according to the Learner Wellbeing Framework (DECS, 2009).  Included in this framework is a student’s emotional health, and involves that ability to stay calm, be positive, manage emotions and be happy.  The National Safe Schools framework also offers up suggestions for maintaining a safe and supportive school environment. One aim is that the curriculum will provide students with the ‘means to solve their own problems and learn important lifelong relationship and citizenship skills’ (MCEETYA Taskforce, 2003) . This unit aims to achieve this, not only by teaching students to recognize and respect others’ feelings and thoughts, but by teaching conflict resolution skills and relaxation techniques to curb aggression within the classroom, making the school a safer place. Clear statement of intent. Key aspects: Emotional skills; Communication of feelings; Self confidence; Conflict resolution This needs elaboration Evidence for this unit: According to Hemmeter, Ostrosky and Fox (2006),  self-confidence, the ability to effectively communicate emotions and the capacity to develop positive relationships with both students and

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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adults, are competencies that are considered critical to children’s success as they enter school, and while they continue through it.  KidsMatter (2008) also consider learning about emotions, managing feelings and solving problems to be important life long skills that should be developed and nurtured from an early age.  This unit of work aims to help students learn these life skills, and practice them throughout the school year so that they become second nature to students.  They are encouraged to communicate their feelings and work through negative emotions in constructive ways, and at the end of the unit, share the information that they have gathered within the school community so as to help others.  There is also evidence (KidsMatter 2008; Hemmeter, Ostrosky and Fox 2006) that suggests that a student’s academic achievement is influenced by a range of social and emotional factors, including their self esteem, their own behaviour management skills and their ability to problem solve and manage conflict.  Children who develop social and emotional skills, according to KidsMatter (2006) find it easier to relate to others, manage themselves and their emotions more effectively, have a more positive outlook on the world around them, and perform at a higher standard at school.  Positive Peer Reporting was also trialled by Jones and Moroz (2000) and found to be an effective way to improve the self confidence of at risk students, and encouraged them to engage in positive pro-social behaviours when playing with others, and for this reason, it was included in this unit.  Good use of the literature. Overall unit plan The unit will focus on helping students develop the skills to resolve conflict effectively and recognising different emotions in themselves and each other and responding to these emotions

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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in constructive ways, rather than resorting to anger or violence. Another for development that will be worked on throughout the unit is improving the self-esteem of students by highlighting positive pro-social behaviours through Positive Peer Reinforcement. Assessment The unit will be assessed in three ways. Firstly, the final assignment that the students will be undertaking in weeks 9 and 10 will be assessed using a rubric (Appendix 1a) to ensure that students have an effective understanding of negative emotions, ways to recognise these emotions, and ways to control these emotions and clam down.  Teacher observation will play a large role in the assessment of the unit. Recording behavioural issues before and after the implementation of the program will give an idea of the effectiveness of the unit as well as areas that still need development. Observation of individual behaviours, particularly that of ‘at risk’ students will also be undertaken, and will give further insight into areas of social and emotional learning that need to be focused on Will you record this information somehow?. Student will also be asked to assess the unit (Appendix 1b) to give the teacher an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the unit, as well as the activities that students liked and disliked. The information gathered will be used to shape the unit for the next year.  SACSA links Health and Physical Education

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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Key Idea: Children develop an understanding of what is required to live together, communicate with others both personally and virtually and share feelings and ideas as they experience relationships and make friends.  Identity Interdependence Communication KC1 KC2 Outcome: (1.5) Develops a range of capacities in social and working contexts by demonstrating skills of developing and maintaining effective relationships.  Identity Interdependence Communication There are also a number of cross-curricular links that could be made with this unit. English:  - The list of feelings/emotions developed throughout the unit could be used as spelling words.  - Listening and speaking is another area that is developed throughout this unit and a separate one focusing on communication could be undertaken concurrently in English Arts: - The emotion recognized by students could be used as themes for drawing/painting - Students could use the emotions that they have learnt about for creative movement and expression Good. ICTs? ICT’s could be employed in a few areas of this unit. Firstly, a digital whiteboard could be used (if the class has one) to record the brainstorming done throughout the unit.  This is also useful as lists can be saved and brought up at later stages of the unit. Students could also use computers to

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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create their relaxation posters, using programs such as Word for the message and programs such as Kidpix to decorate the poster.  Would you consider letting them use a digital comaera to record positive interactions in the yard??

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

Sequence of lessons Week/ Aim of lesson Lesson Numbe r Wk1/L1

Students recognise when they feel certain emotions – happy, sad, shy, scared

Procedure

Skills emphasised by the lesson

The teacher brainstorms the different feelings that students may know of on the board to gain an understanding of their prior knowledge.  The teacher reads the passages in the big book My Feelings (Appendix 2a) and gets students to answer the questions that accompany each emotion (ie: what are some things that make you happy/sad; what can make you feel better). The answers will be scribed onto butcher’s paper and hung around the classroom.  It may be necessary for the teacher to give examples, such as “I’m scared of spiders” to begin the conversation.



Positive Peer Reporting, a self esteem program, will also be introduced in this

Recognising when certain feelings are experienced

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Resources

Pearson, J 2007, My Feelings, Binara Publishing PTY Ltd, Vic

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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lesson.  Each week, a ‘star’ student will be chosen. At the end of the day, the class will come together and say something nice about that ‘star’.  This technique will be practiced by the students and teacher modelling will be used to give students something to emulate. A copy of the format will also be displayed in the classroom for students to look back on (Appendix Wk1/L2

Students recognise when they feel certain emotions – excited, lonely, angry, special

2b).  The teacher brainstorms the different feelings that students may know of on the board to gain an understanding of their prior knowledge. The teacher reads the passages in the big book My Feelings on (Appendix 2a) and gets students to answer the questions that accompany each emotion (ie: what are some things that make you happy/sad; what can make you feel better). The answers will be scribed onto butcher’s paper and hung around the classroom. 

Recognising when certain feelings are experienced

Pearson, J 2007, My Feelings, Binara Publishing PTY Ltd, Vic

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

Wk2/L3

Through role-play and discussions, students develop an awareness of the body language that is associated with a variety of emotions Very

important.

It may be necessary for the teacher to give examples, such as “I get excited when…” to begin the conversation. The emotions discussed in the previous lessons will be examined briefly again to remind students what they are and some of the situations they said they experienced these emotions Students will be asked how they know some one is sad (frowning, crying, sulking). Students will then be asked to stand up and act out the emotion. After this, the students and teacher will discuss what they saw other people doing and if they thought a person doing those things would be sad.  This process will be repeated using different emotions - excited, lonely, angry, happy, sad, shy, scared Just before the end of the lesson a game of ‘guess that feeling’ will be played. The teacher invites students to act out an emotion and their class

Recognising emotional body language Describing actions Extension: Recognising and describing different levels of emotion

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NIL

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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mates will guess that emotion

Wk3/L4

Students will identify situations that ‘push their buttons’ and trigger feelings of anger Very

important

Extension: The different levels of emotion could be discussed and acted out as part of the activities (i.e. a little sad – frowning, very sad - crying) Students will discuss what things get them angry. This will be likened to someone ‘pushing their buttons’. Using a TV remote or a light switch, students will see that when a button is pushed, something happens, and that when our buttons are pushed, we sometimes get

Recognising triggers for anger and other intense emotions

‘What pushes Your buttons’ sheet from:

Recognising signs that you are getting angry

‘Body Alarm’ sheet from:

angry.  Students will be given a sheet (Appendix 2c) and will be asked to colour in the things that make them

Galey, P 2004, Cool Kids! Teaching and Learning about Managing Anger in the Junior School, User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW

angry or upset.  It will be discussed that we can’t stop people pushing our buttons, but they Wk4/L5

Students will identify their own bodies body’s responses to

can stop people getting a reaction.  To revise work done in previous lessons, ask students - what are some things that make them angry

Galey, P 2004, Cool

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

anger

- what does an angry person look like (revising body language)

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Kids! Teaching and Learning about Managing Anger in the Junior School, User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW

Once students realise that they can tell what an angry person looks like, ask them to think about things that happen to them when they are angry (i.e. clenched fists, raising their voice, clenched teeth, feeling hot).  Talk to students and discuss that it is important they know when they are getting angry so that they can take steps to control their anger before releasing it. Students will then fill out the ‘Body Alarm’ sheet (Appendix 2d) and stick the finished copy in their health books.

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Wk5/L6

Students will learn several relaxation techniques that will help them

Tell students that in the next couple of weeks Ask students what some of the alarms were for anger that they identified in the last lesson (i.e. teeth clenching, closed fish, getting hot/cold, shaking

Relaxation techniques designed to help control negative

Galey, P 2004, Cool Kids! Teaching and Learning about Managing Anger in the

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

control their emotions, especially anger

etc).  Reiterate that it is important to recognise their own ‘anger alarms’ so that they can do things to cool themselves down. Introduce and practice the following techniques to control emotions and anger…  Counting – Encourage students to close their eyes and count forwards/backwards from ten slowly. The teacher is to model this technique, then let students try it themselves (max 5-7 minutes to avoid fidgeting) Deep Breathing – breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly. The teacher is to model this technique, then let students try it themselves (max 5-7 minutes to avoid fidgeting Finger Tap – In order to focus on something else, students put their pointer finger and thumb together, then their middle/thumb together, then their ring/thumb and their pinkie/thumb together. This is done until the emotions are under control (max

emotions

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Junior School, User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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10mins) Walk away/get a teacher – The teacher presents a situation (i.e. bullying in the playground) and asks how this would make students feel. Students are then asked what they could do to avoid getting angry. Walk away and get a teacher would be highlighted by the teacher. 

Wk5/L7

Students will learn several relaxation techniques that will help them control their emotions, especially anger

These techniques will be modelled and used throughout the classroom and in the school, and posters (Appendix 2e) will be put around the class with these techniques. The teacher will ask students to remind the class what strategies were discussed in the last lesson. Students will briefly demonstrate these. New methods will be explained to control anger and other emotions Visualise – Close your eyes and think of a happy thought or place, and imagine yourself there. Breathe slowly until you aren’t angry any more. (5-7 minutes) Reciting a Rhyme – using a simple Rhyme (i.e. Jack and Jill) students will

Relaxation techniques designed to help control negative emotions

Galey, P 2004, Cool Kids! Teaching and Learning about Managing Anger in the Junior School, User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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recite it in their head until they aren’t angry/emotional any more. Hum a song – Much like the Rhyme technique, this involves singing/humming a song in their head, taking their mind off the problem. Any other student contributions – Students contribute their own anger management suggestions that are then practised by the class. These techniques will be modelled and used throughout the classroom and in the school, and posters (Appendix 2e) will be put around the class with these Wk6/L8

Students will examine the ‘Traffic Light’ Problem solving strategy learn the key steps involved in the strategy

techniques.  Ask students to describe some conflicts/arguments that they have seen/been involved in, both in the classroom and in the playground. Introduce the ‘Traffic Light’ conflict solution (Appendix 2f), and briefly discuss the different stages, and what they mean. Two or three of the student’s conflict

A strategy that students can use to help quell conflict before it escalates

Traffic Light poster from: Rae, T 2004, Dealing with Feeling: Developing Emotional Literacy in the Classroom (Book A), User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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examples will be worked through using the ‘Traffic Light’ solution. Students will be asked the following questions… - (Stop) How can we calm ourselves down? - (Wait) What is the problem? - What do the people feel? - What are some solutions - (Go) What is the best solution? 

Wk7/L9

Students will examine the ‘Traffic Light’ Problem solving strategy and will practice key skills needed to effectively implement the strategy

This solution will be modelled and used throughout the classroom and in the school yard. A poster detailing the solution will also be put in the classroom for students and the teacher to refer to. Review the ‘Traffic Light’ conflict solution (Appendix 2f), and briefly discuss the different stages, and what they mean. Students will practice using the different stages and using language to describe problems, feelings and solutions (Yellow light). Students will be asked what they would say in these

A strategy that students can use to help quell conflict before it escalates Using ‘I….’ sentences to convey emotions, thoughts and

Traffic Light poster from: Rae, T 2004, Dealing with Feeling: Developing Emotional Literacy in the Classroom (Book A), User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

situations, using some of the problems that the students came up with in the last lesson. Specific emphasis will be placed upon “I feel/think/want….” sentences that are used to clearly convey each party’s feelings, thoughts

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desires

NSW

A strategy that students can use to help quell conflict before it escalates

Traffic Light poster from:

and desires. 

Wk8/L10 Students will examine the ‘Traffic Light’ Problem solving strategy and will practice key skills needed to effectively implement the strategy

On their tables, students will be given a conflict card (Appendix 2g), and will use the Traffic Light page to transcribe the problem, how they would feel, some solutions, and the solution they would choose. The finished piece will be coloured and stuck in the student’s health book. Review the ‘Traffic Light’ conflict solution, and briefly discuss the different stages, and what they mean. Students will then focus on creating and choosing conflict resolution solutions.  A discussion on solutions to conflict will begin the activity. Students will be asked… - Who gets to decide what the best

Coming up with solutions to conflict and deciding on one that benefits both

Rae, T 2004, Dealing with Feeling: Developing Emotional Literacy in the Classroom (Book A), User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

solution is at their house? - Are these solutions always fair? Why/Why not? (ask for examples) - is it fair if one person gets a better deal out of the solution? Why/why not? How would you feel if you were the person who didn’t get anything their way?? To begin with, the teacher will present the students with a conflict that happens in the classroom (i.e. two children want to play with one toy). Students will suggest solutions, which will be recorded on butcher’s paper. Students will then vote for the best solution justifying why they believe it is the best solution. The students will then be given a sheet (Appendix 2h) depicting a common lunchtime problem. The teacher will ask students what they think each picture represents… A- one group of boys playing B- the other group of boys playing C- Both groups playing together

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parties ‘What is the best solution’ sheet from: R.I.C Publications 2003, Conflict Resolution Ages 5-7, R.I.C Publications, Melbourne

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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Students will fill out the sheet, and will be encouraged to talk to their peers about the answer. The class will discuss the answers to the questions, as well as the student’s Wk910/L1113

Students will create posters on feelings and emotional management strategies that will be displayed around the school/presented at assembly

Or what about creating a website where they can be loaded?

alternate solutions to the conflict.  Students will be asked to brainstorm feelings that they have talked about. These will be recorded for later in the lesson(s). The difference between positive and negative emotions will also be discussed with the negative emotions (anger, upset, sad etc) being highlighted. Students will then be asked to brainstorm relaxation techniques that the class went over. The teacher will write them down on the board, and will ask the class/student to demonstrate the technique. Students will then be given the challenge of making a relaxation poster to put around the school. The teacher

Using all the information from the unit to create a poster to help others control their emotions

All resources from the unit

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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will write the sentence on the board “When you are feeling…..[emotion], ..… [calming technique] to calm down. The teacher will then discuss if we should put positive emotions or negative emotions in the posters. 

Information for and reporting to parents KidsMatter (2008); Hemmeter, Ostrosky and Fox (2006) believe that social and emotional learning is most effective when practices taught in the classroom are backed up in the home. For this reason, parents need to be aware of what is going in this unit, and strategies that they can use at home to promote social and emotional skills.  Firstly, the unit will be introduced to parents by sending home a brochure (Appendix 1c) explaining what social and emotional learning is, an over view of what students will be learning and why it is important that parents continue on with the learnings at home.  Parents will also be informed that information will be sent home to them in the weekly class bulletin so that they can continue to implement the social and emotional skills at home.  The weekly class bulletin will contain a brief overview of the skills developed in the lessons, and will give suggestions as to how parents can continue to support their child’s social and emotional learning. 

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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Towards the end of the unit, parent/teacher interviews will be utilised to give parents individual feedback on how their child ha progressed throughout the unit. For ‘at risk’ students, this time could also be used to offer more specific suggestions that will aid in the development of more effective pro-social and emotional skills that would be implemented both at home and at school.  Strategies for at risk students ‘At risk’ students will catered for in two ways. Firstly, the teacher will reinforce the skills learnt in the unit to control and modify behaviour.  During the lessons focusing on cooling down methods, the teacher could pay particular attention the cooling down method that ‘at risk’ students prefer, and use it during any incidences that arise.  Excellent These methods could also be explained to specialised teachers, and used when ‘at risk’ students are out of the classroom and with other teachers.  Another method that will be employed for ‘at risk’ students is the Cooling-off Chair/Space (Appendix 1d). Depending on area constraints within the classroom, an area will be set up for students to go and cool off when they feel angry or upset.  ‘At risk’ students will be allowed to remove themselves from situations using their licence (Appendix e) that make them angry and take 5-10 minutes to calm down in a quiet space. Once they have clamed down, they can return to the class and solve the problem effectively and without anger.  This solution could be used for all students, however it is important for ‘at risk’ students to be able to recognise their body’s warning signs and take proactive steps to removing themselves from that situation.  Yes

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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The space will be set up in a special lesson in Week 4, and students will be asked to decorate it in a calming manner, important for autism spectrum disordered kids creating ownership of the space. In the Cooling off Space, small activities to calm students down will be set up, including paper to draw on, a headphone set with calming music, some toys and an egg timer so that students know how long they have in the Cool down area.  While in the Cooling off Space, students will be asked to fill out a sheet (Appendix 1f) explaining why they went to the space, what happened, what they did in response and how they thought they handled the situation. Once a student’s time is up, they can return to the classroom and will go and have a chat with the teacher about the incident. During this chat, the teacher and the teacher and student can come together and suggest ways to solve the problem, so that when the student rejoins the class, they have a solution that they can use.  Have you seen this in operation? It is important that students are not sent to the Cooling off Area as a punishment by the teacher YES!!!!!, rather they choose to take that positive step and walk away.  The teacher should not acknowledge that the student has gone off to the space, but should praise and encourage that they have done so, once their 10 minutes is up and they have come to talk through the problem with the teacher.  This method could also be reported to parents through the weekly communications, and could be put into effect at home if the parents so desired.

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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Solutions for ‘at risk’ students may work well for some students and not others, so it is essential that solutions are constantly evaluated and, if need be, changed to ensure the most benefit for the ‘at risk’ students. 

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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Bibliography Corrie, C 2004, Becoming Emotionally Intelligent, Hawker Brownlow Education, Moorabbin Vic DECS 2009, Principles of the Learner Wellbeing Framework, DECS, viewed 15th March 2009, < http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/learnerwellbeing/pages/Frame/principles/?reFlag=1 > Forsey, C 1994, Hands Off! The Anti-Violence Guide to Developing Positive Relationships, West Education Centre Inc, Fox, R, Noske, E, Podzuweit, L, Potter, L, Romanovskis, K & Siviour, C 1995 Fostering Social Skills in the Primary Years, DECS publishing services, Adelaide Galey, P 2004, Cool Kids! Teaching and Learning about Managing Anger in the Junior School, User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW Hemmeter, ML, Ostrosky, M & Fox, L 2006, ‘Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning: A Conceptual Model for Intervention’, School Psychology Review, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 583-601 Jones, K & Moroz, K 2000, 'The Effects of Positive Peer reporting on Children's Social Involvement', School Psychology Review, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 235-246. KidsMatter 2008, Why social and emotional learning is important, Department of Health and Aging, viewed on 13th March 2009, < http://www.theappletree.com.au/~kidsmatt/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2008/06/sel-overview_02.pdf > MCEETYA Taskforce 2003, National Safe Schools Framework, MCEETYA, viewed 15 March 2009, < http://www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/natsafeschools_file.pdf >

Peers Health and Relationships: Assignment 3Unit Planner – Feelings and Conflict Resolution

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Pearson, J 2007, My Feelings, Binara Publishing PTY Ltd, Vic Rae, T 2004, Dealing with Feeling: Developing Emotional Literacy in the Classroom (Book A), User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW Rae, T 2004, Dealing with Feeling: Developing Emotional Literacy in the Classroom (Book B), User Friendly Resources Enterprises LTD, Mascot NSW R.I.C Publications 2003, Conflict Resolution Ages 5-7, R.I.C Publications, Melbourne Schmidt, F & Friedman, A 1991, Creating Conflict Solving for Kids, Grace Contrino Abrams Peace Education Foundation Inc, Miami Beach Skabe, I 1997, Thinking, Feeling and Learning: Understanding the social and emotional needs of gifted students, DECS publishing services, Adelaide Wetton, N & Cansell, P 1993, Feeling Good: Raising Self-Esteem in the Primary School Classroom, Forbes Publications Ltd, London 