Subject(s): Multi-Disciplinary, Social Studies Grades(s): Grades 2-3

Title – All About Groups, Community, pt. 3 of 5
By – Becky Matson
Primary Subject – Social Studies
Secondary Subjects – Multidisciplinary
Grade Level – 2

Unit Contents:

• Lesson 1 is on the Importance of Groups
• Lesson 2 is on Leaders and Followers
• Lesson 3 is on the Importance of Rules
• Lesson 4 is on Other Kinds of Groups
• Lesson 5 is on Changes in Groups

Lesson Three: The Importance of Rules

Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
          - Defend why we have rules
          - Create rules for a group following the model for rule making discussed in class
          - Identify rules in groups they are a part of
          - Move quickly and quietly to groups
          - Encourage participation by all

Procedures:
“Pop Quiz” on following rules: a hokey test on their ability to follow rules. (MI: verbal and bodily)

Lecture (MI: verbal)
1. Places where there are rules
          - School
          - Home
          - Church
          - Any others?
2. What rules are
          - Ask class what rules are
3. Why we have rules
          - To keep order
          - To work well with others
          - Any others?

Discuss family rules, school rules, city laws and their differences and similarities. (MI: verbal). List ideas on blackboard. Hand out Venn diagram for students to compare and contrast family, school, and city ‘rules.’
Lecture about how groups make rules: voting. (MI: verbal)
1. Someone sees a need for a rule
2. Someone proposes rule (motion)
3. Other people agree that the rule is needed and agree to vote on it (second)
4. Everyone votes on rule and it either passes or doesn’t
          - Not all groups make rules by voting on them. Some groups are able to discuss the proposed, or suggested, rules and can agree on some rules that way.

In small groups, students will make up rules for a specified imaginary group, then share with class how they made those rules and discuss on how they all agreed on those rules (i.e. via discussion or voting). (MI: interpersonal and verbal)
1. Begin by discussing what rules we have in our classroom. Make sure rules are visible either posted or write them on the blackboard for all students to see.
          - What are the rules?
          - What do those rules mean? Explain what we would be doing if we were following the rules, and what would we be doing if we weren’t following the rules.
          - Why do we have them?
          - Who made the rules? How?
2. Teacher will break students up into three groups and assign them to pretend they are a group: family, school class, or sports team. Assign students in each group a role. *See attached sheet for role descriptions.
          - Before students move into groups, pre-teach objectives for cooperative learning groups: move quickly and quietly to groups and encouraging participation by all. Practice moving quietly to groups once or twice.
3. Groups will be asked to make up three or four rules keeping in mind fairness for all people involved. Come up with fair consequences for breaking those rules.
4. After groups have made rules, class will come back together for discussions.
          - Have groups share one rule at a time: how they came up with the rule, what is a consequence for breaking the rule, does the class think it’s fair or not.
If time allows, close class with a game of Simon Says.

Assessment:
Observation, discussion, Venn diagram worksheet, rule making simulation, and the quiz will help the teacher assess whether the lesson was successful.

Worksheet for simulation:
Rules of Groups
Directions: Each group member has an assigned role. (See titles and descriptions below.) Make a list of three or four rules. All group members must contribute. Place the first letter of the first name of the person who contributed a suggestion for rule or consequence.

Family

_____________________ Father: You are the head of the home and you think that what you say should be the law in your house. You expect your children and wife to obey everything without questioning.
_____________________ Mother: You expect all of your children to be honest when they misbehave and expect them to obey your rules. You believe that you treat all of your children equally and fairly.
_____________________ Child #1: You are the oldest child in the family. Your mother spoils you by bringing you lots of gifts, but your mother is very strict in punishing you, even when it’s not your fault. You often question
_____________________ Child #2: You are the middle child. You often feel ignored because your mother spoils your older sibling and your father spoils your younger sibling. You often get blamed for things your other siblings do wrong when it’s not your fault. You just want someone to pay attention to you.
_____________________ Child #3: You are the youngest in your family. Your father spoils you all the time, but you often feel ignored by your father. You often feel like you are treated like a baby just because you are the youngest in your family.

Directions: Each group member has an assigned role. (See titles and descriptions below.) Make a list of three or four rules. All group members must contribute. Place the first letter of the first name of the person who contributed a suggestion for rule or consequence.

School class

_____________________ Teacher: You believe that you are a fair and reasonable person. You think that you should make all the rules and that the students should follow them without question. You think your consequences should be fair.
_____________________ Student #1: You are a very well behaved student and you don’t break rules. You think rule breakers should be severely punished for being bad.
_____________________ Student #2: You are always being blamed for someone else’s misbehavior even though you didn’t have anything to do with it. You don’t know how, but you always get in trouble and don’t think it’s fair.
_____________________ Student #3: You are always getting into trouble and are always being punished. You think there are already too many rules to remember and that the punishments aren’t fair. You want to be able to have fun at school without always getting into trouble for it.

Directions: Each group member has an assigned role. (See titles and descriptions below.) Make a list of three or four rules. All group members must contribute. Place the first letter of the first name of the person who contributed a suggestion for rule or consequence.

Sports team

_____________________ Head coach: You are a very strict person. You want your team to do what you say without question. You often make rules that are unfair with unfair consequences. If a player makes a mistake they are off the team. You don’t give second chances, because they should already know the rules.
_____________________ Assistant coach: You are a very kind, friendly person. You believe in giving the players a second chance; everyone makes mistakes once and a while. You think that punishment should be fair for the rule broken.
_____________________ Team captain: You are the mediator. When a player on the team makes a mistake the coach wants to throw them off the team. You are the person who goes to the head coach to beg them to keep the player on the team.
_____________________ Player #1: You are often late to practice because your teacher always wants to talk to you after class. You’ve tried to explain this to the coach, but the coach still wants to have you off the team.
_____________________ Player #2: You’ve never broken any team rules. You think that rules are rules and they shouldn’t be broken and everyone knows them, but you do think that the coach’s consequences are too harsh.

Have one person in your group be the recorder and write down your groups’ rules here. Include everyone in the discussion of rules, put down the first letter of the persons’ first name by any suggestions they make.

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“Quiz”:
QUIZ          Name: _____________________________
Directions: Read all questions carefully. Begin with number one.

1. Identify a leader a leader at school. ______________________________________________________
2. List two things that this leader does:_____________________
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3. What color is the sky? _________________________________
4. Skip to question number eight. __________________________
5. Who are followers at home? ____________________________
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6. Circle the number two on this page. ______________________
7. What game did we play on Monday? _____________________
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8. What are the three animals we learned about on Monday? ______________________________________________________
10. Put a smiley face at the top of your paper and turn in your test. _____________________________________________________