Mary Shinn 

Topic/Issue/Theme: Understanding our Interdependent Roles in our Communities

Title: Everyone has a role in the community that influences others.

Abstract: Students share, listen, and assist each other in sharing stories of how their actions affected others.

Materials: Children’s book, The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters by Jane and Allan Ahlberg, writing notebooks, pencils, crayons, magic markers

1. The teacher begins by explaining each of us plays a role in the community that affects others. She explains that two of the roles she plays in the community are as a teacher and as a mother.

2. She asks the students to consider the roles the many characters in The Jolly Postman play while she reads the book to them.

3. The class is divided into small groups of four students each and asked to discuss and list in their notebooks, the characters from the story and the roles each played. A reporter from each group reports their conclusions.

4. Each group is then given a scenario with four characters to role play for the class. The class must identify each character in the role play and list how each character ‘s behavior influences other people’s behavior. The class is also asked if the influence given is negative or positive and how to change a negative influence to a positive one.

5. Each group is asked to make a poster illustration of their role play that identifies each character in a role. This can be the role played or if it was a negative one, it can be changed in the illustration to one that is more positive.

1. What part of this activity was the most difficult? Why?

2. What part of this activity was the most enjoyable? Please explain why.

3. Do you play any roles in our community?

4. Are the roles you play different in school and at home? Explain your answer.

5. What is your favorite role? Why?

6. Have you ever played a negative role? How can you change that to a positive one?

Strategies Employed: Storytelling, whole and small group discussion, writing, illustrating, role play, poster presentation.

Multiple Intelligences-language, kinesthetic, artistic

Processing: Discussion questions presented in a whole class setting to review their collaborative efforts.

Individual Accountability: Student #1 is responsible for recording the team’s written discussion correctly and in a legible handwriting. Student #2 is responsible for reporting their conclusions to the whole class accurately. Student #3 is responsible for drawing and coloring their poster. Student #4 is responsible for staying on-task and completing the required work within the given time frame.

Positive Interdependence: Each member was vital to the role play, as four characters were needed. If one member does not play his part as planned in the role play, the other members will also falter in their performance.

Every member was encouraged to generate ideas on the roles each character played in the story read by the teacher and in each role play. Those more able to write were important in getting their team thoughts written in a coherent form. Team members also depended on a member who was not afraid to speak in public to act as a reporter.

Social Skills: Listening to each other, planning a plan of action for the role play and poster illustration, negotiating which member will play which character in the role play by taking turns in a discussion, identifying the strengths of each team member and using it to the advantage of the team.

Face-to-Face Interaction: Small groups of four students each in a whole class setting.

Heterogeneous Grouping: Each group was organized with a mixture of boys and girls from different ethnic backgrounds and with different academic abilities.

Evaluation: Multiple assessments through oral questioning and discussion, role play, writing and illustrating. Peer and self-assessment by group members on performance and mastery level.