Family+Group+Meeting

Created by Koch/Olsen
 * Grade**: 4th
 * Standard(s)**: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4C
 * Materials:** Compliment Page
 * Time**: 45-60 min
 * Goals:**
 * Students will practice how to resolve conflicts constructively by working together to address issues and problems that arise in the classroom or school.
 * Students will gain an awareness of their own or other classmates emotions by complimenting one another.


 * Lesson Steps**:

Pre-Meeting In whole group tell children they are going to design a picture of different positive emotions. Brainstorm a list of different positive emotions with the class. Break children up in pairs of 2 and hand them one piece a 3x3 paper. Have them draw what the emotion would look like and write the name of the feeling under the picture. Taking these emotions cut and paste them onto the bottom of the paper. On the top section of the page pre-print “I would like to compliment _ for it makes me feel _.” Using about 15 different emotions is a good amount. Before each Family Group Meeting have children use a class list to compliment a new person. They are to cross off each students’ name as they do this in order to compliment everyone in the room. Locate a place where children can sign up for problems that they need help in solving. These issues may be in or outside of the classroom. It is good to have Family Group Meetings near the beginning or the middle of the week so that children have an opportunity to practice new solutions that have been given by other classmates.

Meeting: At the beginning of the meeting have children come together and sit in a circle. They need to bring their compliment page; a new student begins each week. Everyone reads their compliment out loud so everyone can hear this includes the teacher. After compliments the teacher reads the first issue on the agenda. The student addresses the whole class stating what the problem is (without naming anyone) and stating what they themselves are willing to do to make the problem better. At this point you can either pass around an object so each person has an opportunity to state a solution or call on 3-5 people, take their solutions and then choose 3-5 more people. When a solution has been found returning to the problem over the next few weeks to make sure things are resolved is important to reinforce the process of problem solving. It is important that only solutions are shared and not their own connections in order to stay focused on finding a solution not focusing on the problem.