Learning by Listening
Resolving Conflicts
Teacher Lesson Guide
(swipe to advance)
Objectives
Awareness
Active Listening
Problem Solving
Lesson Design
45-60 Minutes
5 Min: Review Learning Objectives
20 Min: Literary Discussion: Clever Mouse-Deer
5 Min: Supporting Activity: Assumptions Dice Breaker
10 Min: Reinforcing Activity: Crocodile Swamp
3 Min: Closing Activity
Objectives
Practice skills of self-regulation by:
identifying emotions as valid social expressions
creating a personal space to actively listen to others
Work the muscle of empathy by helping others to solve problems
Lingo List
Conflict Words
struggle
conflict
quarrel
fight
disagreement
Unkind Adjectives
mean
cruel
nasty
uncaring
spiteful
harsh
Reconciliation Words
compromise
agree
settle
mercy
compassion
make amends
Listening Words
notice
wait
observe
attend
accept
Aggravation Words
provoke
aggravate
bug
tease
irritate
annoy
pester
Friendship Words
support
back up
aid
assist
compliment
understand
honor
help
Socially integrating with peers in school can take many developmental forms depending on many factors in the first years of a student such as: home family dynamics, experience with group play, modeling of healthy relationships, exposure to language and more.
Part of developing strong social problem-solving skills is learning how to self-regulate emotions with frustrations. This lesson focuses on developing that sense of awareness within the self so that empathy plays a role in problem-solving. When the feelings, perspectives and ideas of others are considered, we can avoid the illusion that getting our way always indicates getting along.
Guiding Questions for Class:
What is self-control? When is it hard practice self-control? What kind of feelings are hard to feel in front of other people? When is it okay for people to have different feelings? What does it mean to actively listen? How do you feel when you are not listened to? How can we listen with our eyes?
Reading:
Clever Mouse-Deer
One day, a buffalo was eating grass by the riverbank when he heard the voice of someone crying in pain.
“Help! Help! Please let me free,” heard the buffalo. He ran to the river where the voice came from. There he found a crocodile with a big log on his back. “Help me, Mr. Buffalo! This log fell on my back. I cannot move and I’m in pain,” cried the crocodile.
Feeling sorry for the crocodile, the buffalo used his strong horn to lift the log off the crocodile. The log was very heavy. The buffalo tried with all his might until the crocodile was free.
“Thank you, Mr. Buffalo! You are very kind to help me,” said the crocodile.
“You are welcome,” replied the buffalo. “I’m happy to be of help to you.”
As the buffalo was leaving, the crocodile suddenly bit one of the buffalo’s legs. The buffalo screamed in pain. The crocodile said, “I’m very hungry, Mr. Buffalo. I cannot help wanting to eat your leg.”
The buffalo was disappointed at the crocodile, whose life the buffalo saved. The buffalo could not believe that the crocodile would return his kindness that way.
Mouse-deer was passing by and saw the buffalo’s leg in the mouth of the crocodile. He asked the buffalo what happened.
“I saved the crocodile’s life by removing the log off his back. But now he wants to have me for dinner!” the buffalo cried, having been let down by the crocodile. Mouse-deer thought for a moment. “Hmmm... I could not believe that the buffalo has the strength to lift such a big and heavy log off the crocodile,” Mouse-deer exclaimed.
“It’s the truth. I lifted the log by myself,” replied the buffalo proudly.
“He is telling the truth, Mr. Mouse-deer,” added the crocodile.
Mouse-deer replied, “I will only believe in your strength, Mr. Buffalo, if I see you lift the log.” Mouse-deer then asked the crocodile to free the buffalo’s leg. The crocodile was curious what the mouse-deer was up to so he released the buffalo.
“Now that you’re free, Mr. Buffalo, put the log back on the crocodile’s back. Prove to me you are strong enough to lift the log,” said Mouse-deer.
The buffalo was challenged to prove his strength to Mouse-deer. He gathered all his might to lift the heavy log until it was again on the crocodile’s back. The crocodile screamed in pain as the log landed on his body. “Oh no! Please take this log off me, Mr. Buffalo,” pleaded the crocodile.
“Aha, I got you! You fell into my trick,” exclaimed Mouse-deer. “Now that you are in pain, Mr. Crocodile, you know how the buffalo felt when you bit his leg.”
The buffalo wanted to relieve the crocodile of his pain. “But if I free him this time, he might want to bite me again,” thought the buffalo.
The crocodile replied, “I realize I have been ungrateful to the buffalo. I’m sorry for what I did, Mr. Buffalo. I promise not to harm you again. Only you have the strength to help me.”
Mouse-deer and the buffalo felt the sincerity of the crocodile. The buffalo again used all his strength to lift the log off the crocodile’s back.
“Thank you, Mr. Buffalo. You are very compassionate,” said the crocodile.
“Thank you, Mouse-deer, for teaching me to be kind to those who help me.”
Mouse-deer was happy to hear that the crocodile learned his lesson. He was also glad that the buffalo was safe. Once again, Mouse-deer used his cleverness to help other animals.
Open-Ended Questions:
After the reading, debrief the story using the open-ended questions below.
Empathy Practice
How does it feel when someone interrupts you?
If many people are talking at the same time, who can remember what was said? Who was listening?
It is important to listen to others but it is also important to listen to ourselves. What are some things you might hear if you listen to yourself?
Active Listening
When you see that someone is trying to speak but no one is listening, what can you do to help?
How can you tell when someone has something to say?
When you see that someone has something to say, what can you do to give them the opportunity to speak?
Problem Solving
What can you do when you do not feel like being around others?
If you realize that you have interrupted someone what can you do to help the situation?
Kinesthetic Activity: Simon Says…
Purpose: To practice self-regulation and active listening
Instructions:
Discuss what it means to self-regulate and to actively listen. Discuss why those are important skills when interacting with others and making friends.
Explain that you will take turns being Simon and you all will practice following instructions that are based around physical movement. Remember to STAY IN CONTROL of your body, and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
Play a few rounds, as time allows.
Debrief as follows:
Ask the participants to close their eyes and pay attention to the sensations in their body. After about 30 seconds ask students to share what they feel.
How did you like being Simon?
What were some of the emotions you felt during this exercise?
Reinforcing Activity: Crocodile Swamp
Purpose: Crocodile Swamp takes a lot of group problem solving. The object is to navigate the whole class or team across the room or space only using a few squares of safe space. This game is like a lava tag. The classroom becomes the swamp and the only safe place, other than the start and finish, is a piece of cardboard. The unique problem solving challenges are improved because the squares are moveable to some degree like skis.
Activity Instructions:
1. Clearly define the start and finish of the race.
2. Give the student’s four to eight pieces of cardboard (depending on the size of the space) and the goal to get the entire group to the other side of room or space without touching the ground (the alligator swamp.) If they make a mistake, the whole group must start over.
3. To make the game more challenging, make some students remain silent, blindfold students and/or don’t let the cardboard touch the ground without touching a player. Or play against the clock
4. To increase the stakes, a larger group could be broken up into two teams racing against one another.
Tip: When playing in a classroom, make furniture off limits to touch as an aspect of “the swamp).
Debrief Questions:
What were some of the challenges you had to overcome?
Who and how did each person help your team achieve the ask?
When there was disagreement or frustration what happened?
What could you do better as an individual or as a team if you were asked to do this again?
Closing Activity
Let’s end with a closing circle activity that will remind us of what we learned about working as a team.
Today we practiced self control by identifying our feelings as a way to express ourselves with other people and creating space to listen to others, working the muscle of empathy by helping others solve problems. .
COME FULL CIRCLE- Open-Ended Questions
What new words did you learn today concerning listening and understanding other perspectives?
After today’s activities, what did you learn about building better friendships?
Why is it important to give others a chance to talk?
What was challenging about today?
What was something you learned/ liked from the story we read?
Look at the Four Awesome Questions, how do they relate to today’s activities?
Feedback? We’d love to hear it! Email us at info@epicethics.org
© Epic Ethics. All Rights Reserved.