Friends+and+School

Discipline(s) to receive the major emphasis.
 * Theme: How We Organize Ourselves**
 * Unit Title:** Friends and School
 * Focus:** Social Skills
 * Level:** Pre-school
 * Teacher(s):** Fischer
 * School:** Alsup
 * Proposed duration:** 4-5 weeks

//A concise description of the central idea to be addressed and the scope of the inquiry//
 * Stage 1: What is our purpose?**


 * a) Central idea:** Preschool provides new learning experiences and new friends.

v How we can make and keep new friends v Why we want to be come learners v How we demonstrate safe practices and uses of materials v How our day is organized (routines)
 * b****) An inquiry into:**

//People, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software etc.// Scholastic Unit: Friends and School New songs Big Books: __Pipo the Puma__ __Look and Learn__ __Hello__ __School__ __Where Did Bunny Go__ __Cifford Goes to School__ Clifford Video
 * Stage 2: What resources will we use?**

//The key questions which will drive the inquiry//. //What is it like?// 1 2 //How does it work?// 2 3 5 //Why is it the way it is?// 1 2 //How does it change?//
 * Stage 3: What do we want to learn?**
 * Form**
 * Form**
 * Function**
 * Function**
 * Function**
 * Causation**
 * Causation**
 * Causation**
 * Change**
 * Change**
 * Change**



 //How is it connected to other things?// 2 3 4 //What are the points of view?// 4 5 //What is our responsibility?// 1 2 3 //How do we know?// 1,2 3,5
 * Connection**
 * Connection**
 * Connection**
 * Perspective**
 * Perspective**
 * Perspective**
 * Responsibility**
 * Responsibility**
 * Responsibility**
 * Reflection**
 * Reflection**
 * Reflection**

1. What is a friend? 2. What can we do to be a friend? 3. How can we make someone be a friend? 4. Why do we need friends? 5. How can we express feelings and ideas about friends?
 * Teacher Questions:**
 * Teacher Questions:**


 * Student Questions:**

//Teacher and/or student designed activities which will address the key questions//.
 * Stage 4: How best will we learn?**

The teacher supports inquiry and exploration by: v Providing a variety of media for expressing feelings about friends and school v Allowing space, uninterrupted blocks of time and a variety of opportunities for dramatic play, spontaneous child- and teacher-initiated experiences v Providing dressing-up clothes and props to encourage children to play their own roles and responsibilities within the classroom v Modeling adult relationships and establishing an environment which encourages friendship, collaborative and cooperative behaviours and problem-solving v Supporting and facilitating children’s efforts to solve conflicts
 * Structuring the environment**

The teacher supports inquiry and exploration by: v Telling his/her story about school and friends, showing photos, modeling the vocabulary to describe roles and relationships v Asking children to tell their stories about friends with words or drawings. v Organizing a classroom events for children to get to know each other v Informal and formal storytelling sessions, exploring school and friends in literature v Initiating small and large group discussions about friends and how to be a good friend
 * Leading/facilitating activities**

//The strategies which will be used to assess learning.//
 * Stage 5: How will we know what we have    learned?**

The teacher will keep anecdotal records on each child, in a variety of settings.
 * Pre-unit assessment**

The teacher will record evidence of the children’s growth in the following areas in a variety of situations throughout the year. //Social and communication skills//: How does the child enter social situations, make contact with other children, begin and maintain friendships, deal with rejection and conflict, as for help, take part in group activities? Observe the child in solitary, parallel and cooperative play, and in small and large group teacher-facilitated activities. //Thinking skills//: Does the child inquire; seek understanding about him/herself and others? //Self-management skills//: Does the child engage spontaneously and confidently in dramatic play? Can he/she initiate his/her own activities and join others? Observe how the child organizes and expresses him/herself when sharing with the teacher individually or in a small group. Observe if the child is attentive when other children are sharing.
 * Formative assessments**

The teacher will look for an increase in knowledge of sharing tools and toys, cooperation and problem-solving.
 * Summative assessment**

Children reflect on feeling included and excluded and on including and excluding other children and members of the family.
 * Student self-assessment:**

//How the students will demonstrate their ability to choose, act and reflect//. The students will share tools and toys with others. They will begin the process of problem-solving conflicts with their friends.
 * How will we take action?**

//To what extent: were the purposes fulfilled; was the unit relevant, engaging, challenging and significant; were the resources adequate; were the concepts, skills and attitudes address//
 * Stage 6: To what extent did we achieve our purpose?**

Students show friendships by: · Asking others to sit beside them at small group or story time. · Asking others to play with them at recess or work time · Sharing classroom materials. Hands someone a red marker when that person can’t find one. Students are willing to step outside of their own culture to show friendship. They are willing to offer friendship to children with special needs. One student brought in a package of 9 cans of play dough to share with the class. Students know the classroom routine and state, “Snack is after small group” or “we go outside after our story”. Although students learned a great deal about friendship, they still don’t grasp what true friendship is by saying things like a child is not their friend because they won’t sit next to them.
 * __October, 2005__**