Expected
Behavior of Students
Tonia
Kirby
Boston
2009
To print this lesson as a pdf, click here.
Overview:
This mini-unit
consists of a brief description of the behavioral expectations of children in
the early 1900’s and then we will create our own classroom expectations. These rules came from a reproduction of a book
called The School of Manors or Rules for Children’s Behaviour:
At Church, at Home, at Table, in Company, in Discourse, at School, abroad and amoung boys. With some other short and mixed Precepts. Published by Plimouth Plantation.
Essential
Questions:
1. In what ways were children expected in school
settings in American past?
2. Can we create rules that are similar to those
of children in the early 1900’s that keep in mind current times?
Enduring
Understandings:
1. Respectful behavior is essential in creating
a learning environment.
2. Schools were different in the past but also
the same.
Setting the
Purpose/Introduction
What is behavior? Why do we need to have rules at school? Students will create a set of class rules
that we will all agree on, that has
meaning for them, and that will include some of the expectations of times in
the past.
Lesson #1: The Golden Rule and how they want to be treated.
Rules
are a very important part of living in any community. Discuss the Golden
Rule. Talk about how they want to be
treated. Make a list on chart paper of
ways they think they should behave in school.
Lesson #2: Rules of children in schools
100 years ago.
On
a separate piece of chart paper have a list of the rules made from p. 11 of the
book. Put the two pieces of chart paper
side by side.
Have
the children come up and circle the words they need to know more about.
List
those words on a separate piece of chart paper and explain what they each
mean. Hold a discussion with the
children about what they think of those expectations and if we could or should
incorporate any of those rules with our rules.
Have them take a copy of the old rules home and discuss them with their
parents. This will give them time to
process the rules and think about them overnight.
Lesson #3: Creating Our Class
Rules
I
have never had it take three days to create my classroom rules before but I
think this will give us more time to make it more mutual.
First
we will put a blue mark next to any that we think are on both lists.
Second
we will put a green mark next to the ones we think we should keep.
Third
I will recopy all of the kept rules and the children will copy them, take them
home and show their parents, have them sign the paper and return it the next
day. I will photocopy it and send the original back home with them. I will then have everyone sign the copy I
wrote and post it on a bulletin board with the Golden Rule.
Materials