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Using Folktales to Examine Justice and Fairplay:
Exploring Self-Determination Skills with Students with Special Needs

Shelly Steely 

Academic Setting 

Truman Middle School is located in southwest Albuquerque.  Almost 900 students are enrolled with an attendance rate of 93%.  The dropout rate is reported to be .97% as compared to the middle school average of 1.42%.  The mobility rate for students at Truman is 66%. Student ethnicity is reported as follows: Hispanic, 83.7%; Anglo, 9.3%; African American, 3.3%; Native American, 2.6%; Asian, .6% and Other, .5%.   There are alternative language services in place at Truman, which include: Dual Language Program (English and Spanish); Native American Homeroom; Bilingual Poetry Club; Parent classes for dual language parents.  Truman also provides the following alternative Language Programs: ESL Sheltered Content, ELD Sheltered Content, Transitional Bilingual and Maintenance Bilingual. 

More than one-third of families in the Truman community have an annual household income of $10,000 - $24,000, with 14% earning less than $9,999.  Free or reduced lunch is provided to 78.8% of the student population.  Truman is a school-wide Title I school in the highest bracket of funding with a focus on reading. 

Terra Nova median percentiles in the 2000-2001 school year for 6th grade students at Truman Middle School are as follows: Reading, 25.8; Math, 27.1; Science, 33.5; Language, 30.5; Composite, 27.7 and Social Studies, 30.

Target Population 

This curriculum is being developed for 6th grade students with special needs who receive Community-Based Instruction (CBI).  A D-Level, self-contained classroom, CBI placement is reserved for the student requiring maximum intervention and services to meet their unique needs.  Students placed in CBI programs encompass all special education exceptionalities.  The students that I’ve encountered have most often been represented with exceptionalities such as specific learning disability, mental retardation, autism, traumatic brain injured and speech or language impairment. Typically, students have significant deficits in reading and/or math and are placed in this small, 8:1 teacher-students ratio classroom to receive small group instruction to focus on their academic needs.  Instruction is given in all academic core subjects, with an additional emphasis placed on teaching social skills.  It is my impression that our CBI class at Truman is recognized as a “nurturing” place where students can be placed as their academic and socio-emotional needs can be addressed.   Students also receive ancillary services throughout the day or week to address occupational therapy, physical therapy, adaptive P.E., speech and language and social work needs as they apply. 

The Community Based component of the curriculum requires that it is functional and teaches students lifetime skills, which enable them to live and participate in work and leisure activities as an integral part of their community. 

According the Albuquerque Public Schools Community-Based Instruction Manual, the educational plan in the CBI classroom should address strategies that will prepare each student to function as independently and as productively as possible in the domestic, community, recreation/leisure, and vocational environments.             

            Definition of the four domain areas is as follows: 

1.                   Domestic domain focuses on skills necessary to participate as independently as possible in one’s home and neighborhood  (i.e., personal health care, home care, family/social interactions). 

2.                   Community domain emphasizes skills needed to transport oneself to community environments and to participate in a variety of community services (i.e., using public transportation, accessing supermarkets, restaurants, post offices, etc.). 

3.                   Recreation/Leisure domain prepares students to use leisure or free time in age appropriate ways (i.e., physical fitness activities, hobbies, and use of recreational facilities).

4.                   Vocational domain prepares students to participate in a variety of integrated work environments as independently as possible (i.e., developing appropriate work attitudes and behaviors, using on-campus and community training sites. 

Over the past three years I have designed my curriculum in the domestic domain through activities such as cooking/meal preparation, including clean-up; hygiene/personal health care including nutrition; and exploring students’ roles and responsibilities in their homes.  Activities in the community domain have included utilizing the city bus to travel to field trips, visiting supermarkets to purchase grocery items, visiting restaurants to provide opportunities to exhibit appropriate social skills, and using laundromats and post offices.  Students have engaged in recreation and leisure activities including bowling, miniature golf, movies, fishing and craft activities including ceramics, mosaics and jewelry making. Instruction in the vocational domain has largely revolved around the operation of our school store.  During our two lunch periods, students would be assigned in pairs the responsibility of running the store with myself present.  Store items consisted mostly of twenty-five cent Blow Pop lollipops in approximately ten varieties, ten-cent items such as Twizzlers and Tootsie Rolls, and homemade foods.  Students were expected to arrive on time, set up items in an organized, appealing fashion and display appropriate work behaviors such as being pleasant and asking “May I help you?” and saying “Thank You.”  Proper hygiene was stressed and students understood they were not to eat or drink while operating the store.  Utensils and napkins were used to serve homemade food items.  Students were considerate and moved away from the store or food items when they had the urge to cough or sneeze or would leave the store to wash their hands if they had done so or touched their hair. After lunch, students were responsible for doing the inventory while I prepared the deposit.  All sales were deposited into our class account and used to finance our field trips and class activities.  The school store was the activity the students seem to report liking best. Other students frequently asked if they could work the store, which of course they couldn’t.   I believe my students liked the responsibility and enjoyed their role as the “business owners.”  They really took ownership in their class business. Through their participation in the store, students developed their money skills.  It was not unusual for a student to begin the year without knowing the proper names of coins and by the end of the year give change for $20. 

Every 7 to 10 days our class left campus to participate in community-based field trips.  All field trips were tied to the curriculum whether an extension to an academic unit or as an opportunity to practice social and life skills.  For example, each year during our astronomy unit, our culminating activity was a visit to the Lodestar Astronomy Center.  Similarly, science curriculum related to ecosystems and habitats was followed by visits to the Rio Grande Zoo and Botanical Garden.  Throughout the year, trips were also taken to various businesses in the community where tours were given by business owners who stressed appropriate work behaviors and operations.  Each semester, my class also participated in at least one community service project.  For example, each year we would take the bus to the mall at holiday time and the students would select tags from the Giving Tree for both a boy and a girl and they would conduct a shopping spree in search of the gifts requested.  I have also tried to expose my students to the fine arts, taking them to ballet, theatrical and musical performances throughout the school year. Go to top of page.

Context and Background 

Rationale 

In the three years that I’ve taught Community-Based Instruction, I have had the opportunity to work with students with various exceptionalities.  Despite having a small, cohesive group, I noticed a disparity in how my students interacted in and with the school community.  It has been my experience that the students with exceptionalities such as traumatic brain injury and mental retardation were reacted to with greater sensitivity to their disability.  Seemingly aware that a disability existed, students and staff alike seemed to regard these students with empathy and kindness.  They appeared to be willing to readily intervene or advocate on the student’s behalf when they sensed these students were experiencing some difficulty.  Conversely, I’ve seen the student with the undetectable specific learning disability wrestle on their own with difficulties as they wound up in some predicament that they didn’t understand and had difficulty resolving.  These types are interactions are problematic for both groups.   First, the student with the apparent disability doesn’t always have to advocate for him or herself.  Such students are often taken under the wings of teachers, parents, school counselors, and friends.  This frequently creates a learned dependence, or worse, a learned helplessness on the part of the student.   The second group whose disability isn’t always apparent oftentimes experiences conflict and feels victimized as they encounter these difficult experiences without anyone intervening on their behalf. This conflict often results in what would be considered inappropriate or ineffective problem-solving or conflict resolution. 

At present, the student population in my class is representative of this second group.  My class consists of seven students with specific learning disabilities and one with (undetectable) mental retardation. 

Specific learning disability is defined as a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations (Burrell and Warboys, 2000).  In addition to the possible processing challenges just mentioned, many students with specific learning disabilities exhibit deficits in social competence.  They often fail to learn and practice appropriate behaviors as required in the social settings in which they find themselves. Bos and Vaughn (1994) have stated that many students with learning disabilities have difficulty making and maintaining positive interpersonal relationships with others.  They contend that when compared to their non-learning-disabled peers, students with learning disabilities are:  less accepted and more frequently rejected, less popular, less frequently selected to play, and more willing to conform to peer pressure to engage in antisocial activities. According to Schumaker and Hazel (1984), when students with learning disabilities are compared to their non-handicapped peers, their social behaviors tend to be less acceptable in a number of situations. For example, they are less able to predict the consequences of their behaviors, they misinterpret social cues more often, they are less able to adapt their behaviors to the characteristics of their listeners, and they perform certain inappropriate social behaviors at significantly higher levels (Bos & Vaughn, 1994). Furthermore, Biller (1985) found that students with disabilities often exhibited an external locus of control; exhibited low self-esteem; exhibited poor planning and goal setting skills; participated least in extracurricular activities, and have difficulty in gathering information for decision making (Bos & Vaughn, 1994).  Learned helplessness and self-deprecating attributions have also been widely documented among students with learning disabilities (Serna, 1995).   

Regardless of whether a student presents a visible disability or not, it has been my experience as a teacher of Community-Based Instruction that the students who are placed in my program typically exhibit the processing and social skills deficits as presented in the research.  Consequently, these students regularly experience conflict as they find themselves in situations that require greater social competence and problem-solving skills than those they possess.   

Crime and Disabilities 

In 1998, the Office of Victims of Crime funded the Symposium on Working with Crime Victims with Disabilities, which was coordinated by the National Organization for Victim Assistance.  The symposium brought together experts from the disability advocacy and victim assistance and research fields to look more closely at a large and under-served crime victim population.  Cheryl Guidry Tyiska, Director of Victim Services with the National Organization for Victim Assistance, created a bulletin titled Working with Victims of Crime with Disabilities, which highlighted issues as they were addressed during the symposium.  In this work, she proposed that, as with most types of crime and crime victims, underreporting of crimes perpetrated against people with disabilities are a major problem.  Disability advocates in attendance reported that crimes against people with disabilities are often not reported to the police.  In fact, they suggest that there is no authoritative research detailing how many individuals with a disability become crime victims.  Despite the absence of an authoritative census, Tyiska contends that there are a number of studies that indicate that the risk of criminal victimization is much higher for an individual with a disability than for someone without a physical or cognitive disability. 

Most existing studies have focused on the victimization experiences of people with mental retardation.  According to Doren et al (1996), studies have found that people with mental retardation are vulnerable to economic, psychological and physical abuse.   For example, the authors reported that people with mental retardation in semi-independent living situations were more likely to be victims of minor abuses such as being teased and cheated out of money.  Tharinger (1990) reports that persons with handicaps often are targets of violence, perversion and assault.  They propose that persons with mental retardation are at risk for sexual abuse because of lifelong dependency on caregivers and that sexual abuse takes place in the very institutions designed to protect them. Tyiska (1998) reports that research has found that 68 percent to 83 percent of women with developmental disabilities will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, which represents a 50 percent higher rate than the rest of the population.   Tyiska further states that according to Joan Petersilia, Researcher and Professor of Criminology at the University of California, Irvine, persons with developmental disabilities have a 4-10 times higher risk of becoming crime victims than persons without a disability.  In addition, children with any kind of disability are more than twice as likely as nondisabled children to be physically abused and almost twice as likely to be sexually abused. Goldson (1998) asserts this finding in stating that there is considerable evidence to suggest that among the abused population, children with disabilities are over-represented compared to their representation in the general population, and that disability is a risk factor for abuse.

The Crime Victims with Disabilities Awareness Act of 1998 (Public Law:  105-301) was designed to increase public awareness of the plight of victims of crime with developmental disabilities. Approximately 54 million Americans live with a variety of physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities (Tyiska, 1998).  The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University conducted a three-year initiative called End the Silence to address crimes against people with developmental and other disabilities.  Consistent with the research cited herein, End the Silence proposes that crimes against people with disabilities continues to be invisible and unaddressed in mainstream criminal justice. Go to top of page.

Self-Determination 

Wehemeyer (1996) defined self-determination as acting as the primary causal agent in one’s life and making choices and decisions regarding one’s quality of life free from undue external influence or interference.  He further suggests that self-determination is evidenced when individuals with disabilities are observed to make choices as they make meaningful decisions related to the quality of their life circumstances in places such as the home, school, work, or the community. 

Wehemeyer et al (1998) defined self-determination to include these teachable components: decision making, choice making, problem solving, independent living (risk taking and safety skills), goal setting and attainment, self-observation, evaluation and reinforcement, self-instruction, self-understanding, self-advocacy and leadership, positive self efficacy and outcome expectancy, internal locus of control, and self awareness. 

Serna (1995) proposes that self-determination refers to an individual’s awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses, the ability to set goals and make choices, to be assertive at appropriate times and to interact with others in a socially competent manner.  According to Serna, a self-determined person is able to make independent decisions based on his or her ability to use resources, which includes collaborating and networking with others.  Serna contends that the outcome for a self-determined person is the ability to realize his or her own potential, to become a productive member of a community, and to obtain his or her goals without infringing on the rights, responsibilities, and goals of others. 

According to Agran et al (1999), students with disabilities all too often do not know what they can do, what they want, or how to adjust to the many problems they face in either school or community.  They have learned instead to depend on others to make decisions for them or to avoid situations they feel ill equipped to handle.  They contend that students have been trained to wait for someone else to decide what to do, how to do it, when to do it, what’s wrong with it, how to correct it, and what to do next time. 

Wehemeyer (1992) proposes that the reason that self-determination should become the ultimate goal of education is that too many people with disabilities remain dependent on caregivers and service providers, and in effect, overload social systems to do for them what they should, and could do for themselves.  Agran (2000) suggests that as Wehemeyer and Schwartz (1997) have reported, students with mental retardation or learning disabilities who had higher levels of self-determination, measured by a self-report assessment, lived more independently, had higher rates of employment, earned higher wages, and managed their own money and transportation needs more independently than did peers with lower self-determination scores.  

Gresham et al (2001) have also promoted self-determination skills in citing Kupersmidt, Coie, & Dodge (1990) and Parker & Asher (1987) and stating that “Arguably, the ability to interact successfully with peers and significant adults is one of the most important aspects of students’ development.  The degree to which students are able to establish and maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships, gain peer acceptance, establish and maintain friendships, and terminate negative or pernicious interpersonal relationships defines social competence and predicts adequate long-term psychological and social adjustment.” 

Why Folktales? 

According to Rockman (2001), telling stories to elementary and middle school students and teaching them to express themselves through story can yield many wonderful results such as increased attention spans, imaginative writing, good group dynamics and enhanced self-esteem.  She refers to Kieran Egan’s book Teaching Through Storytelling, which urges teachers to incorporate narrative stories across the curriculum as a way to create interest in a variety of subjects and to increase students’ abilities to retain information.   Egan proposes that the lessons children recall later in life most often follow the story form model. 

Rockman contends that for many people, folktales are the easiest stories to learn.  Coming from an oral tradition, they have a fast-moving plot and can be interpreted on so many levels that each listener takes from the story what is most important to him or her. 

Folktales have lasted through time due to their universality.  According to Johnson and Giorgis (2000), through enduring tales, generations of children have learned life lessons – lessons teaching the responsibility and boundaries of their culture. 

Curriculum Objective 

Several unfortunate experiences in the past year have enlightened me to the need for promoting greater self-advocacy in my students. It became apparent that we cannot always rely on the goodwill and sensitivity of others when they come in contact with a student with disabilities.  It is therefore imperative that we empower students with special needs with the skills necessary to function as independently as possible in the home, school and community.  

            Research has suggested that students having special needs are at risk for failure at school, at home and in the community.  Additionally, research has indicated that due to learning and social skill deficits, these students experience criminal victimization and conflict more often than their non-disabled peers.  My personal experiences while working with students with disabilities confirms this idea. 

There is abundant research that supports teaching self-determination skills to at risk students as a way to empower them.  Research has shown that students who used self-determination skills were more independent and experienced greater success in school, work, home and in the community.  I believe that prior to using self-determinations skills, students must have an awareness of when these skills need to be employed.  When it comes to being potentially victimized or involved in an interpersonal conflict, a student with special needs can begin to assess the situation by reflecting on the concepts of justice and fairplay as they apply. When a student can reflect on these concepts he or she can attempt to take effective action.  A student who spends time reflecting on these concepts develops critical thinking skills and an awareness of what is just and fair not only as it applies to them but to others as well.  I believe students must be able to reflect thoughtfully about justice and fairplay before they can consider ways of resolving a conflict or approaching a certain situation. 

This curriculum will introduce folktales as a lively, engaging way for my students to explore the concepts of justice and fairplay. In this unit, students will be required to reflect first on the issues of justice and fairplay as they relate to the characters in the stories and then to their own life experiences.  Throughout the stories, the characters employ a range of self-determination skills as discussed in the aforementioned research. By participating in this unit, students will repeatedly have the opportunity to reflect on justice and fairplay and explore the self-determination skills employed by the characters in their various experiences. 

What I hope to see changed for my students as a result of this curriculum is a strengthened sense of what is just and fair as it relates to them.  My aim is to develop and/or improve their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills through repeated reflection and through their participation in the activities outlined in the lessons.   I hope to strengthen their self-advocacy skills through the thoughtful reflection of what is just and fair and through the exploration of self-determination skills that they will be able to utilize throughout their lives.  It is my hope that they will become more empowered citizens because they have explored these concepts and skills through this curriculum. 

Implementation 

The following lesson plans are designed for a quarter of the school year pending nine weeks.  Lessons are to be conducted as part of the language arts curriculum.  Each lesson plan will require 75 minutes of instructional time, meeting three times weekly.   

Much of the discussion that takes place in the lesson plans will be student-directed, relying heavily on the students’ personal experiences.  Student participation such as this requires a degree of risk-taking.  It is important that students feel safe and free from judgment when they contribute.  It is also important that the teacher provide an example in each instance that students are asked to contribute personal experiences.  It is not necessary for the teacher to provide personal experiences but modeling and providing context is important for teaching the concepts covered in these lessons. Resources required for the implementation of this curriculum include: Go to top of page.

                        Creeden, Sharon   Fair is Fair:  World Folktales of Justice. 
                         Little Rock:  August House, Inc., 1995. 

                        Read MacDonald, Margaret  Peace Tales:  World Folktales to Talk About.                         Hamden:  Linnet Books, 1992. 

Lesson 1:

The objective of this lesson is to provide an opportunity for to students to explore the self-determination skill of negotiation.  In addition, students will learn the benefits of using negotiation.   

Materials needed to implement this lesson plan are the following:  The story of The Otters and the Fox by Sharon Creeden.  Teacher will read the story to the students.  Teacher will define for the students the concept of negotiation.   Based on the story, students will explore the concept how fighting leads to losses.  Teacher will ask the following questions:  Did fighting lead to the otter’s losses?  How?; Did the fox benefit because the otters fought?  How?; How could the otters have resolved this without the help of the fox? 

The in-class activity will be to prepare pizzas for the class.  The following materials will be needed for the class to participate in this activity:  Oven, pizza pans, pot holders, pizza dough, sauce, cheese, four toppings, plates, forks, napkins, pizza cutter and one drink for each student.   Teacher selects drink flavors prior to activity.  Teacher will select four pizza toppings and two drink flavors.  Students must choose the toppings for two pizzas to be shared by the class.  Students will negotiate until they agree which two ingredients will be put on each pizza.  Students will also negotiate their individual drink selection.  Class prepares pizza as negotiated and enjoys (hopefully!). 

Assessment of this activity will be done through teacher observation of class activity.  The teacher will evaluate the students’ ability to successfully demonstrate the skill of negotiation by asking them to reflect on the activity.   Students will be asked whether their needs and the needs of their classmates were met.  Teacher will ask the students what strategies worked for the activity? What strategies did not work?  What might they consider in the future? 

Lesson 2: 

The objective of this lesson is to have the students be able to differentiate between the concepts of “justice” and “injustice.” In addition, the students will be able to understand the importance of “keeping your word.” Students will further explore and develop an understanding of the meaning of “empathy.” 

            Materials needed for this activity include the story The Bell of Atri by Sharon Creeden, and a round or rectangular table or when a table is not available, arrange desks in a manner so that a class discussion may take place. Teacher reads the story to the class, teacher asks students: What does it mean to make a promise? Has anyone ever made a promise to you and broken it? How did it make you feel? Was the horse treated fairly? Teacher discusses with the class, the concept of “injustice” and how it applies to the horse. Teacher asks students how they feel about the horse and introduces the concept of “empathy.” Teacher introduces the concept of “self advocacy.” Teacher explains to the students how the horse demonstrated this skill and was able to bring about “justice.”  

            In an in-class activity, students participate in a “round table discussion.” Teacher invites students to voluntarily describe an “injustice” they experienced as well as any “justice” (i.e. any acts of good will done to them). Many of these experiences will have taken place at school or in the home or the community.  Have students describe their course of action as well as the outcome. Invite the class to brainstorm on ways or additional options for seeking justice that may have been considered when faced with the various scenarios presented.  

            Students will demonstrate knowledge of concepts such as empathy, making promises, justice and injustice through their participation in the round table discussion. Teacher will check for students understanding of the concepts by asking questions pertaining to each. Teacher may further evaluate by posing questions that require students to self-advocate and problem solve for given situations.Go to top of page.

Lesson 3: 

The objective of this lesson is to have students explore the self-determination skill of self-awareness. Students will be asked to explore their individual career choices. Based on their career choice, students will identify the personal qualities they possess as well as those they need to improve or develop in order to succeed in their chosen career.  

            Materials required for this lesson include: journal note books, magazines, scissors, glue, poster board or construction board, job reference or computer, and the story A Robber I Will Be by Sharon Creeden. Teacher reads A Robber I Will Be and discusses the story with the class. Teachers will hand out students’ journals and instruct them to write a paragraph or more about a job or career that appeals to them. As needed, teacher will assist students with job research in manuals or via computer for specific job requirements. Students will also be asked to write a list of personal qualities or skills needed to succeed in the career they selected, identifying the ones they possess as well as the ones they needed to develop or improve. 

            In an in-class activity, students will work individually or in cooperative groups with the materials mentioned above to create collages depicting their selected career. Teacher will instruct students to cut pictures, words, symbols etc., that they feel illustrates their chosen career, and to glue these things to the provided construction paper or poster board to construct a collage.  

            As a culminating activity, students will individually present their collage to the class explaining their choice of job or career as well as the skills necessary to be successful in that position. In this presentation, students will report on the skills they possess as well as those they recognize as needing improvement if they are to pursue such a career. Teacher will assess each students “self awareness” based on their completed collage as well as their class presentation.  

Lesson 4: 

The objective of this lesson is to have students explore the self-determination skills of self-awareness and resisting peer pressure. Students will reflect on their own personal characteristics. Students will be able to recognize whether behavior is self motivated or driven by group pressure.  

            The materials needed for this activity include: butcher paper, markers, and the story Two Foxes by Margaret Read MacDonald. Teacher reads story to the class. Teacher and students define and discuss:  “What is peer pressure?” Teacher will ask students to volunteer ideas on what they think peer pressure is. Teacher records students’ responses onto butcher paper that is taped in a place where all students can view it. Students will record responses onto paper at their desks. 

            For an in-class activity, teacher will divide the students into two cooperative groups. Teacher will provide each group with a scenario (i.e. smoking, drinking). Students will be instructed to come up with a role-playing skit to perform for the class that depicts a real life situation involving peer pressure to do these acts. Beforehand, students will be instructed to disregard teachers’ presence and influence when presenting their skit. This should encourage students to not be inhibited and to present realistic scenarios. 

            Teacher will assess students understanding of the concept of peer pressure by evaluating the students participation in the role-playing activity. Additionally, teacher will have students discuss which personality characteristics will lead to succumbing to peer pressure (i.e. wanting to be liked, lonely, low self-esteem, etc.), as well as those that may prevent one from falling prey to peer pressure (i.e. confident, happy, independent, etc.). 

Lesson 5: 

The objective of this lesson is to have students explore that the choices we make can sometimes impact or harm others. Further, students will explore the self-determination skill of problem solving as a way to remedy unfortunate situations they may find themselves in. 

            Materials needed for this lesson include student journals and the story A Blind Man Catches a Bird by Margaret Read MacDonald.  Teacher reads story to the class. Teacher discusses story with the class and asks the following questions: Did the sighted man do something wrong? Can someone use their disability to their advantage? How did the blind man do this? What senses did the blind man use? Teacher instructs students to describe in their journals a time in their life when they felt “wronged.” Students are asked to describe the situation as well as how it was resolved. If they are comfortable doing so, students will also describe how it made them feel. 

            For the in-class activity, the teacher will divide the class into two groups. Each group will be given three scenarios from which they will problem solve. Group members will be responsible for coming up with possible solutions for each scenario. It is likely, and favorable, that group members will come up with two to three possible solutions for each scenario. Group members will select a student to record all solutions as they are presented. The scenarios are as follows: 1. You borrowed a friend’s shirt to wear to a party and it was accidentally torn. 2. A friend told you something personal and asked that you not tell anyone, but you did and your friend found out. 3. You borrowed a friend’s Nintendo and lost it and now he wants it back. 4. You spread a rumor you heard about a girl at school and now she is tearfully confronting you. 5. You favorite lead pencil has been taken from your desk and you suspect the boy seated next to you took it. You blame him and even tell the teacher you think he took it. Later, you find it in your backpack where you have forgotten you had placed it earlier. 6. You are rushing past a table in the cafeteria and accidentally knock another students soda onto the floor where half of it spills out.  

            Teachers will assess students ability to problem solve through their participation in the problem solving activities. It is expected that students will provide clear solutions and express and understanding as to why such solutions would be appropriate. Additionally, the teacher will assess each student’s ability to understand how our choices can impact others. In their completed journal writings, problem solving activities, and discussions of the story, students will be able to express cause and effect feelings / events as they took place in each. Go to top of page.

Lesson 6: 

The objective of this lesson is to have students explore the self-determination skill of problem solving. In this lesson, students will explore how a group can use problem solving to help one another.  

            Materials needed for this lesson include: classroom desks, blindfold, stopwatch and the story Heaven and Hell by Margaret Read MacDonald.  Teacher reads the story to the students. Teacher asks students the following questions: How were the people of heaven and hell similar? How do people from people in hell differ from people in heaven? What characteristics of the people in hell worked against them? What characteristics of the people in heaven worked for them? 

            For an in-class activity, the teacher will select one student to briefly leave the room while he/she waits to be blindfolded. Teacher and remaining students will line up student desks in a straight line leaving an open space that any one of the students can easily pass through. 

            The blindfolded student is admitted back into the classroom. Remaining students will verbally instruct the blindfolded student to maneuver through the opening, not touching the desks or any other objects in the classroom. Students will have two minutes to direct the blindfolded student through the passage. Teacher will act as timekeeper. Repeat activity until all students have taken a turn blindfolded.  Be sure to change desk arrangement after each student’s turn.  

            At the conclusion of the activity, the teacher will debrief the class. Teacher will assess students understanding of problem solving by asking: What worked? What did not work? What interfered with the process? What was beneficial to the process? Teacher will have students self-evaluate their performance in completing the task. This may be done in a class discussion.  

Lesson 7: 

The objective of this lesson is to have students explore the self-determination skill of problem solving through consideration of others. Students will understand what it means to be considerate and will recognize the positive feelings and outcomes that are possible, even likely, when one chooses to be considerate of others. 

            Materials needed for this lesson include: student journals, socks, glue, yarn, buttons, markers, colored felt, and the story Slops by Margaret Read MacDonald.    . Teacher will read story to the class, stopping when the old man goes into the house and tells his wife that they’ve been pouring slops down their neighbor’s chimney. Teacher will interrupt the story here and ask students to predict what the old man and woman will do. Teacher finishes reading the story and asks the following questions: How did the old man become aware that he was throwing slops down the chimney of the house belonging to the little man with the red feather in his hat? What was the old woman and man’s solution to the problem? What are some possible reasons the old man and woman may have wanted to solve the problem? Did the solution to the problem benefit both parties? Students will be instructed to describe in their journals a considerate act that they’ve done or someone has done for them.  

            For an in-class activity, divide the class into cooperative groups of two to four. Students will brainstorm scenarios to act out problem solving through consideration of others. Teacher will offer suggestions if students have difficulty coming up with their own. Some possible ideas include deciding what to do when two different classes want to use the gym, kitchen or playing areas at the same time, or determining what kind of music is to be played in the cafeteria at lunch. Using the materials already mentioned, students will make “sock puppets” to represent the characters in their role playing scenario’s as they demonstrate problem solving through consideration. 

            The teacher will evaluate the students understanding of the concept of problem solving through consideration of others through their participation in the role playing activity and in their completed written assignment. Students should be able to identify the conflict or problem as well as possible solutions.   Go to top of page.

Lesson 8: 

The objective of this lesson is to have students explore risk taking and safety skills. Students will understand the concept of risk as well as be able to identify behaviors that could be considered risky and ways to avoid them.  

            Materials needed for this lesson include: poster board, markers, glue, magazines and the story The Money Tree by Sharon Creeden.  Teacher reads story to the class. Together, teacher and class define the word “risk.” Teacher asks students the following questions: Have you ever heard the saying “money doesn’t grow on trees?”  Did the miners take a risk, and if so, why? Was the coyote dishonest? Have you ever taken a risk? When is it okay to take a risk? When is it not okay to take a risk?  

            For an in-class activity, students will work in pairs to create a poster that identifies risky behavior. Using the materials already mentioned, students will cut out pictures, words, and use the markers to illustrate and describe behavior that would be considered a bad risk (i.e. smoking, drinking, sex, drugs, rule breaking, etc.). Upon completion, students will present these to the class. Posters will then be displayed in the classroom.  

            Teacher will assess students understanding of risk taking and safety skills through evaluation of their completed posters and class presentation. Students should be able to identify a risky behavior by stating clearly the possible dangers when engaging in such a behavior. In addition, students must be able to identify alternative behaviors such as avoidance and abstinence when exposed to potential risks.  

These lesson plans meet the following Albuquerque Public Schools content standards and benchmarks in language arts for 6th grade.  

Strand 1: Reading Process

Content Standard: The student employs appropriate reading strategies to read and interpret increasingly complex texts for a variety of purposes.

Benchmarks:  The students demonstrates competence with reading processes to comprehend, analyze, interpret and evaluate a wide variety of informational text across content areas.

Performance Standards:

·         Reads self selected and assigned materials to increase fluency and comprehension.

·         Uses reading strategies (e.g., context clues, re-reading, self-correcting, reading with others, predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarizing) to comprehend texts.

·         Uses various parts of a text (e.g., title page, index, table of contents, glossary) to locate specific information.

·         Uses knowledge of punctuation to assist in comprehension.

·         Uses variety of strategies to define and extend understanding or word meaning (e.g. applies knowledge or word origins and derivations, analogies, idioms, prefixes and suffixes).

·         Reads narrative and expository text aloud with fluency and accuracy and with appropriate pacing intonation and expression.  

Strand 2: Reading Analysis

Content Standard: The student responds to, examines, and critiques historically and culturally significant issues and events portrayed in literature that both illustrate and affect people, society and individuals.

Benchmarks:  The students examine literature from a variety of authors, cultures, and genre and makes connections among a variety of literary works. Go to top of page.

Performance Standards:

·         Recognizes underlying messages in order to identify recurring themes.

·         Generates questions to be answered while reading and reflects on what has been learned after reading.

·         Identifies and explains the main ideas, themes, setting, action, main character(s), and details in a variety of text.

·         Discusses selections in teacher – student discussions and small groups.

·         Describes how characters’ actions reflect values, cultures and experiences.  

Strand 3: Expressive Language: Writing

Content Standard: The student writes effectively for different audiences and purpose (e.g. to describe, narrate, express, explain, persuade, and analyze) using appropriate writing strategies and conventions.

Benchmarks:  The students develops and demonstrates proficiency and competence in writing strategies and conventions across content areas to describe, narrate, express, explain, persuade and analyze critically for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Performance Standards:

·         Demonstrates proficiency in using a variety of technology (e.g. word processors, over head projectors, multi media) to present information appropriate for the intended purpose and audience.

·         Demonstrates proficiency with writing conventions (e.g. grammar, spelling, mechanics, capitalization) with emphasis on the following: uses subject-verb agreement with compound subjects. Punctuates uses commas, spells frequently misspelled and confused words correctly.

·         Expresses individual perspectives drawn from personal experience.

·         Writes for public and private audiences.

·         Writes essays that describe problems and solutions.

·         Produces writings that incorporate a definite voice of the author appropriate to the writing purpose.  

Strand lV:  Expressive Language:  Speaking

Content Standard:  The student speaks effectively for different audiences and purposes (e.g., to describe, narrate, express, explain, persuade, and analyze) using appropriate speaking strategies and conventions.

Benchmark:  The student develops and demonstrates proficiency and competence in speaking strategies and appropriate speaking conventions to describe, narrate, express, explain, persuade, and analyze for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Performance Standards:  Demonstrates proficiency with speaking strategies in the following ways:

·         Enhances delivery, using strategies such as eye contact, gestures, body language, volume and pace.

·         Clarifies, illustrates, and expands upon topics in discussions.

Demonstrates proficiency with speaking and language conventions with emphasis on the following:

·         Uses simple, compound, and complex sentences in classroom presentations and discussions.Go to top of page.

·         Uses pronouns correctly.

Uses verb tense to convey appropriate meaning.

Demonstrates proficiency with appropriate types of speaking (e.g., descriptive, narrative, expressive, expository, persuasive, and analytical) for a variety of purposes and audiences:

·         Assumes a variety of roles in group discussions and whole class seminars (e.g., active listener, discussion leader, facilitator, reporter/synthesizer).

·         Paraphrase detailed instructions or information. 

Strand V:  Receptive Language:  Listening and Viewing

Content Standard:  The student demonstrates, analyzes, evaluates, and reflects upon the skills and processes used to communicate by listening to and viewing a variety of auditory and visual works.

Benchmarks:  The student comprehends, analyzes and interprets formal and informal auditory and visual works, including multi-media presentations.

Performance Standards:  Organizes information that is heard or viewed:

o       Paraphrases the information;

o       Differentiates between main idea and details;

o       Makes connections to related topics/information;

o       Asks questions when unsure of information.

Follows multi-step oral and written directions for a procedure.

Interacts appropriately in group settings by asking relevant questions, listening responsively and respectively, and understanding the speaker’s verbal and nonverbal massages. 

Documentation 

Agran, Martin, Kimberly Snow, and Jayne Swaner.  “Teacher perceptions of self determination:              benefits, characteristics, strategies.” Education and Training in Mental Retardation and              Developmental Disabilities. v-34 No 3 (1999): 293-301. 

Agran, Martin, Caryl Blanchard, and Michael L. Wehmeyer. “Promoting transition goals and              self-determination through student self-directed learning: the self-determined learning model              of instruction.” Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental              Disabilities. v-35 No 4  (2000): 351-364. 

Boss, Candace and Sharon Vaughn.  Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning and             Behavioral Problems. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1994.                

Burrell, Sue and Loren Warboys “Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System.” U.S.               Department of Justice OFFDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin. July 2000: 1 – 15. 

Creeden, Sharon. Fair is Fair: World Folktales of Justice. Arkansas: August House
            Incorporated, 1994. 

Field, Sharon, Martin James, Robert Miller, Michael Ward and Michael Wehmeyer. “Self         
            Determination for Persons with Disabilities: A Position Statement of the Division on Career               Development and Transition.” CDEI  21:2 (1998): 113-128. 

Goldson, Edward. “Children with Disabilities and Child Maltreatment.” Child Abuse and Neglect. v               22 no 7 (1998): 663-667. 

Gresham, Frank M., George Sugai, and Robert H. Horner.   “Interpreting outcomes of social skills               training for students with high-incidence disabilities.”   Exceptional Children.  v67 no3               (2001): 331-344. 

Guidry Tyiska, Cheryl. “Working with Victims of Crimes with Disabilities.” U.S. Department of               Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. 19. Apr. 2001.                 
            http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/factshts/disable.htm 

Johnson, Nancy J. and Cindi Giorgis. “Memory, memoir, story.” The Reading Teacher. v 54 no 3               (2000): 336-343.  

NVAA Text 2000 – Chapter 15 Supplement V – Victimization of Individuals with Disabilities. U.S.                Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. 19. Apr.2001.                
            http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/nvaa2000/academy/chapter15.htm 

Read MacDonald, Margaret.  Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About. Hamden,             
            Connecticut: Linnet Books, 1992.   

Rockman, Connie. “Tell me a story.” School Library Journal. v 47 no 8 (2000): 46-49. 

Serna, Loretta A and Jo-Anne Lau-Smith. “Learning With Purpose: Self-Determination Skills For              Students Who Are At Risk for School and Community Failure.” Intervention in School and              Clinic. v 30 no 3 (1995): 142-146. 

Wehmeyer,  Michael L and Michelle Schwartz. “The relationship between self-determination and              quality of life for adults with mental retardation.” Education and Training in Mental              Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. v 33 no1 (1998): 3-12. Go to top of page.