Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

U.S. Constitution

An Anticipation Guide

Directions: Read each statement below and decide if you agree or disagree with what it says. Write a brief rationale to support your answer.

	Agree	Disagree
1)	_____	_____	The U.S. Constitution has never been changed since it was written in 1781.
2)	_____	_____	The U.S. Constitution is divided into Articles and Amendments.
3)	_____	_____	An amendment is a change.
4)	_____	_____	The Bill of Rights was part of the original U.S. Constitution.
5)	_____	_____	The Constitution sets up the three branches of government.
6)	_____	_____	The Executive branch is the strongest branch of our government.
7)	_____	_____	The Judicial branch of our government is in charge of all laws.

 

Handout 2Print Handout 2

How to Settle Differences

http://disputeresolution.ohio.gov/pdfs/cmw2000esag.pdf

Creating a Democratic Classroom Environment: The Class Meeting

Twenty Kinds of Class Meetings

1. Good news meeting: “Who has some good news to share?”
   
   
2. Circle whip: Go around the circle: everyone can either complete the “sentence starter” or choose to pass. After everyone has had a turn, the teacher can use individual students’ responses as a springboard for interactive discussion. Some sample sentence-starters are:
   
   • “Something I like about this class…”
     
     
   • “Something I think would make our class better…”
     
     
   • “A decision I think we should make…”
     
     
   • “I’m wondering why…”
     
     
   • “Something that bothers me…”
     
     
   • “I wish…”
     
     
3. Appreciation time: “Who would you like to appreciate?”
   
   
4. Compliment time: One or two children are chosen: taking one child at a time, the teacher invites classmates to say something they like or admire about that person.
   
   
5. Goal-setting meeting: Discuss the goals for the morning, the day, the week,a curriculum unit, the academic year.
   
   
6. Rule-setting meeting: “What rules do we need for our classroom?” “For going to gym?” “For the upcoming field trip?”
   
   
7. Rule-evaluating meeting: Have students write about, then discuss the following questions: “What are the school rules? Why do we have them? Are they good rules? If you could change one rule, what would it be? Do any of our classroom rules need changing to make them work better?”
   
   
8. Stage-setting meeting: For example, before a small-group activity: “What can you do to make things go smoothly in your group?”
   
   
9. Feedback and evaluation: “How well did you work together? “How could you make it go better the next time?” “What was good about today?” “How can we make tomorrow a better day?”
   
   
10. Reflections on learning: “What did you learn from this activity (unit, project, book)?” “One new idea or understanding.”
    
    
11. Student presentation: One or two students present a piece of their work, such as a project or story; other class members ask questions and offer appreciative comments.”
    
    
12. Problem-solving meetings:
    
    • Individual problem: “Who’s having a problem that we might be able to help solve?
      
      
    • Group problem: “What’s a class problem that we should talk about?”
      
      
    • Complaints and recommendations: Ground rule: You can make a complaint about a problem, but you have to offer a recommendation for correcting it.
      
      
    • Fairness meeting: “How can we solve this conflict (e.g., cutting in line, disputes over materials or equipment, arguments over cleanup) in a way that’s fair to everybody?
      
13. Academic issues: “Why do we have to study this?” “What would help you do a better job on homework?” “On the next test?” “How could the last test have been improved?”
    
    
14. Classroom improvement meeting: “What changes would make our classroom better?” Possibilities; changing the physical arrangement of the classroom, new ways of working together, new learning games, ideas for class-created bulletin boards, etc.
    
    
15. Follow-up meeting: “How is the solution/change we agreed upon working? Can we make it work better?”
    
    
16. Planning meeting: “What group projects would you like to do?” “What topics to study?” “What field trips to take?” “What would be fund to do differently next week in spelling, math, or science?” “What would be the most exciting way to study this topic?”
    
    
17. Concept meeting: “What is a friend? How do you make one?” “What is a conscience? How does it help you?”
    
    
18. Sticky situations: “What should you/would you do if: You find a wallet on the sidewalk with $20 in it?” “You find just a $20 bill?” … “You see a kid stealing something from somebody else’s locker” …”There’s a new kids that you’d like to be nice to but your friends think he/she is weird?” … “A friend asks to copy your homework?” … “A friend you’re with shoplifts a CD?” … “Two kids on the bus are picking on a little kid and making him cry?”
    
    
19. Suggestion box/class business box: Any appropriate item students have submitted for discussion.
    
    
20. Meeting on meetings: “What have you liked about our class meetings? What haven’t you liked? What have we accomplished? How can we improve our meetings?”

Ten Steps in a Class Meeting

1. Circle up: Form a good circle and call the meeting to order.
   
   
2. Set the agenda: State the purpose and goals for the meeting.
   
   
3. Set the rules: Establish or review rules for “good talking and listening.”
   
   
4. Identify partners; Pair up students who will discuss the problem or topic under consideration.
   
   
5. Pose the problem or question: For example, “Several people have said there’s a lot of name-calling on the playground lately. What can we do to solve this problem?”
   
   
6. Personal thinking time: Give students a silent minute to think about the question individually.
   
   
7. Signal for quiet: Establish a signal (e.g., flick of the lights) for stopping partner talk in order to begin whole-group discussion.
   
   
8. Partner talk: Have partners (in place) share thoughts with each other (3 to 5 minutes); circulate to help those who may be slow to interact.
   
   
9. Whole-group discussion: Invite several pairs of students to share their ideas with the group; invite reactions to these ideas; pose follow-up questions; if appropriate, reach and record agreement on action to be taken and plan implementation, and set a time for a follow-up.
   
   
10. Close the meeting: See “Various Ways to Close a Class Meeting” below.

Various Ways to Close a Class Meeting

1. Review: If the meeting produced an agreement, review it.
   
   
2. Round the horn: “Let’s go around for final, brief comments: you may pass if you wish.
   
   
3. Remembering: “What’s something somebody said that you thought was a good point, even if you didn’t agree with it? Take a moment to think…then share.”
   
   
4. Learning: “Think of something you learned from today’s meeting…” Then go around, or ask for volunteers.
   
   
5. Questions; “What’s a question that’s still on your mind?”
   
   
6. Complete the sentence: Invite all to complete a sentence starter (e.g., “At the end of this meeting, I think…” or, “I feel…”, or “I hope…”).
   
   
7. Partners: Students respond to any of the above, then share it with their class meeting partner (or change partners).
   
   
8. Future topics: “Suggested topics for our next meeting?”
   
   
9. Silence: “Take a minute to think about today’s meeting…a new idea you got…something you’ll do differently as a result of our discussion…Write it down or just keep it in mind.”
   
   
10. Evaluation: ‘What did you like about today’s meeting? What made it a good discussion? What could we do better or differently next time?”

Excerpted with permission from Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility by Thomas Lickona © 1991 Bantam Books

S.O.S.: Steps To Resolve a Conflict Grade Level: 3 – 6
Begin with the Big Cs: Calm Down Cool-Off Chill-Out
Remember to:

• Find a good time and place to talk.
  
  
• Avoid the blame game.
  
  
• Get all of the facts.
  
  
• Acknowledge feelings.
  
  
• Listen to what the other person is saying.
  
  
• Focus on the problem—not the person.

S – STORY

1. Both people agree to talk about the problem and follow ground rules:
   
   
   • One person talks at a time.
     
     
   • No interrupting.
     
     
   • No name-calling or put-downs.
     
     
   • Be honest.
     
     
2. One person tells his/her side of the story, including “I” Message to say how you feel.
   
   
3. The other person restates what the first person said (e.g., “What I hear you saying is…”) and may ask questions to clarify understanding.
   
   
4. Now, the second person tells his/her side of the story, including ”I” Message.
   
   
5. The first person then restates what the other person said and may ask questions to clarify understanding.
   
   
6. Agree on what the problem is.

O – OPTIONS
Brainstorm options with both people suggesting possible solution options (e.g., “Well, how about…”). Remember no evaluating—all suggestions are accepted at this point and written down.

S – SOLUTION

1. Evaluate options: Look for options that are safe, fair and will work for both people.
   
   
2. Choose a solution where both people can be winners.
   
   
3. If it doesn’t work, get back together and discuss other options.
   
   
4. If this doesn’t work and there is still a problem, ask someone for help.

Developed by Gail Hines and Vinia Roberts, Park Layne Elementary School.
Based on “Steps to Resolve a Conflict,” Community Board Program, Inc.

Handout 3Print Handout 3

Judicial System Student Analogy

Let’s say your older brother is taking care of you and your sister. You and your sister are arguing over a skateboard. You say it’s yours and your sister says it’s hers. You both tell your older brother your side of the story. Your sister’s friend comes over and tells your older brother that the skateboard definitely belongs to your sister. Your older brother decides that the skateboard belongs to your sister. You are unhappy with the decision and want a higher authority—someone who outranks your older brother—to review his decision. Who would you ask? You would probably go to a parent or guardian, or maybe an aunt, uncle or a grandparent. This is what we mean by appeal—you ask a person with higher authority to review a decision that another person has made.

Handout 4Print Handout 4

Two Types of Courts

Trial Court

• One judge conducts the trial.
  
  
• Jury or single judge decides the case.
  
  
• Lawyers present evidence. Defendants may represent themselves.
  
  
• Witnesses swear to tell the truth and then answer questions from lawyers.
  
  
• It is the first court to decide who should win in a dispute.
  
  
• It is the first court to decide whether or not a defendant is guilty.

Appellate Court

• A panel of several judges listens to and decides the case.
  
  
• It hears the cases that have been decided in a lower court or by an agency.
  
  
• No evidence is presented.
  
  
• Lawyers only make arguments.
  
  
• This court gives its decision in a written opinion, or order.
  
  
• All the trial courts under it must follow the appellate court’s decisions.

**The United States Supreme Court
has the final say; there is no appeal
of a Supreme Court ruling. **

Handout 5Print Handout 5

R.A.F.T.

Use the following format to complete a writing assignment about the work of the
U.S. Constitutional Convention.

R ole	Select any one of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention and pretend you are that person.
A udience	A family member who did not come with you to Philadelphia.
F ormat	Letter
T opic	Explain this new form of government and why it is better than the Articles of Confederation.

Handout 6Print Handout 6

Which Court?

Directions: Work with a family member. Read each statement. Does the statement describe an action in a trial court or an appellate court? Circle T for trial court or circle A for appellate court. Write a brief rationale to support your choice.

T	A	1.	Chantille testifies that the bank robber pointed a gun at the teller.
T	A	2.	Five judges listen to lawyers argue their case.
T	A	3.	The jury decides that it was the restaurant’s fault that Omar got sick.
T	A	4.	Monica asks the court to set aside the decision giving her ex-husband custody of their children.
T	A	5.	Ms. Ebony, the attorney, argues to the judges that her client should win the case.
T	A	6.	The court grants a defendant a new trial based on newly- available DNA testing.
T	A	7.	Mr. Doster, the witness, swears to tell the truth.
T	A	8.	A car’s damaged fender is admitted as evidence.
T	A	9.	A decision signed by five judges finds that a jury member should have been disqualified.

Handout 7Print Handout 7

Answers: Which Court?

1. Trial court: only trial courts have witnesses who testify.
   
   
2. Appellate court: trial courts have a single judge and appellate courts have a panel of judges.
   
   
3. Trial court: juries operate only in trial courts.
   
   
4. Appellate court: Monica is asking to have the decision imposed in the lower court set aside.
   
   
5. Appellate court: there is more than one judge deciding the case.
   
   
6. Appellate court: if a new trial has been granted, an earlier trial must have been reviewed.
   
   
7. Trial court: only trial courts have witnesses.
   
   
8. Trial court: only trial courts have evidence admitted.
   
   
9. Appellate court: more than one judge signed the decision.
   

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Philanthropy Framework: