We are Different! We are Different!

Be ready to share what this means: Have this displayed on the board as Bellwork. After think time, have students share with a partner what they think the message of this quote is. Have a few students share their ideas. Ask them what they think the lesson is about today. This activity addresses the CTT standard that ATOAC has chosen to work on in class.

What is the message of this video? Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7bobVjSE8s Video (silent): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yajUZ-YZSDg Play these videos at the same time, with the second on silent. Pair and share: What was the message of that video? This video was about everybody looking the same. I will tell you that is a good thing that we have different opinions, desires, hobbies, interests, bodies, faces, and beliefs. Discuss pros and cons and write them on the board: What if super heroes all had the same power? Discuss: What would the world be like if we all enjoyed the exact same things? Share: To get along with other people, it’s necessary to be tolerant of the ways they are different from you. Our world is made up of people from many different cultures, races, and backgrounds. We all want to be liked and treated well, and stereotypes and prejudice only foster bad feelings. If we respect each other’s differences, we can all learn from each other. No matter how different people look or act, we must always be kind to them. It takes time to really get to know people—beyond the way they look, talk, or act. And think about it: wouldn’t the world be a boring place if everyone were the same? (from 101 Ways to Teach Children Social Skills)

How to Deal with Differences Listen Ask questions Show respect Agree to disagree Listen: Let the other person explain why they like/believe this thing. Don’t interrupt, judge, or accuse. Just listen. Ask questions: Ask this person questions about their likes, opinions, or beliefs. Open-ended questions can sound like “How long have you like this thing? And “What do you like about it?” Show respect: Watch your word and body language responses when you are listening. Make sure your questions show respect. Remember, we all have the right to be treated with respect and kindness– even when we disagree. Don’t call someone else’s ideas stupid or dumb or another other negative word. You can share your own opinions at this step, but be sure to show respect when you do! Avoid judgement statements like “anyone who believes ____ is ____ (something bad).” Agree to disagree: Realize that we don’t usually change people’s minds on their interests or beliefs. Those things can change over time, but usually through life experience and not through a clever argument. We can still be friends with people who disagree with us! Review these four steps with hand motions: Listen- point to ear… Ask questions- raise hand… Show respect-salute… Agree to disagree- shake your own hand Hand out the ISN page and have students draw each step before taping it into their notebooks.

Taboo Topics Taboo Topics: Be very careful if you want to share your opinion on/argue about: Politics Religion Money Medical Issues Exceptions Consider the Time and the Place Taboo topics are topics we generally shouldn’t share our opinion on in public. By “public,” we mean outside of your close group of friends or family, at work, or at school. These are two very personal topics that can cause frustration and anger. Generally, people don’t change their minds on these topics because of a good argument. Lots of time and personal life experience can change minds. How much money your family has (or doesn’t have) is very personal, as are medical issues. Exceptions: Someone has asked about this topic and you are comfortable sharing; You can present your view without condemning/judging those that disagree; You are with close friends or family Consider the Time and the Place: Sometimes, a regular topic becomes a taboo topic because of the time and the place. Let’s pretend you HATE CHEESE. This is a strong opinion you have. Give me a thumbs-up if it’s a good time/place to share that opinion or thumbs-down if it’s a bad time to share. (Go to the next few slides while you read the examples)

Scenario 1: Your grandma is hosting a cheese party Scenario 1: Your grandma is hosting a cheese party. You have just seen the plate of food and are thinking about making puking-noises to show everyone how much you dislike cheese. Thumbs-up if this is a good time to share a strong opinion and thumbs-down if this is a bad time. Thumbs-down– You are likely to hurt your grandma’s feelings if you share this opinion now. You don’t have to eat the cheese and making gross noises will make the party not as fun for others.

Scenario 2: You are at a friend’s house Scenario 2: You are at a friend’s house. The mom asks if you want Mac n Cheese for dinner or hamburgers. Should you express how much you dislike cheese? This is a good “it depends” question. If this is your best friend and you know the mom AND you can calmly and politely express that cheese isn’t your favorite, you can explain this. You don’t HAVE to share your opinion to get what you want, though, because you have the option for hamburgers!

Scenario 3: Your friends are sitting at lunch, discussing their least-favorite foods. Can you mention that you dislike cheese? Thumbs up- this is a good time and place to share how you feel about cheese!

Practice! Sort cards Practice steps Listen Ask Questions Show Respect Agree to Disagree Sort cards: Give each student a card that you have prepared that has one favorite activity from Utah Compose on it. Have students work together to sort the cards into categories of similar activities (Minecraft might go in a pile with Video games or Plants vs. Zombies… Long Boarding might go with Skiing). Point out that we have a lot in common with our interests, but we have some differences, too. Practice Steps: Quickly review the four steps to dealing with differences (listen, ask questions, show respect, and agree to disagree). Have someone pick up their own card and share their opinion about it. As a class, go through the steps. Have some students ask questions or share their own opinion, respectfully. Repeat this process, using some very popular topics from the cards and some more obscure ones.

Error-Correct What steps of “Dealing with Differences” did they miss? Dumb Arguments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=654YMP971ao Should they have shared their opinion? Ugly Baby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlPRILttjAk&safety_mode=true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1 Did these people listen or show respect? PB&J: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDxjcXQjJoU&safety_mode=true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1 Just like tattling and correcting come with risks to friendship, so does sharing a strong opinion that is very different from those around you. But also just like tattling/correcting, sometimes it’s worth the risk. Sometimes, you will want to stand up for what you believe in. You want your voice and opinion to be heard. You want to try to make a change using your opinion. You can maintain friendships if you can be sure to follow the steps to dealing with differences.