This 23-page pdf curriculum “will introduce educators to basic tools for teaching civil discourse. It is not subject-specific; on the contrary, the tools of argumentation and discussion lend themselves to any subject in any classroom. Although it is primarily designed for young adolescents, the curriculum can be adapted for students of any age.”
Archive
Talking stick, The and The tree of gratefulness: Autumn — thankfulness at harvest time
7-page PDF lesson plan which helps students, “to use nature as a means of expressing respect and gratitude.” Projects include creating and using a talking stick.
Hip-hop lyrics: Lesson and activity excerpted from the Tanenbaum curriculum COEXIST
6-page PDF lesson plan to help students (grade 6-12), “learn about Hip-Hop as a form of communication and activism. Students will also learn how to critically read lyrics and how to identify bias or influence in an author’s writing,”
Opening the door to nonviolence: Peace education manual for primary school children
Electronic version of the second edition of a teacher’s guide for teaching peace education to primary school students. “Part I is designed as a training in affirmation, cooperation and communication. Part II deals with the healing of trauma; Part III is about bias and prejudices. Part IV introduces peaceful problem solving and nonviolent conflict resolving and Part V is about peaceful living. There are 20 chapters/sessions in the book, each session developed through step-by-step activities.”
Ideas for using emotion cards: Citizenship education for young people with special needs
5-page pdf document which presents a number of images of different emotional states. The cards can be used with particular lessons or to allow children to show how they feel about specific situations.
VOV activities: Learning nonviolent conflict resolution skills, grades 7-12
13-page PDF document which presents activities for 7-12 graders to improve conflict resolution skills.
VOV activities: Preventing feelings of isolation through trust and cooperation, grades 7-12
6-page PDF with activities for 7-12 graders to improve communication skills and build trust.
VOV activities: Strengthening your sense of self-identity, grades 7-12
8-page PDF document with activities for 7-12 graders to build communication skills and self-esteem.
VOV activities: Understanding the value of dialog, grades 7-12
13-page PDF document with a number of activities to aid secondary students in improving communication skills.
Promoting SEAL through circle time
7-page PDF document promoting Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning through circle time for secondary students. “Circle time sessions provide a potential vehicle for the classroom delivery of the SEAL curriculum. Circle time is a time set aside each week when a whole class of young people and their teacher sit in a circle and explicitly engage in a structured programme of games, experiential activities, discussion and relaxation strategies … It aims to provide an emotionally safe forum for participants to engage with a range of key issues, including peer relationships, conflict resolution, shared goal setting, justice, friendship, democratic principles, respect for individual differences and freedom of choice.”
Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL): Improving behaviour, improving learning
This fully articulated curriculum resource from the United Kingdom is available as a 90MB zip file containing the full kit or as individual pdfs. It aims to develop the underpinning qualities and skills that help promote positive behaviour and effective learning. It focuses on five social and emotional aspects of learning: self-awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills.
The materials help children develop skills such as understanding another’s point of view, working in a group, sticking at things when they get difficult, resolving conflict and managing worries. They build on effective work already in place in the many primary schools who pay systematic attention to the social and emotional aspects of learning through whole-school ethos, initiatives such as circle time or buddy schemes, and the taught personal, social and health education (PSHE) and Citizenship curriculum.
The materials are organised into seven themes: New Beginnings, Getting on and falling out, Say no to bullying, Going for goals!, Good to be me, Relationships and Changes. Each theme is designed for a whole-school approach and includes a whole-school assembly and suggested follow-up activities in all areas of the curriculum. The colour-coded resources are organized at four levels: Foundation Stage, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6. Pupil reference material and photocopiable teacher reference material accompany each theme.
Building bridges in conflict areas: Educational report
23-page PDF report in which, “the reader is invited for an overview of the methods, theories and tools that were offered to the participants. It shows how the process of theoretical presentation becomes “alive” when participants interact with trainers and share their opinions through brainstorming or reflecting on the concepts that were discussed for a better understanding of conflict resolution … Theoretical inputs, practical exercises, thematic energizers and interactive activities created suitable atmosphere to raise awareness among participants, deepen their knowledge and raise their skills and abilities in pro-active interventions in youth field of conflict zones. Mainly during the two last days of the training course, participants were involved in partnership building activities.”
M.O.V.E.: Mind over violence everywhere
88-page PDF manual developed to provide learning materials on violence prevention for youth with low literacy skills. The objectives of M.O.V.E. are to: Increase awareness of violence and develop skills to prevent violence, increase literacy through non-traditional learning activities, encourage youth to participate actively and assist the facilitator in recording the workshop responses. The program is organized into five sections: Learning and thinking styles, Communication rights and responsibilities, Peer mediation, Resisting peer pressure and Social action.
Conflict negotiation skills for youth
186-page PDF training manual on Conflict Negotiation Skills for Youth. The manual is directed at government and nongovernmental organization personnel working with young people. It presents a variety of participatory training methods and exercises. Users are encouraged to refine and adapt the materials. The contents are organized as follows: Conflict Negotiation Skills for Youth: Facilitator’s Guide
Section I: Youth and the conflicts they face in daily life, Session 1: Understanding youth, Session 2: Understanding conflict, Section II: Techniques for resolving intra-personal conflicts, Session 3: Self-awareness, Session 4: Communication, Session 5: Negotiation, Session 6: Mediation, Section III: Techniques for resolving group conflict, Session 7: Group building, Session 8: Team building and cooperation, and Session 9: Advocacy for youth development References.
Lessons from literature: Classroom manual for English literature teachers
40-page PDF manual which provides “the framework for [teachers] to use the books and stories you’re already teaching to increase awareness about the damaging effects of physical, sexual and verbal abuse. Designed to integrate easily into your existing literature curriculum, the program empowers you with resources that help your students build key academic skills and meet national education standards while also learning to recognize abusive uses of power and control and alternatives to violence. Two in-depth lessons are included in this manual.” The books used in this manual are “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” by Zora Neale Hurston and “Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding.