An activity for Good Deeds Day or as pre-reading for Count That Day Lost or before Yom Kippur. Can be done in the classroom or through zoom. The first part of the lesson (introduction) is done as a class (frontally), the 3 activities are done in small groups of 2-4. (Optional: An additional last part is done in front of the whole class.)

Using the “Ladder of Inference tool” in a small group activity, students learn to understand what leads to different points of view. It makes them aware of how different people interpret the same data based on their values, assumptions, and beliefs. It is a group activity that is divided into 2 parts. It starts with presenting a personal conflict (with parents/siblings) and then is used to help review different conflicts of different characters in All My Sons. 

Stories, poems, and novels all have a connecting thread in the form of a plot that happens. The plot can take place over entire pages/ books or just a short number of pages or lines. We will focus on using the ladder of inference to stimulate conversation about literature, history, and more.

In arguments and conflicts which arise in the context of school, teen students are often guided by emotions and a desire to win or prove a point (position-based negotiations). In this lesson, students will be given the tools (vocabulary, concepts), practice and motivation to evaluate their everyday interactions and change their approach to one that is collaborative and interest-based. This is an introductory lesson based on the circle of value and exploring how positive relationships and effective communication can move a conversation from “me” to “we” and lead to more productive outcomes. 

This activity is a pre-reading for We and They by Rudyard Kipling or as a personal social awareness exercise. Also, it is useful for distinguishing different perspectives (HOTS). Students will recognize and own their own hidden biases by observing clique behaviors (in a video) they can identify with. They will learn vocabulary (lyrics and ladder) to deal with behaviors and change the scripts (stem sentences) to allow them a more empathetic, less judgmental perspective of others.

After understanding how to choose the theme of stories, poems, and songs, we will move into this lesson.  Using cartoons, the students will understand what inner/outer  voices are.  They will then infer the inner voices of characters in a short film. Then finally, they will work in groups based on characters from the short story, choosing them based on what they know about the character.  Then they will move into their final groups of 3, with one person representing each of the 3 characters.  In this group, they will present their theme, why they chose it (based on their character), and as a group, choose the one theme they like the best.  

In this activity, students will explore the process of relationship-building and examine how individuals react to a situation using the concept of the “internal voice.” First, they will role-play a situation from their own experience of meeting and connecting to someone. Then they will apply their understanding of relationship-building to their reading of Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Gate A-4” by reimagining it as what is being said/thought by the characters in the poem.

It’s a role-play of the main characters of Mr. Max Kelada, the narrator, Mrs. Ramsay, Mr. Ramsay and the “People-on-the-Ship” Representative (an imaginary character). However, it includes both the internal and external voices of the various characters along with the opportunity to be in the shoes of more than one character.

This activity aims to teach students the benefits of using the tool of “ladder of inference” through role-play in order to gain a better understanding of the way we think, draw conclusions and perceive different issues in our lives and in the world. The activity focuses on the central conflict in the short story “The Split Cherry Tree” by Jesse Stuart; The conflict between two opposing worldviews: traditionalism and modernism. Each one of the main characters represents a different worldview. The conflict in the story resolves when one of the characters listens, understands, and uses persuasion skills while the other inquires, listens, and shows openness to understand and to change.

Using the text, The Treasure of Lemon Brown, Students practice the three skills (listening, acknowledgment, and inquiry), and then they role-play the characters in order to bring the conflict between them into life. Students who play each character are going to try to understand the other’s point of view and eventually get to a resolution.