Solving the Lunchroom Madness Conflicts

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Type: Elementary

  Integrated benchmarks: Health & English Language Arts

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Lunchroom Madness.” See CPALMS resource ID#210252 or #209259.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson can be used to introduce conflict resolution. The students will identify conflicts and use problem solving skills to help find different resolutions to each conflict. The lesson will also focus on teamwork and communication while students collaborate in small groups.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Identify a conflict in the case study, "Lunchroom Madness."
  • Collaborate with a small group to identify ways to solve conflicts using different approaches.
  • Use or practice vocabulary in their speaking and writing.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be able to:

  • Know what a conflict is.
  • Identify the conflict in a situation and know that more than one conflict could be present.
  • Work in cooperative groups.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • How do people work in groups to identify and solve a conflict?
  • What are some conflict resolution strategies for solving disagreements?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, ask the students a few questions to get their minds moving. The questions can be found in Handout 1 Questions and Terms.
     • After each question, the students turn and share with a partner what their answers are. This should only take about 1 minute per question. The discussion should take 2-3 minutes.
  2. Introduce the lesson by talking about what a conflict is. Tell students that a conflict is a disagreement, challenge/ problem, or argument. It can also be just trouble in your everyday routine. Talk about each of the words included on Handout 1 “Questions and Terms”: conflict, resolution, nutritional, communication.
  3. After talking through the terms divide the students into the 4 pre-selected groups.
  4. Once the students are in their groups, hand out a copy of the case study, "Lunchroom Madness," to each student. Read the case aloud with the students and talk about what they thought about the case study. (5-10 minutes for the discussion)
     • Some potential discussion questions to ask could be:
       • Why did Hanson and Caroline try to skip the line?
       • How many conflicts are in the story? Give an example.
         • Here you can write the different conflicts on the board for each group (see Teacher Notes). This list will be used in step 5.
       • What will happen if the school doesn’t fix the microwave?
       • If you were in line when Hanson tried to skip, what would you say to him?
  5. Display Handout 2 graphic organizer (see attachments) on available technology. Handout 2 is included so the teacher can mirror the graphic organizer on the poster boards. The teacher will give pre-made poster boards with the graphic organizer for each group (see Teacher Notes).
     • Group activity steps
       • In the students’ original groups tell the students they are going to identify a conflict in the case study and write it in the big circle in the middle. Use the conflicts identified during the case study discussion and ensure that each group focuses on a different conflict.
       • After each group writes the conflict in the circle tell the students they will be working together to find a way to solve this conflict (find the resolution). They are going to write their idea in one of the 4 spaces on the sheet. After each group has written their idea then the groups are going to switch.
       • Have the groups rotate so that each group visits each poster.
       • When the students get to the next poster board, they must read the conflict that is in the circle and then come up with a different way to solve the conflict and write it in one of the remaining blank spaces.
       • Once each group is back at the original poster board, the activity is done.
  6. To bring the lesson to a close, have the students break apart from their groups and individually visit all the poster boards to look at all the different resolutions and conflicts.
     • On a sheet of paper ask students to choose one of the conflicts that was identified on the poster board and what way they personally thought would be the best way to solve this conflict. (The students are going to have 4 conflicts to choose from so there should be many different answers.)
     • Review what a conflict and resolution are with Handout 1.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • There are two versions of the case study. CPALMS Resource ID#210252 is intended for second grade readability. CPALMS Resource ID#209259 is intended for sixth grade readability.
  • Have the students already assigned to groups. This could be by table grouping or chosen by the teacher.
  • The lesson can be dividied into 2 days.
  • For the activity, the teacher will need to make 4 poster boards that mirror the image on the graphic organizer before the lesson.
  • Sample conflicts could be:
    • One microwave is broken.
    • Carolina and Hanson moving lines.
    • Hanson skipping the line the next day.
    • Carolina and Hanson yelling at each other.
  • Sample resolutions could be:
    • Allowing some students to leave a few minutes early so everyone can use the microwave.
    • Don’t allow any students to skip the line.
    • Only allow food that doesn’t have to be warmed up while the other microwave is broken.
    • Only let the teacher microwave the meals so no one can argue about the wait.

• Optional

  
  

  Extension Ideas:

  • Students can write their own narratives with different conflict than the ones in the case study and create their own resolutions.