Lesson Plan
Fix a Friendship Fracture
Students will be able to apply restorative questions to understand the different perspectives in a conflict.
This lesson helps students develop essential relationship skills, particularly in conflict resolution, by teaching them empathy and restorative practices. This will enable them to navigate disagreements constructively and maintain healthy friendships.
Audience
8th Grade Students
Time
20 minutes
Approach
Through guided discussion and role-play, students will practice restorative questions.
Prep
Review Materials
5 minutes
- Review the Fix a Friendship Fracture Lesson Plan and associated materials, including the Fix a Friendship Fracture Slide Deck and Restorative Justice Scenarios Activity.
- Prepare a whiteboard or chart paper for recording student responses during the warm-up.
Step 1
Warm-Up: "What's the Real Problem?"
5 minutes
- Display Slide 2 of the Fix a Friendship Fracture Slide Deck.
- Introduce the concept of a 'friendship fracture' and ask students: "What's a minor disagreement you've had with a friend? (No need to share specifics, just the type of problem)."
- Facilitate a brief discussion, encouraging students to think about how different perspectives can make a problem feel bigger or smaller.
Step 2
Introduce Restorative Questions
5 minutes
- Display Slide 3 and 4 of the Fix a Friendship Fracture Slide Deck.
- Explain the purpose of restorative questions in understanding different perspectives and finding solutions.
- Go through the key restorative questions: 'What happened?', 'What were you thinking and feeling at the time?', 'Who has been affected and how?', 'What needs to happen to make things right?', 'How can we do things differently in the future?'
Step 3
Conflict Mediation Role-Play
8 minutes
- Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group).
- Distribute the Restorative Justice Scenarios Activity.
- Assign each group a scenario or allow them to choose one.
- Instruct groups to role-play the scenario, using the restorative questions to mediate the conflict and find a resolution. One student can act as the facilitator, guiding the conversation with the questions.
Step 4
Group Reflection
2 minutes
- Bring the class back together.
- Ask each group to briefly share one insight they gained from the role-play or one challenge they faced when using restorative questions.
- Emphasize that practicing these questions can help them better navigate real-life friendship fractures.
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Slide Deck
Welcome: Fixing Friendship Fractures!
Have you ever had a "friendship fracture"?
- A small disagreement?
- A misunderstanding?
Think about a time when you and a friend didn't see eye-to-eye. What happened?
Welcome students and introduce the concept of a 'friendship fracture.' This is a relatable term for common disagreements. Encourage students to think about their own experiences without sharing sensitive details.
Warm-Up: What's the Real Problem?
Sometimes, what seems like a small issue can feel big because of different perspectives.
- Scenario: You and a friend planned to hang out, but they canceled last minute for a reason that felt vague.
- Your perspective: You might feel hurt or unimportant.
- Their perspective: They might have had a genuine, private reason they couldn't share.
Discuss: How can different views change how a problem feels?
Transition into the warm-up activity. The goal is to get students thinking about different perspectives in a conflict. Emphasize that sometimes the 'real problem' isn't what it seems on the surface.
Understanding Restorative Questions
What are Restorative Questions?
These are powerful questions that help us:
- Understand what truly happened.
- Explore feelings and impacts.
- Figure out how to make things right.
- Plan for a better future.
They help us mend 'friendship fractures' by building empathy and finding solutions together!
Introduce restorative questions as a tool. Explain that these questions help us understand what happened, how people felt, and what's needed to move forward.
The Power of Questions
Let's look at the key questions:
- What happened? (Getting the facts from everyone's viewpoint)
- What were you thinking and feeling at the time? (Understanding emotions and thoughts)
- Who has been affected and how? (Recognizing the impact on others)
- What needs to happen to make things right? (Brainstorming solutions)
- How can we do things differently in the future? (Preventing similar issues)
Present each restorative question one by one, explaining its purpose. Encourage students to think about how each question helps to uncover different layers of a conflict.
Role-Play: Fixing a Fracture!
Time to Practice!
- Get into your groups.
- Pick a scenario from the Restorative Justice Scenarios Activity.
- Role-play the situation:
- One person facilitates (asks the restorative questions).
- Others act out the people in the scenario.
- Work together to find a solution using the questions as your guide.
Explain the role-play activity and how students will use the restorative questions in their groups. Remind them to be empathetic and listen actively.
Reflection: Lessons Learned
What did we learn?
- What was one insight you gained from the role-play?
- What was challenging about using the questions?
- How can you use these questions in your own friendships?
Remember: Repairing "friendship fractures" takes understanding, empathy, and a willingness to make things right!
Conclude with a group reflection. Ask students to share their experiences and key takeaways. Reinforce the value of these skills in real life.
Activity
Restorative Justice Scenarios
Instructions: In your groups, choose one of the scenarios below. Role-play the situation, with one person acting as a facilitator who guides the conversation using the restorative questions. Work together to find a solution to the conflict.
Scenario 1: The Group Project Mix-Up
Maya, Liam, and Chloe are working on a history project. Maya and Liam feel like Chloe hasn't been doing her share of the work and often misses group meetings. Chloe feels overwhelmed with other assignments and thinks Maya and Liam are being too demanding.
- Facilitator Questions:
- What happened?
- What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
- Who has been affected and how?
- What needs to happen to make things right?
- How can we do things differently in the future?
Scenario 2: The Online Comment
Sam posted a funny meme on social media. Jamie commented something that Sam found really hurtful and embarrassing. Jamie thought it was just a joke and didn't realize how much it would upset Sam.
- Facilitator Questions:
- What happened?
- What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
- Who has been affected and how?
- What needs to happen to make things right?
- How can we do things differently in the future?
Scenario 3: The Borrowed Item
Alex lent their favorite book to Taylor a few weeks ago. Alex keeps asking for it back, but Taylor keeps forgetting to bring it to school and now the book has a torn page. Alex is upset that Taylor isn't taking care of their belongings.
- Facilitator Questions:
- What happened?
- What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
- Who has been affected and how?
- What needs to happen to make things right?
- How can we do things differently in the future?