My goal was to enable my students to solve conflicts on their own.  So often when problems arose in school, I found that my kids had few resources for fixing them peacefully.  Therefore, most of my adaptations focused the unit to that goal.  Instead of spending a lot of time on outreach, we worked on how we can make our classroom a peaceful place. I altered some of the worksheets used, and had the kids explore different websites than those listed.  The students also made posters about solving conflicts peacefully which we displayed in school.  Finally, the students researched children world-wide who are working to create peace in their communities.  This last piece was designed to help my students see how they can use what they have learned to benefit others.  The projects completed in this unit were all done in partnerships or groups, in order to foster peace and teamwork within the classroom.

Instructional Objectives

Students will:

• develop strong conflict resolution techniques

• create a peaceful classroom environment that promotes learning

• teach others in the community about how to create peace
  

My students used laptops for Internet research for almost every part of this unit. They explored various websites to gain information, and played conflict resolution games online.

I assessed student performance in two different ways.  First, I looked at their written work and assessed the thoroughness, accuracy, and overall presentation of their responses or products.  Second, I observed students as they worked in partnerships and groups to gauge whether they were using some of their newly acquired conflict resolution skills as problems inevitably arose.  I looked for change in their peace-making skills throughout the project.

There is so much information on the Internet about conflict resolution and peace, and much of it is accessible to kids.  I used the following websites extensively: 

• peacecorps.gov/kids
• goodcharacter.com/GROARK/Conflicts.html
• annies.com/kids/peaceful_conflict_resolution.html

I have found that kids at this age have a strong sense of right and wrong, and they feel passionate about things they feel are “unfair”.  It is important to discuss the concept of fairness, and how they can change the things that are truly unfair.  Kids want to help others, and once they have the skills, they will take the lead on a project like this.

I also encourage teachers to use the Teachnet site (www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnet) as often as possible, as it is a great resource.  I have learned so much this year about how to work with kids and technology.  I was at a school for two years with no computers, and now that I am at a school with laptop carts and an extensive computer lab I am amazed by the opportunities.  Although I was a bit intimidated at first, I now feel much more confident.  I expect that this is just the start of my learning in this area, and I look forward to using my new ideas and knowledge next year.

Teacher-Created Worksheet

Download the worksheet (PDF file)

Student Work Samples

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