Recognizing a Supportive Community

Session Two

Introduce picture and story study.

• Explain to students that they are going to learn about a group of people. Display an overhead transparency of the picture and story of The Brown Family and distribute a copy to each pair of students. Invite students to assume a detective role. Their task is to decide if the Brown family is a supportive community. The students' first step is to determine community features present in the drawing and the story of the Brown family. Create a chart, such as the one below, on the board or on a large sheet of paper on the wall.

The Brown Family

Focus on the drawing.

• Begin with the drawing. Isolate one section of the overhead transparency by covering the other parts of the picture with paper. Ask students to identify what they notice in the visible section about the people, places, things and activities. Record each observation on an index card or slip of paper (or ask students to do this) and place the cards in the appropriate columns on the chart. Inquire what difference it made in students' observations when you covered all but one part of the picture. Did students notice features they had not seen before? Provide materials for each student to make a tube or distribute toilet paper rolls to every student. Invite students to look at different sections of the picture through the tube to help them focus on the details. As students notice features, either you or the students should record observations on cards and attach them to the chart.

Read the text.

• Read the story aloud to the class. Ask students to identify new features. Reread the story and ask students to stop you by raising their hand any time they hear new information about the features of the Brown family. Record these on cards and attach them to the chart.

Review criteria for a community.

• Remind students of the previous day's role-plays and what they learned about the qualities of a supportive community. Invite students to share their ideas. Draw out two qualities of a supportive community:
  • People interact with one another–they work and play with each other.
  • The interactions are positive contributions–people help each other meet their needs.

  
  Present these two criteria in the form of questions that students are to use when deciding whether or not the Brown family is a supportive community:

  • Is everyone interacting ? (Are people working and playing with each other?)
  • Are all of the interactions positive ? (Are people helping each other meet their needs?)

  
  Write the two questions on the board and ask students to respond to them. As illustrated below. Add the words yes, no and maybe beneath each question.

Is Everyone Interacting?
(Are people working and playing with each other?)

Are all Interactions Positive Contributions?
(Are people helping each other meet their needs?)

Identify possible conclusions.

• Invite the class to use the information from the The Brown family chart as clues to answer these two questions. Begin by asking if students see any information or clues that might suggest the conclusion that everyone in the Brown family is interacting. Ask students to select these cards from the Brown Family chart and place them in the Yes column, under Is Everyone Interacting? Ask if any clues suggest that the Browns may be or are not interacting with each other and place these cards in the appropriate column. Repeat the procedure for the second criteria–Is Everyone Contributing? If students notice that information already placed on the conclusions chart applies to this question, create a second index card to attach under the appropriate option. Leave aside cards that are not relevant to any of the possible conclusions.

Pose the critical challenge.

• Present the critical task:

Decide whether or not the Brown family is a supportive community.

Ask students to decide which conclusion is suggested by the clues: Is the Brown family a supportive community: Yes? No? Maybe? Point out that everyone need not reach the same conclusion. Ask several students to state their conclusion and give a reason.