Fairness & Sharing

Active learning is crucial for teaching fairness and sharing, as young children learn best by doing and experiencing social interactions firsthand. These activities move beyond abstract concepts, allowing students to practice and internalize these vital skills through concrete, engaging experiences.

• Kindergarten
• Self & Community
• 3 activities
• 15 min–25 min

Role Play

⏱ 20 min·Small Groups

Scenario Sorting: Fair or Unfair?

Present picture cards depicting various classroom scenarios, such as one child having all the crayons or everyone getting one turn. Students sort the cards into 'Fair' and 'Unfair' piles, discussing their reasoning for each placement.

Prepare & details

Analyze situations to determine if they are fair or unfair.

Facilitation Tip: During the Role Play activity, prompt students to consider how different characters might feel about the fairness of a situation, encouraging them to step into another's shoes.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 15 min·Whole Class

Sharing Circle: Turn-Taking Game

Use a simple object, like a stuffed animal or a special block, to facilitate turn-taking during a discussion. Each child holds the object while speaking, then passes it to the next, reinforcing the idea of sharing the 'talking stick'.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between giving everyone the same thing and giving everyone what they need.

Facilitation Tip: When facilitating Think-Pair-Share, give students sufficient quiet time to reflect individually before turning to their partner, ensuring everyone has a chance to formulate their thoughts.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 25 min·Small Groups

Resource Allocation Challenge

Provide a limited number of building blocks or art supplies for a small group. Students must collaboratively decide how to share the materials to complete a group task, encouraging negotiation and compromise.

Prepare & details

Justify the importance of sharing resources in a group.

Facilitation Tip: As students rotate through Stations, observe their interactions and offer targeted guidance at each station, scaffolding their understanding of fairness and sharing in varied contexts.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach fairness and sharing by creating a safe space for exploration and error. They focus on providing concrete examples and opportunities for practice, rather than simply stating rules. It's important to acknowledge that children's initial understanding of fairness is often egocentric and based on equality, and to gently guide them toward more nuanced concepts of equity and need.

What to Expect

Students will demonstrate an understanding of fairness by participating thoughtfully in discussions and activities, showing empathy towards peers, and attempting to share resources equitably or based on need. They will begin to articulate their reasoning when faced with fairness dilemmas.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Scenario Sorting activity, watch for students who consistently label scenarios as 'unfair' simply because they don't receive the most items, indicating a focus on equality over equity.

What to Teach Instead

Redirect by asking students to consider if everyone in the scenario has what they *need* to participate, not just the same amount, using the picture cards as a visual aid.

Common Misconception

During the Sharing Circle, observe if students hoard the 'talking stick' or resist passing it, showing a fear of losing access or control.

What to Teach Instead

Reinforce that sharing the object is temporary and helps everyone have a turn to speak; model quick, positive turn-taking and praise students who share readily.

Common Misconception

In the Resource Allocation Challenge, notice if students grab all the materials or refuse to share, demonstrating a belief that sharing leads to personal loss.

What to Teach Instead

Guide students to negotiate sharing strategies, emphasizing that by collaborating and sharing, the group can build something bigger or better than any one person could alone.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Scenario Sorting activity, ask students to hold up a green card for fair and a red card for unfair for a few new scenarios to gauge understanding of equitable distribution.

Discussion Prompt

During the Sharing Circle, pose questions like 'How did it feel when you had to wait for the object?' and 'How did it feel when it was your turn?' to assess their understanding of turn-taking and patience.

Peer Assessment

During the Resource Allocation Challenge, encourage students to give a 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' to their groupmates for demonstrating helpful sharing behaviors, fostering peer accountability.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask early finishers to create their own 'fair or unfair' scenario cards for their peers to sort.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters or visual aids to help students articulate their reasoning during discussions.
• Deeper Exploration: After the Resource Allocation Challenge, have students write or draw about how they felt when they had to share limited resources.