The Fix-It Game

 

Karen Krause                                               Dawn Peanasky

 

Professional School Counselor                       MSUM Intern 2002-2003

 

Waterville, Elysian, Morristown Schools       Waterville, Elysian Morristown Schools

 

Elysian, Minnesota                                         Elysian, Minnesota

 

Description of the Lesson:

 

The Fix-It Game is one developmental guidance lesson featured in the Nebraska Career Guidance Program Handbook.   The handbook is a holistic approach that is proactive, and emphasizes developmental outcomes.  It is also cross-referenced with the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (NOICC) career guidance competencies.  The Fix-It Game is a lesson developed for use at the first grade level, providing an activity that will aid students in identifying their own strengths, develop interpersonal skills, and a greater awareness of the interrelationship between home, school, and community.  When students have the tools and resources to deal with problems as they arise, they will be better able to make satisfactory decisions before the problem becomes unmanageable.

 

Goal:

 

Learning about problem-solving skills.

 

Objective:

 

Identify and describe that the way in which something is said affects the way others feel.

 

Grade Level:

 

1 (First Grade)

 

Materials Needed: 

 

None

 

Procedure:

 

1.     Ask students to listen to the following statement one at a time and decide how the statement might make another person feel.

 

2.     Have students fix the statements by giving a more appropriate way to state the same message.

 

A.   Gimmie some milk.  (Ex.  May I have some milk, please?)

 

B.    Come on, stupid, you skipped my turn.

 

C.    Hey, dumb-dumb, donÕt you know that word?

 

D.   Teacher, no way am I going to clean up the corner.

 

E.    Mother, IÕm not gonna take a bath in the middle of this T.V. program, and you canÕt make me.

 

F.    Get out of my way, fatso.  I was here first.

 

G.   IÕm better than anyone else in this whole class, so I get to go first.

 

3.     Discuss how people would react if you spoke to them in the above manner.

 

4.     Talk about why it is important to use more appropriate language.

 

5.     Have students give other inappropriate/appropriate examples.

 

Comments:

 

Role-playing activities may be developed from this procedure.

 

National Guidelines:

 

I I.4  Demonstrate desirable skills for interacting with and relating to others.

 

Evaluation:

 

Students determined how people feel when spoken to in appropriate and inappropriate language.

 

Resource:

 

           

 

            Cafferty, E. (1989).  Nebraska Career Guidance Program Handbook, Nebraska Department of Education:  Lincoln, Nebraska.