5. Are we Friends or Classmates?

RATIONALE
This activity aims for students to refect that friendships and participation in communities afect their well-being and empathy skills. Among other things, students can work on what a good friendship and community are and become better equipped to seek out what gives them value in their lives.
 
OBJECTIVES
Attention to contexts and social and emotional rules.
 
MATERIALS
(No material needed).
 
PROCEDURE
The activity is built up in 4 phases, which emphasize activating pre-under
standing, clarifying concepts, preparing role-plays and presenting the
role-play.
 
  1. Start by brainstorming with the students about what a good friendship is.
  2. Write all the words on the board and let all students say what it means to them.
  3. Then brainstorm with the students about what a good community is.
  4. Write all the words on the board and let all students say what they are thinking
An example of a community where students do not choose, who they are with could be a class, a football team, a choir, or a scout camp. There a common interest, cause, or goal the students are working towards when being a part of a community. In a community, everyone is obligated to treat each other with respect. Still, the students don’t have to like or be friends with everyone.
 
When it comes to friendships, students have chosen them by themselves.
Therefore, they will typically like their friends in another way.
 

Have students share what is essential in a good community and a good friendship.

  • What is important in both friendships and communities?
  • What are the exact diferences between a friendship and a community?

Next the students work in groups of 4 on making a role-play giving them a note with diferent words or phrases that characterizes friendships or communities e.g., cooperation, care, forgiveness, security, respect, we trust each other, we have the same goals, we like each other, we have fun together, we help each other – or any good ones from the brainstorm.

Once the groups have received their notes, they can (without showing the word to the others in the class) try to make a role play that expresses their word or phrase. They must decide for themselves how to best show the others in the class what to say
 
There are the following rules:
  • The students are given fve to ten minutes to come up with and practice their role-play.
  • Everyone in the group should be a part of the role-play, and the students should not say anything when presenting it.
  • The groups can then show their role-play to the rest of the class. The other students can then guess which word or sentence the group is performing.
  • Feel free to ask about the role-play with a focus on, for example, facial expressions, or whether the bodies are facing each other or away from each other. The questions can be asked both to the group that made the ole-play and the rest of the class.

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

  • What do you think happened here?
  • What did you pay special attention to?
  • How can you tell if it’s a community or a friendship?
  • What did their body language show?
  • If you were to show a community that did not work, how would you pose?
All groups show their role-play in this way, and the teacher highlights the
essential points.
 
WHAT TO OBSERVE
  • How the students cooperate with each other: do they contribute, listen, compromise, include all, and acknowledge new ideas.
  • Do they have fun working independently, using their imagination, and presenting it for the others in good faith?
NOTE TO TRAINER / TEACHER
It may be necessary for the teacher to consider the following questions before starting the exercise.
  • How do students best gain an understanding of the concepts of friendship and community?
  • How do I make sure that both the similarities and diferences between friendship and community are articulated?
  • How should the group work be organized, and on what basis should the groups be divided?
  • Where can the groups work with their role-play?
  • How do I make sure that all students become part of the group’s role-play?
The exercise can be diferentiated depending on the grade level of the class. Younger students, more straightforward questions - older students, more detailed conversations where students can draw on their own experiences.