Conflict Resolution
GRADES 3-5

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Learning Goal

Students will learn to use restorative questions in dealing with conflict.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lessons, students will be able to:

  • Identify what a conflict is
  • Act out conflicts
  • Use restorative questions to resolve conflict
Learning Summary

We all experience conflict, some small and some large. It’s inevitable. This lesson introduces students to what a conflict is and gives them a few tools to be able to respond to and resolve conflict.

The lesson starts with a Mindful Moment: students silently send kindness to others. The lesson then moves to defining conflict and acknowledging how often they occur. Then you, with a student, act out a scripted conflict introducing the restorative questions: 1) What happened? 2) Who was harmed? 3) Who was responsible for what happened? 4) How can we fix this? Then in small groups, students act out conflicts in front of the class and discuss the conflict using restorative questions. After discussing each conflict and how they can be solved,
students have the option to write or draw in their journal of a recent conflict and map out how they would respond now.

computer icon Online Teaching Tips for Conflict Resolution

For both live and recorded, review what conflict is and the steps of conflict resolution then differentiate the lesson based on your delivery method.

There are two options. You can do the activity in the lesson plan as is but it will take some prep beforehand: selecting two students to act out the scenario and send them copies of their script. The second option is to talk through the scenario as a class and ask how they would respond.

After teaching the restorative questions you can talk through the scenario from the lesson plan then have students complete the Poster Making additional activity. Conflict will definitely come up when students are learning at home, so it can be helpful for them to have the restorative questions written down and posted somewhere in their home.

CASEL Competencies

Self-awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.

Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.