You will learn
- Use calm steps.
- Listen to the other person.
- Choose a fair idea.
- Know when to get an adult.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Friends can disagree.
- Stop, breathe and talk.
- Listen and find a fair idea.
- Get an adult for big problems.
Words to know
to think differently
something that needs solving
equal for everyone
a word to show you are sad you hurt someone
1. Discover: The same swing
Two children grab the same skipping rope. “Mine!” “No, mine!” A teacher says, “Stop. Breathe. Tell me how you feel.” After listening, they decide: one skips first, then the other. “That is fair,” they both say.
Think: What did the teacher say first?
2. Understand: Solving problems
Idea 1: Disagreeing is normal
Friends sometimes disagree. This is normal. What matters is how we solve the problem, without hurting anyone.
Idea 2: Calm steps
1. Stop. 2. Breathe. 3. Say how you feel, using “I feel … when …”. 4. Listen to your friend. 5. Think of ideas. 6. Choose a fair one. 7. Say sorry if you hurt someone.
Idea 3: Getting help
If someone is being hurt, if you feel unsafe, or if you cannot solve it, go to a teacher or trusted adult straight away.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Stop and breathe
Calm down.
- Stop.
- Breathe in and out.
- Count to five.
Answer: I feel calmer.
Example 2 (We do it together): Say how I feel
Use I feel.
- Say I feel.
- Say when.
- Stay kind.
Answer: I feel sad when you take my rope.
Example 3 (You try): Choose fair
Find a fair idea.
Show the steps and answer
- List ideas.
- Pick the fair one.
- Do it.
Answer: We take turns.
Did you know?
Many schools have a “peace corner” where children go to calm down and talk things over.
Why this matters
Solving problems peacefully keeps friendships and the class happy.
4. Explore: Role-play steps
In pairs act out a rope disagreement. Use the steps to solve it. Swap roles.
- Act the problem.
- Use steps.
- Find a fair idea.
- Swap.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Breathing first helped a lot.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- I feel ___ when ___.
- I listen to ___.
- A fair idea is ___.
- I get an adult when ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What do we do first?
Stop.
Question 2. What do we do next?
Breathe.
Question 3. What do we say?
I feel …
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What do we do first?
- What do we do next?
- What do we say?
- What is fair?
- Who helps with big problems?
Level 2: Grow
- Why listen?
- Why not hit?
- Why say sorry?
Level 3: Stretch
- Role-play solving a problem.
- Teach a friend the steps.
- Draw the steps.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Two friends want the same seat. What can they do?
Show a sample answer
Take turns or find another seat.
Another one. Use the steps at home.
Show a sample answer
Tell what happened.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: They do and can solve it.
Fix: The fair idea wins.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can use calm steps.
- I can listen to the other person.
- I can choose a fair idea.
- I can know when to get an adult.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Friends can disagree.
- Stop, breathe and talk.
- Listen and find a fair idea.
- Get an adult for big problems.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Caring for school property. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Name two steps for solving a problem. [2 marks]
- Say what you do when you disagree. [3 marks]
- Say when to get an adult. [3 marks]
- Say a sentence with I feel. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- One each
- Stop [1]; talk [1]; fair [1]
- Hurt [1]; unsafe [1]; cannot solve [1]
- Feeling [1]; when [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What do we do first?
- What do we do next?
- What do we say?
- What is fair?
- Who helps with big problems?
- Why listen?
- Why not hit?
- Why say sorry?
- Role-play solving a problem.
- Teach a friend the steps.
Homework
Teach someone at home the calm steps.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What do we do first? | Stop. | 1 |
| 2. What do we do next? | Breathe. | 1 |
| 3. What do we say? | I feel … | 1 |
| 4. What is fair? | Equal for all. | 1 |
| 5. Who helps with big problems? | A teacher. | 1 |
| 6. Why listen? | To understand. | 1 |
| 7. Why not hit? | It hurts. | 1 |
| 8. Why say sorry? | To show we care. | 1 |
| 9. Role-play solving a problem. | Role-play. | 1 |
| 10. Teach a friend the steps. | Steps. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Stop.; 2 Breathe.; 3 I feel …; 4 Equal for all.; 5 A teacher.. Level 2: 1 To understand.; 2 It hurts.; 3 To show we care.. Level 3: 1 Role-play.; 2 Steps.; 3 Pictures..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Use calm steps | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Listen to the other person | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Choose a fair idea | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Know when to get an adult | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Friends never disagree.” They do and can solve it.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use puppets. Act a small problem and use the steps together.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns calm steps for solving disagreements. Please use them at home. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Model calm steps.
- Praise your child for using words.
- Teach them to tell you if they are hurt.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: use calm steps; listen to the other person; choose a fair idea; know when to get an adult.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 1 ideas: what a school is, school places and workers, and classroom rules.
Materials. Paper, crayons. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Set role-play pairs.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the rope story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach the steps.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners role-play.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners reflect.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. How can we solve a problem fairly and kindly?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Friends never disagree.” They do and can solve it.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Use puppets. Act a small problem and use the steps together. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 3, topic 8; NCSS C3 Framework, individuals and groups; Cambridge Primary Humanities, people; IB Primary Years Programme, how we organise ourselves. These sources informed the lesson.