‘EXPLORING RESPECT and TOLERANCE’
A Differentiated Curriculum Unit for Gifted Education
aligned with the
Principles of Learning And Teaching.
Written by
Linda Fisher and Loisia Steed
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
EXPLORING ‘RESPECT and TOLERANCE’
1.
A Gifted Education Unit for LEVELS 3 and 4
Preamble:
These units on RESPECT and TOLERANCE aim;
 To explore the concepts, thinking and behaviours of other’s opinions and ideas.
 To develop deep understandings of respect and tolerance of individuals, their
backgrounds and community.
 To support effort and independence in their learning.
 To provide opportunities for collaborative learning and interdependence.
 To expose students to a variety of thinking skills through open-ended learning
tasks.
The activities outlined are under -pinned by the six Principles of Learning and Teaching
and incorporate strategies appropriate to the teaching of gifted students
within a variety of contexts.
PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
PRINCIPLE ONE:
The Learning Environment is supportive and productive
PRINCIPLE TWO
The Learning Environment promotes independence, interdependence and selfmotivation.
PRINCIPLE THREE
Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests are reflected in the learning
program.
PRINCIPLE FOUR
Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and
application.
PRINCIPLE FIVE
Assessment practices are an integral part of learning and teaching.
PRINCIPLE SIX
Learning connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
POLT LINKS
2.
Principle Two
The Learning Environment promotes independence, interdependence and self- motivation.
2.1 Encourages and supports students to take responsibility for their learning.
 Providing opportunities for students to make individual and collaborative decisions
about how they will undertake the learning task.
 Establishing what students know already and providing the opportunity for
students to build on prior knowledge in manageable steps.
Principle Three
3.1 Teaching strategies are flexible and responsive to the values, needs and interests of
individual students.
 Encouraging students to respect the rights of others to hold differing views.
 Valuing and building on the perspectives and experiences students bring to the
classroom.
 Creating an environment of encouragement for students to contribute personal
stories for class discussion.
3.2 The teacher utilises a range of teaching strategies that support different ways of
thinking and learning.
 Helping students to understand their own specific learning needs and providing
choice to cater for the range of those needs.
 Providing variations in tasks to allow student choice in mode of presentation or
type of approach.
 Ensuring each task has an open-ended aspect that allows students to work at
different levels and paces.
Principle Four
Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application.
4.1 Teaching sequences promote sustained learning that builds over time and emphasises
connections between ideas.
 Allowing time for discussions to arise naturally and be followed in class to
encourage the resolution of ideas.
 Recognising that skill, understandings, processes or practices currently being
taught have relevance for other learning areas and drawing students’ attention to
such relevance.
 Identifying a series of generic skills and processes (such as problem solving,
creative thinking skills, metacognition, etc) that can become areas of focus across
the curriculum.
4.2 The teacher promotes substantive discussion of ideas.
 Providing stimulus materials that challenge students’ ideas and encourage
discussion, speculation and ongoing exploration.
 Encourage students to raise questions or speculate or make suggestions.
 Asking a high proportion of higher order questions.
 Encourage students to challenge, support or amplify others’ contributions.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
EXPLORING ‘RESPECT and TOLERANCE’
Student Prior Knowledge and Understandings

Co-ordinating roup discussion circles.

Six Thinking Hats and their application.

Responding to Open – Ended Problem Solving tasks.

Using and applying extended brainstorming.

Use of Graphic Organisers – a Web, T Chart, Fishbone.

Value Lines.

Use of Ryan’s ‘Thinkers’ Keys in a variety of contexts.

Accessing internet sites and search engines.

Using ‘Publisher’.

Using a Rubric.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
3.
STAGE ONE: EXPLORING TOLERANCE
4.
Lesson Stimulus
Read the text under the lesson stimulus. Use the 6 Six Thinking Hats to identify what is
happening.
I am left out
A knife edged pain
I feel unwanted
But don’t complain.
My thoughts are heavy,
My mouth is dry
A tolerant friend,
Is my despairing cry.
Student Questioning using the Thinking Hats
White Hat – List the facts expressed in the text.
Red Hat –
List the feelings inferred in the text and explain the reasons for your
thinking.
Green Hat – Explain how this situation might have occurred.
Blue Hat – What questions could you ask this person to determine their past
experiences, present feelings and future possibilities?
Use the following Question Matrix to assist.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
5.
Question Matrix
I. Knowledge
Present
Past
1. What
Is?
2. Where/ 3. Which 4. Who
When Is? Is?
Is?
5. Why
Is?
6. How
Is?
7. What
Did?
8. Where/ 9. Which 10. Who
When
Did?
I am leftDid?
out
Did?
11.
Why
Did?
12.
How
Did?
17.
Why
Can?
18.
How
Can?
13. What
Can?
Possibility
Probability
19. What
Would?
Predictability
25. What
Will?
31. What
Might?
Imagination
Lesson
“If you were
the poem,
II. Comprehension
Application
A knife edged pain
16. Who
14.
I 15.
feel unwanted
Can?
Where/ ButWhich
don’t complain.
Can?
When
Can?
My thoughts are heavy,
21.
22. Who
20.
My mouth is dry
Where/
Which
Would?
A tolerant
friend,
When
Would?
Would?Is my despairing cry.
26.
28. Who
27.
Will?
Where/
Which
When
Will?
Will?
32.
Where/
When
Might?
33.
Which
Might?
III. Synthesis & Analysis
34. Who
Might?
6.
EXPLORIN
G
TOLERANC
E
23.
24.
Why
How
Would? Would?
29.
Why
Will?
30.
How
Will?
35.
Why
Might?
Might?
IV. Synthesis & Analysis
Stimulus
the person in
explain;
From Dr. Chuck Wiederhold's book Cooperative Learning & Higher Level Thinking^
available from Kagan Cooperative Learning 27134 Espada, Suite 303, San Juan
Capistrano, CA -1-800-933-2667.
Arm, M. A. Teacher questioning in the elementary mathematics classroom: Engaging
students in an on-task dialogue. University of Wyoming. Retrieved from Dissertation
Abstracts.
1. What you might have been left out of?
2. Why you might have been left out? Use a WEB like the one below for each question.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
3. Write a piece of poetry describing and explaining the feelings about being left out.
EXPLORING TOLERANCE
7.
Use the Extended Brainstorming Grid to explore TOLERANCE.
1. Extended Brainstorming
Fluency
NB:
Fluency can be
used as a Pre
and/or Post
Assessment Tool
for this unit.
On a T Chart, list examples of tolerant and intolerant behaviours
shown in a school.
Tolerant
Intolerant
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
Flexibility
Categories
Categorise the fluency list into subheadings. E.g. Physical
Behaviours, Verbal Behaviours and Contextual Behaviours.
Use a FISHBONE Diagram to do this.
Intolerance
Tolerance
Originality
New Ideas
Elaboration
Building a rich
task
NB: Prior to this activity, use the Question Matrix. to encourage
rich discussion that explores the setting and characters involved in
these scenarios.
Dress up in a totally intolerable Fashion Statement.
OR
Act out a scene displaying totally intolerable behaviours in either;
 a library
 a supermarket
 a railway station
What is Tolerance? Display this on a Y-Chart
(Looks, Feels, Sounds Like)
Looks
Sounds
Curiosity
What If?
I Wonder?
New Scenarios
Feels
8.
I wonder what the family dog tolerates while living with a family of
a parent, a toddler and 7 year old and a teenager?
Show this through;
1. a series of cartoon frames.
2. a pocket cartoon of the dog surrounded by speech bubbles.
In pairs, draw value lines on the following issues for the statement
Complexity
NB: Complexity
may be used as a
whole class
“Enough is enough! I’m not prepared to accept that!”
Share this with another pair.
 Logging in protected forest regions.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
springboard
modelled by
teacher or
“anchor person”
Risk Taking
Imagination




The Death Penalty for Drug Trafficking.
School ‘Muck Up‘ Days.
Send an anonymous e-mail.
One of your choosing.
List 10 “ I hate” attitudes a teenager might express. e.g. “I hate it
when my older sister tells me what to do.”
Select ONE of these and make suggestions on how to change this
negative mind set.
OR
In groups, make a hypothetical checklist of foods that kids may
find unpalatable.
From this list, test this hypothesis through food testing on 5 other
people. Document your results.
Imagine you are the Public Relations Officer of a Regional Art
Gallery. You have been requested by management to improve the
publics’ tolerance and appreciations of works of art.
Create a computer generated brochure that will achieve this goal.
View regional and state gallery websites for examples of brochures
and information for the public.
www. pgav.org.au /monash
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au
http://www.nga.gov.au
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
THINKER’S
KEYS - LEVEL 3
THE REVERSE
THE WHAT IF?
1. Brainstorm a list of people
or groups of people you
wouldn’t admire and explain
your reasoning.
What if all animals respected
each other?
THE BAR
THE VARIATIONS
Use the BAR ( Bigger, Add,
Remove) to improve on a
‘Well – Being Centre for
Kids’.
Ensure the centre caters for
Physical, Personal and Social
Learning.
Aboriginal society is based
on aboriginal lore and
respect of its elders.
Write and draw the
different solutions an elder
might give to a problem of
stealing.
THE RIDICULOUS
THE COMMONALITY
Hi Re Gard is a famous and
highly respected rat.
What are the commonalities
or similarities between
owning a valued family
heirloom and a pet dog.
RESPECT
THE DISADVANTAGES
THE COMBINATION
List the disadvantages of
being a member of a respected
royal family.
Combine clotheslines
and wooden beams to
create a nature enclosure
that children can respect.
THE PICTURE
How does this picture relate
to the respect of personal
health and fitness.
THE QUESTION
The answer is
Explain how this came to be.
THE
INTERPRETATION
What possible reasons could
there be for a primary
school student suddenly
becoming rude and
disrespectful?
9.
RESPECT
What is the question?
THE BRICK WALL
THE CONSTRUCTION
Some family meals are NOT
Happy Meal Deals.
How would you create a
Happy Meal Deal occasion
where everyone eating is
respectful and enjoying
themselves?
Create, write and act out a
scene that uses an i- POD, a
scooter and a note in an
envelope.
The scene’s message is
related to respectfulness.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
THE PREDICTION
THE ALPHABET
1. Create an illustrated word
alphabet that describes
Respectful Behaviours.
2. Write an alphabet poem
that includes synonyms and
antonyms for Respect.
THE DIFFERENT USES
What would happen if people
acted and spoke whenever
and however they liked at a
theatre, a wedding or at a
posh restaurant. Present
your ideas in a T– Chart.
Behaviour
Consequence
In every culture respect is
demonstrated through formal
greetings and farewells.
In groups of two produce 5
creative and respectful
farewell gestures and actions.
THE
BRAINSTORMING
THE INVENTIONS
Brainstorm student
behaviours you see in a
school yard that display
respect and a high regard
for others.
THE FORCED
RELATIONSHIP
How might a motorist use a
skateboard to increase
public awareness of respect
on the road.
Create a new postage stamp
or a song / rap that
celebrates
‘Admiration Week for
Respected Citizens’.
THE ALTERNATIVE
Suggest how a visually or
hearing impaired teacher like
Helen Keller might teach
others to respect those with
disabilities or impairments.
10.
A RUBRIC FOR
‘RESPECT’
Criteria
RESPECTFUL
Communication
Of Ideas
RESPECTFUL
Decision Making
RESPECTFUL
Actions Towards
Others
☺☺☺
☺☺
☺
1. All team members were
included in discussion.
1. Some team members were
included in the discussion.
1. Few team members were
included in discussion.
2. Team members
acknowledged ideas
positively.
2. Some team members
acknowledged ideas
positively.
2. Team members did not
acknowledge ideas
positively.
1. Thoughtful consideration
of others’ ideas.
1. Some thoughtful
consideration of others’
ideas.
1. Unthoughtful
consideration of others’
ideas
2. Unco-operative decision
making by team members.
1. Team members
contributed equally to the
task.
2. A few team members
worked co-operatively
towards a group decision.
1. Team members
contributed unequally to the
task.
2. Attentive listening
displayed in discussion.
2. Inconsistent listening
displayed in discussion.
2. Team members worked
co-operatively towards a
group decision.
Created by L. Fisher & L. Steed for The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2006.
1. Little effort given by
team members.
2. Inattentive listening
displayed in discussion