K1 Activity 1 – WE ALL HAVE POWER

Introduction

WE ALL HAVE POWER means there is power in understanding that abilities, interests and personality can create positive change. And yes, we ALL have POWER! .. Because .. we ALL have influence on each other. A caring community is one that builds up ALL of its members to use their power.

In this discussion activity, students look at a new definition of the word “power” and begin to explore the concept of their own power to make good choices for the welfare of all.

Description

Students discuss ways to use the power of speaking up and shared power to create positive change or to help others.

Principle Overview

What does the word “power” mean to you? Some people associate the word “power” with control or authority and even destruction. It is essential when discussing the word “power” that it is seen in the IM4U context as the ability to affect positive change in the world! Exploring the “ripple effect” analogy of WE ALL ARE VALUABLE, students can see there is power in understanding that their abilities, interests, and personality can create positive change. Because we all have an effect on each other, WE ALL HAVE POWER.

Materials:

Goals and Objectives:

  • Identify when to assert one’s power to ask for help to resolve conflict.
  • Discuss the effect one’s actions can have on others.
  • Identify ways to use power to help others or create positive change.

  • Preview puppet skit video to better facilitate discussion.
  • Write the following song lyrics on chart paper and add visuals, if desired.
    Maybe you need
    A snack or a hug
    Or an extra potato chip
    If somethin’ is achin’
    It’s not time for fakin’
    There’s something special only you can do
  • Students may like to create their own superpower word buttons or even capes to celebrate the Power Word of the Week (See Unit 5 Overview Promoting the Principle).
  • Be sure to help students recognize that speaking up is another way to use our power.
Teaching students to Speak Up for themselves begins with helping them to be independent and competent in their communication. Being aware of a certain situation or experience and then being able to give language to that experience and speak it out loud is a powerful life skill. Mastering life skills will help students handle life’s challenges and use their power of Speaking Up.

  • Remind students to use either the following steps or the ones created together from the Speaking Up skill builder.
    1. Use a person’s name.
    2. Look him or her in the eyes.
    3. Use nice words with a big voice.
  • Talk about self advocacy with your class. Self-advocacy is when a child understands what they are feeling then speak up, take action, and make a choice for what they need. Talk about how speaking up is one way to use your power.
  • You might use the Speak Up lyrics to help students better understand the idea of self advocacy and Speaking Up. You could ask: “Do you ever need a snack or a hug or an extra potato chip? Is it hard or easy to speak up when you need help? ”
Skill Builder
Use these visual resources to enhance the student experience in this unit.

View In Resources

Activity Steps

  • Explain that in the IM4U community we define Power as the ability to use our power to help others and create positive change. That IS a good thing.

  • Play the Speak Up song and invite students to listen for examples of using the power of speaking up to get help.

  • Write a section of lyrics on the board to discuss this concept of the power of speaking up.

    Maybe you need
    A snack or a hug
    Or an extra potato chip
    If somethin’ is achin’
    It’s not time for fakin’
    There’s something special only you can do

  • Self-awareness leads to self-advocacy. When you understand what you are feeling (self awareness) then you have the power of self-advocacy to speak up for what you need. Discuss Speak Up lyrics. You might ask:

    Do you ever need a snack or a hug or an extra potato chip?
    What were you feeling?
    Is it hard or easy to speak up when you need help?

  • You can extend the conversation with a ‘sentence starter’ for students to finish. “A time I needed to use my power to speak up was when…” Invite students to finish the sentence with their own story of speaking up power. Do not require all students to participate. Some may not feel comfortable with this concept yet.

  • Encourage students to discuss a time that they had to speak up to help someone. You might want to give students an example of time you did this when you were a child. Perhaps it was a time when you noticed your friend was upset. This may get the conversation going!

  • Now apply the conversation to the classroom. Share a time you have asked for help in the classroom and used the power of the group to solve a problem. For example; a time when there was too much noise in the room, when the classroom was messy, when there were disagreements among classmates, etc. Propose a current challenge or problem and ask students to use their “collective power” to help you solve the problem.

Unit Overview
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