Middle School (6-8)

High School (9-12)

Supplies:

• Copies of Handout 1: Reframing a Conflict

• Copies of Handout 2: Ezra and Fran’s Conflict

Preparation:

• Make enough copies of Handouts 1 and 2 for each student to have one.

• Display this poem:

“Jack Sprat

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between them both, you see, They licked the patter clean.

Jack ate all the lean,

Joan ate all the fat.

The bone they picked it clean,

Then gave it to the cat.”

CASEL Core Competencies

• Relationship skills

• Responsible decision making

• Self-awareness

Common Core ELA – Literacy Standards

• Speaking and listening

• Self-management

• Social awareness

NCSS Social Studies Themes

• Individuals, groups, and institutions

Students will:

• Learn the steps in reframing a conflict situation.

• Recognize how reframing can help unite individuals and groups.

Ask for a volunteer to stand at the front of the class. Stand on the opposite side of a desk or table and face the student. Say: This physical distance between us represents what it might feel like emotionally if ____ (student’s name) and I had a conflict with one another. It looks like we are physically quite far apart, just as our opinions of the situation are far apart. Reframing is a tool we can use to decrease this perceptual or emotional difference.

Distribute Handout 1. Ask the class to read and complete the activity described on the handout.

Ask a student to read the displayed poem “Jack Sprat.”
Ask: What problem do the Sprats have? How do the Sprats solve their problem?

Say: This poem shows an example of reframing a conflict. Explain that the poem is an example of two people turning difference and disagreement into an opportunity for mutual problem-solving – in other words, reframing a conflict. Both Jack and Joan got what they wanted by embracing their understanding of each other’s dietary needs and making the meal work for both. They asked the reframing question: “How can we both enjoy our dinner while making sure that Jack eats no fat meat and that Joan eats no lean meat?”

Say: Imagine that you, like one of the Sprats, have a specific food you will not eat. In your case, it is meat. Family dinners at your grandmother’s house always include meat. She has been telling your parents that you are overly picky and not grateful for her cooking. She says she is worried that you are not getting the nutrition you need. For one meal, she prepares meat three different ways and urges you to try them all and decide which one you like best. Then, she will make that one for you every week. But she is ignoring that you don’t eat meat. Is she confused that being a vegetarian is normal? You can sense that your grandmother is upset that you are not eating your food, and you are hungry after every meal she serves you.

Ask the following questions and record student answers:

• What is your perspective?

• What is your grandmother’s perspective?

• Are there any concerns that you two share?

Say: Let’s work together to reframe this situation into a question that addresses the concerns of both you and your grandmother.

Display the following format for a reframing question:

“How can we _________________________ while making sure that you _________________________ and I _________________________?”

Instruct students to write reframing questions that include the perspective of both the grandmother and her grandchild (Examples might include: “How can I explain being a vegetarian while making sure that my grandmother and I are not upset at each other?” or “How can we have family dinner while making sure that there is no meat in my food and that I show gratitude for my grandmother’s cooking?”).

Give students three minutes to write reframing questions. Have students share their answers.

Distribute Handout 2. Tell students to partner with the student next to them. Partners should decide which one of them will be a character named Ezra and which one will be a character named Fran. Say: You and your partner are going to use the dialogue on the handout to continue practicing reframing.

Have students read the dialogue, inform each other of Ezra and Fran’s perspectives, and then come up with a reframing question. Give students five minutes to complete the exercise.

Record multiple examples of reframing questions from different groups. Ask: How well do you think these reframing questions addressed both Fran’s and Ezra’s concerns? Why?

Ask: Was the issue between Ezra and Fran more difficult to reframe compared to the one we did together? Why?

Ask two students who are comfortable with improvisation to come to the front of the class and share what they think happened to resolve the conflict between Ezra and Fran. One student should play Ezra and the other Fran. Ask them to improvise a conversation using reframing that shows the class how Ezra and Fran’s problem can be solved.

Without the rest of the class hearing, tell the volunteers that they should begin their improvised role- play at least five feet away from each other. They should step closer to each other as they reach a solution during their conversation.

Once the role-play is concluded, ask the class: Did you notice how [the students’ names] moved closer to each other as they began to recognize each other’s’ perspectives? Reframing, by showing us that there is common ground we can work on together, can help bring people in a conflict together.