Topic: You are not alone!

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th‑grade primary school student.

Core curriculum:

I. The social nature of a man.

The students:

1) justifies the claim that a man is a social being; explains the meaning of the social needs of a man (contact, belonging, esteem);

3) names the characteristics of social groups.

The general aim of education:

The student recognizes his own needs and the needs of others.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• explains Aristotle’s words that “man is by nature a social animal”.

• defines terms: society, social bonds, social norms, socialization (primary and secondary), social group, collective, community, social role, role conflict.

• analyzes the difference between various social bonds, social groups, and types of socialization.

• distinguishes a couple of institutions that prepare us for social life, and presents their role in the process.

• explains Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and how it is connected with the creation and existence of societies.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences.

Teaching methods:

• mind map,

• teaching conversation using infographics, interactive boards and exercises,

• trash and suitcase method.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• small pieces of paper in two different colours (e.g. green and yellow) for each student,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will learn new terms necessary to describe the social life and analyze the essence of the society’s functioning.

2. The teacher reminds the students the Aristotelian expression “a man - a social being” and asks how the students understand it. He informs the students should write their suggestions on the board in a form of a mind map. To this end, he chooses a facilitator. After the task is complete, the teacher discusses the students’ suggestions and corrects and supplements the information if necessary.

Implementation:

1. The teacher explains that the students will learn during the class about the terms they probably know very well from everyday life - we are all part of society, aren’t we? He asks the students to focus on acquiring the precise, scientific definitions of the terms, which will supplement the common meaning of the expressions, that the students have known so far.

2. The teacher writes on the board the terms, which the students should be able to define: society, social bonds, social norms, socialization, social group, collective, community, social role, role conflict. together with the students he establishes the definitions of the terms, highlighting the most important elements of the definitions.

3. After discussing the most important terms, the teacher proceeds to talk about the various types of social bonds. To this end he uses the infographics “Types of social bonds” from the abstract “You are not alone!”. The teacher asks the students to give examples of each of the types of social bonds. Then the students do exercise 1, that allows them to make sure if they are able to categorize the social bonds correctly.

4. The teacher explains the stages of socialization to the students (primary and secondary). Then he asks the students, what institutions are responsible for the process. The students give their examples of institutions, indicating whether they concern the primary or the secondary socialization.

5. The teacher asks the students to analyze the diagram on the interactive board “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs”. Then he asks the students, what connection they observe between the human needs and the existence of the society.

6. The teacher divides the class into six groups. Each group is assigned one of the categories from the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:

• the physiological needs,

• the safety needs,

• the love/belonging needs,

• the esteem needs,

• the self‑actualization needs.

The the teacher informs the students that the task of each group will be to add institutions, groups, social relations to the assigned needs, thanks to which they can be satisfied.

After completing the task, representatives of groups place their suggestions onto the board. The teacher discusses the solution with the whole class.

7. The teacher asks the students to split into four groups. Each group is supposed to study a different type of social groups they can find in the widget “Types of social groups”. The teacher informs the students, that afte presenting each type of social groups, the rest of the students will have to provide examples of the various types of groups, justifying their answers, and the members of the presenting group will assess the correctness of their answers.

After some time to prepare, presentation of the group work takes place, supplemented by the examples from the audience. The teacher monitors a fair assessment of the suggestions.

Summary:

1. The teacher carries out a summary part of the lesson using the trash and suitcase method. The teacher hands out small pieces of paper in two different colours (e.g. green and yellow). On the green pieces of paper the students write down the useful knowledge and skills they acquired during the class – these go into “the suitcase” (students stick it to a board under that category). The yellow pieces of paper are used to write down things the students did not find useful or interesting – these go into “the trash” (under the sign that reads “trash” on the board). The teacher explains, that their reflection may concern both the acquired knowledge, and the new skills they have learned. The teacher reads students’ reflections on the experience – first the “trash” contents, then the “suitcase”.

2. Homework proposal:

a. My class as a social group - characterize your class, using the terms we have studied today. Justify each of your answers.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

You are not alone!

“Society” is a term we use every day, but rarely think of what it actually means. What is society? What influence does it have over us, and what kind of mechanisms and institutions does it use? What values does it instil into us? What does it mean to be a member of society? Could we achieve our objectives outside of society? Could we be happy? Would we even know we have emotions, life goals?

You will learn a lot of definitions connected with society and its functioning.

The moment we are born, we start discovering the world around us, we become part of society.

Socialization is the process of internalizing by an individual the social norms and the skills necessary to function in the society. There are two types of socialization: primary and secondary one. Primary socialization usually takes place in childhood when children mimic the behaviours of the members of their family, and so they learn the most fundamental rules, relations, values, attitudes, actions. Secondary socialization happens later in life, and lasts throughout the lifetime. It involves the conscious process of learning and adapting to a new role in society.

Who prepares us for the social life?

Types of social groups