C3 TEACHERS

1st Grade Rules and Fairness

Are all rules fair?

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/the-madness-of-cesar-chavez/308557/

Supporting Questions
1. What are rules and why do we have them?
2. What makes a rule fair or unfair?
3. What can we do when a rule isn’t fair?

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1st Grade Rules and Fairness Inquiry

Are all rules fair?

1st Grade: Rules and Laws 10. Rules exist in different settings. The principles of fairness should guide
Standards and Content
rules and the consequences for breaking rules.

- Make a t-chart on chart paper titled “Are all rules fair?”

Staging the Compelling - Ask students compelling question. On the left side of the t-chart, record students answers.
Question (Students will answer compelling question again at the end of the unit and record answers on
the right side).

Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3

What are rules and why do we have
them?
Formative Performance Task
Students will write a sentence that
explains why they think rules exist.
Featured Sources
Source A: Classroom Rules Chart (each
individual classroom)
What makes a rule fair or unfair?
Formative Performance Task
Students will organize familiar rules
into categories: fair and unfair.
Featured Sources
Source A: The Wall in the Middle of
the Book by Jon Agee
What can we do when a rule isn’t fair?
Formative Performance Task
Students will create a sign to protest a
rule they find unfair.
Featured Sources
Source A: Harvesting Hope by Kathleen
Krull

ARGUMENT: Are all rules fair? Students will use a combination of writing and drawing to create an argument
that takes a position on this question. They must use examples and evidence from the previous lessons to write
Summative
this argument.
Performance
Task EXTENSION.

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Overview

Inquiry Description
This inquiry leads students through an investigation of rules and fairness. Students will explore what rules are
and why we have them, addressing if there is a necessity for rules in the first place. They will talk about if all
rules created are fair, and what they can do when a rule is unfair. This inquiry asks young students to critically
think about the rules they see in their day to day lives, as well as both fictional and historical rules that were
considered unfair. They will not only develop an understanding of fairness, but learn how to take action when
they see things that are unfair in their lives.

Note: This inquiry is expected to take around three 45-minute class periods. This time is flexible, as students might need
more time to work, or might come up with additional questions that could be addressed in a separate class, or might
add time onto an individual lesson. As this is an inquiry-based unit, there will be room left for student questioning and
interests to be taken into account.

Staging the Compelling Question

This inquiry begins with the question “Are all rules fair?” To introduce this concept, students and teacher will have a
discussion about this question. There will be a t-chart made where the teacher will record students’ initial ideas about
this question on the left side of the t-chart, with the right side being saved for after the unit. This discussion is meant to
get students thinking about the topic of rules and fairness, so that they can better understand the content that will be
addressed throughout the unit.

Supporting Question 1

The first supporting question asks “What are rules and why do we have them?” This question addresses students’
current understanding of rules. Students will discuss where they see rules in their lives and come up with a list of rules
that they are familiar with to further talk about them and why we have them. Then, they will be asked to get into groups
and perform a skit showing a certain rule and what happens when it is broken (consequences). This activity is supported
by the fact that they are performing rules they are already familiar with.

The formative task is for students to write a sentence about why we need rules. This will be done after seeing all the
skits and the consequences for breaking certain rules so that students have had enough time to discuss.

The source students will be using for this lesson is whatever class rules list is present in the classroom. Students will use
this to analyze those rules and if they are fair or not, and perform their skits based on these rules.

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Supporting Question 2

The second supporting question asks “What make a rule fair or unfair?” This question looks into more familiar rules, and
makes students start to think about whether or not they are fair. Students will discuss what makes these rules fair or
unfair, so students can come up with a working definition of “fair.” Students will read a story about an unfair rule, and
discuss why that rule wasn’t fair as a whole group.

The formative task is for students to look at a rule written on a sticky note and determine whether it is fair or unfair
based on what we just talked about in class. They will do this with partners, and organize them into a t-chart at the front
of the class so students can discuss all of the rules together at the end of the lesson.

The source used for this lesson was The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee. This is a story about a wall that
separates one side of the book from the other, and the rule is that no one can cross the wall. This gives students a
chance to talk about whether or not it is fair to separate people from each other.

Supporting Question 3

The final supporting question asks “What can we do when a rule isn’t fair?” Students will first refer back to the rules they
decided were unfair, and then they will read a story about another unfair rule that Cesar Chavez stood up against. They
will discuss what Chavez did to change that unfair rule, and how he made a difference. Then, students will look at
examples of protest signs and how other people in history stood up against unfair rules.

The formative task is for students to create their own protest sign. They will choose a rule that we decided was “unfair”
in the previous lesson, and create a sign to “protest” that rule if it were actually in action.

The source used for this question is Harvesting Hope by Kathleen Krull. This is the story of Cesar Chavez and how he
stood up for farmworkers, and protested their unfair conditions.

Summative Performance Task

At this point in the inquiry, students have examined what rules are and why we have them, what makes a rule fair or
unfair, and what they can do when they see an unfair rule in the world. At this point, they will be asked to go back to the
initial question of “are all rules fair?” Students will individually write a short argument to way whether they think all
rules are fair, and then talk about why they think that. They will use examples from what they have learned from the last
few lessons, and will be able to draw a picture to support their argument.

As an extension, we will discuss their arguments as an entire class. Students will add their argument and ideas to the t-
chart we initially made to compare how they felt at the beginning of the unit vs. the end. Finally, the class will discuss
again what they can do about unfair rules, so that they know that just because not all rules are fair doesn’t mean that
they can’t do anything about that.