Next, tell students that you are going to read short scenarios in which friends are the main characters. The job of the class is to identify whether the friends are being good/giving friends and are filling one another’s lives with happiness, or are being bad/taking friends and are tearing each other down. After each scenario is read, pause to ask students whether they think the children are acting as good, giving friends, or bad, taking friends. If they think the students are not being good friends, ask how they can change their behavior or words in order to be good, giving friends. You can use the following scenarios or choose to use scenarios that are more relevant to your class.
Scenario 1:
Two students are eating together at lunch and are chatting. A new student is walking around the cafeteria and doesn’t know where to sit because she doesn’t know anyone yet. The two friends invite the new student to sit with them.
Scenario 2:
Two friends are sitting next to each other while taking a test. One of the friends whispers to the other, asking his friend for the answer to a question. The friend with the answers to the test is not sure how to respond because he doesn’t want to hurt his friend’s feelings or ruin their friendship, but he knows it is wrong to cheat.
Scenario 3:
A boy is playing baseball with his friends. He is at bat, and the pitcher strikes him out. One of his friends who is playing on the opposite team starts teasing him, saying he stinks at baseball.
Scenario 4:
A girl is practicing gymnastics with a friend of hers. She is having a lot of trouble mastering a back handspring. Her friend helps her by walking through the move, step by step, and spotting her as she tries it again and again.
Scenario 5:
A group of friends are playing tag at recess. One boy has been “it” for a long time and is having trouble tagging another child. His friend approaches and allows him to tag her so that he can have a break from being “it.”
Scenario 6:
A girl is excited to wear her new dress to school. When she arrives, she realizes another girl in her class is wearing the same dress. She is a little disappointed to not be the only person wearing the dress, but she compliments the other girl on her style and says that they can be twins for the day.
Scenario 7:
Two boys are playing a math game where they need to race to see who can answer multiplication facts first. One boy is clearly doing a better job and is winning the game. He begins to tease his friend by saying that he isn’t as smart and he needs to go home and practice before he can play the game again with him.