In2edu I.C.T. Resources Enhancing Education & Learning

Leadership Thematic Unit Rich Topic
This unit is a smorgasbord of ideas to use. Pick those ideas relevant to your level/class. Integrate them with the relevant curriculum area learning outcomes! This looks at the idea of friendship. Is a great leader a good friend or does friendships get in the way of leading?

Learning Outcomes
  • Comparisons between different ways of finding information
  • Using ICT skills as selected from below
  • Comparing my feelings to others and understanding that people are unique
  • Understanding what makes a friendship
  • Learning how to set goals

Investigation Questions
Try to get pupils to brainstorm these and others themselves as part of the information process. Here are some to get you started.
  • What makes a good friend?
  • How can we lose a friend?
  • Is it best to have a few good friends or lots of friends you don't know so well?
  • Do females view friendship different to males?
  • Do adults view friendship different to children?

Wordprocessor
Example skills: getting to know keyboard, put picture on, make bold, use styles/fonts, saving, using spellchecker
  • C.V. Use wizards to create a C.V. Choose simple fields. Get pupils to add to it over the year. They could include goals. Add to this over the year.
  • Write a colour poem about feelings. Colour each line the different colour (Black makes me feel..)
  • Use a calendar wizard to make a calendar. Each pupil contributes to a motivational saying on the page.
  • Cinquain describing best friend
  • The recipe to make a good friend (set out in list form with bullets for the ingredients)
  • Business Cards.. bring examples to school, discuss what design and information makes a good business card. Design one that reflects you as a person, you as a pupil.

Art/Design
Skills: Using paint progs, combining clipart, talk about use of white space, flow of the eye etc.
  • Put a box around the statement, draw a happy face
  • Design for calendar (see above)
  • Logo Design a logo to represent you
  • Friendship poster. Single words, rotate them use different fonts. What makes a good poster?

Spreadsheets
Example Skills: Entering Data, graphing, answering questions/theories using data collected
Example questions: Do females view friendship differently to males?Do adults have the same sort of goals for work as pupils for school? How different?
  • Graph favourite colours, TV programs
  • Survey things to look for in a friend
  • Survey goals for the year - compare girls/boys children/adults

Databases
Example skills: Entering info in database, graphing, sorting data into sets
Example questions: Are boys at this stage taller than girls are? If you are a bigger baby does it mean you are a bigger child/adult?
  • Ingredients to make a friend. Choose 3. Compare girls verses boys.
  • Measurement: Collect statistics – height, birth length

Internet (see Other IT below)
Search on friendship WWW what do others say about it
(See Other forms of IT below)

Information Skills
Library Catalogue (Books on friendship)

Presentations (Keynote, PowerPoint)
Skills Examples: Recording voice, editing recorded sounds, putting sounds into a ‘talking book’
  • Record statements about happiness, friendship, times when we felt let down
  • Record poetry...

Other IT

Listening/ Watching post
Friendship story (Friendly Giant)
Marty and the Dragon (Sound Recording) - National Library
Hug Me (Video Recording) - National Library
My Friends and Me (Video Recording) - National Library
A Shark Makes Friends (Sound Recording) - National Library
The Cat and the Collector (Filmstrip) - National Library
The Beeking (Video Recording) - National Library

Away from the Computer Ideas

A lot of other unit plans will give you ideas for other station activities that can be carried out. While some pupils are on the computer others could be:

Writing/designing or carrying out some of the above activities by hand

Making shadow outlines of themselves and pasting favourite foods, programs etc on them

Keywords for this unit
Friend/s, acquaintance, advocate, partner, sidekick, crony, pal, companion, alter ego, fellowship, relationship/s, friendship, sociology, feelings, (Check out a thesaurus for more words).

Famous Friendships
Castor and Pollux, Hercules and Iolaus, Christ and the Disciples, The Three Musketeers, David and Johnathon, Archilles and Patroclus

Places to find info or organisations
Health dept, social groups, friendship organisations, yellow pages, Internet, doctor (do friends keep you healthy?)
Thematic Unit Resources for Leadership
Famous, Hero, Celebrity or well known
Heroes
More Free Resources