Whole Earth Curriculum WEC
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Lesson 14 — We Are Friends

A capstone that gathers the unit's four friendship skills — sharing, reading feelings, belonging, and helping — into one shared "we are friends" creation.

D02 P1: Emotional & Social Awareness D02.S1D02.S2D02.S3D02.S4 45 minutes Draft
Objectives

Objectives

  • D02.S1.K.01 Take turns and share materials during play with a gentle reminder.
  • D02.S2.K.01 Describe how a friend or story character might feel in a simple situation.
  • D02.S3.K.01 Name a community they belong to and one thing people do together in it.
  • D02.S4.K.01 Help a classmate or care for a shared space when shown how.

Essential question

How do we live well together as friends?

Key vocabulary
friendsharefeelcommunityhelptogetherbelong
Materials

Standard materials

  • A large shared paper or banner · 1 For a class "we are friends" picture
  • Paper and crayons · per learner
  • A shared object for a passing game · 1

Low-tech / no-cost

  • Voice and body A closing circle of song, sharing, and naming one thing each learner offers the group
  • A shared ground drawing Draw one big circle in the soil and add a mark for every way we are friends

Enriched / lab & device

  • Photos of the class across the unit · 1 set Pictures of learners sharing, listening, helping, and caring together
  • A tablet to record a class "we are friends" story · 1 Learners tell and record what friendship means to them
Works in different contexts
  • large-group Each learner adds one mark to the shared banner and says one thing they learned about being a friend
  • self-directed A learner makes a small book of the four friendship skills — share, feel, belong, help — in words and pictures
  • outdoor-only Hold the closing circle outdoors and add natural objects (leaves, stones) to a shared "friendship circle" in the ground
  • multi-age Learners of different ages share the friendship skills with each other and build the banner together
  • level-grouped Learners who are ready name all four skills and one example each; others point to a picture for each
A circle of four children holding hands, with four skill badges around it — share and take turns, notice feelings, belong to a community, and help — and a heart that reads "we are friends."
A circle of four children holding hands, with four skill badges around it — share and take turns, notice feelings, belong to a community, and help — and a heart that reads "we are friends."

Lesson 14 — We Are Friends

Summary

The capstone brings the whole unit together. Learners recall the four friendship skills they have practiced — taking turns and sharing, reading feelings, belonging to communities, and helping — and weave them into one shared “we are friends” creation.

Objectives

  • Take turns and share during play. (D02.S1.K.01)
  • Describe how a friend might feel. (D02.S2.K.01)
  • Name a community they belong to and something people do together in it. (D02.S3.K.01)
  • Help a classmate or care for a shared space. (D02.S4.K.01)

Connection

Being a friend is not one big thing — it is many small things practiced every day: sharing a turn, noticing a feeling, belonging together, lending a hand. When you put them all together, you get something wonderful: people who live well with each other. That is what “we are friends” means.

Materials

  • One large shared paper or banner
  • Paper and crayons
  • A shared object for a passing game

Preparation

  • Prepare the shared banner and drawing materials.
  • Gather any photos from across the unit.
  • Choose a passing game and a closing song.

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”) so it works in a classroom and for a self-directed learner. As facilitator, this is a celebration, not a test. Let learners show what they remember in their own way — words, pictures, movements — and affirm that friendship is practice, not perfection. Keep the four skills simple and let the shared creation hold the meaning.

Procedure

  1. Gather (5 min). We have spent many days learning to be friends. Today we put it all together.
  2. Remember the four skills (10 min). A friend: shares and takes turns, notices feelings, belongs to a community, and helps. For each, name one thing you have done.
  3. Play it (10 min). Play one passing game together, remembering to take turns and wait. Notice a friend’s happy face as the game goes round.
  4. Make “we are friends” (15 min). On the shared banner, each learner adds a mark or picture for one friendship skill. Say your part as you add it: “I share.” “I notice feelings.” “I belong.” “I help.”
  5. Close (5 min). Stand together and look at what we made. Many hands, one picture — like many friends, one caring group. We are friends.

Differentiation

  • Support: Offer picture cards of the four skills to point to instead of naming.
  • Extension: Invite learners to make a small “how to be a friend” book showing all four skills with an example of each.

Assessment

  • Summative (observation): Can the learner show each friendship skill — taking a turn, naming a feeling, naming a community, helping — in word or action?
  • Artifact (portfolio): The shared “we are friends” banner (or a photo of it) and each learner’s contribution.

Resources

Home connection

With your family, make a small “friendship circle” — each person draws or names one way they share, notice feelings, belong, or help. Put them together.