Lesson 6 — Proposing a Rule With a Reason

Summary

Learners move from explaining rules to proposing one. They choose a shared space, draft a rule for it, and give the “so that…” reason. A fair rule is one whose reason everyone can hear — made with the group, not handed down to it.

Objectives

• Explain how rules keep a group safe and fair and propose a rule for a shared space with a reason. (D09.S3.03.01) — this lesson focuses on proposing a rule for a shared space with a reason; Lesson 5 focused on explaining how rules keep a group safe and fair.

Connection

Think of a shared space you use every day — a classroom, a playground, a library, a garden, a water pump, a bus stop. What is one problem there? Maybe everyone grabs at once, or someone is always left waiting. You can propose a rule to fix it: “At the swing, the rule is wait your turn, so that everyone gets a turn, not just the fastest.” The rule and its reason go together. People everywhere propose rules this way — a village agrees when to water the field, a class agrees how to share the books, a family agrees who clears the table. Today you will propose a rule of your own, with a reason.

Materials

• A “propose a rule” page (my shared space, my rule, my reason — “so that…”)
• A shared-space picture set (classroom, playground, library, garden, water pump, bus stop)
• Crayons and drawing tools

Preparation

• Prepare the “propose a rule” page with three prompts, or draw it on paper, cloth, or the ground.
• Prepare the shared-space pictures; arrange a circle for sharing proposals.

Facilitator note

Written to the learner (“you”). This lesson lets learners author rules rather than only receive them — an egalitarian, civic act. The structure is a simple worked example: (1) name the shared space, (2) name the rule, (3) give the “so that…” reason. Model it fully once, then let each learner draft their own. Emphasize that a rule gains its fairness from its reason — a reason that everyone, not just the proposer, can hear and accept. Hold open the question of whether the group would actually agree to the rule; a proposed rule is a suggestion to the group, not a command. A learner who does not speak aloud fills the page by pointing to a picture and to their rule and reason, or signs; a learner who is deaf or hard of hearing drafts through sign and pictures; a learner who is blind or low-vision states the space, rule, and reason aloud and has them written down; a learner with a motor difference can direct a partner to write or draw. A learner may always pass. The goal is a real proposal — “In the ___, my rule is ___, so that ___” — in the learner’s own words.

Procedure

1. Gather (5 min). Think of a shared space you know and one small problem in it. What rule could help?
2. Meet “propose a rule” (10 min). To propose a rule is to suggest it to the group. A strong proposal has three parts: the shared space, the rule, and the reason — a “so that…” that shows how it keeps everyone safe or fair.
3. Hear a model (10 min). Listen to (or build) one model: “In the garden, the rule is water only your own row first, so that everyone’s plants get water before anyone takes extra.” Name the three parts.
4. Propose your rule (15 min). On your page, choose a shared space, write or draw your rule, and write or tell the reason. Share your proposal with a partner — say the rule and its “so that…” and listen to theirs. A learner who does not write can point, sign, or have a partner scribe while they direct.
5. Close (5 min). A fair rule is one whose reason everyone can hear. You can propose a rule — and explain why.

Differentiation

• Support: Use a sentence frame (“In the ___, the rule is ___, so that ___”) and model it once; a non-speaking learner points to a picture for each blank; a learner with limited movement directs a partner.
• Extension: Invite learners to propose two rules for the same space and wonder which the group would more likely accept, and why the reason matters.

Assessment

• Formative (observation): Can the learner propose a rule for a shared space and give a reason?
• Artifact (portfolio): The learner’s “propose a rule” page (or a built, acted, or partner-scribed version), kept as a portfolio artifact.

Home connection

At home, propose one rule for a shared family space (the table, the yard, the bathroom) and give its “so that…” reason. Ask your family if they would agree to it.

Resources

• CASEL SEL Framework (responsible decision-making): https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
• The idea that a rule’s fairness lives in its shareable reason is a plain-language form of “public reason,” adapted for children from civic thought.