TEACHING ARTS AND TRADES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Finger paint a picture* of people in your home, your friends, your neighbors and others.
• Draw a mindmap* showing 10 or more of your favourite people and their relationship to you.
• Write a song* celebrating one or more important social relationships in your life. Sing your song to the people mentioned within it.
• Write a poem* celebrating one or more important social relationships in your life. Read your poem to the people mentioned within it.
• Create a ceramic flower pot* and gift it to someone who is important to you.
• Learn to make a quilt or other meaningful piece of sewing*, and invite some others to make this piece together in celebration of your relationship (community, family, class…).
• Create a piece of jewelry* for someone special in your life.
• Create a performance art* celebrating all the positive relationships in your life. Give this performance.
• Create a visual art piece* celebrating all the positive relationships in your life. Display this piece.

• Make and/or decorate a clay plate* with pictures of your favourite people.
• Prepare and plant some seeds*, and when they are seedlings, give some of them away to people who are important to you. On a chart, keep track of who you give these plants to and what their relationship is to you (for example: friends, cousins, classmates, grandparents, teacher).
• Using computer software or by hand, create a collage* of photographs of people who are important to you in some way (taken by yourself). Arrange the photographs so that those who have the same social relationship to you are closer together (for example: pictures of cousins would form a cluster, and pictures of sports coaches would form another cluster).
• Cook a meal* for someone important in your life, and give them a card telling them how special your relationship with them is to you (friendship, familial relationship, mentorship, etc.).
• Think of someone important in your life. Give them a card* telling them how you appreciate your relationship with them (friendship, familiar relationship, teacher/coach-student, etc.) and ask if you can help them do some work around their house (cleaning, painting, gardening…). Then carry out this work to show your appreciation for this relationship.
• In a journal, record* how some older people have acted as role models for you in the past, such as your sports coach, older sibling, etc. Then think of one thing you are good at and would like to teach younger people, such as painting, baking, soccer, singing, nature walking). Offer to babysit some younger members of your community and/or extended family for an afternoon or evening, in which you will teach painting, baking or another skill then record this experience in your journal too.
• Cook a 4-course meal* for a small gathering of people important in your life (friends, relatives, coaches/teachers, neighbours, etc.).
• Create an amazing cake* using the theme of social relationships and share it with others at a barbeque, banquet or other gathering.

TEACHING ENGLISH WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Create a word cloud* of at least 10 polite words to use to improve social interactions (such as “please” and “thank you”). Share this list with others who have done the exercise and learn from one another.
• Write two short conversations*, one involving good listening and oral communication skills, and one involving poor listening and oral communication skills.
• Draw a comic strip* illustrating two short conversations, one involving good listening and oral communication skills, and one involving poor listening and oral communication skills.
• Research how to be a good friend. Then read a book or watch a movie, and analyze how certain people behaved as good friends and some did not. Write an essay* on your analysis, including reflections on your own friendships or relationships with similarly-aged persons.
• Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and/or Oliver Twist or any similar literary classic. Write an essay* analyzing what you have read with the biological approach, showing how it reflects the author’s beliefs, attitudes, culture and background, especially about social relationships. Also include your opinions and reflections on your social relationships.
• Write an autobiography*, including how various people and social relationships have been important in shaping you and your life story.
• Read at least 2 books with a diversity theme such as Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Write an essay* analyzing these books, including what you learned about interracial relations in society and your reflections. Also discuss how positive interracial and other relations can be developed.
• Read the English translations of two classical Russian works such as , Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons and Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Karamazov Brothers. Write an essay* analyzing these works, including the depiction of various types of relationships within these works and what the works say about how to have positive relationships versus negative ones.
• Read at least one piece of postcolonial literature from each continent, written by someone from that continent (for example: such as Edward Said’s Orientalism, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea from the Americas, Ayi Kwei Armah’s Two Thousand Seasons from the African continent). Write an essay* on postcolonial literature, using these sources as springboards for discussion. Include both your analysis and reflections, including those regarding social relationships and how they ideally should be.

TEACHING HEALTH WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• What is social health? Cut out at least three photos from magazines, newspapers, etc. that show good social health to you. Make a collage*.
• Write a paragraph* about being happy, laughing and/or having fun with some people in your life. What does this show you about the importance of social relationships?
• In social relationships, it is important to both be aware of and respect the needs of other people as well as one’s own needs and other people’s. Think of five relationships with others in your life and create Venn diagrams* for each one. Show how you have similar needs that can be met through interacting with one another and other needs that are met outside of that particular relationships. For example, A and B like taking singing lessons together, but A plays football with other kids and B plays tennis with another friend.
• Write a reflective piece* about the importance of taking care of one another in relationships, including examples from your life and the lives of those around you.
• Research what healthy friendships and relationships should be like. Write an essay* about this, sometimes using unhealthy examples to illustrate your points.
• Within any social relationship, people can have different opinions and feelings about different things, and there is a need to manage one’s feelings to foster social relationships. Write an essay* about how one should ideally be aware of one’s own thoughts and feelings within a social relationship and how to properly manage and express these. Include the importance of respecting and accepting the opinions and feelings of others. Use reflective examples from your own life and also fictional ones to illustrate your points.
• Create a workshop* for people of all ages on the importance of being an independent individual who is responsible for one’s own feelings and decisions, while at the same time, taking responsibility for how one’s actions affect the environment and others (both positively and negatively). If possible, deliver this workshop to some community members.

TEACHING MATH WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• To maintain good social relationships, it is important for one to be on time. Draw three cartoons with clocks*, showing how three scenarios turn out when one is on time and when one is late. (For example, in one cartoon, Anna can be waiting for Bob at a restaurant for their 12 o’clock lunch meeting, and then the rest of the cartoon can show how Anna appears at 12:30 and at 1:00 pm when Bob finally arrives).
• Sharing is important in social relationships. Make a list* of ten things that can be shared amongst friends equally, such as a pizza, and then indicate how much each person would receive (as a fraction), if you shared with some of your real-life friends, relatives, classmates, etc. (For example, if Lisa shared her apple with her two best friends, Peter and Anne, they would each get ⦜ of the apple). Make a poster* showing this.
• Write an essay* showing your knowledge of the mathematics of genetic relationships within an extended family.
• It is important to show appreciation for others. When going out for a meal in any country, it is important to show appreciation for the service received. In many countries this is shown by tipping the wait staff. Make a table* with 15 countries and indicate what percentage one should tip (if any) in that country and how much you should pay in each country for a $25.00 meal. Show your multiplication work. (A list of some countries is available here: http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2008-11-11/etiquette-101-tipping-guide.)
• In social relationships, it is important to understand the backgrounds of other people, including various factors associated with social inequality. Find out how much the minimum wage is in 25 different countries, and then create an equation to describe the relationship between how much a person would have to work that country to make the equivalent of one hour of minimum wage pay in your country. Also create an equation to describe the relationship between how much a person would have to work in your country to make the equivalent of one hour of minimum wage in another country. Show your results in a table*.
• Write a well-researched essay* showing your knowledge of game theory, which is a branch of applied mathematics, and what this means within social relationships.
• In social relationships, it is important to understand other people’s backgrounds. Present a paper* showing knowledge of the Lorenz Curve and the Gini Coefficient, or other relevant mathematical ideas that relate to this concept.

TEACHING SCIENCE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Find and draw pictures* of three examples of solitary animals and three examples of social animals.
• Research the stages of life of at least five different animals, and make a table* comparing these animals in terms of the following factors: which parent takes care of the young, how long parent(s) care for the young, whether or not the young stay with the parents after grown up. Add some of your own factors.
• Choose one social animal and create a poster presentation* describing the complex social relationships within groups of this animal (for example, bees).
• Choose two social animals and compose an essay*, comparing and contrasting factors related to social relationships, including but not limited to personality, shelter seeking, social learning, social networks, movement patterns, hunting/foraging, food sharing, reproduction.
• Create a presentation* explaining how natural selection has resulted in different forms of social organization. Use different animals of different types to illustrate your points.
• Write an essay* explaining how fluctuations in various animal populations affects their social relationships and behavior. Use different animals to illustrate your points.
• Produce a documentary* about how environmental pollution is changing the behavior of animals or group of animals, especially with relations to how it affects their social relationships.

• Draw a picture* showing the four seasons, along with a face for each season showing how you feel during that season. Think about if and why you feel differently during the different seasons.
• Create a diagram* explaining how a light bulb works and then imagine how life would be without having light bulbs at night. Brainstorm how having light bulbs changed social relationships and write these down.
• Create a diagram* showing how speed is calculated, and find out the average speed of some vehicles, such as boats. Underneath the diagram, write a short piece about how having such forms of travel have changed social relationships.
• Create a well-researched presentation* showing how different weather conditions arise and affect social relationships in humans.
• Write an essay* about a chemical compound, its discovery or creation, and how it changed the ways humans interact and social relationships. 
• Write an essay* about at at least one type of material that has been developed, including how it was developed, and how this material is important in shaping how humans live and human relations.
• Videotape a speech* explaining what nuclear energy is and how it has impacted humanity and social relationships, both positively and negatively.
• Create or develop* a new material that will shape how humans live and human relations. Include a description, possible prototype, explanations of how it is used and how it influences lives.

• Make a pie chart* showing the four seasons, and list at least one outdoor activity you like or would like to participate in with friends and/or family. If possible, include photographs of you and others doing these activities.
• Some people consider the solar system to be similar to a family. Read about each planet in the solar system and the Sun. Then think of family members, friends, or classmates that remind you of these in some way and draw the planets* as cartoons resembling these people. Don’t forget to include a planet for yourself. Explain to others why you chose each person for each planet or the Sun.
• Did you know that you can be “friends” with (supporters of) geological formations? Find one such organization, such as Friends of Red Rock Canyon and write a short report* about how the geology of the location and how volunteers provide assistance.
• Create a presentation* about plate tectonics and how they affect humans. Include information about at least three specific events and how people were affected, and how this may have or did affect their social relationships (e.g. displacement).
• Write an essay* about climate change and how humans are being affected. Include information about at least six specific events and how people were affected, and how this may have or did affect their social relationships (e.g. displacement).
• Choose at least two different countries or geographical locations. Write an essay* comparing and contrasting their natural resources and how differences in the composition of their natural resources have created different forms of social relationships (historically and present).
• Lead a discussion amongst experts* on the connection between ecology and human health, including social relationships and open source a video of the discussion on the internet.*

TEACHING SOCIAL SCIENCES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Create a word cloud* and write down at least five characteristics or social skills that you like in friends, family, or community members. Use this to think about how you can be an even better friend, family member, or community member.
• Think about your family and/or the family around you and the roles in those families for different members. Then interview at least one elderly person, such as a grandparent, and find out how families and familial roles were when they were younger. Do some additional research on how the roles within families have changed over the past 100 years and create a visual display*.
• Compare and contrast social relationships and hierarchies, in both the present and history, of at least two different cultures, from different continents. Create a presentation*.
• Write a reflective piece* on how you have benefited from your social relationships (within the family, community, friendships, society) and how you have contributed to those relationships. Include your plan on how to contribute more in the future to create win-win situations for yourself and others.
• Research what temperament means and different temperament traits. Create a visual project* on this topic, including how temperament affects social relationships and your own reflection.
• All social relationships require certain social skills, such as expressing gratitude, being polite, compromising and negotiating.Create a manual* about various social skills necessary in fostering smooth, mutually beneficial relationships with others. Include your own reflection of how you have behaved in the past and any room for improvement in the future.
• What does having a nice personality mean? Write a middle school level textbook* on this topic, contrasting nice personality traits with examples of personality disorders and how certain personality traits are detrimental to social relationships. Nobody is perfect, so include reflections on how you could consciously develop certain aspects of your own personality and what effect this would have on your social relationships.

• Learn five words for roles within a family or community.
• Learn to write ten words for different types of social relationships and roles within these relationships.
• Read a fictional piece about friendships or families at your reading level.
• Write a story* about friendships, communities or families.
• Compose a new piece of literature* using the theme of social relationships.
• Read at least two classical works related to social relationships and then write a report* comparing and contrasting the social relationships in the works read, taking into account different historical contexts.
• Write a research paper* about your chosen aspect of social relationships, using previous research papers (in the language you are studying) as references.

TEACHING TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Looking at the adults around you, what are their favorite ways of communicating with one another? What technology do they use? Have a discussion* with 2 different adults about this.
• With permission, learn to use email and/or smartphones to send a message* to another family member or friend from an adult’s phone.
• Brainstorm ways to use the Internet as a resource for assisting in your social relationships. Choose the top five on your list and learn to use those resources to solve real-life issues associated with social relationships (e.g. finding a restaurant for a birthday dinner, collecting and tallying votes for where to have the next bowling game). Write a one page reflection piece* about the experience.
• Explore graphic design, photo editing, and digital photography software. Then ask to photograph an event (e.g. a cousin’s birthday party) and document all the social relationships you see at that event. Use all the software skills you want to create a digital presentation/representation* of that event and the participants’ social relationships.
• Investigate social interaction systems (e.g. in person, electronic, and social media). What are their pros and cons? Illustrate* with examples from your own personal use of these systems.
  
• Explore the development of various types of home technologies and how they have changed roles within families, communities, and societies. Include state-of-the-art technologies you have found, even if they have not become available to most of the public yet. Write a free share paper* on your results.
• How has travel and transport developed over the past 100+ years? Make a videotaped presentation* about this topic, including how these developments were predicted to change social relationships and how they have actually done so.

• While two or more adults are having a conversation, focus on the relationship between the adults, proximity to other adults outside of the conversation and situation while being aware of the conversation. Talk* to the adults about your experience.
• Think about five family members, friends, or others in your community and note down in a journal*any thoughts or feelings that arise with each one.
• Find out what identity, values, and belief constructs are. Then create a table* and list entries for your family, friendship groups, and community (i.e. What do you think your family’s identity is?).
• Study different values/needs hierarchies, such as Maslow’s hierarchies of needs and Clare Graves’s Level of Existence theory. Choose ten people within your social network (family, friends, colleagues, schoolmates, etc.) and then list how you fulfill one or more of their needs and how they fulfill one or more of your needs. Write a five to ten page report* on this.
• Choose two learning systems (e.g. Montessori and Waldorff). Then in a short essay* compare and contrast the two, especially what beliefs about social relationships they have (e.g. children’s place in social relationships, how adults should be in society).
• Choose a philosopher/thinker/theorist and explore their writings and teachings to do with social relationships. Do you agree or disagree with their position? Videotape a speech* on this and open source on the web.
• Research and reflect on how the mass distribution of written communication has changed social relationships, including people’s relationships to religions and spirituality. Lead a symposium* on this.

TEACHING VALUES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Draw a gratitude jar and write down* ten people or things in your life you are grateful for. Think about why you are specifically grateful for those people or things, and in the case of things, who gave you those things.
• Draw a gratitude jar and write down ten people or things in your life you are grateful for. Think about why you are specifically grateful for those people or things, and in the case of things, who gave you those things.
• Think about balancing individuality and social connection with others in a healthy way (e.g. by setting healthy boundaries). Write a reflective piece*.
• Think about the need for emotional mastery and mindfulness, both for the well-being of individuals and of communities. Over one week, keep a journal* about this topic, including your emotions, personal work on yourself, and goals in this area.
• Write a reflective piece* about respecting others and respecting oneself. What does respect mean? Include both reflections of past social relationships or situations and what is happening in your life at this moment.
• What is personal social responsibility and engagement in the lives of others? Research what others have to say on this topic. Then write an essay*, showing critical thinking and your own opinions. Include how you personally plan for the future in this regard.
• Do some research on what social theorists have to say about power and control with social relationships. Create an informative booklet of cartoons* illustrating what healthy social relationships, including romantic relationships and friendships, look like versus what unhealthy ones look like (e.g. violence, abuse). Then ask if you can share this booklet with youth in your community, such as by making it available at a community center.