KEY INFORMATION

Recommended age group: 12–13
Time required: one 45–60 minute session
Equipment: Golden Rules activity sheets.


ACTIVITY IDEA

This lesson will use role play to examine how fair play can support young people's rights in competitive sport and play situations. Young people will act out one of the role play situations they are provided with. They will reflect on how they have been affected by fair play and help each other to provide positive solutions. Young people will be able to model values of respect and friendship and relate to dilemmas in a practical way. They will be given the opportunity to develop communication skills, present and respond to fair play situations. This lesson will help young people understand the importance of respect and give them the opportunity to distinguish between disrespectful and respectful behaviour. This is a fun activity which will foster creativity and teamwork.

Part 1 – discussion

The teacher should share the following example:
"Lauren is taking part in the regional hockey tournament. She watched her team mate out her hockey stick out to trip up another player from the opposite team. No one notices, and the game continues."

As a class discuss the following: 

  • What was happening?
  • Who was involved?
  • What's fair or not fair about the situation?
  • How do you think certain characters might be feeling in their situation?
  • What consequences should be given and why?
  • Who should give these consequences?
  • Explain that as a group they are going to be focusing on sporting scenarios, acting them out and then discussing them.

Part 2 – role play

Working as a pair or in a small group, give young people each a different Role play scenario card.

  1. Young people must discuss and prepare a role play about their dilemma and practice it over again.
  2. They must act out their scene to the class.
  3. The class must decide what the dilemma is, who is in the right and who is in the wrong. To engage the whole class in discussion young people will be asked to stand on a continuum line to display the strength of their feeling (e.g. acceptable to unacceptable, right to wrong). As a group, they must discuss any differences in opinion and then give an appropriate punishment or consequence for the role play they have witnessed.

Key questions can be asked after each role play is acted out such as:

  • What was happening?
  • Who was involved?
  • What's fair or not fair about the situation?
  • How do you think certain characters might be feeling in their situation?
  • What consequences should be given and why?
  • Who should give these consequences?

Extension

  • Ask young people to act out their own unsporting behaviour scenario as they did for the pre-determined scenarios.
  • Based on the scenarios and any other examples you have experienced, write a continuum list from the most respectful to least respectful behaviours. Share your list with a partner or in a small group. Do you all agree? Which behaviours do you have differing views on? Why?