Lesson
1
:

Learning Fairness from Literature

Grade

Grade 2

UNIT

7

Fairness

Last Updated:

June 5, 2025

Unit 7, Lesson 1, “Learning Fairness from Literature,” reinforces the vocabulary word fairness. Students will learn an example of fairness from a contemporary work of children’s literature. Additionally, students will write their own sentences about fairness. Finally, students will practice their reading and conversation skills by sharing their sentences with classmates.

SUGGESTED TIME:

20 minutes

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • Listen to a read aloud to reinforce understanding of English sentence structure, syntax, and grammar
  • Practice reading aloud to a partner to support reading comprehension 
  • Compose sentences about the text and about fairness
  • Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking 
  • Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

VOCABULARY:

  • Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.

ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5

Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7

Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.A

Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.C

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.D

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.E

Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.F

Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4.A

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8

Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.A

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.A

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.B

Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.B

Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.2

Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.6

Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Civic Character A

Know, understand, and practice the character strengths of fairness, respect, volunteering and contributing to the common good

Civic Character B

Apply and demonstrate the character strengths of fairness, respect, volunteering and contributing to the common good

Civic Character B1

Demonstrate the ability to share, take turns and follow rules (of a game, at home or school)

Civic Character B2

Demonstrate the ability to be respectful, courteous and polite

Self-Awareness A2

Identify personal strengths (e.g., honesty, curiosity, listening)

Self-Management A3

Explain the different ways people respond to problems and challenges (e.g., ask for help, try harder, learn from mistakes)

Social-Awareness A

Demonstrate the ability to empathize and take the perspective of others, including demonstrating awareness of cultural differences and respect for human dignity

Social-Awareness A1

Demonstrate the ability to understand what another person is feeling (e.g., happy, sad, disappointed, confused, angry)

Social-Awareness A3

Demonstrate the ability to listen carefully and intentionally to others

Social-Awareness A6

Be able to tell stories and listen to stories told by others

Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills 1

Initiate and engage in conversation and social interactions with classmates, peers, and adults

Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills 7

Play games and appropriately participate in small group classroom activities

Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making 1

Describe a rule or principle that everyone should strive to live by (e.g., be kind, be honest, try your best)

LESSON PROCEDURE

Today we will learn about fairness. 

  1. Ask students what fairness means.
  2. Tell students the definition of fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
  3. Divide students into groups with four students in each group. Give them a bowl filled with candy and tell them they have 5 minutes to find a way to divide it fairly. 
  4. Ask the groups if they found a fair solution. Why or why not? 
  5. Tell students we will be reading a book about fairness. Read the book: Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio and/or
  6. Play the video: Read aloud of Grace for President by Voices by Paul: Story Time (~7 min)
  7. Ask students the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the book.
  8. Ask students to explain how characters in the story responded to major events and challenges.
  9. Ask students to describe the overall structure of the story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
  10. Ask students to answer the questions on their worksheet.
  11. Ask students to read their sentences to a partner.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES - SUGGESTIONS

  • Talk with your students about times you have seen people demonstrating fairness. You could give examples of family, friends, and/or historical or current public figures.
  • Talk with your students about times when you have demonstrated fairness, despite hardships.

GRADE 2 UNIT 7 WORKSHEET 1: LEARNING FAIRNESS FROM LITERATURE

Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.

ACTIVITY: 

What did you learn about fairness from the book, Grace for President?

 

What is one way that you have shown fairness, in the past?

What is one way that you can show fairness, in the future?

Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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