Social Groups & Interaction Unit
$33.95
This unit explores social groups and interactions through a sociologist’s lens, investigating primary and secondary groups, statuses and roles, and the dangers of cults and social media.
By the end, students will be able to answer, “How do my social circles influence me?”
Description
This unit can be done well in 4-5 weeks and aligns with standards from various states. All student materials come in print-and-go PDF and editable Google files!
Included in this Social Groups & Interaction unit:
Overview Materials
- Teacher Unit Overview with general notes, links, standards, and a pacing guide
- Daily Lesson Plans with step-by-step details, planning, and lesson takeaways
- Detailed Answer Keys for each activity
- Student Unit Review and Skills handouts with self-checking questions and “I Can…” standards statements in student-friendly language
- Student Unit Notes sheet for building deep and nuanced mastery of concepts of the unit
- Editable Parent Permission form to inform families about sensitive topics that are covered in this unit
Student Activities
- My Identity Wheel: brainstorm their own social roles, statuses, and group memberships, annotating throughout the unit as concepts are learned
- Crash Course Guided Notes: provide an overview of concepts with this video lecture and embedded “pause and talk” real-world application tasks
- My Statuses & Roles: deep-dive into the nuances and implications of the mix of roles and statues any one person holds, reflecting on own and fictional characters
- Pilot Episode Preview: view the first episode of a sit-com of your choice for the roles characters play, then students watch their own
- Moreno’s Socioograms: analyze visual depictions of the social connections within various grad-school classrooms
- My Social Network Project: reflect on one’s unique collection of primary and secondary social groups and their influences on one’s own life
- Third Place Case Study: explore the importance of third places in society, their slow decline, and what that has meant for social interaction
- Are You Average?: reflect on your own social media usage and compare it with Pew Research survey data, then create a poll to survey your school
- The Social Dilemma: watch and reflect on this powerful Netflix docu-drama film on how social media really works (at least according to some former insiders)
- Social Media Discussion: closely examine, discuss, and reflect on various ways social media is altering our interactions, applying sociological concepts
- What’s Your Role?: learn about various healthy group leadership roles and practice them in a challenge to brainstorm solutions to a problem
- Let’s Be Functional: explore different unhealthy group behaviors and functions and brainstorm ways to transform them into healthier ones
- Hazing Case Study: investigate and discuss the influence of groupthink and peer pressure on an all-too-common problem of high school sports hazing
- Inside Jonestown: watch the PBS documentary, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, and reflect on one of the most infamous examples of a group becoming an unhealthy cult–the Peoples Temple
Lecture Kit
- 135-Slide Deck: introduce concepts with images and real-life examples; broken into four 30-45-minute lectures to deliver throughout the unit
- Guided Notes & Quizzes: support and assess learning with these no-prep tools
Assessments:
- Open-Ended Essay: encapsulate understanding of concepts by forming a personalized and supported answer to the not-so-simple question, “How do my social circles influence me?”
- Short Answer Test Questions: succinctly assess students’ mastery of concepts and application to the real world and their own lives
- Sociologist’s Journal: builds deep reflection on personal beliefs and experiences about concepts
This resource includes 143 PDF pages, plus Google files.
Note: this unit includes two full-length films (The Social Dilemma, available on Netflix, and Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple, available on YouTube), TV show pilot episodes of your choice, and various news articles. Scissors, glue, and basic classroom supplies are needed for other activities.
What grades is this intended for?
This was designed for an upper high school level course.
Can I use this in a homeschooling setting?
Sure! Everything in this kit can still be used in a solo or a small-group setting.
Is this editable? What file types does this resource come in?
The main resource is a secured, non-editable PDF file intended to be printed.
Included are links to editable Google files, to customize to your classroom needs and assign digitally if you choose.
What standards does this address?
Several! Standards vary, but this resource supports these from various states:
- Define, describe, and give examples of key components of social groups, including primary/secondary groups, informal/formal groups, status, role, groupthink, and cult
- Analyze how group expectations can lead to role strain and conflict and how status inconsistencies develop
- Compare different types of leadership styles and group dynamics, and analyze how members can influence groups
- Investigate, question, and discuss current social issues that relate to sociological topics
- Analyze unhealthy group interactions and issues that can arise like hazing and cults
- Analyze and evaluate the role technology and social media are playing in people's ability to interact socially
What are the terms of use for this resource?
This resource, including all ancillary files, may be used as needed for regular, non-commercial single-classroom use between a teacher and their students.
This includes printing copies and sharing digital files with students through a secure platform, like Google Classroom or Canvas, email, or a classroom-only shared drive.
The using and sharing of any part of this resource in any manner outside the above-mentioned capacity is strictly prohibited. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to,
- posting files on the open internet or in a Facebook group
- emailing files to or sharing print copies with others (without purchasing additional licenses)
- uploading or storing files in a shared cloud drive accessible by anyone other than students
- including any part, or any derivative work, within any commercial endeavor like curriculum development, professional training, or for-profit teaching like Outschool, or selling this resource as your own in either print or digital formats
Doing so violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), copyright law, and these terms.
By downloading this resource from Let’s Cultivate Greatness, the original user has been granted one license for a single teacher (or number of teachers matching the number of licenses purchased) and their students at any one time.
Let’s Cultivate Greatness retains the full copyright of this resource.
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Great resource. The pacing was easy to follow and helped my students truly understand these concepts more than the readings I have used in the past. - Nicole M.
There are so many great options for instruction and activities. Great materials--thank you for putting this resource together! - Allison L.
