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All 4 Each: A Unit to Empower Co-operative Consciousness

Lesson 2: Principles into Practice

Personal voice has an impact on how a business, company, or organization is run, and is built into the system of co‑operatives. By using a series of student-created skits that investigate both contemporary and historical conditions in which people fought to address the issues of their day, this lesson will allow students to explore the value of putting the Co‑operative Principles into practice.

The Plan
1. Review the Co‑operative Principles from the previous lesson. Ask students which ones they felt were most important, and if they would change any of the principles or add ones to the list.

2. Tell students that they will be creating and performing skits about historical and present-day circumstances that motivated the creation of co‑operatives. Assign one student to the role of narrator, and break remaining students into four groups.

3. Give each group one of the Co-operative Pioneer Scenarios to present. Allow groups time to create a 2–5 minute skit that outlines the problems people faced and the solutions that they created.

4. Give the narrator a copy of the Narrator’s Script. Their job is to introduce the play and to keep it moving briskly. To prepare, the narrator can practice the script, arrange classroom furniture to create a stage area, and ensure each group knows the order in which they will present.

5. Have groups present skits. The narrator will begin with their script, and when cued by the narrator each group will quickly enter the stage area to present.

6. After every group has performed, initiate a class discussion around how co‑operatives helped to solve each group’s problems. Guiding questions could focus on the Co‑operative Principles and the obstacles and benefits of working together.

Narrator's Script

Handout

Co-operative Pioneer Scenarios

Handout

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