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Discussing what it means to be fair and how to share with others.
Imagine you and your friend are both hungry, but your friend hasn't eaten all day and you just had a big lunch. If there is only one sandwich left, should you split it exactly in half, or should your friend get more?
Most people think equal and fair mean the same thing, but they are actually different! Equal means everyone gets the exact same thing. If you have cookies and your friend has cookies, that is equal. Fair means everyone gets what they need to succeed or be happy. Imagine if a teacher gave every student a pair of size shoes. That would be equal because everyone got the same size. But would it be fair? No! Some students have bigger feet and some have smaller feet. To be fair, the teacher should give everyone the size that fits them.
Quick Check
If three children of different heights are all given the same height stool to see over a wall, is this 'equal' or 'fair'?
Answer
It is equal, because they all received the same thing, even if the shortest child still can't see.
Sometimes, being equal can actually be unfair. We see this when people have different starting points. To fix an unfair situation, we have to look at what is missing. If one student has pencils and another has , giving them both more pencil is equal ( and ), but it doesn't fix the problem. A fair solution would be to share the pencils so both have enough to do their work. Being fair means being a problem solver who looks at the needs of others.
1. There are pieces of paper for students. 2. Student A already has a full sketchbook. 3. Student B has no paper at all. 4. An equal split is papers each. 5. A fair split might be giving Student B papers and Student A papers, because Student B needs them more to finish the lesson.
Quick Check
You have two friends. One has a broken bike and one has a perfect bike. You have one repair kit. Who should you give it to if you want to be fair?
Answer
You should give it to the friend with the broken bike because they are the one who needs it.
When we have a limited resource (something there isn't enough of for everyone to have as much as they want), we have to make choices. One way to be fair is the 'I Cut, You Choose' rule. If you are splitting a cake with a friend, you cut the cake into two pieces, and your friend gets to choose which piece they want first. This forces the cutter to be as equal as possible! However, if one person is much hungrier or hasn't eaten, a fair person might choose to give the bigger piece away on purpose.
1. You have oranges and friends. 2. Friend A is allergic to oranges. 3. Friend B loves oranges but forgot their lunch. 4. You are a little bit hungry. 5. A fair solution: Give oranges to Friend B (who is hungry) and keep for yourself. Friend A gets because oranges would make them sick!
If a coach gives a giant jersey to a small player and a tiny jersey to a tall player, this is:
Which of these is a FAIR way to share apples between a hungry child and a child who just ate?
True or False: Being fair always means everyone gets the exact same number of items.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the difference between the 'size 6 shoes' example and a 'fair' way to give out shoes.
Practice Activity
Next time you are sharing a snack with a sibling or friend, ask them: 'Are you really hungry, or just a little hungry?' and try to share based on their answer!