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Karen DiFatta’s Fantabulous Website |
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Awareness A Lesson
Plan Using INTRODUCTION This lesson has been
designed and used for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades within a Middle
School environment. This lesson is
entitled Awareness and introduces
students of any academic or recreational discipline to the ways in which
words and actions impact people positively and negatively. The software program that
will be used to compliment the concepts in this lesson as an assessment tool
is Hollywood High. Hollywood
High was created and developed as a screenplay writing tool. For the purposes of this lesson, it will be
used to write scenarios in which the characters say and do things that will
impact the other characters negatively or positively, and illustrate the
understanding of today’s lesson. It is my experience that
this lesson is most effective when done in a group setting away from the
physical barriers and restrictions of desks or tables. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
OF THE LESSON Student
Learning Outcomes include the following. -The importance of creating a
safe space in the classroom -What we verbally or
non-verbally say or do that positively impacts another -How positive reinforcement
impacts another -What we verbally or
non-verbally say or do that negatively impacts another -How negative reinforcement
impacts another -The difference between
intentions of messages vs. their interpretation -The concept of perception as
reality INSTRUCTION MATERIALS For
this lesson it is helpful to have the following materials. -A dry-erase or a chalk board to display answers
generated by class discussion -Paper and writing utensils -Computers installed with Hollywood High LESSON SEQUENCE The following section has discussion questions in
bold that should be asked by the teacher or workshop facilitator. The answers listed beneath are not
all-inclusive of possible answers to the questions, but should be covered
somehow during discussion. Why is it important to create a
safe space in the classroom? -You and others need to feel comfortable trying new
things. -You can be yourself and allow others to be who they
are and want to be. What might we say or do to
positively impact another person? Verbally:
“Congratulations!” Compliment Laugh appropriately “Nice job!” Congratulate Nonverbally:
(NOTE: Address the meaning of non-verbal as communicating without vocal
language.) Clap Nod
head Thumbs up **Smile** How does that positive reinforcement
affect you/others?
-Makes other person and thus
you feel good. -It establishes/raises self
esteem. -It creates/strengthens a
friendship/relationship. What might we say or do that may
negatively impact another person? Verbally:
“No.” “So
what?” Mumble “Whatever.” Use
a loud voice Sarcasm “Umm…” Make
excuse Cry “Why?”
Laugh Insult Nonverbally:
Roll
eyes Walk
away Ignore
Shake
head Cold
shoulder Not
listen
Stomp
feet Stick out tongue
Stare
“L”
for Loser Middle
finger Aggression
Make
face
Examples for Discussion Scenario: You are
really, REALLY excited because your parents said you could ask a friend to Impact: -You may try
to hide disappointment to “save face” or try act cool. -What happens if you agree with your friend and/or
“back peddle?” Scenario: Teacher
calls on you to answer a question.
He/she gets impatient waiting for the answer. He/she is sarcastic and ridicules you for
not having correct answer. Impact: -You may be
embarrassed, angry, or look for ways to “save face?” -You
may get a bad grade in that class because you lose respect for the teacher
and wanting to participate. -Long
term: How may it impact your desire to participate in the future? Possible Messages Practice
various ways to say the following. (example: angry, curious, excited,
nervous) Hello. /
Hello? / Hello!
/ HELLO!! How
are you? / How are
you? / How are
you? /
How are you? She’s special. He’s
my little brother. Discuss what
participants tried to express and how their messages were interpreted. Discuss the
impact of miscommunication on the speaker and the listener. Discuss the
following questions. How can we be sure of the way we understood the
message? How are we sure others understood our message? How often may we/others misinterpret the message? Examples for Discussion Scenario: It is the
first week of school. When walking
down the hall you see a person you met yesterday. You look at him/her to smile and say
hi. He/she looks at you, looks away,
and keeps walking down the hall. Interpretations: -He she
doesn’t like you and didn’t want to say hi. -She is embarrassed because he/she doesn’t remember
your name. Instead of
getting it wrong, he/she tries to pretend he/she didn’t see you. -He forgot to put in his contacts and didn’t see
you. -She is trying so hard to find her classroom that
everything else is a blur. Scenario: The school
dance is coming up and you work up the nerve to ask your crush to go with
you. He/she says no. Interpretations: -He was
embarrassed or maybe thought you were asking her as a joke. -She wouldn’t be caught dead with you. -She can’t go to the dance so she can’t go with
anyone. It’s not personal. -Someone else
already asked him. What are perceptions? Consider
that life is a series of first impressions- snapshots that send a
message. The
“audience” continually interprets those messages. When we think of an “audience” we think of the
people watching a performance, movie, etc.
But, consider that you are continually in an “audience” and that
audiences continually surround you. An
audience’s interpretation of a message is based upon how they perceived the
message. A
perception can become someone’s reality.
Therefore, be careful with how you communicate-
intentionally, non-intentionally, verbally, and non-verbally, actively, and
passively. Class Activity - What is Awareness?
Spell A W A R E N E S S on the board
vertically. Ask the participants to come
up with adjectives, actions, and other ideas, that can be used in association
with this lesson and illustrating its objectives. Write across the top “Be Aware of Your…” (NOTE: You may choose a title more
specific to your classroom or lesson objective. Some examples of answers are listed for
you.) Be Aware
of Your… A W words A actions R E emotions N E energy S S situation EVALUATION OR ASSESSMENT The
following are assignments that can be used as tools to assess students’
comprehension and application of lesson concepts. Before
presenting either assignment, be sure to provide the participants with a
visual or handout to remind them of the concepts discussed in the class or
workshop. The following are
suggestions. -Practice
being “aware”. -Listen
to the voice in your head when you watch others react to what you say and do. -Listen
to the voice in your head when you listen and watch others when they talk to
you. -Jot
down what you “hear”. -Remember the impact of perceptions and
forgiveness. Awareness Poster
Copy “Be Aware of Your…” into your notebook or onto
a piece of paper. At home, recreate
the ideas that were established in class or feel free to write your own. Use the computer or poster board to create
a flyer or poster. Be sure to illustrate
with pictures, or other visual means, what the words mean and what you have
learned today. Be prepared to show
your project to the class tomorrow, and discuss your artistic choices. Using the software program Hollywood High, create a scenario that demonstrates what you have
learned today in class. Be sure to
illustrate the impacts on both the speaker and the listener when the message
is heard and understood appropriately or not.
Make use of the non-verbal actions that the characters may do to
clarify their intentions. Be prepared
to come to class tomorrow, and show your assignment on the big screen in
“theater” mode, or print out the script to perform it with another classmate. Journal
Entry (NOTE: This
assignment can only be done if the teacher/facilitator agrees to keep the
entries confidential. Be sure to
communicate that journals will be
shared only if the students are comfortable and want to do so
themselves. The journals are a good
way for you to communicate effectively with the student on a one-to-one
basis. Sometimes this lesson hits a
very sensitive nerve in the students, and this journal is the opportunity to
discuss some of those reactions and emotions in a “safe” environment.) Reflect on what you have heard, seen, and learned
today. Name and discuss an example or
scenario that impacted you today.
Consider if your eyes have been opened today to something that you may
do that you have never been aware of before today? Has one of these scenarios or examples happened
to you? What can you do on a regular
basis to positively impact the people around you? Chose one or more of these questions to
answer in detail. SUPPLEMENT MATERIALS Hollywood High is available through Amazon.com. If you are interested in more information
on or about the program, please read my Hollywood High Software
Review. If you have
difficulty installing the program, please visit read Hollywood High How-to Directions. Hollywood High can also be used to create the Scenarios under Examples
for Discussion. This
lesson plan is all-inclusive, but feel free to adjust the material to suit
the needs of your class/workshop and students/participants. Each class and workshop is unique and any
visuals or handouts that are created should be made with that thought in
mind. For questions, concerns, or
comments, please email me at kdifatta@sjc.edu. Thank you! |
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@ K. DiFatta | Last revised June 28,
2006 | email: kdinfinities@hotmail.com
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