Lesson Plan : Reaching Out
Teacher Name: | Jennifer Simmonds |
Grade: | Grade 7-8 |
Subject: | Other |
Topic: | It is important to help students identify supportive people and resources. This lesson will focus on looking for helpful, trusting people students can talk to about their feelings and experiences. |
Content: | An important life skill for children and youth to learn is how to trust people. Unfortunately, this is oftentimes learned the hard way when someone they love breaks their trust or betrays them. If this happens a lot, eventually the child or youth may find it nearly impossible to trust anyone. |
Goals: | To address the issue of trust and help students recognize ways to trust other people who want to support and help them. |
Objectives: | Participants will: 1. Identify supportive people they trust and can talk to beyond the other group members. 2. Discuss trust and be able to define for themselves how to trust others. 3. Be affirmed as trustworthy people. |
Materials: | 1. Pencils, Permanent markers and/or crayons 2. Large sheets of newsprint or drawing paper 3. Create a handout entitled �Personal Protection Plan� (Allow space to write in answers or draw answers) 4. Flipchart or blackboard and chalk *Things I can do when I feel afraid: *Safe people I can turn to when I'm scared *Places I can go to feel safe: |
Introduction: | Say to the class: "It's important that we think of people that we can turn to for support when we need it. Who are the people in your life that you can trust and can to about your feelings?" |
Development: | Instruct students to trace their hand and to write the names of supportive people they can turn to inside the hand. There is no minimum or maximum number of people they should write. Participants can also decorate their hand using crayons or markers. Encourage participants to diversify their list by thinking of supportive people at school, in the home and in the community � people such as coaches, neighbors, and adults, as well as friends their own age. hen they�re finished writing and decorating their Helping Hand, have participants take turns sharing with the other group members the people they turn to for support. |
Practice: | Distribute the �My very own personal protection plan� to each student. Allow them several minutes to write out (or draw) their answers to the questions before they share them aloud with the group. Write on the flipchart or blackboard: �I can trust myself to trust others.� Ask the group members to respond to the following questions: 1. Who are the people you trust? 2. How do you know you can trust them? 3. How do you show you are trustworthy to other people? Give examples. 4. After somebody breaks your trust, can they ever get it back? How? How forgiving are you to someone who has broken your trust? 5. Why is it so important to have people in your life that you trust? |
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Closure: | Copy the trust affirmation so that each member of the class can have a copy. Ask the class to read the affirmation aloud together. TRUST AFFIRMATION: ♥ I believe that there is some good in everything that happens. ♥ I can trust others unless I have a good reason not to. ♥ I will allow trust to chase away my fears. ♥ I will look for the gift or lesson in painful experiences. ♥ I am trustworthy. Today I will keep my promises and be worthy of the trust others place in me. - Virtues Project |
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