Respecting others and ourselves through healthy communication and behaviors.

PositionLESSON & ACTIVITY

Time Required: One 40-minute class period (includes one work sheet). More time for additional work sheet activity, plus time for optional reinforcement/wrap-up activities.

Levels: This poster/teaching guide is flexibly designed with two student work sheets that cover a wide range of communication issues and scenarios for grades 6-12. The program can be used with one or both work sheets as appropriate for individual classrooms. The first work sheet is a basic introduction to peer communication, including in unhealthy situations. The second work sheet is more advanced and expands into dating violence and drug use.

Cautionary Note: Some scenario topics (drug use and dating violence) may be sensitive, so please read through all content to determine topic appropriateness for your classroom.

Reminder: Before hanging the poster, be sure to copy the materials on the poster back.

PART 1 | Poster Discussions

Hang the poster and use it to engage students in a conversation about what respect means and why it is important. Revisit the questions when wrapping up the activity to give students an opportunity to expand on their original answers using what they have learned. Recommended discussion questions include:

  1. Which chat boxes on the front of the poster are related to respecting others? What are other ways people show respect for others?

  2. How is the way you talk to others related to respect?

  3. Which chat boxes on the front of the poster are related to self-respect? What are other ways people respect themselves?

  4. How are healthy behaviors, e.g., not using drugs, related to self-respect?

  5. How are respecting others and self-respect related to dating?

PART 2 | Group Activity and Work Sheet

* Display the following definitions of respect and healthy communication.

** Respect: Treating all people (including yourself as well as people with whom you disagree) in a way that demonstrates that all people are important and that their feelings and thoughts are valuable.

** Healthy communication: When communicating with another person, feeling heard, understood, and respected by the other person, as well as being able to listen, understand, and respect what the other person is saying.

* Group Activity: This activity presents students with statements that illustrate disrespectful ways of saying something or behaving so as to provide an opportunity to correct the disrespectful language or behavior. Students are asked to consider how particular language or...

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