Transcription of Lesson Plan: Peer Pressure - web.wnlsd.ca
1 Lesson plan : peer Pressure Outcomes: 1. Analyze the influence of peers and values on decision making. 2. Develop strategies to cope with peer Pressure . Time: 60 minutes Preparation: Identify 1 or 2 students considered to be leaders by classmates. Materials: Bowl of treats (pieces of fruit, candies, or cookies). Activity: Place a bowl of treats on a desk at the front of the classroom. Assign students a small task to keep them occupied. Before leaving the room, ask students not to eat any of the treats explaining that they are for a Lesson later in the day. Prior to commencing this Lesson , confidentially speak to your identified classroom leader(s). Ask them to defy your instructions and sneak treats from the bowl. Suggest that as they sneak the treats, they use statements such as, He/ she will never notice! . or Do you think he/she counted them? . To complete the Lesson , try to catch students in the act or continue with other work until students confess.
2 Important! Explain to the class that you asked the student(s) to initiate the sneaking. Tell them that this was planned to demonstrate peer Pressure . Your class should understand that their classmate(s) was defying you to assist in a demonstration only. Your assisting student must be cleared by peers of any wrongdoing. Discussion: Explain that this exercise was a peer Pressure demonstration. Ask the students why they chose to participate (or not participate) in sneaking treats. Discuss examples of other peer Pressure situations. Ask students to imagine the treats had been cigarettes. Would they have been pressured to try it? How would students react if an older junior or senior high student had pressured them? Consider possible pressures they may experience in junior and senior high school. Students can discuss techniques they can use to avoid feeling pressured by older kids. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. Instruct them to create short skits when they could be pressured by peers and role play some refusal strategies they have developed.
3 Variations: - Any type of treat could be used (fruit tray, cookies). - The assisting student(s) could be from another higher grade. - Have students prepare skits for younger students in lower grades.
