Anger Management

Level
Grade 8

Teaching with the End in Mind
Students will learn about passive, aggressive, and assertive communication styles. Students will complete handouts and by play a game of trash can basketball using I statements. Finally, students will create a chart as a group activity to better analyze their Current ability to apply strategies to avoid or manage stress and conflict.

Key Concepts
Bullying
Passive, aggressive, and assertive communication
Assertive behavior

Standards
10.3.9.C Analyze and apply strategies to avoid or manage conflict and violence during adolescence *assertive behavior

2.7.8.B Present the results of an experiment using visual representations (e.g., tables, charts, graphs).

Objectives
-Students will define strategies to avoid or manage conflict

-Students will apply assertive statements (I statements) to avoid or manage conflict.

-Students will graph their level of assertive behaviors.

-Students will analyze statements to determine if they are passive, aggressive, or assertive.

Content
Activate prior knowledge
Question: Can any one of you think back to the last time someone picked on you, someone picked on one of your friends, or someone in your class was picked on?

Define Bullying.
-Bullying is not a physical fight between two people of roughly equal strength. Bullying is also not the friendly back and forth teasing that sometimes takes place between friends. Bullying is aggressive behavior or intentional “harm doing” by one person or group that is carried out repeatedly and targeted toward someone who is less powerful.
-Bullying can be:
Physical attacks- hitting, kicking, pushing, choking
Verbal attacks or harassment- name calling, threatening, taunting, malicious teasing, rumor spreading, slandering
Social exclusion- intentional exclusion, making faces, obscene gestures, manipulating friendships/relationships

Explain relevance of bullying
-Of children in sixth through tenth grades nearly one in six are victims of bullying each year. Research shows that half or more of all bullying can be prevented.
Frequently bullied students are proven to be at greater risk of depression. 26% of frequently bullied girls are likely to become moderately to severely depressed and 16% of frequently bullied boys also have a significantly greater chance of moderate to severe depression. (Refer to graph)

Explain Assertive, passive, and aggressive communication styles.
-Assertiveness is a very important component of good communication. Assertive people say what they think and stand up for what they believe, want, or need without hurting other people or denying the rights of others.
-Passive people will do something they do not want to do or make up an excuse rather than tell others how they really feel.
-Aggressive people will overreact to situations, blame or criticize others, and may even physically attack other people, with no consideration of the others rights.
(Use key words bully, wimp, thinker)

Steps to being assertive
-The first step in being assertive is to state your position. If you want to refuse to do something the first step is saying no. If you are questioning if someone does or does not do something, the first step is stating what the problem is or what has to be changed. If you want to express your thoughts or opinions about something, the first step is making a statement about what you think and how you feel. This is called an I statement.
-I statements allow you to state your opinion without putting another person down. They also allow you to take responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings without blaming others.

-The second step in being assertive is offering a reason or explanation. This step is not always necessary. It sometimes is important, however, to explain the reason behind your position so that the other person better understands your perspective.

-Finally, the third step in being assertive is acknowledging the other person’s feelings. Being assertive involves communicating thoughts and feelings honestly, without threatening or harming others. Choosing words carefully and trying to understand what the other person could be feeling is critical to positive communication.

Learning Activities
-Activate prior knowledge with question about bullying from content.

-Lecture of content with transparency “Communication Transparency #4.”

-Trash-can Basketball
-For this activity use handouts “Passive, aggressive, or assertive, and I Statements” as a guide
The object of the game is to score more points by shooting a small size ball into a trash can. In order to be able to shoot the ball a student must answer a question for their team correctly when it is their turn for a question.
Both correct responses and baskets can be marked on the chalkboard.
Directions
Set the trash can or container about ten feet from the shooting line.
Divide the class into equal teams (small groups of three or four.
In the first round ask the students to define statements as passive, aggressive, or assertive. Be sure to rotate through all students of each team.
In round two ask the students to change a passive or aggressive statement to an assertive statement.
Remember if a student responds correctly they have a chance to shoot at the basket to earn more points for their team.
Students can slam-dunk one point (one step form the basket), shoot for two (two big steps from the basket, or shoot for three (three big steps from the basket which should also be the line that was set up.

-Letting the air out
Explain to students that the ball that bounces represents life’s ups and downs. Further explain that the ball relates well to people in that during life’s ups and downs we usually bounce back as long as we express our feelings in healthy ways
Now release the air from the ball and explain that the air being let out of the ball represents hurt feelings or anger. Explain that the hurt can be emotional, social, physical, or mental (psychological). Explain that the ball was unable to let its feelings of anger out in a healthy way and its ability to bounce back was seriously affected. Explain that hidden anger can result in depression or in some cases suicide.
Explain that anger expressed in healthful ways has the opposite effect and illustrate this by patching the ball with a patch or by pumping up the ball. Explain that everyone experiences difficulties and misfortunes. However the response to these misfortunes determines whether a person maintains a positive health status.
Show the students the part of the ball that has been patched and explain that the scar from a misfortune may still exist even after a person regains their resiliency. .


-Worksheet: “Am I Assertive”

Students in small groups will create a bar graph with the information that they collect from the worksheet “Am I Assertive?”.

Culminating Experience
Students bar graphs should be displayed in the classroom and as students are cleaning up they could use I statements to determine who should put the art materials away. This would also be possibly an opportunity to identify other passive or aggressive statements.

Assessment
Learning activity
Trash-can Basketball
Concept: Analyze and apply strategies to manage conflict
-In round one and two of the game evaluate student responses to the questions during the activity. Correct responses will earn team points and be marked of the chalkboard.

Advanced- responses with all of the correct communication styles and I statements that allow you to clearly understand their perspective.

Proficient- responses with accurate communication styles and their I statements are clear.

Unsatisfactory- responds incorrectly incomplete, vague, or inaccurate I statements.

Culminating activity
Student bar graphs
Concept: Present the results of an experiment using a graph.

Advanced- The graph is fully developed and accurate. Worksheets are complete showing depth of information.

Proficient- Graphs are partially developed and somewhat accurate. Worksheets are complete.

Unsatisfactory- Graphs are unclear and collected data is poorly displayed.

Modification

Students that need additional help could be given a choice between two answers with a greater use of body language during the question statement.

Advanced students could reword the question statement during the activity to change the communication style.

Materials and Preparation

Overhead transparency communication transparency
Worksheet “Am I Assertive?”
Worksheet “Passive, Aggressive, or Assertive
Worksheet “I Statements”
Trash can and small air filled ball
Chalkboard and chalk
Graphing paper and art materials or markers


Time

One to two 40 min. classes



References

• Meeks, L., Heit, P, &Page, R. (1995). Violence Prevention “Totally Awesome Teaching Strategies for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.” Columbus, OH. McGraw Hill.

• Fetro J. (2000). Personal and Social Skills Level 2. Santa Cruz CA. ETR associates.

• Tillman K., Toner P.. (1990). How To Survive Teaching Health games, activities, and worksheets for grades 4-12. West Nyack NJ. Parker Publishing Co.

• Toner P.. (1993). Relationships and Communication Activities. Paramus NJ. The Center For Applied Research in Education.

• Fox j., Elliott D., Kerlikowske R., Newman S., Christeson W.. (2003). Bullying

Prevention Is Crime Prevention A report by Fight Crime: Invest In Kids.

www.fight crime.org. Retrieved August 1st 2007.

• University of Colorado at Boulder. (2004). Safe Schools Fact Sheet Bullying Prevention an overview of bullying. Retrieved August 1st, 2007 from http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/publications/factsheet/safeschools/FS-SC07.html