College and Career CompetencyInstructional Plan: Assertiveness Example

Name:Example School: Example

Settinge.g., Biology 1, counseling, advisory / American History
Learnerse.g., grade level(s) / 11th grade
Competency Name & Essential Components
CCCFramework.org/Resources.html / Assertiveness
  1. Even when it’s difficult, express my wants, needs, and thoughts.
  2. Even when it’s difficult, respect what others want, need, and think.

Results
Why do you want students to get better atthis competency? What do you want to improve through your instruction on this competency? Be specific (e.g., assignments submitted on time, better understanding of content, increased engagement in class discussions, students’ increased confidence in content). / Assertiveness improves students’ ability to seek assistance and supports, as well as future educational and career opportunities.Students will be able to recognize and discuss the assertive behaviors demonstrated by key historical figures, including suffragists seeking support that led to the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment. Students will demonstrate assertiveness when working in groups, giving presentations, and asking for help from the teacher.
Initial Instruction (I do)
Howwill you teach the essential components of the competency (e.g., model by giving examples, brainstorm strategies around components)? How will students understand their strengths and areas for growth related to competency components (e.g., give competency questionnaire and facilitate student reflection)? / Let students know that assertiveness is expressing your beliefs while respecting the beliefs of others. Reference the assertiveness poster and share that there are two key points, or essential components, of assertiveness: 1)even when it’s difficult, express my wants, needs, and thoughts; 2)even when it’s difficult, respect what others want, need, and think. Present the differences between passivity, assertiveness, and aggressiveness with this chart: Provide examples from myown life when I’ve acted in passive, aggressive, and assertive ways, and the results of these actions. Check for understanding first by having students record experiences from their own lives when they’ve acted in passive, aggressive, or assertive ways. Next, use segments from the film Iron Jawed Angels (2004) to show examples of assertiveness among suffragists and their opponents.
10:30-12:27 is a good example of assertive communication; 23:15-25:46 is an example of aggression; 27:32-28:33 is an example of assertiveness, especially highlighting the difficulty of it when Alice Paul asserts herself to the President;30:01-31:05 is another example of assertiveness; 37:08-37:46 shows passivity and aggression - a good contrast can be drawn between the assertiveness (and occasional aggression) of Alice Paul and the initial passivity of Emily Leighton; 1:11:27-1:12:21 demonstrates rehearsing assertiveness and shows great examples of I statements,which Leighton later puts into action at 1:23:45-1:25:35.
Make sure that students are providing evidence for their opinions based on specific observations from the film clips while completing reflections. Finally, press students to clarify ways that the examples of assertiveness in the film a) contrast with passive and aggressive behavior and b) demonstrate that the character respected others’ wants, needs, and thoughts.
Practice with Feedback (We doand You do)
How will students practice the competency components over time during your class? How will you provide feedback on students’ demonstration of competency components? / After students read an overview of the American women’s suffrage movement (from a textbook or from one of the online resources below),guide them to the online profiles of prominent suffragists. Give students a limited amount of time to explore the resources and identify one individual they would like to research in more depth.Next, have students create a profile of their chosen individual,including instances of her assertiveness (e.g., respecting the wants, needs, and thoughts of others), and an analysis of the historical consequences of specific assertive behavior in contrast to overly passive or aggressive behavior. Check in frequently with students to guide their thinking about assertiveness, passivity, and aggression, as well as their understanding of the suffragist movement. Studentsthen choose a method to demonstrate their knowledge of the movement, as well as their own assertiveness in some area of life. Provide feedback. At the conclusion of the instruction, have students take the Assertiveness Questionnaire. Guide them to understand and discuss their own ratings, the class ratings, and what these might mean for their assertiveness in the future.
Reinforcement
Outside of instruction, how will you recognize and reinforce students’ demonstration of the components? / Continue to emphasize assertiveness in future instruction on a range of topics including other rights movements, political diplomacy, war-time persuasion, etc. Equally important, continue to emphasize the importance of assertiveness in their own day-to-day lives. Notice and provide positive feedback when students are assertive. Provide individual feedback when students are passive or aggressive (especially while working in groups).
Materials and Resources
What materials and resources will you access or create to develop this competency? / Assertiveness Poster & Questionnaire:CCCFramework.org/Resources.html
Assertiveness Chart:
Overviews of the suffragist movement:
Profiles of prominent suffragists:
Oral histories of suffragists:
Iron Jawed Angels (film)

Plan Addresses:  All components  Ongoing instruction  Feedback to students  Opportunities to demonstrate

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