Keep hope alive

Stay Alive I Supplements

Lesson 5: “I Will Sacrifice for People I Love”

 I. PICTURE

Mind Picture

Teachers: Read the following questions to your students, pausing occasionally to give time to envision details.

“Picture in your mind a family. This family is truly happy—the happiest, most peaceful family you have ever seen. Everyone is cared for and respected in this loving family. This family is not perfect, as there is no perfect family. What kind of things do they do for each other? How do they speak to each other? Keep this family picture with you as you open your eyes and we talk about the concept of sacrifice and love in our families.”

Now take some time to have the students write their ideas in their notebook or draw pictures. Some may even want to share their ideas.

II. PRINCIPLE

•  Add to the Happiness Triangle. Talk about having something to hope for. What things do the students hope for in the future? Have them write some of these things in their notebook and then talk about how they might have to sacrifice something NOW for those things they hope to have in the future. (ie. give up some free time to study hard in school so you will get a good job.) Have the students select one thing to put in words or a picture next to the phrase “Something to hope for”.

•  Write a letter to someone you love. Tell them why you love them. 

•  Use a local proverb or story that illustrates the principle of putting off immediate gratification for a greater reward. 

III. PRACTICE

Selfish/Unselfish

Divide the class into groups and have them fill in the following chart and discuss what kinds of actions or choices would be selfish verses unselfish for each category. (For example, a selfish choice for education would be to play instead of doing homework, an unselfish choice for education would be to do schoolwork first and play later). Have one person from each group stand and tell one selfish choice and its corresponding unselfish choice.

Selfish

 

Unselfish

 

education

 

 

work

 

 

chores

 

 

disagreements

 

 

sex before marriage

 

Bridge

Have a race. Divide into two or more teams; give each team two large leaves. Each step of the race must be made on a leaf, so the first person puts down a leaf and steps on it, then puts down the next leaf and steps in it, then reaches back and picks up the first leaf and brings it around to the front and puts it down and then steps on it, and so on until he reaches the finish line, then runs back and hands the leaves to the next person in line and they repeat the process until everyone on the team has gone. Play the game again. This time have each team assign a helper to each racer. The helper's job is to move the leaves for the racer. After the game, discuss how much easier it is if someone sacrifices their own game to help someone else play.

Piggy-back Challenge

Divide the class into two or more teams. Give them a challenge: tell them they must get from one side of the room to the other without touching the floor, the walls, the desks, etc. Each student that can do this will earn a point for his or her team. The solution is to have one team member sacrifice their point and carry the others across the floor. By sacrificing, he or she can help his or her team win.

Don't Trade It

Have the students think of one thing that is very important or dear to them. Have them write it on a card or small piece of paper. Begin to ask a few students to share what they wrote on their card. After 3 or 4 students have shared, ask the next student to share and then have them trade their card for one that says Drugs, Stealing, Alcohol, or HIV/AIDS. Do the same with a few other students. Then ask the students who traded cards with you how they would feel if they really had to trade the thing they loved most for what was on their card. Explain that choices that we make to use drugs or alcohol, or have sex before marriage or be unfaithful to our spouse etc. very likely will result in our having to give up those things that are most dear to us.

Service Club

Have the students choose a small natural object and find three of them (such as a shell, a seed or a flower). Have them think of three acts of service they can do for people they love without letting them know who did it (do a sibling's chore, help someone in need, express their love verbally, etc.) Have them leave their natural object as a sign that they have been there. Students who participate become members of the “Service Club."

IV. PLEDGE

Have the students write a pledge in their Stay Alive Notebook:

I, _____________________, pledge that I will sacrifice to help my future family to be happy by: ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

V. PARENT/GUARDIAN PARTICIPATION


Lesson 6: “I Need to Protect My Happiness”

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