Keep hope alive

Stay Alive I Supplements

Lesson 1: “I Choose to Be Happy”

I. PICTURE

Mind Picture

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

“Picture yourself as a young adult. What will you look like? Where will you live? What kinds of activities will you be doing? What skills have you developed? What do you enjoy? Whom do you care for? How do you help others? Observe yourself as a healthy, happy young adult. What work do you do? How do you spend your time? With whom do you associate? What decisions or choices have you made? What goals are you working toward?”

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 

1). Have students draw a large triangle in their notebook. Explain that three things contribute to their happiness: something to hope for, someone to love, and something to do.

“Something to hope for” means that you have a goal that you are working toward in your life. “Something to do” means that you are developing skills that are useful to others. “Someone to love” means having someone in your life that you care for, influence, help and love.

Have the students write these statements on the points of their triangle as shown in the diagram. In the coming lessons each child will identify their personal goals and add them to the triangle. (Hope: lesson 5/ Love: lessons 2, 3, 4/ Do: lesson 7)

triangle

 

2) Write a song/chant about a healthy choice they can make now to increase their happiness. Possible starters include:

I choose happiness

I choose health

Happiness and health is my future

3) Have students (older students) write an essay about what they hope for their future. Have them describe what they saw in their minds when they envisioned their future.

4) Write a list of descriptive words that will describe their future: ie. helpful, generous, hard-working, clean, smart, kind.

5) Have a students draw a picture of themselves 10-15 years from now. Under the picture write three goals they hope to have accomplished by then

6) Discuss the proverb "You reap what you sow." As a class, draw a garden or go outside and act as if you are planting a seed. As you draw each seed, label it with a choice that will affect their future such as: one chooses not to attend school . Next draw a series of pictures showing how that seed will grow, drawing leaves and fruits. Finally, write a consequence of that choice near each leaf or fruit, such as: lack of knowledge, extra free time, get into trouble, limited job choices, poverty. Repeat this exercise with choices the class thinks of. The teacher may want to grow a small plant in front of the room labeled “We reap what we sow." This will remind the students of their choices and their unavoidable consequences. Share proverbs, stories or saying that depict choices and consequences.

III. PRACTICE

Consequence Relay

Students brainstorm the sorts of choices they can make. The teacher makes note of these. Divide into two teams. The teacher reads a choice to the first person on each team who quickly decides whether the consequence of that choice will be happy or sad. The student then runs down to the opposite end of the room where two objects sit: one representing “happy” and the other “sad”. The student touches the correct object, then runs back and tags the next student in line on their team. That student then is given a new choice by the teacher, determines the consequence, and repeats the process. The team who finishes the list of choices first wins.

•  A variation to this game is for the teacher to read aloud the choice and the first person on each team must run to the blackboard and draw a happy face or sad face on the board depending on what they think the consequence will be.

The Stick Analogy

Have the students put a small prickly stick in their waistband or shoe in a place that will be irritating. Invite them to walk around for a minute. Ask them how it feels. Making choices that have bad consequences is like putting that stick in your clothing. The stick is like the bad choice, the pain and discomfort are like the consequences. Although the consequences are uncomfortable, we must live with them every day.

Thumb Game

The teacher reads the list of choices generated in lesson one and as each choice is read, the students put their thumbs up if the choice has happy consequences and their thumbs down if the consequence is sad. If some of the choices do not produce clear happy or sad consequences, you may tell students to place their thumbs sideways to indicate caution or reflection before making that choice.

Happy Times

Have several students share a time when they felt really happy. Talk about what elements went into helping them feel really happy. Was their happiness a result of a good choice? Help the students identify what that choice was.

IV. PLEDGE

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

I, _____________, pledge that this week I will choose to
__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_________________________because I want to be happy.

V. PARENT/GUARDIAN PARTICIPATION

Lesson 2: “A Loving Family Can Bring Happiness”

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