KEY LESSON

Unit Learning Goal

Students will develop active strategies to accomplish good work in the future.

Lesson Goal

Students will be able to identify and deconstruct dilemmas related to “good work” and make active choices.

Assessment

In-class conversation during the pair role-plays can be monitored for understanding and coaching. Written reflections will be collected and assessed as part of the Good Work portfolio.

portfolio documentation

RESOURCES

Total TIME

45 minutes

Instructions

1. Opener: Identifying Good Work Dilemmas [5 minutes].

  • Hand out “What Advice Would You Give” and assign a dilemma to each student (there will be duplicates).

  • Ask each student to independently consider which of the 3 Es is at issue in this dilemma. Stress that it may well be two elements or all three.

2. Offering Advice - Role Play [15 minutes].

  • Divide the students into pairs, making sure each student is paired with someone considering a different dilemma from the “What Advice Would You Give” handout. 

  • Instruct the students to describe their dilemmas to one another, including their understandings about the 3 Es.

  • Role play: instruct each student to take on the role of the protagonist in their story, while their partner takes on the role of that students’ mentor. As a mentor, students should answer the following:

    • What are the potential outcomes of the scenario? What actions or outcome do you recommend most?

    • Who or what will be affected by your suggestions? What consequences do you see?

    • What alternatives did you consider, and why didn’t you follow them?

    • Alternatively, or as an addition, you may wish to let students use the 4 Lenses to consider the dilemmas that they have been assigned. 

3. Additional Perspectives - Role Play and Discuss [13 minutes].

  • If time permits, pair the students up with a new partner and repeat the above process.

  • Bring the class together and share out, leading a discussion with the following questions:

    • What advice did students receive?

    • Did they receive the same advice both times?

    • Is it the advice they might have given, were the roles reversed?

  • Alternatively, you may wish to have several pairs “act out” their dilemmas and advice-giving in front of the class while others observe, and facilitate a conversation based on what you witness.

3. Exit Ticket

  • Ask your students to answer the following: 

    • Based on your role play, what strategy or action related to navigating dilemmas did you learn that you might like to apply in your own life?

Possible Enrichments

  • Ask students to continue the process of reflection, writing about the story they considered in class today. Thinking about the advice they received, ask them to consider how the advice addressed issues of excellence, ethics and engagement, and how they felt this advice may/may not solve the issues the protagonist faces. If they feel unsatisfied with the current plan of action, ask them to develop an alternative plan.

  • Add this homework to the Good Work portfolio.