Upon completion, students will be able to…
VIDEO RUN TIME: 8 mins, 38 seconds
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Whiteboard or chalkboard
What part of the video stood out the most to you and why?
In your life, who has been a good example of being the change?
List some reasons that could stop a person from being the change.
What are some specific ways we can “be the change” in our school?
A. Write the words “BE THE CHANGE” at the top of the whiteboard.
B. SAY THIS: Let’s create a list of common fears that prevent students from being the change.
C. After creating the list, ask the students to come up with positive ideas for overcoming each of
the fears on the list.
D. Break into groups of three or four. Have the students discuss a time when each of them decided
to BE THE CHANGE. These are situations where the student did the right thing and helped someone else out by sticking up, speaking up, or standing up to bullying.
Create a journal entry describing two scenarios: 1) A Time I Was The Change (when you stood up for someone by being the change). And B) A Time I Should Have Been The Change (but you weren’t due to fear). Spend some time reflecting on how you can use your words to speak up for a bullied student in the future. Show the completed journal to your leader for credit, but do not turn it in for review. (Optionally – turn it in for a grade.)
Upon completion, students will be able to…
VIDEO RUN TIME: 2 mins, 24 seconds
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Whiteboard or chalkboard
List two or three historical leaders and discuss how they became the change.
Discuss some of the changes needed in your school’s culture.
What are some challenges you could face in being the change?
Write down a personal commitment to being the change in one specific area.
A. Select a student volunteer to come up front to the whiteboard. Have the student write the names of the historical figures that came up in your discussion time (and the people listed in the video).
B. For each historical person, list some of the possible fears they would have needed to overcome in order to be the change. Is there any historical evidence to suggest they overcame their fears?
C. Break into groups of three or four. Have the students discuss which historical figure they can relate to the most, and have them explain why that person resonates with them. Ask the students to discuss what motivated that person to be the change.
Select one of the historical people we discussed and write a short report (one page or less) on
how they lived a “be the change” lifestyle. Include at least one fear or obstacles they overcame
to be the change. Submit the brief report to the teacher for a grade by ___________________.
Upon completion, students will be able to…
VIDEO RUN TIME: 5 mins, 03 seconds
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Cardboard box and art supplies for creating a Words of Hope Box.
What are some unfair situations that people can be born into?
How can you begin to “Be The Change” for people who live in unfair situations?
What did Tom and Everno have in common that helped them become friends?
As a group, develop your own definition of Equality.
A. Have the students use the box and the art supplies to create a Words of Hope Box with a removable lid. Let the students decorate the box to reflecta message of hope and kindness.
B. SAY THIS: Your words can encourage people and build them up or discourage them and tear them down. For the next 10 minutes, each of you needs to write an anonymous encouraging note to be included in the Words of Hope Box. The note should be written so it would be encouraging to any student in our group, so don’t make it specific to one person. After I review the notes, I will place them in the box. In the future, the notes will be available for any student in the class to read for their own encouragement and then put back in the box when they’re done reading it.
C. Give the students up to 10 minutes to write an anonymous encouraging note to be included in
the Words of Hope Box.
D. Have the students submit the letters to you for review before including them in the box.
Assign each student to take a note from the box over the course of the next week and then read it for their own encouragement. Have them reflect on how the kindness of others can be a powerful force to Be The Change.
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