1. Lesson Title: Missing the Point (Game of Rumor)
2. Grade/Age Level: Seventh Grade
3. Subject Area: Social Studies and Communication
4. Time allotted for the lesson: 1 hour
5. Short description of lesson:
In this lesson, the seventh grader will integrate awareness,
knowledge, and skill within the group. The class will encounter some
of the common barriers in sending and receiving of messages are
misinterpretation, prejudice, and cultural differences and explore the
consequences.
6. State Curriculum Standards met in this lesson:
This unit is suitable to the California Department of Education
standards:
Curriculum 6.3: Analyze the ways and elements of culture.
o Identify common elements of culture (symbols,
language, values, norms) based on listening or
watching a video clip and post relevant evidence to
interact and collaborate with others.
Curriculum 6.4: Analyze verbal communication with nonverbal
communication (speaking and listening).
o Identify and interpret information from a variety of
media and deliver presentations in their own words and
attribute the source.
o Collaborative discussions with diverse partners and
different groupings (in groups of three) by reflecting
ideas being discussed such as cultural tradition and
social organization.
o Create a presentation supported by visual displays are used
to clarify information in their presentation.
7. Instructional Objectives:
a. The students will give examples of reasons for
miscommunication and hypothesize about consequences
b. The students will find examples of miscommunication in
television comedies
c. The students will recognize that of other cultures are often based
on misunderstanding messages
d. The students will describe the importance of perceiving other
cultures without judging forms of behavior that seem strange by
talking about what seemed strange in his/her ways of living
8. Instructional Procedures
a. Lesson Set: Teacher will spend time on introductions and
icebreakers. It is important to create a safe environment,
establish ground rules, and allow the students to brainstorm,
discuss in a class session and share with peers to accommodate
different learning needs and styles.
b. Techniques and activities:
i. The teacher will divide students into four groups of 4
ii. One student will be observer, student 1 will whisper the
message to student 2, student 3 will scribe
iii. The teacher will give a case study and student 1 will pass
on the message to student 2 as clearly and accurately as
possible
iv. Talking is not allowed and no repeating and student 4 will
write down the message as he/she heard it.
v. Compare the written message with the original version
using chalkboard
c. Lesson Closure: After written on the chalkboard, students will
compare and analyze errors and distortions and discuss the tendency
to misinterpret and reactions from the list of messages receive.
9. Adaptations for special learners:
 The students will have a note taker in the classroom for DEAF
(hearing impaired) students as well as look directly in his/her
general direction to read lips (some DEAF young adults have been
taught to read lips).


Teacher will show instruction by using concrete graphics such
as diagram or models when is necessary and have seats in
the front of the classroom to have good vision of the
whiteboard.
Students who are blind in the classroom will need to provide
adapted instructional plan by partnering the student who can help
and need to say out loud whatever the teacher is writing on the
chalkboard.
10. Supplemental Activities: Students will be given additional
copies of a case study to help examine what attitudes did the
group members express about cultural differences.
Remediation activities: Students will be given an assignment to
explore consequences by watching TED or a situation on TV
involves a fouled up message
11. Assessment/Evaluation: The students will circle up by sitting
and process the activity as a group. The teacher will ask the
group as an observer with minimal support and interference to
encourage everyone to learn communicating across culture. The
questionnaire is as follows:
 What behaviors helped effective communication?
 Supposed someone said to you, “I’ve been to the Philippines.
I know those people. They are loud and rude.” Would you
believe this judgement?
 How did it feel to take steps backward?
12. Learner Products: The students will write a report as an
assignment to submit the next day about the parallels with the
game of rumor and to what extend did group members honor the
communicating across cultures
* Note for learners: This lesson plan template is adapted from the model
that is recommended in the book Preparing to Use Technology: A Practical
Guide for Technology Integration.