UNIT 1: THE LEARNER
SECTION 6: CONFUSION ABOUT THE WORLD:
ADOLESCENCE
UNIT GOAL:
CULMINATING
OBJECTIVE:
Examine the physical, cognitive, language, and social
development characteristics of children from age 11
through 18.
Compose an essay responding to the question: What is
the typical adolescent?
LESSONS
1.6A All Grown Up and No Place to Go
1.6B Circle of Knowledge: Perils of Puberty
1.6C Gathering Information Through
Observation in Middle School
1.6D What Are Writers of Adolescent
Literature Saying?
1.6E Gathering Information Through
Observation in High School
1.6F High School Films
1.6G Giving Birth to a High School Student
1.6H Teen Peer Pressure
1.6A ALL GROWN UP AND NO PLACE TO GO
Objective
Identify issues that adolescents and young adults face through the study of David Elkind’s book,
All Grown Up and No Place to Go.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
1
1, 3
3
3
1
1
3
3
Create
Essential Question
What does the book, All Grown Up and No Place to Go by David Elkind, reveal about difficult
issues adolescents encounter?
Lesson Plan
1. Provide students with a copy of the book (or chapters) All Grown Up and No Place to Go by
David Elkind. Discuss for a moment what Elkind might mean by the title. Invite personal
examples of how adolescents have the demands of adulthood without the privileges.
2. Give students a copy of “All Grown Up and No Place to Go Directions for Study Groups.”
3. Explain that they are going to be divided into groups for the purpose of an in-depth analysis of
this text. Each team will be expected to lead the study on an assigned portion of the book.
Student Materials/Resources
Text- All Grown Up and No Place to Go by David Elkind
Handout- “Directions for Study Groups” handout
Handout- “Take Home Test” handout
Teacher Materials/Resources
Information Sheet- “Teenage Suicide”
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Students may provide written answers to questions on the take-home test for All Grown Up
and No Place to Go.
2. Students may interview one to three adolescents about whether or not they feel pressured to
grow up quickly. Students should attach their comments and interpretations of the interviews.
3. Students may be divided into the teams and assigned a particular television program to watch.
The groups can discuss whether or not the teen characters were “all grown up and (with) no
place to go.” Each group may make a report to the class on their findings.
* Teacher Tips:
1. Have Elkind’s book as a class resource. Go to the back of the book and use some topics as
report starters. Have students research current statistics to prepare their reports.
2. Use questions from the take-home test and have students present mini-lessons with the
answers after thoroughly researching current and accurate information.
1.6A DIRECTIONS FOR STUDY GROUPS:
Student Handout
Pairs or groups will take turns leading small group discussions based on particular chapters of
David Elkind’s book, All Grown Up and No Place To Go. Discussion leaders should consider the
following recommendations:
1. Read the assigned material thoroughly before coming to class.
2. Use each chapter to make a list of questions, arranging them from least to most
important.
3. Design questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer. Ask others to “describe,”
“explain,” or “give examples.”
4. Don’t monopolize all of the discussion time; all should have the opportunity to talk.
5. Try to involve all members of your group; ask those who are reluctant to voice their
opinions and comments.
6. You might want to read a sentence or two from the book and ask those in your group to
react to the quotation.
7. Keep the group on task, not letting discussion get off chapter material.
8. When you feel your group has completely discussed a question, move on to the next one;
however, do not spend too much time on any one question.
9. Show respect for all opinions expressed. Disagree about content, not about people or
personalities.
1.6A TAKE HOME TEST: Student Handout
If you have a copy of All Grown Up and No Place To Go, you will want to refer to it when
answering the questions. The index might help you locate answers more readily. You can quote
from the text if you use quotation marks and give the page number. Otherwise, please paraphrase
your answers.
If you disagree with Elkind, please give his opinion but feel free to add your opposing views. If
you agree with Elkind, include examples and experiences with which you are familiar to support
Elkind’s statements.
Read through the following 19 questions and choose the 10 that you think you can answer best,
omitting the other 9. Please keep answers thorough, relevant, and grammatically correct.
1. Explain the book’s title.
2. In what ways are adolescents “unplaced”?
3. Why does Elkind label today’s teenagers as “a generation under stress”?
4. What does Elkind say about pressure-free time?
5. Why do teenagers need a clearly defined value system?
6. What does Elkind say about the “patchwork self”?
7. What does Elkind say about adolescents “self-centeredness”?
8. What are some of the “perils of puberty” cited by Elkind?
9. Explain Elkind’s shock of exclusion, shock of betrayal, and shock of disillusion.
10. What “markers” are vanishing from the lives of adolescents?
11. What are some of the problems resulting from teenage pregnancy? Discuss from the
perspective of females and males.
12. In talking about stress dynamics, Elkind discusses “clock energy” and “calendar energy.”
Explain what he means by these two phrases.
13. Describe Elkind’s three categories of stressful situations.
14. What are several important factors that Elkind makes clear about teenage suicide?
15. What does Elkind say about parents telling their teenage sons and daughters “no”?
16. According to Elkind, what are several specific ways parents can help teenagers cope with
stress?
17. What are several signs or symptoms of over-stressed teenagers?
18. Why does Elkind advocate reducing class size to eighteen or fewer students?
19. What did you find most valuable in Elkind’s “Stress Management” section?
1.6A TEENAGE SUICIDE: Teacher Resource
At least 30,000 to 35,000 suicides occur each year in the United States. As of 2008, among
teenagers and young people, it is the third greatest cause of death – the first being car accidents,
many of which could be deliberate. The second being homicide, the suicide rate among young
people has more than tripled in the last 30 years.
Mistaken Ideas About Suicide
1. People who talk about suicide never do it. Studies show that 60 to 80 percent of those who
talk about suicide go on to carry out their plans. A person who speaks of suicide should certainly
be taken seriously.
2. Suicide occurs without any warning. This is the companion to number one and is equally
unfounded. It has been shown over and again that the great majority of people who commit
suicide have given definite warnings of their intent beforehand. The warnings, however, were not
taken seriously.
3. Suicidal people are always suicidal. In every suicidal person there are fluctuations of
feelings, and suicidal intent can vary markedly within the space of days or even hours; suicidal
intent, however, occurs in relative brief peaks in most cases. Because of this pattern, a speedy,
firm intervention with an acutely suicidal person may be very effective. The intervention does
not have to solve all the individual’s problems. If intervention helps the person get through the
next few hours or days without harming himself, the suicidal feelings may pass and the person
may be able to deal with problems.
4. Suicidal people are fully intent on dying. It has already been stated that a successful suicide
involves a strong attempt and intent to die, but even in those cases, there is some ambivalence
and some faint hope of rescue. This is known from the studies of people who have made serious
suicide attempts but survived. These people report that in the back of their minds there was a
faint idea that they would be rescued and that their life situation would change. One side of the
person wants to live, and one side wants to die, and the suicide attempt is a cry for help for some.
5. Suicide occurs only among the rich or only among the poor. Studies show clearly that suicide
is represented in all socioeconomic levels. Victims are from every social class.
6. Suicide people have severe mental illness and are usually untreatable. Suicidal people are
obviously very unhappy people and are often in great emotional conflict, but most of these
victims to not have chronic, several mental illnesses. The most common psychiatric condition
associated with a suicide is depression, which may be treated with a high degree of success.
Reasons Why People Take Their Lives
1. One reason people attempt suicide is anger or revenge. The desire to punish someone may be
a powerful motivation for suicide. Often a person who attempts suicide is angry enough at
another person that he wants to kill him. Because he is unable to kill another, he kills himself in
an attempt to get even with the person with whom he is angry. An example of this is a husband
who takes his own life in a hostile act directed toward his wife, or a boyfriend who is getting
back at a girlfriend he feels has hurt or wronged him.
2. People take their own lives as a means of escape. It might be the teen under tremendous
pressure, family, school, or peer stress; the elderly widowed person alone and fearful; or the
middle-aged, successful businessman under intense job-related pressure.
3. Others attempt suicide in a bid for attention. A wife made a suicidal gesture rather than a true
attempt, but it forced her husband to look at and listen to her. A teenager who felt isolated from
his parents desperately needed to talk to them but could not. His suicide attempt was real. His
parents took it seriously, entered into counseling with him, and eventually developed a good
relationship.
4. A person sometimes attempts suicide to manipulate others. The person wants someone else to
do a certain thing and threatens suicide as a way to force the other to act in a certain manner.
5. Some attempt suicide to avoid punishment.
6. Some attempt suicide to avoid being a burden.
7. A few attempt suicide to seek martyrdom.
Stress and Factors Related to Suicide
Studies show that 50 to 70 percent of all suicides may be prevented. Since suicide is preventable
in most cases, what are the clues that people give when they are contemplating suicide? What are
the internal factors that could lead one to suicide?
An event that diminishes one’s sense of self-worth or self-esteem could lead one to contemplate
or try suicide. Examples of such events are the stress of physical illness, the loss of a job, or
parent or peer pressure. The loss of someone or something of supreme value to a person could
lead one to self-destruction. Death, divorce, a geographical move, a home fire, or other
significant loss may lead to suicide attempts.
Physical or mental illness or a continual self-defeating strive for perfection could lead one to try
suicide. For example, a young person living his life to please himself, his parents, and his peers
finds existence too complicated, and he gives up and tries suicide. Young people often find it
impossible to believe in the reality of death for themselves.
Suicide also may result from the “down” or depression that often follows great joy or success.
The long-awaited joy may dissipate, leaving one depressed and empty. Ask any mother who has
experienced the joy of childbirth and then is hit by postpartum depression afterward.
There are also external, social factors that are indicators of suicidal tendencies. Statistically,
anyone who has had a significant loss before his adult years is more prone to attempt suicide.
Not knowing how to survive this loss emotionally, the person subconsciously decides to follow
that person in death.
People Who May Be At Risk
A person who suddenly decides to get “his house in order” with a sudden flurry of legal and
financial orderliness should be carefully observed. Watch one who suddenly withdraws from
treasured and regular activities. Carefully observe people with a history of attempted suicide,
depression, abuse or any chronic illness or pain that lingers.
Verbal clues are also very important. The following phrases should be heard seriously: “Life is
not worth living anymore,” “I am at my rope’s end,” “Can Christians who kill themselves be
saved?” “I hate living,” and “You will appreciate me when I am gone.” The caring, thoughtful
person will listen carefully to what people are saying.
Counseling Those Contemplating Suicide
Various counseling guidelines have been listed in literature concerning teenage suicide. If an
individual wants to talk:
1. Accept what is said and take it seriously.
2. Do not give advice.
3. Do not back off or attempt to forestall dealing with the person.
4. Facilitate the exploration of the person’s feelings. Do not add to his guilt by saying, “Think of
how your parents or friends would feel.”
5. If you believe a person may be contemplating suicide, but he is not sharing this idea, ask
about it. You will not be giving the person an idea of which he has not already thought. Trust
your suspicions that the person may be self-destructive.
6. Help to determine what needs to be done or changed.
7. Contact a professional experienced in this area (guidance counselor, administrator, school
nurse). In the area of suicide, silence is deadly.
1.6B CIRCLE OF KNOWLEDGE: PERILS OF PUBERTY
Objective
Differentiate between the common perceptions of middle school student behavior and the actual
behaviors exhibited.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
1
1
2, 3
4
3, 4
Essential Question
What are the common perceptions of middle school student behaviors versus actual middle
school behaviors?
Lesson Plan
1. Have students sit in a circle. Ask one person to serve as a recorder. Tell students that the
teacher will go around the room and ask students to give a word or a phrase to describe a middle
school student. Remind them that in brainstorming activities, people should state the first thing
that comes to mind. The teacher should be prepared for many of the adjectives to be negative.
(ex. Clumsy, awkward, silly, immature, loud). Continue going around the circle asking for
adjectives until no one has any further descriptions. The recorder can type and print copies of the
list of adjectives and phrases for students.
2. Once the brainstorming list is completed, explain to the students that they will have the
opportunity to compare their perceptions of middle schoolers to actual behaviors by observing
students at the middle school.
3. Arrange for the entire Teacher Cadet class to visit the middle school and observe during lunch
or exploratory classes. Students will take a copy of the brainstormed list.
4. After their visit to the middle school, allow them to discuss what they observed.
Student Materials/Resources
None Required
Teacher Materials/Resources
Contacts with local middle school officials
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
Students may prepare a written response as to whether or not the descriptions were accurate.
* Teacher Tip:
6B and 6C can be combined by having students describe the middle school child and look for
those characteristics during their observations.
1.6C GATHERING INFORMATION THROUGH
OBSERVATION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Objective
Demonstrate understanding of the characteristics of young adolescents through observation and
analysis in a middle school setting.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
Create
Essential Question
What are the characteristics of young adolescents that can be ascertained by observing a middle
school classroom?
Lesson Plan
1. You may introduce the activity by inviting a panel of middle school administrators, teachers,
and/or guidance counselors to discuss the middle schools and their pupils.
2. Your students will observe in the following categories:
 Core courses on all levels
 Special education
 Exploratory courses
Student Materials/Resources
Handout- "Middle School Observation Form"
Business casual attire
Teacher Materials/Resources
None Required
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Students will turn in their completed observation forms.
2. Students may include in their portfolios a reflective component based on this activity.
* Teacher Tip: Teacher needs to discuss transportation rules/arrangements with students prior to
making classroom assignments.
1.6C MIDDLE SCHOOL OBSERVATION FORM:
Student Handout
NAME _______________________________________________________________________
DATE ______________________ CLASS OBSERVED _______________________________
Record your observations and inferences on this sheet after you observe the class. Use an
extra sheet of paper if you need more space.
I. Environment and Teacher:
II. Students:
III. Inferences
1.6D WHAT ARE WRITERS OF ADOLESCENT
LITERATURE SAYING?
Objective
Select and read adolescent literature in order to examine issues related to this age group.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
1
1
Understand
Apply
Analyze
3
4
4
assessment assessment
assessment
3
4
assessment assessment
2
Evaluate
Create
Essential Question
To what extent does adolescent literature address authentic issues that teens face today?
Lesson Plan
1. Ask the students to think about some of their favorite books that feature pre-adolescent or
adolescent characters. What were some of the issues these characters have to deal with?
2. Distribute the list of suggested short stories and novels that have pre-adolescent and
adolescent characters. Remember to constantly update this list. Most of these short stories can be
found in annotated collections in schools and public libraries. Media Specialists are able to make
recommendations in addition to the titles listed. Some students may like the option of reading
one of the nonfiction articles or books listed as a teacher resource in this section. See “Influences
of Teen Peer Pressure on Academic Success” in I.6H “Teen Peer Pressure.”
3. Ask students to choose stories/books they have not read previously. Some of the issues
addressed in these stories are teenage pregnancies, runaways, substance abuse, invitation into
adulthood, peer pressure, suicide, family crisis, criminal behavior, low self-esteem, gang wars,
military service, moral decisions, racial and social prejudices, rebellion against authority, broken
dreams, etc.
4. Explain that each student or small group of students will select a different story or novel to
read and analyze.
Student Materials/Resources
Handout- “Suggested Short Stories and Novels”
Short stories and novels
Teacher Materials/Resources
Information Sheet- “Report on Adolescent Novel or Short Story”
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Individual students, pairs or teams design a poster and a four-to-five minute oral presentation
emphasizing the dilemma or problem of the selection’s central adolescent character. The poster
may be a student drawing, time-line, collage, symbolic representation, chart, etc.
The four-to-five minute presentation may include a brief plot summary, a brief description of the
adolescent character, the theme portrayed, the insight and/or solution to the teen’s problem.
Students may use notes but encourage them not to read to the class. Allow questions and
discussion to follow the presentations. You might want to consider use of a rubric for final
evaluation. Criteria might include but not limited to:
 Attractiveness of visual
 Insight provided
 Speech skills
 Content of presentation
2. Students write a comparison/contrast paper concerning themselves and the teen character in
the reading selection.
3. Students ask parents and/or other adults to read a piece of adolescent literature and discuss the
fictional characters in comparison to their own experiences with adolescence.
1.6D SUGGESTED SHORT STORIES AND NOVELS:
Student Handout
TITLE
AUTHOR
The Soldier Ran Away
The Last Rung of the Ladder
On The Sidewalk Bleeding
Two Soldiers
Paul’s Case
The Stone Boy
Peter Two
Haunted Boys
A Turn with the Sun
A Mother of Mannville
The Battle of Finney’s Ford
Barn Burning
White Heron
Amos’ a Man
The Rockpile
The Sky is Gray
Junkie-Joe Had Some Money
Thank You, Ma’am
Mama’s Missionary Money
A Circle of Fire
A Jug of Silver
Blackberry Winter
I Stand Here Ironing
The Grave
My Sister’s Marriage
An Iowa Childhood
A Soldier’s Home
I’m A Fool
Sophistication
A Summer’s Reading
A Visit of Charity
The Afternoon of a Young Poet
Kay Boyle
Stephen King
Evan Hunter
William Faulkner
Willa Cather
Gina Berriault
Irwin Shaw
Carson McCullers
John Knowles
Marjorie Rawlings
Jessamyn West
William Faulkner
Sara Orne Jewett
Richard Wright
James Baldwin
Ernest Gaines
Ronald Miller
Langston Hughes
Chester Hines
Flannery O’Connor
Truman Capote
Robert Penn Warren
Tillie Olsen
Katherine A. Porter
Cynthia Roch
Edna Ferber
Ernest Hemingway
Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson
Bernard Malamud
Eudora Welty
M. Carl Holman
ISBN NUMBER
6302699282
0486290573
076362051
No longer in print.
0886820766
0886900905
Collections of Short Stories
Eight Plus One
Athletic Shorts
Visions
Robert Cormier
Chris Crutcher
Donald R. Gallo (Editor)
No longer in print.
0440213908
0807231789
TITLE OF NOVEL
AUTHOR
After the First Death
Robert Cormier
ISBN: 0440208351
All Together Now
Sue EllenBridges
Out of Print
Because She's My Friend
Harriet Sirof
ISBN: 0689318448
Bless the Beasts and the
Children
Glendon Swarthout
ISBN: 0671521519
Borrowed Children
George Ella Lyon
ISBN: 0606004777
The Burning Questions of
Bingo Brown
Betsy Byars
ISBN: 0140324798
The Car
Gary Paulsen
ISBN: 0440219183
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
ISBN: 0316769487
The Chocolate War
Robert Cormier
ISBN: 0440944597
The Contender
Robert Lipsyte
ISBN: 0064470393
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Robert N. Peck
ISBN: 0679853065
Detour for Emmy
Marilyn Reynolds
ISBN: 0930934768
STORY SYNOPSIS
Terrorists hijack a busload of children.
Readers view the situation through the
eyes of a killer, Katie the teenage bus
driver, and Ben the son of a patriotic
general.
While spendingthesummer withher
grandparents, Casey makes friends with
a retarded man and begins to consider
responsibility, friendship, and the nature
of families.
Mutual need creates a difficult
friendship between 14-year-old Teri, the
well-behaved "baby" of an extended
Italian Americanfamily, andspoiled
Valerie, who has one leg paralyzed from
an accident.
Emotionallyhandicapped adolescents
grow in maturity and self-esteem
through their sensitivity to the plight of
the buffaloes near their Arizona camp.
Mandy knows her ticket out of her
Kentucky hill house is education but has
to stay home to care for the latest addition
to her siblings in the 1920's. A trip to
Memphis relatives becomes a journey of
self-discovery.
Bingo wonders about girl friends, his use
of mousse, his teacher's sanity, and his
family. (humorous dialogue)
A teenager, left on his own, travels west in
a kit car he built himself and alongthe way
picks up twoVietnam veterans, who take
him on an eye-opening journey.
A troubled teen has run-ins with school
authorities, parents, and insensitive
people everywhere.
A boy refuses to sell chocolates for his
Catholic high school. Jerry dares to stand
up against cold, calculating leaders and
question power.
A black male living in poverty becomes a
boxer to defend his ego and his selfimposed morals in a crime and drugridden neighborhood.
In the Depression, 13-year old Rob learns
about his Vermont father's quiet dignity,
his willingness to admit to errors, and his
abilityto do what must be done for the
family's sake.
Emmy, whose future had once looked so
bright, struggles to overcome the isolation
and depression of a teen mother with
little support from her family or the father
of her child.
Forever
Judy Blume
ISBN: 0671695304
The Girl in the Box
Ouida Sebestyen
ISBN: 0553282611
Heart of a Champion
Carl Deuker
ISBN: 0380722690
A Hero Ain’t Nothing’ But a
Sandwich
Alice Childress
ISBN: 0380001322
Home Before Dark
Sue Ellen Bridgers
Out of Print
I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings
Maya Angelou
ISBN: 05532799378
The Island
Gary Paulsen
ISBN: 0440206324
I Will Call It Georgie’s Blues
Suzanne Newton
ISBN: 0140345361
Jacob I Have Loved
Katherine Paterson
ISBN: 0064403688
Julie of the Wolves
Jean S. George
ISBN: 1569561176
Learning By Heart
Ronder Thomas Young
ISBN: 0140372520
A Little Love
Virginia Hamilton
Out of Print
Make Lemonade
Virginia E. Wolff
Memory
Margaret Mahy
Out of Print
Midnight Hour Encores
Bruce Brooks
ISBN: 0064470210
A teenage girl faces questions about
intimate relationships and worries about
parental communication.
A 16-year old girl writes notes to the
world from a small cellar room where
she is being held after a kidnapping.
Seth faces a strain on his friendship
with Jimmy (a base-ball champion and
irresponsible fool) when Jimmy is
kicked off the team.
Benjie is a black boy struggling for
identity in the ghetto, develops a heroin
addiction, and is helped by friends,
teachers, and family.
A family of migrant workers searches
for their roots and a girl shows her
strength and love.
A moving story of childhood and
adolescence as a black narrator tells
about the values, culture, pain, and joy
of being young.
This is a self-discovery novel of 15year-oId Will who finds an island one
summer and keeps a journal.
Controlled by the conservative views
of his minister, family and his small
Southern town, 15-year-old Neal
secretly studies to be a jazz pianist.
Louise develops from a jealous and bitter
twin sister to an emotionally healthy
adult on an island in the Chesapeake
Bay in the 1940's.
Miyax, a 13-year-old Eskimo girl, runs
away on the tundra and survives with
wolves. (Themes of coming of age,
ecology, and behavior of wolves)
In the 1960's, 10-year-old Rachel sees
changes in her family and small
Southern town as she sorts out feelings
about her black maid, prejudice, and
responsibility for her own life.
Overweight, poorly educated Sheema
attends vocational school and faces
fears of nuclear disaster and tough
punks with the help of her boyfriend.
In order to earn money for college, 14year-old LaVaughn babysits for a
teenage mother.
A teenager reluctantly becomes involved
with an Alzheimer’s disease victim. Set in
New Zealand.
A young musical prodigy portrays
hippie movement of the 1960's in contrast
and present-day realities of divorce and
materialism.
The Moves Make the Man
Bruce Brooks
ISBN: 0064470229
Mr. and Mrs. BoBo Jones
Anne Head
ISBN: 0451163192
My Brother Sam Is Dead
James L. Collier and
Christopher Collier
ISBN: 0027229807
Night Kites
M.E. Kerr
ISBN: 0064470350
Ordinary People
Judith Guest
ISBN: 0140065172
Remembering the Good Times
S.E. Hinton
ISBN: 014038572X
Rich in Love
Josephine Humphreys
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred Taylor
ISBN: 014034893X
Running Loose
Chris Crutcher
ISBN: 0440975700
Scorpion
Walter Dean Myers
ISBN: 0064470660
A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Shelia’s Dying
Alden Carter
Out of Print
Shizuko’s Daughter
Kyoko Mori
ISBN: 0449704335
A Solitary Blue
Cynthia Voigt
ISBN: 0590471570
A white boy and black boy form a
friendship based on their admiration for
each other's sports prowess - one in
baseball, the other in basketball.
(Themes of overcoming prejudice, dealing
with mental illness, and of growing up)
A teenage girl gets pregnant and the father
of the baby marries her. The young
couple struggles through a series of
problems.
Conflicting loyalties and the injuries
inflicted on the innocent during the
Revolutionary War are seen through the
eyes of Sam's younger brother Tim.
Erick is a 17-year-old boy facing
adolescent concerns of dating,
friendships, and school, but must face a
more devastating problem when he learns
his older brother has AIDS.
Story of a teenager's struggle to accept
his brother's death and find his own
identity. Conrad deals with guilt and
rejection as his family falls apart.
In this gang novel, the "Greasers" face
death and struggle with peer
relationships, poverty, and a search for
self.
Set in Mt. Pleasant, SC, a girl drops out of
high school to care for her eccentric
father, search for her runawaymother, and
help her sister with her baby.
An African-American family is
confronted with prejudice. Cassie
survives physically and spiritually.
Humorous narration tells about
adolescent pressures to succeed and be
popular.
When Jamel inherits gang leadership and a
gun from his imprisoned brother, he can't
seem to find a way out. (Set in Harlem)
During WWII at a prep school a
scholarly student might be the cause of a
serious injury of his athletic roommate.
A teenage girl dying of cancer
realistically presents the stages of
emotional trauma and difficulty of day-today problems.
After her mother’s suicide, Yuki lives with
her distant father and his resentful new
wife, cut off from her mother’s family, and
relying on her own strength to cope with
tragedy.
The development of a loving relation-ship
between Jeff and his divorced father
takes place after Jeff, too, has been
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Chris Crutcher
ISBN: 044021906X
Summer of My German
Bette Greene
ISBN: 0440218926
You Bet Your Life
Julie Reece Deaver
Out of Print
Village By the Sea
Paula Fox
ISBN: 0440402999
Where the Lilies Bloom
Vera and Bill Cleaver
ISBN: 0064470059
wounded by his irresponsible mother.
Daily class discussions about the nature
of man and contemporary issues serve as
a backdrop for senior's attempt to answer
a friend's cry for help.
Told by a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a
small Arkansas town who befriends a Nazi
POW. Amid prejudice and anger, he
leaves her to grow up with
knowledge that she is a "person of
worth"
While working as an intern on a television
comedy show in Chicago, 17-year old
Bess tries to deal with her mother’s
suicide.
With herfatherfacingsurgery, Emma visits
her aunt at the seashore and learns
about love, envy, rage and forgiveness.
A 14-year-old Appalachian girl keeps her
family together after her parents' deaths by
trying to teach them "wild-crafting" and
being "closed-mouthed"
The following novelists, among many others, specialize in adolescent literature:
-
Robert Cormier
Gary Paulsen
Robert Lipsyte
Robert Peck
Judy Blume
S.E. Hinton
Walter Dean Myers
Christopher Pike
Almost any of their works would be appropriate for this assignment. Ask your media specialist
for further suggestions.
1.6D REPORT ON ADOLESCENT NOVEL OR SHORT STORY:
Teacher Resource
Name _______________________________________
Presentation
Time ___________________________
Excellent
Satisfactory
Yes
No
Needs
Improvement
*
*
*
*
*
Volume
Pace
Expression
Eye Contact
Absence of
distracting
mannerisms
* Grammar
* Content addresses
adolescence and
teenage issue(s)
* Ability to hold
attention of
audience
Poster
* Attractiveness
* Information
* Focus on
adolescence
* Title and Author
Given
Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
1.6E GATHERING INFORMATION THROUGH
OBSERVATION IN HIGH SCHOOL
Objective
Identify types of learners and their learning styles at the high school level.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
1
2
Create
Essential Question
What characteristics distinguish different types of high school learners and their learning styles?
Lesson Plan
1. Introduce the activity by explaining (or by asking a guidance counselor to explain) the various
kinds of courses and academic levels offered in your high school. Students will then observe
classes in the following areas:
 Core courses on various levels
 Vocational/technical classes
 Fine arts
 Special interest electives (ROTC, journalism, home economics, etc.)
2. Provide students with copies of the "High School Observation Form."
Student Materials/Resources
Handout- "High School Observation Form"
Business casual attire
Teacher Materials/Resources
None Required
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Students may complete the observation forms.
2. Students may include in their portfolios a reflective component based on this activity.
1.6E HIGH SCHOOL OBSERVATION FORM:
Student Handout
NAME _______________________________________________________________________
DATE ______________________ CLASS OBSERVED _______________________________
Record your observations and inferences on this sheet after you observe the class. Use an
extra sheet of paper if you need more space.
I. Environment and Teacher:
II. Students:
III. Inferences:
1.6F HIGH SCHOOL FILMS
Objective
Demonstrate knowledge of the demographics and culture of his/her school.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
3
1
3
2
1
3
Essential Question
Can you demonstrate your knowledge of the demographics and culture of your school?
Lesson Plan
1. Introduce the lesson by asking students what makes their high school unique or special. Ask them how
they would describe their high school to an outsider.
2. After students have discussed their school, explain that their task is to prepare a ten-minute
promotional video for the school. At this point, divide the class into teams to gather information for the
video.
3. Distribute the "Promotional Video Worksheet" and allow students time to brainstorm ideas for the
video, gather information, and make outside assignments. Class time may need to be given for recording
segments for the project.
Student Materials/Resources
Handout- "Promotional Video Worksheet"
School Information Resources
Teacher Materials/Resources
Recording Camera/Flip Camera
DVDs or VHS tapes
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Students may present the video to a panel of judges from the school who will evaluate the
finished video by considering the following criteria:
 Does the video accurately portray the school?
 Does the video present the information requested on the “Promotional Video
Worksheet?”
 Is the video creative and appealing?
2. Students may wish to exchange their videos with a school different from their own in terms of
size, location, demographics, and write a comparison/contrast paper on the two videos.
1.6F PROMOTIONAL VIDEO WORKSHEET:
Student Handout
Name of High School
Location
Urban, Rural or Suburban
Number of Students
 By grade
 By gender
 By race
School Nickname, Colors,
Mascot
Curriculum Offerings
Extracurricular Activities
Athletic Program
Administrative Staff,
Teaching Staff, and
Support Staff
Special Features/Awards
1.6G GIVING BIRTH TO A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
Objective
Evaluate possible real-life problems faced by teenagers and their parents and recommend
resources that would help them solve these issues.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
1
1
Understand
Apply
1
1
3
Analyze
Evaluate
2
2
2
2
2, 3
2, 3
Create
Essential Questions
How would you deal with the various issues that occur between teenagers and their parents?
Where might you go for help with these certain issues?
Lesson Plan
1. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Begin this activity by having a mock wedding
ceremony to pair up students in your class. Immediately following the ceremony, each couple
will “give birth” to a high school student. You may even let the “couples” draw pink slips to
signify girls and blue slips to signify boys. Let the students name each child. Explain that the
parents’ task is to get the child through high school.
2. As the parents proceed to guide their adolescent sons and daughters through various stages,
they will be faced with a “Packet of Problems” typical for students this age. Have each set of
parents select one or more problems and decide upon the resources that they will need to deal
with the issues. Resources might include people in the school and community, books, journals,
movies,and/or videotapes. Remind the “parents” that they must reach a resolution satisfactory to
both of them.
3. Students will use the student handout “Giving Birth Problem Worksheet” to focus on each
problem. At regular intervals during this study, it is recommended that you hold a “parents’
meeting” to review the progress each couple is making toward resolution of the problems. You
might want to role-play the part of counselor or the class might want to invite their school’s
guidance counselor(s) in to listen to the “problems” and make suggestions to the “parents.” The
study might conclude with a graduation ceremony.
Student Materials/Resources
Handout- “Giving Birth Problem Worksheet”
Teacher Materials/Resources
Information Sheet- “Packet of Problems”
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Students may complete the “Problem Worksheet”, attach notes and a list of their sources.
2. Students may role-play parents who have found solutions for their adolescent’s problems
* Teacher Tip:
Use others as resource persons as you create a mock sequence-wedding, birth. Your principal
might dress in a robe and perform the wedding. Your guidance counselor might “deliver” pink
and blue slips for babies.
1.6G PACKET OF PROBLEMS: Teacher Resource
____________________________________________________
(Female-Blind)
Problem: Your child was in an accident this summer and is now blind. She wants to stay in the
same school with her friends. What are her rights? What is Public Law 94-142? What services
does your district offer? What can the state School for the Deaf and Blind do to help you with
your child? What are you going to do?
____________________________________________________
(Female – Fundamentalist)
Problem: Your child brings Pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides home, and you see she is required to
read about a rape scene. The report is a major grade in her English class. What process would
you follow in your district to object to the assignment? What if you objected and your child
didn’t? What argument would you give your child?
____________________________________________________
(Male – Technical Course)
Problem: It is time to register your child for school. Find out what your child needs to register
for ninth grade classes in a new school district. Your child wants to go to technical college after
high school and be trained as an electrician. What would his four-year course of study be in high
school?
____________________________________________________
(Male – Mediocre Academic Performance)
Problem: It is November, and you notice that your child is not studying much this year. When
you ask him about this, he replies, “I’m passing.” What actions do teachers suggest you take?
What does the guidance counselor suggest? What do you plan to do about this situation as a
parent?
____________________________________________________
(Male – Low Income)
Problem: Your son is failing English with a grade of 68 and must have a passing grade to play
basketball. He was recruited heavily during his junior year by several major colleges. The only
way he can afford to go to college is by earning a basketball scholarship. This average will
eliminate him from any further competition. Find out what a coach thinks about this situation.
What do teachers think? Principal? How far should a parent be willing to go?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
(Female – Minority Student)
Problem: Your child is the only African-American child in a ninth grade class. She frequently
comes home crying because she is not included in the after-school social events. How can you
help her with this dilemma?
____________________________________________________
(Female – Special Education Services)
Problem: You receive a letter from the guidance counselor recommending that your child be
tested for special education services. How do you feel about this decision? What rights do you as
her parents have in placement? What procedures must be followed?
____________________________________________________
(Female – Teenage Pregnancy)
Problem: Your child is three months pregnant. What are some of the emotional issues she
might be encountering? What is the school district policy on pregnant girls attending school?
How have these rules changed since the 1960’s? What is the homebound “alternative?” Is there a
special school provided to pregnant teens in your community?
____________________________________________________
(Male – Football Issue)
Problem: Your son is a rising ninth grader. He is very large for his age and a gifted athlete. He
has played junior high football and received numerous honors for his performance. The high
school coach asks you to consider “redshirting” your son for a year. What does this mean? Why
would the coach want you to do this? What is the school or district policy on this practice? What
are the possible disadvantages of allowing this to be done? What would you do?
____________________________________________________
(Female – Illegal Drug)
Problem: Your child is searched at school and is found to have a small amount of cocaine in her
purse. She is arrested and taken to a detention facility. What policies should be followed by your
school district for a search? For an arrest? What is the state law? What will you say to your
child?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
(Female – Exit Exam)
Problem: Your child has been in courses for the ninth and tenth grades that are not college
preparatory. She has performed very well making A’s and B’s in all courses. She took the exit
exam in the spring of her tenth grade and failed all three parts. What is the school’s
responsibility/liability? What responsibility/liability do her teachers have? What are the legal
implications if she continues to pass her course work and fails the exit exam a third time?
_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
(Male – School Dress Code)
Problem: Your son is wearing the latest clothing fashions and hairstyles. You get a call from a
school administrator requesting that you bring him a change of appropriate clothing to the
school. You, as a parent, do not feel that your son’s dress is inappropriate or offensive. How will
you handle the administrator’s request?
____________________________________________________
(Male – Conflicts Regarding Social, Athletic, and Academic Interests)
Problem: Your son has a photographic memory, loves to read, and made the honor roll from the
sixth to eight grade. He currently is a sophomore and ended his freshman year with a B+
average, but he flunked the whole first marking period. He believes that the girls in the honors
classes like boys who are in regular classes, who can fight, or who are athletes. He thinks that the
boys in the honors classes are not liked by any girls. He wants to be popular more than he wants
to be smart. He joins the track team, but now is having trouble structuring time. How can you
help your son develop a healthy balance between his social, athletic, and academic interests?
____________________________________________________
(Female – Honor Students Feels Ostracized By Her Peers)
Problem: Your daughter is in advanced placement classes. She was the only African- American
student in the oratorical contest, but African-American students didn’t come to show their
support. She thought her peers would be proud of her, but instead they called her “white”. She
says, “I’m not white. Look at me. Do I look white? I’m sick of this black-white stuff; I just want
to be me. I’m not stuck up, but they said I am because I don’t listen to the same radio station they
listen to. I like listening to all kinds of music – rap, rock, jazz, classical, reggae – you name it.”
What can you say or do to help your daughter in her dilemma? She thinks things will be different
in college, but will her problems be solved then?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
(Male – A Good Student is Falsely Accused of Plagiarism)
Problem: Your son goes to a poor inner-city school known for its high dropout rate. The two of
you live across the street from the school in government-subsidized housing. You have
emphasized values in your home, and he tries hard to avoid the local gangs. He was an “A”
student in elementary school but did not score high enough to attend one of the elite magnet
schools. He recently wrote an autobiographical essay, but his teacher asked him what magazine
he copied from. She said it was an outstanding essay, but she did not believe that he wrote it.
Now he has started sitting in the back of the class and clowning with friends. He’s even thinking
about joining a gang. What can you do to help him?
____________________________________________________
(Male – Struggles With His Positions in Two Ethnic Groups)
Problem: Your son attends a school that prides itself on being very liberal in racial balance and
equity issues. His problem is that most of the students in his classes who are serious about their
studies are white students. He wants to study with them and a few times he hangs out with them
in the library or in study hall. He is afraid of doing this in the lunchroom or after school. One
time, your son had a white student invite him to the museum with his family. Now his friends
with whom he walks home keep harassing him and calling him an “Oreo.” He gets tired of being
in two ethnic worlds. How can you help him?
1.6G GIVING BIRTH PROBLEM WORSHEET:
Student Handout
Child’s Name __________________________________________________________________
Problem ______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
School and Community Resources _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What I Have Learned ___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Points to Bring Out at the Parents’ Meeting __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1.6H TEEN PEER PRESSURE
Objective
Verify the impact peer pressure exerts on adolescents and determine ways to lessen its influence
when applied negatively.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework
Knowledge
Remember
Dimension
Factual
Conceptual
Procedural
Metacognitive
3
Understand
Apply
2, 3
3
3, 4
2
4
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
1
3
1
4
4
Essential Questions
What impact does peer pressure have on adolescents?
How can the power of negative peer pressure be lessened?
Lesson Plan
1. Prior to class, select three students to participate in the following experiment. Explain to them
that their task is to try to exert pressure on their peers to change one of the following areas:



Change their peers’ soft drink of choice
Start a new clothing or hair fad
Create and use new slang terms
Caution these three students that they are to complete this task without telling their other
classmates.
2. After one week, have students make a presentation to the class about their tasks, strategies,
and successes or failures.
3. Lead a discussion about peer pressure. Try to include information about the causes as well as
the advantages and disadvantages of peer pressure. Ask students to identify ways to combat
negative peer pressure.
4. As an extension of the discussion about peer pressure, the teacher might want to preview the
book “To Be Popular or Smart: The Black Peer Group,” by Jawanza Kunjufu, “African
American Images,” Chicago, Illinois, 1988. In this work, Kunjufu presents the phenomenon of
peer pressure and its impact on academic achievement. He argues that this problem has reached
catastrophic proportions and is a major contributing factor in the academic gap between races.
Many students feel that to do well academically is to risk alienation and be a target of name
calling. As future parents and educators, the students should be aware of the increased impact
that this phenomenon may be having on adolescents of all races.
“Mean Girls” is also an excellent resource, and more current.
Student Materials/Resources
Handout- “Peer Pressure Scale”
Teacher Materials/Resources
Information Sheet- “Influences of Teen Peer Pressure on Academic Success”
Information Sheet- “Peer Pressure”
Lesson Extensions/Assessments
1. Students may question parents and adults about peer pressure in their era and write a report
comparing it to what they believe peer pressure is to today’s youth.
2. Students may write a reflective paper in which they describe experiencing and successfully
handling peer pressure.
3. In small groups, students may role-play brief scenarios depicting peer pressure situations.
4. As an essay test, students may react to one of the following quotations from Kunjufu’s book:

“It is very possible for parents and teachers to have high expectations, and it all goes for
naught because the Black peer group is more concerned with what clothes you wear, how
well you dance, or play basketball, than academic achievement.”

How does the mass media contribute to the growing influence of peer pressure on
adolescents? For example, the commercial slogan, “If you want to fit in, you have to
party.”
1.6H INFLUENCES OF TEEN PEER PRESSURE ON ACADEMIC
SUCCESS: Teacher Resource

Confronting the Odds: Students at Risk and the Pipeline to Higher Education: Horn,
Laura J., MPR Associates, Berkeley, CA, 1997.
This study uses data about 1992 high school graduates from the National Education
Longitudinal Study of 1988 (a survey that began with eighth graders in 1988 and
followed them every two years through 1994) to examine the critical junctures when
at-risk high school graduates are most likely to leave the pipeline to college enrollment,
and to identify factors that increase their chances of successfully navigating the
enrollment pipeline.

“Creating an Antidote to Beavis and Butthead: Urban Adolescents Building A Culture of
Achievement.” Allison, Jeannette and Emily K. DeCicco, Childhood Education, v73,
N5, p305-308, 1997.

“Challenges and Resources of Mexican American Students within the Family, Peer
Group and University: Age and Gender Patterns:” Lopez, Edward M., Hispanic Journal
of Behavioral Sciences, v7, n4, p499-508, November 1995
A survey of 100 Mexican American undergraduate students assess their perceptions of
five challenges to completing college. There were no differences between upper- and
lower-division students. Males were more likely than females to report academic
discouragement and racial discrimination.

“The Relationship of Social Belonging and Friends’ Values to Academic Motivation
among Urban Adolescent Students:” Goodenev, Carol and Kathleen E. Grady, Journal
of Experimental Education, v62, n1, p60-71, Fall 1993.
The relationships among early adolescents’ sense of school belonging, perceptions of
their friends’ academic values, and academic motivation were studied for 301 African
American, white (Anglo), and Hispanic.

“Who’s Who Among African-American Student Groups in High School: An Exploratory
Investigation on peer Subcultures:” Senior, Ann Marie and Bernice Taylor Anderson,
Urban Review, v25, n3, pp233-249, September 1993.
Provides descriptive information about and reactions of 110 high school students to peer
groups in urban high schools serving predominantly African-American students. Schools
can encourage positive attitudes toward students who are academically inclined. Schools
need a more comprehensive understanding of peer groups to minimize the influence of
negative peer groups.

“Educating and Motivating African-American Males to Succeed:” Garibaldi, Antoine
M., Journal of negro Education, v61, n1, p4-11, Winter 1992.
Some educational solutions to the problems facing young African-American males have
been developed through the New Orleans Public School Study on Black Males
(1987-88). From the more than 50 study recommendations, ten are selected to illustrate

the range of strategies.
“Changing Peer Stereotypes of High-Achieving Adolescents:” Clasen, Donna Rae,
NASSP Bulletin, v76, n543, p95-102, April 1992.
Recent study finds that high-achieving African Americans run the risk of both physical
and verbal abuse from peers. With help from staff, principals can remove or weaken the
excellence-alienation link by raising community awareness, providing opportunities for
new knowledge and skills, and offering support and resources for change. Principals must
also enlist family support to lessen impact of peer pressure.

“Resilience and Persistence of African-American Males in Postsecondary Enrollment:”
Wilson-Sadberry, Karen R. and others, Education and Urban Society, v24, n p87-102,
November 1991.
High school and beyond data for male and female African-Americans indicate that
domains of influence help predict African American males’ postsecondary educational
attainment. Family and socioeconomic status, educational plans, father’s influence, and
peer influence are important predictors and indicate areas where student resilience and
persistence can be enhanced.

“Being Good at Being Bad: The Puerto Rican Student Overachieving at
Underachieving:” Rosado, Jose, Urban Education, v25, n4, p428-434, January 1991.
Puerto Ricans are among the poorest and least well-educated of Hispanic Americans and
continue to drop out at a high rate. Peer counseling programs are recommended because
there are few Puerto Rican teachers or other professionals to serve as role models.
1.6H PEER PRESSURE: Teacher Resource
The author of Jocks and Burnouts, Penelope Eckert, contends that the social structure of the
school, and especially the social category systems students are placed in starting in elementary
school, leave students little real choice about where they are headed. Students are labeled
“Jocks” or “Burnouts” based on their parents’ socioeconomic status. Schools lead students into
very different roles in adolescence and that, in time, prepares them for their roles in adult society.
The “Jocks” (really into school) and “Burnouts” (alienated from school) reflect their parents’
roles. The student social networks and social norms are mapped on the institutional structure of
the school. We need schools in which all students are privy to resources and students’ roles are
not predetermined by the school’s reaction to who their parents are.
According to the author, students define “Jocks” as:
“Someone who gets into school, who does her homework, who goes to all the activities, who’s in
Concert Choir, who has her whole day surrounded by school. You know, “Tonight I’m gonna go
to concert choir practice and today maybe I’ll go watch track, and then early this morning
maybe, oh, I’ll go help a teacher or something. ‘You know.”
Discussion Questions
1. Do you agree with the author’s conclusions?
2. Are Teacher Cadets “Jocks?” Is this good or bad?
3. How can capable “Burnouts” be pulled into Teacher Cadet? Should they be?
1.6H PEER PRESSURE SCALE: Student Handout
Pre-School
Age
B
1
2
3
4
Elementary
5
6
7
8
9
Middle
10
11
12
13
High School
14
15
16
17
Post High School
18
19 20 21 22
Strong
Medium
Weak
Directions: Using the diagram above, draw arrows to illustrate the degree of influence your Family, School, and Peers have had on
you. Use one arrow in each age group for each influential group. In the column for post high school, make predictions on how much
you think you will be influenced by each group. After completing your diagram, your teacher will share a copy of a scale based on
independent research by Jawanza Kunjufu.
This diagram is based on information (page 53) in Jawanza Kunjufu’s “To Be Popular or Smart: The Black Peer Group.”
1.6 H PEER PRESSURE SCALE: Student Handout
Pre-School
Age
B
1
2
3
Elementary School
4
5
6
7
8
9
Middle School
10
11
12
13
14
High School
15
16
17
18
Post High School
19
20
21
22
Strong
This diagram is based on information (page 53) in Jawanza Kunjufu’s “To Be Popular or Smart: The Black Peer Group.”
Peers
School
Family
Peers
School
Family
Peers
School
Family
Peers
School
Family
Weak
Family
Medium