Empower Your Voice

Shannon Janovitz

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Empower Your Voice

Self-Advocacy and Empowerment

This lesson empowers 10th-grade students to speak up for themselves and make informed decisions. Through engaging discussions and realistic scenarios, students will learn how to express their needs and set personal goals. This lesson is crucial for fostering self-confidence and independence, equipping students with the skills necessary for lifelong self-advocacy and responsible citizenship.

Audience

10th Grade Students

Time

1 hour

Approach

Self-Advocacy and Empowerment

Materials

Discussion Questions, Scenario Cards, Worksheet: Personal Goals, and Pens and Paper

Step 1

Introduction

10 mins

Begin with a brief discussion on what self-advocacy means.
Ask students to share any experiences where they had to advocate for themselves.

Step 2

Discussion: Importance of Self-Advocacy

15 mins

Use the provided discussion questions to guide a conversation about why self-advocacy is important.
Encourage students to think about situations where self-advocacy could be beneficial.

Step 3

Scenario Activity

20 mins

Divide students into small groups and distribute scenario cards.
Each group discusses their scenario and decides how they would advocate for themselves in that situation.
Groups present their scenarios and solutions to the class.

Step 4

Worksheet: Setting Personal Goals

10 mins

Distribute the 'Personal Goals' worksheet.
Students individually reflect on their personal goals and how they can advocate for themselves to achieve these goals.

Step 5

Closure

5 mins

Recap the key points of the lesson.
Encourage students to think about one area in their life where they can start advocating for themselves.

Discussion

Discussion Questions

A set of questions to guide a discussion on self-advocacy and its importance.

Why is self-advocacy important in everyday life?

Discuss how self-advocacy can lead to better outcomes in personal and academic settings.

Can you think of a time when you successfully advocated for yourself?

Encourage students to share personal stories and reflect on the impact of their actions.

What are some barriers to self-advocacy, and how can they be overcome?

Explore common challenges such as fear of rejection or lack of confidence, and brainstorm solutions.

Worksheet

Scenario Cards

Cards with different scenarios for students to discuss and practice self-advocacy skills.

You want to join a club at school, but it conflicts with your current schedule.

You feel overwhelmed with homework and need to ask your teacher for an extension.

You disagree with a grade you received and want to discuss it with your teacher.

You want to apply for a part-time job but need to negotiate your working hours.

Worksheet

Worksheet: Personal Goals

A worksheet to help students identify and set personal goals, and plan how to advocate for themselves to achieve these goals.

List three personal goals you want to achieve this year.

For each goal, write down one way you can advocate for yourself to achieve it.

Think about who you need to talk to or what actions you need to take.