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Express Yourself!

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Lesson Plan

Finding Your Voice

Empower students to articulate their thoughts and express themselves clearly, enhancing self-confidence and communication skills.

This lesson builds essential communication skills by encouraging personal expression and self-reflection, vital for middle school social and academic success.

Audience

6th Grade Student

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, creative activities, and reflective exercises.

Materials

Finding Your Voice, Self-Expression Techniques, Expressive Arts Exercise, and Self-Reflection Sheet

Prep

Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Discussion

10 minutes

  • Begin with a brief discussion on what it means to express oneself and why it’s important.
  • Ask prompting questions to elicit initial thoughts from the students.

Step 2

Expressive Arts Activity

15 minutes

  • Guide students through the Expressive Arts Exercise to creatively express their feelings.
  • Encourage every student to participate and share their creations if comfortable.

Step 3

Self-Reflection and Sharing

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Self-Reflection Sheet for students to write down their thoughts.
  • Invite a few volunteers to share their insights, reinforcing the day’s learning.
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Slide Deck

What is Self-Expression?

Understanding your unique voice and how to share it with the world.

Introduce the concept of self-expression. Emphasize that everyone has a unique way of communicating internal thoughts and feelings. Ask the students: What does self-expression mean to you?

Techniques for Self-Expression

  • Art & Drawing
  • Writing & Storytelling
  • Speaking & Performing
  • Movement & Dance

Discuss different techniques and methods. Highlight examples that might be visual, verbal, artistic, or physical. Engage students with questions on their preferred communication styles.

Applying Techniques in Daily Life

Consider:

  1. How can art help you express your feelings?
  2. How does writing help you understand your thoughts?
  3. When might speaking or performing be most powerful?

Provide a slide that offers practical examples and prompts to use each self-expression technique. Encourage students to think about how they might use one or more of these techniques in daily situations.

Reflect and Act

Think about your favorite method of expression. How can you develop this skill further?

Wrap up by encouraging students to reflect on their own experiences with self-expression and how they could incorporate these techniques to empower their communication.

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Activity

Express Yourself! - Expressive Arts Exercise

This activity encourages you to use art as a means of expressing your feelings and thoughts. You can choose a medium that best represents your voice – drawing, painting, collage, or any creative outlet you feel comfortable with.

Guidelines for the Activity

  1. Reflect: Take a few moments to think about a situation or emotion that you want to express. This could be something you're excited about, a challenge you're facing, or simply a feeling you want to explore.

  2. Create: Using your chosen art supplies, create a piece that represents your personal experience or inner thoughts. There is no right or wrong way to do this; the goal is to let your creativity flow.

  3. Share (Optional): If you feel comfortable, share your creation with the class and explain what it means to you. Discuss how the process of creating art helped you understand or express your feelings.

Questions to Consider

  • What emotions are you trying to express through your art?





  • How did the process of creating your art help unlock your thoughts or feelings?





  • What challenges did you face while trying to express your inner self?





Follow-Up Discussion Points

  • How did it feel to communicate your emotions through art?





  • Can the creative process help you express yourself in other areas of your life, such as in writing or speaking?





  • In what ways might you use art as a tool when you feel overwhelmed or need to process your emotions more deeply?





Enjoy the creative journey and remember that every piece of art is a step towards understanding yourself better!

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Cool Down

Self-Reflection Sheet

This cool-down activity is designed to help you reflect on your experiences during the lesson. Take a few moments to thoughtfully answer the following prompts. Your responses can be as short or as detailed as you like. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers—this is about understanding yourself better.

Reflection Prompts

  1. How did today's activities help you express yourself?





  2. What new insights did you gain about your personal communication style?





  3. Describe a moment during the lesson when you felt most confident or understood. Why do you think that was?





  4. How might you apply what you learned today in your everyday life or in future classes?





Take your time to reflect and write down your thoughts. Sharing your insights is optional but can be a great way to learn from each other!

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