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Got Your Back!

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Lesson Plan

Got Your Back!

Students will be able to identify a trusted adult and articulate a way to ask for help when feeling upset or hurt.

This lesson empowers students to take charge of their emotional well-being by learning how to ask for support. It helps them build a strong personal support network and develop crucial self-advocacy skills for navigating life's challenges.

Audience

5th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, individual reflection, and role-playing activities.

Materials

How to Ask for Help Slide Deck, My Support Network Map, and 'Ask for Help' Ticket Activity

Prep

Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-up & Goal Setting

5 minutes

  • Display the first slide of the How to Ask for Help Slide Deck.
  • Teacher Script: "Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something really important: asking for help. We all face tricky situations or big feelings sometimes, and knowing who to talk to and how to ask can make a huge difference. Our goal today is to learn how to identify trusted adults and practice asking them for support."
  • Teacher Script: "Think about a time you felt stuck or needed help with something, big or small. You don't have to share it out loud, just keep it in your mind. How did you feel? What did you do?"

Step 2

Define Self-Advocacy

5 minutes

  • Advance to the next slide.
  • Teacher Script: "What does it mean to advocate for yourself? When you advocate for yourself, you speak up for what you need or want. It's about letting others know what's going on with you, especially when you need support."
  • Discussion Prompt: "Why is it important to speak up for yourself when you need help? What might happen if you don't ask for help when you need it?" (Allow 2-3 student responses).

Step 3

Identify Trusted Adults

10 minutes

  • Advance to the next slide.
  • Teacher Script: "Asking for help often means reaching out to a trusted adult. Who is a trusted adult? It's someone who listens to you, respects your feelings, and wants to help you. This could be a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a coach, a school counselor, or even me!"
  • Distribute the My Support Network Map worksheet.
  • Teacher Script: "On this worksheet, you'll create your own 'Support Network Map.' In the center, write your name. Then, in the circles around it, write the names of at least three trusted adults in your life. Think about people at home, at school, and in your community. If you need more circles, feel free to add them!"
  • Circulate around the room to provide support and answer questions.

Step 4

Practice Asking for Help

5 minutes

  • Advance to the next slide.
  • Teacher Script: "Now that you've identified your trusted adults, let's practice how to ask for help. It can be hard sometimes to find the right words. We'll do a quick activity called 'Ask for Help' Tickets."
  • Explain the 'Ask for Help' Ticket Activity rules: Students will write down a brief scenario where they might need help (e.g., "I'm feeling sad about a bad test grade," "Someone was mean to me at recess," "I don't understand the math homework"). They'll put these into a hat.
  • Model writing one scenario. Collect the tickets.
  • Pull a few tickets and role-play with a volunteer student how they might ask for help in that situation, demonstrating clear and direct communication. Focus on simple phrases like "I need help with..." or "I'm feeling... and I don't know what to do."

Step 5

Celebration & Wrap-up

5 minutes

  • Advance to the final slide.
  • Teacher Script: "Great job today, everyone! Remember, asking for help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength. You are building a powerful skill that will help you throughout your life. You have a whole network of people who care about you and want to help."
  • Teacher Script: "Keep your My Support Network Map somewhere safe so you can refer to it. And don't forget, if you ever need help, there's always someone who's got your back!"
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Slide Deck

Got Your Back! Asking for Help

Learning Objective:

Today, we will learn to identify trusted adults and articulate ways to ask for help when we feel upset or hurt.

Think About It:

  • When have you needed help? What happened?
  • How did you feel?

Introduce the topic and the lesson's objective. Start with a warm-up question to get students thinking without needing to share out loud.

What is Self-Advocacy?

Speaking Up For Yourself!

  • Self-advocacy means speaking up for what you need or want.
  • It's about letting others know what's going on with you.
  • Why is it important to ask for help?
    • You don't have to carry burdens alone.
    • People care about you and want to support you.
    • It helps you find solutions and feel better.

Define self-advocacy and discuss its importance. Encourage a few students to share their thoughts on why it's a valuable skill.

Who Are Your Trusted Adults?

People Who Care:

  • A trusted adult is someone who:
    • Listens to you.
    • Respects your feelings.
    • Wants to help you.
  • Who could they be?
    • Parents, grandparents, guardians
    • Teachers, counselors, principals
    • Coaches, club leaders
    • Other family members or family friends

Activity: My Support Network Map

Guide students to identify trusted adults in their lives. Distribute the 'My Support Network Map' worksheet and explain the instructions.

Practice Asking for Help

Finding the Right Words:

  • Sometimes it's hard to know what to say.
  • It's okay to start simply:
    • "I need help with..."
    • "I'm feeling [emotion] and I don't know what to do."
    • "Can we talk for a minute?"

Activity: 'Ask for Help' Ticket Practice

Introduce the 'Ask for Help' Ticket Activity. Model writing a scenario and then demonstrate role-playing with a volunteer, focusing on simple and direct language.

You've Got This! You've Got Support!

Remember:

  • Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
  • You have a network of people who care about you.
  • Use your voice and your network!

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the main message: asking for help is a strength. Encourage students to keep their support network map and use it when needed.

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Worksheet

My Support Network Map

Sometimes we all need a little help. It's important to know who your trusted adults are – people who listen, care, and want to help you. Use this map to identify your support system!

Instructions:

  1. Write your name in the center circle.
  2. In the surrounding circles, write the names of at least three trusted adults in your life. These could be people at home, at school, or in your community.
  3. If you need more circles, feel free to draw them! You can never have too much support.

My Support Network

graph TD
    A[Your Name] --> B(Trusted Adult 1)
    A --> C(Trusted Adult 2)
    A --> D(Trusted Adult 3)
    A --> E(Trusted Adult 4)
    A --> F(Trusted Adult 5)













Reflect and Connect:

  1. Why is it important to have these people in your life?






  2. What makes an adult "trusted" for you?






  3. How does it feel to know you have a network of people who can help you?






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Activity

'Ask for Help' Ticket Activity

Sometimes, knowing who to ask for help is easy, but knowing what to say can be tricky! This activity will help you practice articulating your needs.

Instructions:

  1. Write Your Scenario: On a small slip of paper, write down a brief, imaginary scenario where you might need help from a trusted adult. Don't write your name!
    • Examples: "I'm feeling really sad about my test grade," "Someone said something mean to me at recess," "I don't understand the math homework," "I'm worried about trying out for the team."
  2. Fold and Collect: Fold your paper and place it into the hat or box provided.
  3. Draw and Practice: When it's your turn, or when the teacher draws a ticket, we will read the scenario aloud.
  4. Role-Play: Practice how you would ask a trusted adult for help in that specific situation. Focus on being clear and direct. You can use phrases like:
    • "I need help with..."
    • "I'm feeling... and I don't know what to do."
    • "Can we talk for a minute? I'm struggling with..."

Discussion Questions for Each Scenario:

  • What specific words did you use to ask for help?
  • How did it feel to say those words?
  • What trusted adult on your My Support Network Map might you go to for this situation?
  • Why is it important to be clear about what you need?













My Practice Scenarios:

Write your scenario here before putting it in the hat.




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Got Your Back! • Lenny Learning