Teacher Script: Speak Up, Be Heard!

Warm-Up: What's Your Voice? (5 minutes)

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Today, we're diving deeper into a skill you already know: self-advocacy. We're going to sharpen our ability to find our voice and speak up for ourselves effectively."

"To start, let's do a quick recall. Think about a time when you successfully advocated for yourself—maybe you asked for help, explained your feelings, or expressed a need. Turn to a partner and briefly share that experience."

(Give students about 2 minutes to share. Circulate and listen.)

"Alright, let's hear from a few pairs. Who would like to share a quick example of a time they successfully spoke up?"

(Call on 2-3 students. Affirm their experiences and connect to the idea of expressing needs effectively.)

"Fantastic examples! It sounds like many of you already have a good grasp of speaking up. Today, we'll build on that and explore how to make it even more powerful."

Introduction to Self-Advocacy (7 minutes)

"Let's quickly refresh our memory on self-advocacy using our first slide Self-Advocacy Slides."

(Display Slide 1: "Speak Up, Level Up! Your Advocacy Skills")

"As you know, self-advocacy means understanding what you need and then finding the best way to let others know. Let's briefly recall: 'What does it mean to speak up for yourself and be heard?'"

(Allow 1-2 student responses, guiding them to key definitions.)

(Display Slide 2: "Self-Advocacy: A Quick Refresh")

"Exactly! Self-advocacy is all about understanding your needs, wants, and rights, and then communicating them clearly and respectfully. It's about speaking up for yourself in a fair way to get what you need or want."

"We always emphasize that it's NOT about being mean, yelling, or demanding. It's about being confident, clear, and calm. It's being your own best spokesperson, but a respectful one."

"Can anyone give a quick reminder of an example of respectful self-advocacy in school or with friends?"

(Allow 1-2 student responses and affirm them.)

"Excellent! Now, let's quickly review why this skill is so powerful."

(Display Slide 3: "Why is Self-Advocacy Your Superpower?")

"As you've experienced, self-advocacy is a superpower because it helps you in so many areas of your life: in school, with friends, and even at home. When you advocate for yourself, you:

• Improve communication: Your message gets across.
• Become a problem-solver: You actively work towards solutions.
• Build stronger relationships: Others understand your perspective.
• Increase confidence and independence!"

"It helps you get what you need to succeed and feel good about yourself."

Self-Advocacy Scenarios Activity (12 minutes)

"Now it's your turn to put your refined superpower into action!"

(Display Slide 4: "Practice Time: What Would You Say?")

"I'm going to give each group a worksheet with a few scenarios Self-Advocacy Scenarios Activity. In your small groups, you'll read each situation and discuss:"

1. What is the problem or need? (What needs to be addressed?)
2. What do you want to achieve? (What's your goal by speaking up?)
3. What would you say or do to advocate for yourself? (Think about being clear and respectful.)"

"Remember to listen to each other's ideas and try to come up with the best way to speak up. I'll be walking around to help out."

(Distribute the Self-Advocacy Scenarios Activity worksheets. Divide students into small groups. Circulate, provide guidance, and encourage discussion.)

"We have about 8 minutes for this. Let's get to it!"

(After 8 minutes, bring the class back together.)

"Alright everyone, let's share some of your excellent self-advocacy strategies! For the first scenario, who wants to share what their group discussed?"

(Call on a few groups to share responses for 1-2 scenarios. Provide positive feedback and highlight good examples of respectful and clear communication.)

Cool-Down: My Advocacy Pledge (4 minutes)

"Fantastic work, everyone! You've thought about some tough situations and come up with great ways to speak up. To wrap up, let's make a personal pledge."

(Display Slide 5: "My Advocacy Pledge")

"On your Cool-Down: My Advocacy Pledge paper, or just in your mind, think about one way you can practice self-advocacy this coming week. It could be something small, like asking a question in another class, or something bigger, like talking to a parent about a challenge."

"Complete the sentence: 'I will advocate for myself by...'

(Give students a minute to think and write/formulate their pledge.)

"Who would like to share their advocacy pledge with the group?"

(Call on 2-3 students, or have them share with a partner if time is short.)

"Wonderful! Remember, self-advocacy is a skill that gets stronger with practice. Keep using your voice, and keep speaking up for what you need. You've got this! Thank you, everyone."

Warm-Up: What's Your Voice?

Instructions: Think about a time when you needed to ask for help, explain something, or express a need. It could be about homework, a game, or something at home.

Quickly jot down a few words or a sentence about that experience below.

Be ready to share with a partner or the class!

Self-Advocacy Scenarios Activity

Instructions: Work with your group to discuss each scenario below. For each situation, follow these steps:

1. Identify: What is the problem or need in this situation?
2. Plan: What do you want to achieve by speaking up?
3. Speak: What would you say or do to advocate for yourself? Write down your plan and what you would say.

Scenario 1: Group Project Trouble

You are working on a group project, and one of your group members isn't doing their share of the work. The deadline is approaching, and you're worried about your grade.

1. Identify the problem/need:
   
   
   
2. Plan what you want to achieve:
   
   
   
3. What would you say or do?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Scenario 2: Unclear Homework

Your teacher assigned a homework assignment, but you don't fully understand the instructions. You're afraid to ask questions in front of the whole class.

1. Identify the problem/need:
   
   
   
2. Plan what you want to achieve:
   
   
   
3. What would you say or do?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Scenario 3: Lunchroom Disagreement

A friend keeps taking food from your lunch without asking, and it's starting to bother you. You don't want to upset them, but you also want them to stop.

1. Identify the problem/need:
   
   
   
2. Plan what you want to achieve:
   
   
   
3. What would you say or do?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Scenario 4: Wanting More Responsibilities at Home

You feel like you're old enough to have more responsibilities or privileges at home (like staying up 30 minutes later or helping with a different chore). You want to talk to your parents about it.

1. Identify the problem/need:
   
   
   
2. Plan what you want to achieve:
   
   
   
3. What would you say or do?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Scenario 5: Standing Up for Someone Else

You see a classmate being unfairly teased or left out during an activity. You want to help, but you're not sure how to speak up without making the situation worse or getting yourself targeted.

1. Identify the problem/need:
   
   
   
2. Plan what you want to achieve:
   
   
   
3. What would you say or do?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Cool-Down: My Advocacy Pledge

Instructions: Think about one specific way you can practice self-advocacy in the coming week. It can be big or small.

Complete the sentence below:

"I will advocate for myself by...

Be ready to share your pledge with a partner or the class!