Speak Up Warm-Up Activity

Welcome to the warm-up! This activity is designed to get you thinking about times when you've had to speak up for yourself. It’s a chance to reflect on your experiences and prepare for learning about self-advocacy.

Instructions:

1. Think Back: Pause for a moment and think about a time when you had to express your needs or feelings. What did you do? How did it feel?
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Share Your Experience: If you feel comfortable, share your memory with your teacher. You can say something like, "I remember when I asked for help with my homework," or another example that comes to mind.
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Discuss Why Speaking Up is Important: Talk with your teacher about why it's important to speak up. How can expressing your needs help you in school and in life?
   
   
   
   
   
   

This warm-up is a stepping stone to our main lesson on self-advocacy. Remember, sharing your thoughts is a great way to start building your confidence in speaking up for yourself!

Good luck, and enjoy the activity!

Self-Advocacy Activity

This activity is designed to help you practice speaking up for yourself in different situations through role-playing. In this activity, you will act out scenarios where you can express your needs and make choices that lead to a positive outcome.

Instructions:

1. Scenario Instructions: Your teacher will present a scenario that you might encounter at school. For example, the scenario might be: "You need extra help with a difficult assignment, and you feel confused about what to do."
   
   
   

2. Role-Playing: Together with your teacher, act out the situation. You will practice saying what you need, asking for help, and explaining how you feel. Use polite and clear language.
   
   
   

3. Expressing Needs: Focus on using phrases like "I need...", "Can you help me with...?", or "I feel..." This practice will help you get more comfortable speaking up.
   
   
   

4. Reflect: After role-playing, your teacher will ask you questions like:

   • How did you feel when you spoke up?
   • What worked well in your communication?
   • What could you say differently next time?

Take your time to provide thoughtful answers. Your reflections will help you improve your self-advocacy skills in real-life situations.

Remember, the goal of this activity is to build your confidence in expressing your needs and ensuring your voice is heard. Enjoy the process, and don't worry about making mistakes—this is all part of learning!

Good luck!

Speak Up Cool Down Activity

This activity is designed to help you relax and reflect on the self-advocacy skills you've practiced today. Let's wind down with a brief review and a fun game that reinforces what you've learned.

Part 1: Reflection

1. Review Your Experiences: Take a moment to think about the role-playing exercise you just completed. What did you learn about speaking up for yourself?
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Express Your Thoughts: Use the Self-Advocacy Worksheet provided to write down one new thing you learned today and one question you still have about self-advocacy.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Part 2: Fun Self-Advocacy Game

After reflecting, it’s time for a fun game!

1. Game Instructions: Play a quick game of Self-Advocacy Game. In this game, you'll answer questions or complete challenges that remind you of the key points from today’s lesson.
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Celebrate Your Progress: Enjoy this time as a way to celebrate your progress in learning how to express your needs and make choices that are best for you.

Wrap-Up

Great job today! Remember, the skills you practiced during this session are tools you can use anytime you need help or want to speak up for yourself.

Keep practicing, and continue building your confidence in expressing your thoughts and feelings!

Self-Advocacy Script

Welcome! Today we are going to practice speaking up for ourselves. This script will help guide us through a role-playing conversation where you can practice asking for help and expressing your feelings clearly. Remember, there are no wrong answers—we are practicing and learning together.

Script for Role-Playing

Teacher: "Imagine you are working on a math problem that seems really difficult, and you’re starting to feel confused. How do you think you might ask for help?"

**(Pause and listen to the student’s response. If needed, prompt with: "You can say something like, 'I need help understanding this problem.' ")

Teacher: "Great! Now, let’s role-play. I will pretend to be your teacher, and you will be you. When you’re ready, you can say, 'I need help with this math problem because I’m confused about where to start.'"

**(Allow the student to practice the sentence.)

Teacher: "Now, imagine I respond by saying, 'Of course, I can help you! Can you show me where you got stuck?' What might you say next?"

**(Pause and give time for the student to share their ideas.)

Teacher: "That sounds good! Remember, speaking clearly and politely is very important. It helps others understand you better.

Let's go through the conversation one more time. This time, try to add your own words if you want. Begin by saying, 'I need help with this math problem because I'm confused about where to begin.'"

**(Guide the student through the role-play again.)

Reflection

Teacher: "Excellent job! Now let’s pause for a minute. How did it feel to ask for help? Did you notice any words or phrases that made your message clear?"

**(Allow the student to share their thoughts.)

Teacher: "Thank you for sharing. Remember, by practicing speaking up, you are building a very important skill that will help you in many situations. Every time you speak up, you are standing up for what you need and showing your strength."

Great work today! Keep practicing your self-advocacy skills, and remember, your voice matters.

(End of script)

Self-Advocacy Worksheet

This worksheet is designed to help you reflect on what you learned about speaking up for yourself and practicing self-advocacy. Take your time and answer the following questions. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers—your answers help you think about your feelings and experiences.

1. Reflection on Speaking Up

Think about a time when you had to speak up for yourself. Write a short description of the situation and how you felt during that time.

2. Identifying Your Needs

Sometimes, it's hard to know how to ask for help. Write down one or two things you might need help with at school or at home and how you would ask for that help.

3. Role-Playing Practice

Imagine a scenario at school where you don't understand a lesson and you need to ask for help. Write or draw what you might say to your teacher. How would you express your needs?

4. Self-Advocacy Phrases

List any three phrases you think are important when asking for help or expressing how you feel. Explain why you think these phrases are useful.

5. Personal Reflection

After practicing self-advocacy today, write one new thing you learned about speaking up and one question you still have.

Great job completing this worksheet! Keep practicing your self-advocacy skills and remember, your voice matters.

Self-Advocacy Game

Welcome to the Self-Advocacy Game! This game is a fun and interactive way to review what you've learned about speaking up for yourself. There are different challenges and questions that will help you practice expressing your needs and making good choices.

How to Play:

1. Question Round: Your teacher will ask you a series of questions related to self-advocacy, such as:

   • "What does self-advocacy mean to you?"
   • "Can you name a time when you spoke up for yourself?"
   • "Why is it important to express your needs?"
     Write down your answers or share them verbally.
     
     
     
     
     
     

2. Challenge Round: In this round, you'll be given a challenge that mimics a real-life situation. For example:

   • "Imagine you're having trouble understanding a lesson. How would you ask for help?"
   • "Practice saying this sentence clearly: 'I need help because I'm confused.'"
     Try to complete the challenge by using the phrases we practiced.
     
     
     
     
     
     

3. Role-Play Fun: Work with your teacher in a quick role-playing exercise. Your teacher might act as someone you can ask for help, and you practice saying your needs.
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Reflection: At the end of the game, take a moment to reflect on how you did. What new phrases did you learn? What was challenging about speaking up? Write or discuss your thoughts with your teacher.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Game Goal:

The goal of this game is to help you feel more confident when expressing yourself and asking for help. Remember, every time you practice, you become better at using your voice!

Have fun and speak up!