Lesson Plan
Speak Up! Self-Advocacy
Students will be able to define self-advocacy and identify strategies for effectively advocating for their academic and personal needs in a school setting.
Empowering students to effectively communicate their needs, ask for help, and navigate challenges within the school environment is crucial for their academic success and overall well-being. This lesson provides them with essential life skills.
Audience
7th Grade Students
Time
60 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, real-life scenarios, and practical application.
Materials
Whiteboard or Projector, Markers or Pens, Speak Up! Slide Deck, Warm-Up: What Would You Do?, Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge, Self-Advocacy Action Plan Worksheet, and Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway
Prep
Prepare Materials
15 minutes
- Review the Speak Up! Lesson Plan, Speak Up! Slide Deck, and Teacher Script.
- Print copies of the Warm-Up: What Would You Do? (1 per student).
- Print and cut out the Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge cards (enough for small groups).
- Print copies of the Self-Advocacy Action Plan Worksheet (1 per student).
- Ensure projector/whiteboard and markers are ready.
Step 1
Warm-Up: What Would You Do?
10 minutes
- Distribute the Warm-Up: What Would You Do? worksheet to each student.
2. Ask students to individually read the scenarios and jot down how they would respond.
3. After 5 minutes, facilitate a brief class discussion, asking a few students to share their initial thoughts without introducing the concept of self-advocacy yet. (Refer to Teacher Script for guidance)
Step 2
Introduction to Self-Advocacy
10 minutes
- Use the Speak Up! Slide Deck to introduce the concept of self-advocacy.
2. Define self-advocacy in simple terms: 'Speaking up for yourself and what you need.'
3. Discuss why self-advocacy is important, especially in school (getting help, understanding assignments, feeling heard). (Refer to Teacher Script for guidance)
Step 3
Components of Self-Advocacy
15 minutes
- Continue using the Speak Up! Slide Deck to explore the key components of self-advocacy: knowing your needs, knowing your rights, and communicating effectively.
2. Provide examples for each component relevant to school situations. (Refer to Teacher Script for guidance)
Step 4
Group Game: Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge
15 minutes
- Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group).
2. Provide each group with a few Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge cards.
3. Instruct groups to role-play how they would self-advocate in each scenario, focusing on the components learned.
4. After 10 minutes, bring the class back together and have each group share one scenario and their self-advocacy approach. (Refer to Teacher Script for guidance)
Step 5
Individual Reflection & Action Plan
5 minutes
- Distribute the Self-Advocacy Action Plan Worksheet.
2. Ask students to individually reflect on a time they could have used self-advocacy or a situation where they might need to self-advocate soon.
3. They should outline a simple action plan for how they would approach it using the strategies discussed. (Refer to Teacher Script for guidance)
Step 6
Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway
5 minutes
- Distribute the Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway worksheet.
2. Ask students to write down one important thing they learned about self-advocacy.
3. Collect the cool-downs as an exit ticket. (Refer to Teacher Script for guidance)
Slide Deck
Speak Up! Self-Advocacy in School
Finding Your Voice to Succeed!
Welcome students and introduce the topic. Explain that today's lesson is about finding their voice and getting what they need to succeed.
What is Self-Advocacy?
• Self-Advocacy means speaking up for yourself and for what you need.
• It's about understanding your strengths and challenges, knowing your rights, and communicating them effectively to others.
• It's a superpower for your success!
Engage students by asking: "What do you think 'self-advocacy' means?" Listen to a few ideas before revealing the definition. Connect it to real-life examples where they might have spoken up for themselves or someone else.
Why is Self-Advocacy Important in School?
• Getting the help you need: Whether it's with homework, understanding a concept, or a personal challenge.
• Being understood: Making sure teachers and staff know what works best for you.
• Solving problems: Effectively communicating when something isn't right or fair.
• Building confidence: Feeling empowered to take charge of your learning journey.
Discuss why this is particularly important in a school setting. Ask for examples from students: "When might you need to speak up for yourself at school?" Guide them towards academic (extra help, understanding assignments) and personal (feeling overwhelmed, needing a break) examples.
Component 1: Know Your Needs
• What do you need? Think about what helps you learn best or what challenges you might be facing.
• Do you need a quiet space to work?
• Do you need instructions repeated?
• Do you need a break?
• Do you need help understanding a topic?
• Reflect: Regularly check in with yourself. How are you feeling about your classes, your workload, or your school environment?
Explain that self-advocacy isn't just one thing, but a combination of skills. Start with 'Knowing Your Needs.' Ask: "How can you figure out what you need?" Encourage self-reflection.
Component 2: Know Your Rights
• You have a right to learn and feel safe at school.
• You have a right to ask questions when you don't understand.
• You have a right to ask for help when you need it.
• You have a right to share your thoughts and feelings respectfully.
• These rights empower you to speak up for fair treatment and support.
Move to 'Knowing Your Rights.' Briefly explain that students have rights in school (e.g., to learn, to be safe, to ask questions). Emphasize that knowing these rights helps them advocate effectively.
Component 3: Communicate Effectively
• Be Clear and Specific: Explain exactly what the issue is and what you need.
• Instead of: "This is hard." Try: "I'm struggling with the step-by-step process for solving these math problems."
• Be Respectful: Use a calm voice and polite language, even if you're frustrated.
• "Could you please..." or "I was wondering if..."
• Choose the Right Time and Place: Find a moment when the person can give you their full attention.
• During office hours, after class, or by sending a polite email.
• Practice: The more you do it, the easier it gets!
This is a critical component. Provide clear, actionable steps for 'Communicating Effectively.' Emphasize politeness and clarity. Role-play a quick example if time allows (e.g., "Excuse me, Ms. Smith, I'm finding the homework a bit confusing. Could you explain question 3 again?").
Your Self-Advocacy Toolkit: A Quick Review
- Know Your Needs: What do you need to succeed or feel supported?
- Know Your Rights: What are your entitlements as a student?
- Communicate Effectively: Be clear, specific, respectful, and choose the right time/place!
Recap the three components before students apply them. Ask students to quickly name each component to check for understanding.
Time to Play! Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge
• Work with your group to role-play the scenarios using your self-advocacy skills!
• For each scenario, demonstrate:
1. Knowing Your Needs
2. Knowing Your Rights
3. Communicating Effectively
• Be ready to share one role-play or your approach with the class!
Transition to the group game. Explain the instructions for the Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge cards. Emphasize that students should apply the 3 components of self-advocacy they just learned, and encourage them to act out the scenarios.
Your Self-Advocacy Action Plan
• Think about a time you could have used self-advocacy, or a situation coming up where you might need to speak up for yourself.
• Use the worksheet to create a simple action plan:
• What is the situation?
• What do you need?
• Who do you need to talk to?
• What will you say?
Introduce the final individual activity. Explain that this is a chance for them to apply what they've learned to their own lives.
Self-Advocacy: Practice Makes Progress!
• It's a skill that gets stronger with practice.
• Start small, even with simple requests or questions.
• Every time you speak up for yourself, you're building confidence and taking control!
Encourage students to view self-advocacy as an ongoing process. Ask: "What's one small step you can take this week to practice self-advocacy?"
Remember: Your Voice Matters!
• Self-advocacy is a lifelong skill.
• It empowers you to take control of your education and future.
• Don't be afraid to speak up respectfully for what you need to succeed!
Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the main idea. Encourage students to remember that their voice matters and to use these skills. Collect the cool-down slips.
Script
Teacher Script: Speak Up! Self-Advocacy
Warm-Up: What Would You Do? (10 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning/afternoon everyone! To get us started today, I have a quick warm-up for you. I'm going to hand out a worksheet called Warm-Up: What Would You Do?. On it, you'll find a few short scenarios. I want you to read each one and think about how you would respond in that situation. There's no right or wrong answer right now, just write down your honest first thoughts. You have about 5 minutes to complete this."
(Distribute Warm-Up: What Would You Do? and allow students to work.)
Teacher: "Alright, let's bring it back together. Who would be willing to share their thoughts on one of the scenarios? Remember, we're just sharing what you thought, no need to have a perfect answer."
(Call on a few students. Listen to their responses and acknowledge them, but don't correct or introduce the term 'self-advocacy' yet.)
Teacher: "Thank you for sharing your ideas. It sounds like you all thought carefully about those situations. Today, we're going to learn a skill that can help you in all of those scenarios, and many more, both in school and in life."
Introduction to Self-Advocacy (10 minutes)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 1: "Speak Up! Self-Advocacy in School")
Teacher: "Take a look at our title slide. 'Speak Up! Self-Advocacy in School.' What do you think 'self-advocacy' means? Just shout out any ideas you have."
(Listen to student responses. Guide them toward the idea of speaking for oneself.)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 2: "What is Self-Advocacy?")
Teacher: "Exactly! As it says here, Self-Advocacy means speaking up for yourself and for what you need. It's about understanding your strengths and challenges, knowing your rights, and communicating them effectively to others. Think of it as your personal superpower for success!"
Teacher: "Why do you think a skill like this is important, especially when you're in school? Why is it good to be able to speak up for yourself here?"
(Listen to student responses. Prompt them to think about getting help, feeling heard, etc.)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 3: "Why is Self-Advocacy Important in School?")
Teacher: "Spot on! Self-advocacy helps you in so many ways: getting the help you need, being understood, solving problems, and even building your confidence. It means you're taking charge of your learning journey and not just waiting for things to happen."
Components of Self-Advocacy (15 minutes)
Teacher: "Now, let's break down self-advocacy into three main components. If we understand these, it makes it much easier to actually do it."
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 4: "Component 1: Know Your Needs")
Teacher: "The first component is all about knowing your needs. This sounds simple, but it can be harder than it seems. It means taking time to think: 'What helps me learn best? What am I struggling with? What do I need to feel comfortable or successful in this situation?'"
Teacher: "For example, if you're in a noisy classroom and can't focus, what might be a need you have? Or if you're confused about a science concept?"
(Listen to responses: e.g., 'a quieter space,' 'extra explanation.')
Teacher: "Exactly. It's about regularly checking in with yourself about your classes, your workload, or even just how you're feeling."
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 5: "Component 2: Know Your Rights")
Teacher: "The second component is knowing your rights. As students, you have certain rights in school. You have a right to learn, to feel safe, to ask questions when you don't understand, and to ask for help when you need it. These aren't just privileges; they're rights that empower you to get the support and fair treatment you deserve. Knowing these helps you speak up with confidence."
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 6: "Component 3: Communicate Effectively")
Teacher: "Finally, the third and perhaps most active component is communicating effectively. It's not enough to know what you need; you have to be able to tell someone. There are a few key things to remember:
- Be Clear and Specific: Don't just say, 'This is hard.' Try something like, 'I'm struggling with the step-by-step process for solving these math problems.' That tells the teacher exactly what kind of help you need.
- Be Respectful: Always use a calm voice and polite language, even if you're feeling frustrated. Things like, 'Could you please...' or 'I was wondering if...' go a long way.
- Choose the Right Time and Place: Don't interrupt a teacher when they're in the middle of teaching. Find a moment when they can give you their full attention—maybe after class, during office hours, or even by sending a polite email."
Teacher: "Remember, the more you practice these communication skills, the easier and more natural they'll become."
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 7: "Your Self-Advocacy Toolkit: A Quick Review")
Teacher: "Before we jump into our role-play challenge, let's quickly review our self-advocacy toolkit. Can anyone remind us of the three key components we just discussed?"
(Call on students to recall and reiterate the three components. Affirm their responses.)
Teacher: "Excellent! Keeping these three in mind will be super helpful for our next activity."
Group Game: Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge (15 minutes)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 8: "Time to Play! Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge")
Teacher: "Alright, it's time to put these ideas into practice with a game! I'm going to divide you into small groups of 3-4 students. Each group will get a few Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge cards. For each scenario, I want your group to role-play how you would self-advocate, focusing on:
- Knowing Your Needs: Clearly identifying what the student in the scenario needs.
- Knowing Your Rights: Considering any rights the student has in this situation.
- Communicating Effectively: Showing how the student would politely, clearly, and specifically express their needs and rights.
You'll have about 10 minutes for your role-plays and discussions. Then, we'll come back together and each group will share one of their scenarios and their self-advocacy approach or demonstrate their role-play if they're comfortable."
(Divide students into groups, distribute Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge cards, and monitor group discussions/role-plays. Provide support and answer questions.)
Teacher: "Let's come back together as a whole class. Which group wants to share one of their scenarios and how they would self-advocate, or show us a quick role-play?"
(Facilitate sharing, ensuring students connect their answers to the three components of self-advocacy.)
Individual Reflection & Action Plan (5 minutes)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 9: "Your Self-Advocacy Action Plan")
Teacher: "Great job with the role-plays! Now, let's make this personal. I'm handing out the Self-Advocacy Action Plan Worksheet. I want you to think about a time you could have used self-advocacy, or a situation that might be coming up soon where you know you'll need to speak up for yourself. Use the worksheet to outline a simple plan: what's the situation, what do you need, who will you talk to, and what will you say? You have about 5 minutes for this."
(Distribute Self-Advocacy Action Plan Worksheet and allow students to work.)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 10: "Self-Advocacy: Practice Makes Progress!")
Teacher: "Remember, self-advocacy isn't a one-time thing; it's a skill you build over time. Just like anything else, practice makes progress! Even small acts of speaking up can make a big difference. What's one small way you think you could practice self-advocacy this week?"
(Listen to a few student ideas.)
Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway (5 minutes)
(Transition to Speak Up! Slide Deck - Slide 11: "Remember: Your Voice Matters!")
Teacher: "We're almost out of time! Before you go, I have one final quick task. I'm giving you a Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway slip. On it, I want you to write down one important thing you learned about self-advocacy today. It can be a definition, a strategy, or something that resonated with you. This will serve as your exit ticket for today."
(Distribute Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway and collect as students leave.)
Teacher: "Remember, self-advocacy is a lifelong skill. It empowers you to take control of your education and future. Don't be afraid to speak up respectfully for what you need to succeed!"
Warm Up
Warm-Up: What Would You Do?
Instructions: Read each scenario below and write down how you would respond or what you would do in that situation. There are no right or wrong answers, just your honest thoughts.
Scenario 1: Unfair Group Project?
You are working on a group project, and one of your teammates is not doing their part. They are often distracted and haven't completed any of their assigned tasks, putting the whole group's grade at risk.
What would you do?
Scenario 2: Confusing Homework?
You are at home trying to complete your math homework, but you don't understand the instructions for a few of the problems. You feel stuck and frustrated.
What would you do?
Scenario 3: Lost Grade?
You checked your grades online and noticed a zero for a major assignment that you clearly remember turning in. You're worried it might affect your overall grade.
What would you do?
Game
Self-Advocacy Role-Play Challenge
Instructions for Students: In your groups, you will receive a scenario card. Your task is to role-play the scenario, demonstrating effective self-advocacy. Focus on:
- Knowing Your Needs: Clearly identify what the student in the scenario needs.
- Knowing Your Rights: Consider any rights the student has in this situation.
- Communicating Effectively: Show how the student would politely, clearly, and specifically express their needs and rights.
After each role-play, discuss as a group what worked well and what could be improved. Be ready to present your role-play to the class, or explain your approach if you prefer not to act it out.
Scenario Card 1: The Loud Lunchroom
You need to study for a big test next period, but the lunchroom is extremely noisy, and you can't concentrate. You feel stressed and know you need a quieter space.
Scenario Card 2: Unclear Assignment
Your English teacher has given a new assignment, but you don't understand the grading criteria. You're worried about doing it wrong and losing points.
Scenario Card 3: Overloaded Schedule
You've been asked to join another school club, but you're already feeling overwhelmed with homework and existing commitments. You want to say no respectfully without letting anyone down.
Scenario Card 4: Disagreement with a Teacher
You believe you answered a question correctly on a quiz, but the teacher marked it wrong. You have a good reason why your answer is valid and want to discuss it respectfully.
Scenario Card 5: Feeling Left Out
Your usual group of friends has started making plans without you, and you feel hurt and excluded. You want to understand why and express how you feel.
Scenario Card 6: Academic Challenge
You're consistently struggling with a particular subject, even after trying to study more. You're worried about your grades and feel like you're falling behind.
Scenario Card 7: Trouble with a Locker Buddy
Your locker buddy keeps leaving their side of the locker messy and unorganized, making it difficult for you to access your books and supplies. You want to address this without causing conflict.
Worksheet
Self-Advocacy Action Plan
Instructions: Think about a time you could have used self-advocacy, or a situation coming up soon where you might need to speak up for yourself. Use the prompts below to create your own self-advocacy action plan.
1. Describe the Situation:
What is happening or what might happen? Be specific.
2. What Do You Need?
Based on this situation, what specific support, clarification, or change do you need?
3. Who Do You Need to Talk To?
Who is the best person to speak with about this (e.g., teacher, counselor, parent, friend)?
4. What Will You Say?
Write out exactly what you plan to say. Remember to be clear, specific, and respectful. Think about the right time and place to say it.
Cool Down
Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway
Instructions: On the lines below, write down one important thing you learned about self-advocacy today. It could be a definition, a strategy, or something that really stuck with you.