As a group, process the following discussion questions:
What does it mean to be responsible?
What does it mean to take responsibility for our actions?
Why do we use excuses?
When you use a responsible statement, who is in control?
Tell about a time that you made an excuse to avoid a negative consequence. What happened?
Is it easier to make excuses or responsible statements? Why?
Is it better to take responsibility and accept consequences or make an excuse to avoid consequences? Why?
How can accepting responsibility help improve your schoolwork or your relationship with your friends?
Discuss how each choice has consequences and how people are responsible for the consequences of their choices.
Have students brainstorm the various consequences that different responses might bring about.
When I get angry at my friend, I
When I am picked on, I
When I can't have my way, I
When I get in trouble, I
When my parents won't listen to me, I
Activities
Keeping a Journal
As a homework assignment or an in-class activity, the students will write two entries into their journal under the heading of Responsibility answering the following questions:
Ask students to think of three “excuses” they have used recently and write each one down. Then have the students re-state each one in a way that reflects taking responsibility for the problem and solution (examples in Activity 2 below). If time allows, have students work in small groups to complete the following statements.
Have students write about the various consequences that different responses might bring about for the following statements:
When I get angry at my friend, I
When I am picked on, I
When I can’t have my way, I
When I get in trouble, I
When my parents won’t listen to me, I
Activity 1: Consumerism
Talk to your students about how they'll need to have their own place to live before long. Have you ever thought about the cost of living? What would you need? What would you want?
Divide the students into small groups and have them come up with a list of necessary items needed (rent, utilities, food, clothes, health insurance, car insurance, cell phone plan, internet, etc.).
Explain to them what a budget is and then have them determine how much would need to be spent on the necessary items.
Share with them what minimum wage is today ($7.25), and have them figure out how much they would make after a 40-hour week, then for a month.
Have the students determine how much of their salary would need to go towards necessary items
rent: $500
utilities: $120
food: $250
clothes: $80
insurances: $200
internet: $50
phones: $50
Minimum wage is what many have to live off of when they drop out of school. Is this the life for you?
Other Cost of Living activities: http://www.be.wednet.edu/cms/lib2/WA01001601/Centricity/Domain/93/Cost%20of%20Living%20Activity.pdf http://edu.wyoming.gov/sf-docs/publications/Cost-of-Living_Lesson http://www.schoolonwheels.org/pdfs/4010/CostofLiving123.pdf Cost of Living for Raleigh, NC: http://condense.it/CostofLiving
Activity 2: Taking Responsibility
Tell your students that it's common for kids to try to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, especially when the outcome is a negative one. Kids believe that if they place blame on someone else, they won't need to admit to a mistake or solve the problem.
On the board, write the following examples of excuses ans ask students to come up with ideas for how they can be re-stated in a way that reflects taking responsibility for the problem and solution. Use the suggestions below as a guide.
EXCUSE: It broke.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: I broke it. How can I fix it?
EXCUSE: I can't find it.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: I haven't found it yet. I need to look harder.
EXCUSE: He started it.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: I chose to get involved in something I should have stayed out of.
EXCUSE: You made me do it.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: I caved in to peer pressure, and I shouldn't have.
EXCUSE: She was doing it, so I did it, too.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: I shouldn't have done it, even though someone else was.
EXCUSE: I can't do it.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: I choose not to do it. I need help to do it.
Activity 3: Responsible
There are many ways to be responsible. You can be held responsible for doing the right thing or the wrong thing. You can even be held responsible for not doing anything at all.Respond to the questions below in as honest a way as you can. Your responses may be different from those of your classmates. You won't have to reveal any of your answers to anyone. Only answer "yes" to a responsibility that you believe you presently have; but for those where you don't feel any responsibility, tell why.
What are you responsible for?
the condition of your room at home?
the condition of your desk at school?
being clean and well-groomed when you come to school?