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Lesson 1: Bless This Mess

Psychological Corollary

A person will do better work, be more efficient, and achieve greater success when he or she is making an effort.

Lesson Objectives

Students will be able to model and identify behavior that connotes effort. For example, given the task of cleaning up for a party, students will be able to identify the need for planning ahead, pacing themselves, and completing work on time.

Social Behaviors

This lesson shows students that successful people:

  • plan ahead
  • pace themselves
  • work diligently
  • work efficiently
  • complete work on time
  • work hard and productively

Other Vocabulary

  • vacuums

Suggested Lesson Plans

Introduction

Introduce vocabulary.

Group Use of Student Workbook

  • Ask students to read the cartoon, "Bless This Mess," and complete the exercise.
  • Ask students to identify Ann's problems.

Follow - Up

  • Kathy and Ann had the same problem. Have students compare the efforts each girl made to clean her apartment.
  • Why did one succeed and the other fail? (Emphasize the effort Kathy showed.)
  • Could both of the apartments have looked neat? (Stress that Kathy exerted effort, paced herself, and was systematic; therefore she succeeded.)
  • Ask students to offer some advice to Ann on how she could succeed next time.

Behavior Development Activity

To encourage students to learn to plan ahead, pace themselves, and complete work on time:

  • Before dividing the class into small groups for the activity that follows, have students identify (from a familiar area in your community) one specific example of each of the following establishments:
    • Gas station
    • Dry cleaner
    • Gift store where they could buy a birthday present
    • Bank
    • Florist
    • Post office
    • Library
  • On the board, have students assist you in drawing a map that illustrates the location of each establishment listed above, or make copies of the map for group use.
  • Divide the class into groups.
  • Tell students to imagine that they must solve this problem:
    • It is 10:00 on Saturday morning and you have to run the following errands. (Students may also need copies of the list of errands.)
      1. Buy a birthday present for a friend.
      2. Buy the week's groceries.
      3. Cash a check at the bank.
      4. Pick up laundry at the dry cleaner's.
      5. Buy gas for the car.
      6. Pick up flowers at the florist's.
      7. Drop books off at the library.
      8. Get stamps at the post office.
  • Tell students to take all of the following considerations in solving the problem:
    • You must finish all of the errands by 2:00 p.m. because your team has a big game at 2:30.
    • The bank and post office close at noon.
    • Your car is low on gas.
    • Because it is a very hot day, some groceries could spoil, and the flowers could wilt if they're left in the car too long.
    • You need money from the bank to pay for the groceries and the present.
  • Explain that each group's task is to organize the errands so that they use as little gas as possible and get all of the errands accomplished. Groups are to assume that the establishments drawn on the map on the board are those they must patronize.
  • Give groups approximately 15 minutes to make their plans of organization.
  • Have a member of each group post the group's list, showing the sequence of errands
  • Have the class compare group lists; where there are disagreements about the most efficient sequence, have groups explain their rationales
  • If possible, have the class use data from all groups to compile the most efficient sequence in which the errands should be run.
  • Ask students to describe how the above task illustrates the advantages of
    • planning ahead,
    • pacing one's self, and
    • completing work on time.

Review

  • Ask students to identify three kinds of effort that will help them succeed when they have a complicated task to complete (e.g., many errands to run or a party to prepare for). Efforts should include
  • planning ahead,
  • pacing, and
  • completing work on time.
  • Ask students to identify three advantages of the above kinds of effort:
  • They will do better work.
  • They will be more efficient.
  • They will achieve greater success.

Homework (Optional)

  • Ask students to decide which worksheet character they most resemble-Kathy or Ann.
  • Tell students to offer to help their family organize Saturday errands, keeping in mind factors they considered in this lesson's Behavior Development Activity.
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Return to: Part 1: Hard Work