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Lesson 3: C for Control

Psychological Corollary:

A person can control the amount of effort he or she makes.

Lesson Objective:

Given a problem, students will identify at least two kinds of effort that could be used to solve the problem. For example, to afford a new camera one could save money by cutting back on expenses and by shopping for the best price.

Social Behaviors

This lesson shows students that successful people:

  • offer encouragement
  • Demonstrate a positive attitude
  • Are active – not passive
  • show initiative
  • understand the consequences of their own behaviour

Other Vocabulary

  • discount
  • campaign
  • council
  • league

Suggested Lesson Plans

Introduction

Make a chart on the board like the one below. Ask students to decide which problems could be avoided with effort.

Problem
Causes
Can Cause be Controlled by Effort?
Possible Efforts to Solve the Problem
Person is late for work/ school
Bus is late
Take earlier bus
Heavy traffic
Take different route
Broken alarm Clock
Buy new clock, or get old clock fixed
Phone died, alarm didn't ring
Use plug-in or wind up clock as a backup
Not enough sleep
Go to bed earlier

Introduce vocabulary.

Group Use of Student Workbook

Use the following process for each situation given in the worksheet:

  • Have students read the situations and lists of reasons.
  • Have students decide if the causes of success or failure were under the person's control.
  • Have students identify which factors influenced the person's success or failure.
  • Have students decide what the characters could have done to change their situations (i.e., what greater or different efforts would make a difference?).

Follow - Up

  • Ask students to identify factors that can influence their success (e.g., luck and help from others).
  • Discuss how characters in the Lesson 3 worksheet used the luck they had to influence the outcome of their situations (e.g., Will was lucky that a team member moved, but he had made an effort to be friendly with team members so they would ask him to join; Frank was lucky to find a camera on sale, but he had to watch for ads).

Behavior Development Activity

To encourage students to offer encouragement to others:

  • Define encouragement. Discuss how encouragement means supporting someone's efforts.
  • Discuss how encouragement can help someone who is in a difficult situation.
  • Divide the class into pairs. Have each member of the pair take a turn at being a character from the worksheet. Have each student express his or her discouragement (e.g., "My face will never clear up", "I'll never be able to buy that camera"). Have the other person give encouragement, understanding, and support.
  • Have the class list ways to encourage each of the worksheet characters.

Review

Ask students to identify efforts a person could make to succeed in getting

  • an "A" on an exam in order to pass the course (e.g., taking careful notes in class, studying every night, and doing extra reading).
  • a part in a play at the community theatre (e.g., talking to actors in the theatre to get information about the play and the director, and practicing for the audition).
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Return to: Lesson 2: Missed Chances