Psychological Corollary

Past failures are often caused by a lack of effort, so a person can prevent future failure by making a greater effort.

Lesson Objective

Given an example of failure, students will identify efforts that can help a person avoid repeated failures. For example, a person who gave up too easily in trying to find a place to live could succeed by being more persistent in reading the newspaper, talking to potential roommates, and saving money.

Social Behaviors

This lesson shows students that successful people:

• persist despite failure
• use feedback
• Accept feedback
• persist in the face of difficulty

Other Vocabulary

• apartment agency
• deposit

Suggested Lesson Plans

Introduction

Introduce vocabulary.

Group Use of Student Workbook

• Have students read the first four frames of the cartoon.
• Ask students to explain why Sid got an apartment without Len.
• Have students read the remaining frames in the cartoon and list Len's efforts that led to getting an apartment.
• Ask students why Len failed at first in getting an apartment.
• Ask students what Len did differently the second time he set out to get an apartment.
• Have students independently complete the empty boxes at the bottom of the lesson's second page.

Follow - Up

• Have students brainstorm a list of efforts necessary to successfully move to one's own apartment. Have students identify and/or classify:
• Tasks they could handle on their own
• Tasks with which they would need assistance
• Source of assistance for the above tasks

Behavior Development Activity

To encourage students to persist despite failure:

• Divide the class into small groups. Give each group one of the problems that follow. Tell groups to list efforts a person could make to succeed the next time he or she attempts the same task or goal:
• You passed geometry the first semester (first two marking periods) but failed during the third marking period of the year.
• You quit smoking but resumed the habit after two months.
• Your factory shut down, and you do not yet have a new job.
• You asked an acquaintance to go with you on a date, but he or she did not accept.
• You tried to obtain a credit card, but the bank said your credit rating was weak.

Review

• Ask students to explain why persistence can help a person succeed even though he previously failed.
• Ask students to identify two efforts that would be necessary to obtain an apartment of one's own (e.g., reading the newspaper or online ads daily to locate an apartment and saving money for a rent deposit).

Homework (Optional)

• Ask each student to select one goal that would be difficult to achieve (e.g., saving enough money to buy a car or motorcycle).
• For their goals, students should identify three efforts or ways of persisting that will help them achieve their goals; for example, to save money for a car, I might have to
• walk to work or school every day instead of taking the bus.
• carry my lunch rather than eat out.
• stop going to the movies and buying new clothes.