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                                      Health Lesson

Michael Davis
February 26, 2002

Lesson Objectives: SWBAT discuss ways to help others ways to cope with loss and grief, and specifically, with the aftermath of violence; Discuss how personal experiences of loss and grief can affect survivors; Discuss various ways to cope with loss and grief. Use of writing for coping and remembrance will be incorporated in lesson.

Anticipatory Set: In journals or on separate pieces of paper, students respond to the following prompts written on the board a sentence or two is fine: “The time I felt the saddest was…” “The way I overcame my sadness was…”

Input: Copies of the story “My brother’s death changed our family forever” (one per student)
As a class, read “My brother’s death changed our family forever.” Then discuss the article, within groups addressing these questions:
a. How did Malik’s death affect Sophia?
b. How did Malik’s death affect the rest of Sophia’s family?
c. How did Malik’s death affect the relationships between the surviving members of his family?
d. Do you think that the fact that Malik’s death came unexpectedly, violently, and at a young age affected the impact of his death on his family? If yes, why and how?
e. Sophia says at the end of the article that, four years after her brother’s death, she has learned to forgive his killer. How do you think she, or anyone who has lost a loved one to violence, could come to this position? Do you think you we should try to forgive those who perpetrate wrongs or violence on us? Why or why not?
f. Do you think that writing this article has been part of Sophia’s healing process? How could reading this article help someone who is grieving?

Modeling: The instructor will offer his/her own answers to some of the questions.

For example Sophia was able to heal through writing this story and has also helped other she has not only coped but allowed it to help others.

Check for understanding-: The teacher must be asking questions to the students throughout the lesson to determine whether or not they understand the lesson. Comprehension is integral in the discussions. The answers allow teachers to critique what is not defined within the lesson and needs to be underlined. The students need to apply the story to their own ability to deal with grief and loss. 
Sample questions: Do you think it’s harder for young people to deal with grief and loss than others? Why or why not? What other kinds of losses can cause you to grieve? Can a divorce, or the end of a friendship, or moving away from a familiar home make you feel a loss as deeply as a death? How, if at all, would you change your coping strategies for these different  kinds of losses?

Guided Modeling: The teacher will go around to the groups and check the answers remind them of what was talked about during the class discussion. Groups who finish will be asked for more in-depth answers (speed maybe a sign that the students aren’t scratching below surface 1-2 sentences)

Independent Practice: This two-part assignment will allow students to explore the topics discussed in class from both an academic and a creative perspective:
a. Write an essay describing methods you would use to help yourself, family members, or others cope with a loss and subsequent grief. Draw on your own experience or on what we have discussed in class.

b. Creative expression is one way a survivor can help him- or herself cope with grief. Draw on your own experience, or, if you like Sophia’s experience in the story, create a piece of art—creative prose, poetry, drawing, collage, etc.—that expresses your experience of loss and remembrance.

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