Date Time School Location Form Enrolment Level of proficiency Subject Topic Prior knowledge

: : : : : : : : : :

1 March 2011 8.00am 9.20am SMK Convent, Muar, Johore Town 4 Excellent 20 Students Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder English Language ( Reading ) Self Reflection This is a continuation to the previous lesson

Curriculum specifications : 1.0 Language for Interpersonal Use 1.1 Make friends and keep friendship by a. taking part in conversations b. giving opinions on topic of interest

General objective(s) : Specific objective(s) :

To enable students to understand about self reflection By the end of the lesson, students should be able to: a) read out song lyrics both objectively and subjectively b) To understand that self-image struggles are part of being human and affect everyone c) express their own attitudes, experiences, and feelings about selfimage using simple sentences.

Skills involved

1. Reading ( Cognitive Development ) 2. Speaking ( Social Development ) 3. Thinking ( Emotional Development )

Content

1. Whole-class discussion 2. Pair-work 3. Group-work

Language for Informational Use :

2.1Obtain information for different purposes by: a. reading materials such as song in print and in electronic media 2.2 Present information to different audiences by: a. reading aloud written materials clearly and fluently

Stages Of The Lesson

Pre-reading

1. Begin the lesson with some discussion questions that will help students focus in on the subject: a) Who are your favorite celebrities/entertainers? b) What do you like best about them? c) Do you like the way they look? d) If you could "be" any entertainer, who would you pick, and why? e) Do you think celebrities always like the way they look and feel great about themselves? f) Did you watch, see, or listen to any type of entertainment this week that made you feel bad about yourself? Anything that made you feel good about yourself?

While Reading . 1. Play the Reflection song by Christina Aguilera and ask students to just listen to it. 2. Take note of how the song makes them feel. 3. Pass out the song lyrics and play the song again, asking students to follow along. 4. Discuss the song. Example of questions: a) What does the song title mean, and how does it relate to the song lyrics? b) If you could come up with an alternate title for this song, what would it be? Why? c) What is the songwriter trying to tell you? What do you think they were feeling when they wrote this song? d) Do you agree or disagree with what they're saying? Why? e) How did this song make you feel? Did you feel that it was expressing feelings that are similar to your own?

Post reading 1. Bring up questions about the particular song and its lyrics: 2. Suggested questions:

a)

What is "reflection"? What kinds of reflections do we deal with in daily life? Examples: mirrors, comparing ourselves with others, inner selfreflection.

b)

Do you think that everyone feels like nobody sees the "real them"? What can you do to feel that people ARE seeing the "real you"?

Stage/Time

Content

Presentation/Rationale

Set Induction 5 minutes

Whole-class discussion Material: Picture ( Appendix 1 )

1. Teacher asks pupils a few simple questions. 2. Example: a) How are you today? b) How you feel about yourself today? c) Why do you feel so? 3. Teacher shows a picture of a lady, mainly the singer of the song. 4. Pupils try to guess who the lady is? 5. Pupils give 5 words that describe the picture. 6. Example: a) Pretty b) Happy c) Neat Rationale: To start off the days lesson

Pre-Reading 5 minutes

Whole-class discussion 1. Teacher begin the lesson with some discussion Material: Power Point questions that will help students focus in on the subject: g) Who are your favorite celebrities/entertainers? h) What do you like best about them? i) Do you like the way they look?

j) If you could "be" any entertainer, who would you pick, and why? k) Do you think celebrities always like the way they look and feel great about themselves? l) Did you watch, see, or listen to any type

of entertainment this week that made you feel bad about yourself? Anything that made you feel good about yourself?

Rationale: To obtain student interest in the topic.

While - Reading

Whole-class discussion Material: Song Lyric ( Appendix 2 ) CD ( Appendix 3 ) CD Player 1. Play the Reflection songs and ask students to just listen to it. 2. Take note of how the song makes them feel. 3. Pass out the song lyrics and play the song again, asking students to follow along. 4. Discuss the song. 5. Example of questions: f) What does the song title mean, and how does it relate to the song lyrics? g) If you could come up with an alternate title for this song, what would it be? Why? h) What is the songwriter trying to tell you? What do you think they were feeling when they wrote this song? i) Do you agree or disagree with what they're saying? Why? j) How did this song make you feel? Did you feel that it was expressing feelings that are similar to your own? Rationale: Students understanding of the song lyric.

45 minutes

Individual Work

1. Students are asked to write a short song lyric that shows the reflections about themselves. 2. A few students are ask to sing out the song.

Rationale: Students learn to think and express their feelings in words. Affective and emotional aspect.

Group Work

1. Students in group have to discuss and carry out a performance using the song lyric. 2. Each student in the group will have to sing one part of the song along with facial expression of their feeling towards the song. 3. In groups, students present it in class.

Rationale: Students learn to work in group and communicate with others. Critical thinking on planning

Post Reading 30 minutes

Pair-work

1. Students are given a few questions about the song and its lyrics.

Material: Worksheet ( Appendix 3 )

2. Students in pair discuss the questions. 3. Example of questions: a) b) What is "reflection"? What kinds of reflections do we deal with in daily life. c) Example :

- mirrors, comparing ourselves with others, inner self-reflection. d) Do you think that everyone feels like nobody sees the "real them"? e) What can you do to feel that people ARE seeing the "real you"? Rationale: Students learn to think and consider self aspects. Critical thinking

Closure 5 minutes

Whole-class discussion Material: Worksheet ( Appendix 4 )

1. Teacher goes through the days lesson 2. Students are given task to be completed at home. 3. Students have to write a short passage base on the lyric lines below. For all time When will my reflections show Who I am inside?

Rationale: Students learn about self expression. Cognitive development.

Have students explore other media for expressing positive messages about self image by: writing a poem or short story, creating a drawing, painting, or collage, taking a photograph or group of photographs, composing a song, writing and performing a sketch, etc.

Students will use descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas Students will use a variety of sentence structure to express expanded ideas

Appendix 1

Appendix 2 Song Lyric "Reflection" - Christina Aguilera

Look at me You may think you see Who I really am But youll never know me Every day, is as if I play apart Now I see If I wear a mask I can fool the world But I can not fool My heart Who is that girl I see Staring straight back at me? When will my reflection show Who I am inside? I am now In a world where I have to Hide my heart And what I believe in But somehow I will show the world Whats inside my heart And be loved for who I am Who is that girl I see

Staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection Someone I dont know? Must I pretend that im Someone else for all time? When will my reflection show Who I am inside? Theres a heart that must Be free to fly That burns with a need To know the reason why Why must we all conceal What we think How we feel Must there be a secret me Im forced to hide? I wont pretend that im Someone else For all time When will my reflections show Who I am inside? When will my reflections show Who I am inside?

Appendix 3

Discuss the answers with you partner:

1. What is "reflection"? _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

2. What kinds of reflections do we deal with in daily life. _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

3. Do you think that everyone feels like nobody sees the "real them"? _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

4. What can you do to feel that people ARE seeing the "real you"? _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

Appendix 4 In 100 words, write how this lyric line can affect you.

For all time When will my reflections show Who I am inside?

"Hearing Between The Lines" Estimated Time of Completion: Two 50-minute periods, plus optional homework assignment I. Summary II. Objectives III. Materials Needed IV. Procedure V. Classroom Assessment VI. Extensions and Adaptations VII. Online Resources VIII. Relevant National Standards I. Summary: For grades 7-12. Students will listen to and read lyrics from popular songs that explore themes of self-esteem, body image, and eating disorders. The song interpretations will serve as a jumping-off point to deeper discussion on the issues, culminating in a writing exercise. II. Objectives:

To interpret song lyrics both objectively and subjectively To understand that self-image struggles are part of being human and affect everyone To be better able to identify the pressures to look and act a certain way, and where these pressures come from

To be able to express their own attitudes, experiences, and feelings about selfimage and how it is influenced by the media.

III. Materials Needed:

CD or tape player Songs on CD or tape (preferably 2 or more): o "At Seventeen" - Janis Ian (from Between The Lines album) o "Perfect" - Alanis Morissette (from Jagged Little Pill album) o "Ana's Song" - Silverchair (from Neon Ballroom album) o "Reflection" - Christina Aguilera (from Christina Aguilera album) Song lyric sheets: o "At Seventeen" - Janis Ian o "Perfect" - Alanis Morissette o "Ana's Song" - Silverchair o "Reflection" - Christina Aguilera

IV. Procedure: 3. Begin the lesson with some discussion questions that will help students focus in on the subject: o Who are your favorite celebrities/entertainers? What do you like best about them? Do you like the way they look? o If you could "be" any entertainer, who would you pick, and why? o Do you think celebrities always like the way they look and feel great about themselves? o Did you watch, see, or listen to any type of entertainment this week that made you feel bad about yourself? Anything that made you feel good about yourself? 4. Explain to students that you will be focusing on media-- namely, music-- that deals with issues of body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders. By looking at what certain artists have to say on the subject, we'll see that they're all related-and that everyone experiences these feelings, no matter how "successful" they are or "perfect" they seem on the outside. 5. Play one of the songs and ask students to just listen to it, taking note of how it makes them feel. 6. Pass out the song lyrics and play the song again, asking students to follow along. 7. Discuss the song. General questions might include: o What does the song title mean, and how does it relate to the song lyrics? o If you could come up with an alternate title for this song, what would it be? Why? o What is the songwriter trying to tell you? What do you think they were feeling when they wrote this song? o Do you agree or disagree with what they're saying? Why? o How did this song make you feel? Did you feel that it was expressing feelings that are similar to your own? 8. Bring up questions about the particular song and its lyrics: o Suggested questions on "At Seventeen":

Janis Ian wrote this song over 25 years ago. Are there themes in her lyrics that were only present in 1975, or are they present now as well? Do you think that these things will be true when the song is played in another 25 years? What is "the truth" that Janis Ian refers to? What is "the game" that she sings about? Why is she singing about age 17, rather than age 30, or 12, or any other time in one's life? o Suggested questions on "Perfect": Alanis Morissette has admitted that she has struggled with anorexia. In this song, she is definitely delivering a message to someone. Who is it? What is the tone of the message? Is the message serious or sarcastic? What familiar terms and ideas do you hear in the lyrics? Examples: "good enough," "win first place," and "good girl." What teen problems are these ideas associated with? Examples: parental pressure, competition, peer pressure, etc. o Suggested questions on "Ana's Story": Silverchair's lead singer Daniel Johns, who wrote this song, has admitted to a history with eating disorders. Does it surprise you to hear about a guy who has an eating disorder? Why would a guy be vulnerable to an eating disorder? What pressures are out there for males to look a certain way? What is the stereotype "perfect male body"? Who-- or rather, what-- is "Ana"? (a disease: anorexia nervosa). What in the song tells you that dealing with this disease is a real battle? o Suggested questions on "Reflection": What is "reflection"? What kinds of reflections do we deal with in daily life? Examples: mirrors, comparing ourselves with others, inner selfreflection. Do you think that everyone feels like nobody sees the "real them"? What can you do to feel that people ARE seeing the "real you"? 9. If time, repeat the process with another song. 10. Assign a writing activity for homework or for in-class exercise: Option 1 (for in-class): Write a letter to one of the artists that you just heard. Tell them what you did or did not like about their song, and why. If you did like it, recount one episode in your life that relates to the theme and/or emotions expressed. If you didn't like it, explain how you feel differently, with an experience to back it up. or Option 2 (for homework): Ask students to find a song that they feel deals with self-esteem issues, then write an essay interpreting the song lyrics line by line.

In the next class period, ask volunteers to share their letters or song/interpretations. V. Classroom Assessment: Score student work to the following scale:

4: Contributed to class discussion and completed a well-planned, well thought-out, and creative writing assignment. 3: Contributed to class discussion and completed a fairly planned writing assignment. 2: Contributed minimally to class discussion and writing assignment not well done. 1: Writing assignment was incomplete.

VI. Extensions and Adaptations:

Have students write letters to a news outlet or talk show (such as Oprah, Today Show, etc.), asking them to cover the issue of self-image and the media, and presenting reasons why it's an important subject. Have students identify one piece of media that made them angry or that they felt was unrealistic, then write a song about it by replacing the lyrics of an existing song with their own. Have students explore other media for expressing positive messages about self image by: writing a poem or short story, creating a drawing, painting, or collage, taking a photograph or group of photographs, composing a song, writing and performing a sketch, etc.

VII. Online Resources:

PBS In the Mix - "Self-Image: The Fantasy, The Reality" www.pbs.org/mix/selfimage_index.html PBS "Affluenza" http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza Dads And Daughters http://www.dadsanddaughters.org Radiance Magazine (For All Size Women) http://www.radiancemagazine.com Girls, Inc. http://www.girlsinc.org/PROGRAMS About-Face http://www.about-face.org

VIII. Relevant National Standards: These are established by McREL at http://www.mcrel.org/standardsbenchmarks/docs/contents.html: Health

Knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health Knows how to maintain mental and emotional health

Language Arts

Students will use descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas Students will use a variety of sentence structure to express expanded ideas

Life Skills

Self Regulation: Performs self-appraisal Self Regulation: Maintains a healthy self-concept

Language Arts

Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing Demonstrates competence in speaking and listeing as tools for learning

Behavioral Studies

Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior

About the Author: Madlyn Epstein Steinhart is a Media Literacy educator in Staten Island, NY.