Activities: activity-5
SKILLS: Understanding Peer Relationships / Dealing With Peer Pressure
Suggested Time Consideration: 30 mins
RATIONALE
This exercise, and the scenarios it includes, are designed to get students to reflect on the effects of peer influence. Explain that peer influence means being influenced by what we observe in other people, rather than by any overt pressure we are made to feel. We are merely reacting to our own thoughts rather than anything someone says or does to us.
GETTING STARTED
Share the digital activity link below with your students. You may wish to present the activity on an interactive whiteboard and follow along with students as they complete it individually, or model possible choices students might make.
Ask students to read the activity introduction. Then, read this aloud:
Scenario 1: The Sneaker Dilemma – You hang around with a particular group of friends. When a new style of sneaker hits the market, a lot of your friends go out and buy them. But, you don’t have the money for them, and besides, you don’t particularly like the way they look. How do you feel when you realize you are the only one in the group who has not purchased the sneakers? What are the different ways you can manage this situation?
TALKING ABOUT IT
In the digital activity, students will see the scenario above. Then, they will see a“Choices and Consequences” branching activity that will ask them to makedecisions based on the scenario. Talk with them about the decisions they makeand ask them these questions:
- What is the dilemma?
- What sorts of things may go through your mind in this situation?
- Has anyone ever been in a similar situation?
- What are the options? (Write the options on the board.)
- What consequences might ensue from each option? (Write the consequences on the board.)
- What do you think you would do in this situation and why?
Students will be presented with three additional scenarios. For each, they will be asked to make decisions based on the scenario. Read each scenario to the students. Then, talk with them about the decisions they make and ask them the questions above. In discussing these scenarios:
- Acknowledge the difficulty students face with decisions that may be hard for them.
Reinforce the notion that a student who disagrees with one or two aspects of group behavior can still find a place in the group. Remind students that they chose to be friends before the issue came up, so there are other qualities that they like about each other. - Explain that if they disagree with friends on important issues like using tobacco or nicotine, like vaping, they can refocus their friendship on the issues they do agree on.
- Uphold the idea that the ability to think and act independently is by no means easy, but it is to be admired.
Scenario 2: After School – You go with a group after school to a friend’s house. There is no adult supervision, and some of your friends there are vaping. They want you to join them, but you are really opposed to it. What sort of position does this put you in with your friends? Can it jeopardize your friendships? What sort of feelings and thoughts would go through your head? What should you do?
Scenario 3: The New Friend – You meet a new kid in your neighborhood, and you hit it off well, but when he shows up at school, none of your friends like him. Some make fun of him behind his back, while others just refuse to warm up to him. You want to remain friends with the new kid, but how do you feel about hanging out with someone your other friends don’t like? What do you think your friends expect you to do in this situation?
Scenario 4: Old Friends, New Changes – You have had the same set of friends for several years now, and you are all very close, which you like. Lately, however, you notice that some of your friends are changing. Some of them have started stealing, and the others seem to approve. They’ve lost interest in the things you used to do together, like school sports, and you still want to be on some of the teams. What sort of changes are going on here, and what effects could they have on you? Can friendships change and still be friendships? What roles might these friends have played in your life in the past, and what roles might they play in the future?
WRAPPING UP
After reading the scenarios and making decisions, students will be asked to answer this question:
What do you think will really happen if you don’t go along with your friends?
Use the supplemental “Skater Boy” video to complement this section.
SKILLS: Understanding Peer Relationships / Dealing With Peer Pressure
Suggested Time Consideration: 25 mins
RATIONALE
Research shows that peer influence, or a child’s internal desire to be accepted, is a stronger influence of tobacco and nicotine products or nicotine experimentation than overt peer pressure.16 Many young people will try tobacco and nicotine products because of the kind of reaction they think they will get from their peers, even if they don’t feel pressured by those peers.
This activity will help students evaluate their need for acceptance or approval by their peers, as well as the need to be themselves.
GETTING STARTED
Share the activity link below with your class. Then, review the information provided in the activity. Ask your health teacher or school nurse to join you for the activity. Have a dictionary or a health textbook on hand so students can look up unfamiliar terms and share them with the class.
TALKING ABOUT IT
When students have finished, ask them to read the following scenario silently as you read it aloud. Students will see it on screen.
Tyrell is walking home from school with a group of friends. In the past few weeks, some of them have started vaping on the way home. This goes on for several days, after which most of Tyrell’s friends have picked up the behavior. One day, Tyrell reaches into his pocket, pulls out a vape, and starts vaping.
Tell students to answer the questions following the scenario. Then, lead them in a discussion of why Tyrell did what he did. Ask students:
- Why do you think it was important to Tyrell that he try vaping (nicotine)?
- What were his motivations to use nicotine?
- Do you think he would have vaped if he had not been in that environment?
- Do you think things changed for him (or not) in the group once he adopted this behavior?
WRAPPING UP
To wrap up, get the students to talk about priorities—what is most important to them—and ask them how being tobacco and nicotine free reflects their priorities. Next, ask them how Tyrell might have been able to use his own “inventory of priorities” to think through his decision and choose to be tobacco and nicotine free.
SKILLS: Refusal Skills
Suggested Time Consideration: 30 mins
RATIONALE
Students need to be reminded that it sometimes takes skills to extricate themselves from uncomfortable or embarrassing situations. If, for instance, a girl is asked out on a date by a boy she has no interest in, but whose feelings she doesn’t want to hurt, she is going to want to use tact in her refusal.
In this activity, students will practice saying “no” to their friends.
GETTING STARTED
First, display the refusal skills wall poster in the “Materials” section below. Students will also see it on screen. Go over the tips about how to say “no” to different situations. For instance:
- Humor can be useful: “I want to keep my pearly whites—they come in handy when meeting girls/guys.”
- Change the subject: “Nah, I don’t want a beer. But let’s get a pizza.” Or “No thanks, I don’t want a vape. What happened on our favorite TV show last night?”
- Talk about the consequences: “No, thanks. In fact, I don’t want to ever start smoking or vaping, and I’ll tell you why. I don’t want to be unhealthy.”
- Reverse the pressure: “Why in the world would I want to break into that abandoned house? Why would you want to do such a dumb thing?”
- Suggest something else: “No, I don’t want to get into your parents’ liquor cabinet, but how about going into the kitchen for something to eat?”
- Give a convincing reason: “I’m not gonna let you copy my homework, because it’s not fair.” OR “I’d love to stay out later, but my parents have set a ridiculous curfew, and they’re really inflexible about it.”
- Walk away.
Share the digital activity link with students and explain that they are to decide if they will say “yes” or “no” to each situation. Let them know that as a group, you will discuss different ways of saying “no.”
TALKING ABOUT IT
Go over your students’ answers together. In discussion, keep in mind how important it is for students of this age to “save face” and “fit in” with their peers. Try to get the students to talk about how to manage a situation in which they want to both say “no” and remain a valued member of the group.
WRAPPING UP
To wrap up, talk about the difference between rejecting an idea or an action (“I don’t like the idea of smoking…”) and rejecting a person (“…but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you”).
Use the supplemental “Geek at the Party” video to complement this section.