Unit 2

Agreements in ‘Good Work’ Classroom

Give Respect, Gain Respect

Discussions in the ‘Good Work’ Classroom can involve engaging in difficult conversations and being vulnerable. Be assured by these AGREEMENTS which we should all follow. 

No right or wrong answers

Be present and ready to engage

UNIT 2 – LESSON 2.3

Learning Objective: 

Students will develop habits of reflection through examination of others, external dilemmas, and personal reflection prompts. 

Success Criteria

• I can identify the obstacles to doing “good work” for one narrative figure in a dilemma.
• I can describe how this figure might potentially overcome such obstacles in order to do “good work”.

We’ve been thinking about how people do ‘good work,’ but it’s not always easy. 

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Oftentimes, people face difficulties and challenges, as we’ve seen in dilemma scenarios. 

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We’re going to take a closer look at challenges. Our goal is to see how.

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Being attentive to challenges might help us overcome them!

Session 1 - Famous Failures

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What does this video tell you about the types of challenges or obstacles that people can encounter that might keep them from doing "Good Work"?

Session 1 �Cooperative Learning – Reciprocal teaching

1. Form groups of five.
2. Each group gets a photocopy with different dilemmas to discuss.
3. Work together, taking turns in these roles:
1. The Reader: reads the dilemma out loud.
2. The Summarizer: explains the dilemma in a simpler way.
3. The Questioner: comes up with a literal question about the dilemma.
4. The Clarifier: answer the question.
4. After discussing one dilemma, move to the next and switch roles. By the end, everyone should try each role.

All the World’s a Stage 

Gwen is a senior at an acclaimed high school for the performing arts, where she studies drama. As a senior, she faces a difficult decision. Gwen is eighteen, which means she’s old enough to work, but she has also been accepted to the drama program at one of her top-choice schools. Should she stay in school and continue to learn the art of theater? Or should she start acting professionally, learn from real-life experiences, and draw on the many connections she currently has? To complicate matters even more, Gwen’s parents are not in a financial position to cover all of the expenses of her education, and she has not been offered a full scholarship anywhere. If she chooses to continue her education, it will clearly involve a great deal of expense.

Beyond the Science Club 

Allison is a high school student who worked in a neurobiology lab one summer with the intention of submitting her project to the Intel Science Talent Search. Allison decided on her own to work on a learning experiment involving mice, despite the fact that her supervising professor had warned her that projects based on neurology and behavior of “live” animals do not appeal to the Intel judges. Allison maintains strong values about the ways in which scientists should work. However, knowing that she was unlikely to win the Intel competition because she worked directly with animals, Allison decided to hide the truth in her research paper. Allison phrased her paper carefully to make it seem as though she had not actually handled the mice directly. In the end, Allison was named a semifinalist and won a college scholarship worth $2,000. She was accepted at an Ivy League university, where she has chosen to pursue scientific research.

Silence Isn’t Always Golden 

Emma is graduating from high school this year and has just sent in her acceptance letter to attend a top school in her region. Emma is an aspiring scientist, and she is extremely dedicated to her work; however, she also feels very committed to her friendships. The sense of responsibility that she feels toward her friends was tested during her senior year when her friends got into serious trouble for hacking into the high school computer system. Emma knew what her friends were doing, and she never said or did anything about it because she didn’t want to “rat” on them. As a scientist, Emma also feels strongly that withholding information can have disastrous effects, and she feels that it “violates the entire reason for doing research.” Emma seems to have different standards for her personal life and “professional” work.

Tough Love

Mara is a ten-year-old gymnast who dreams of winning a gymnastics championship. Mara feels a great deal of pressure from her mother and two coaches to succeed and move to the next level. Originally, her mother was simply supporting Mara’s interest and desire to be involved in gymnastics, but now she takes more of an active role in her participation and sometimes applies a great deal of pressure. A few weeks ago, Mara felt tired, and her dad let her take the day off instead of attending an optional Sunday lesson. When Mara’s mother found out, she was angry with Mara, and made her feel guilty. 

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Acting Out 

Rob is a seventeen-year-old high school actor. Rob’s father is very opposed to Rob’s interest in theater, and several years ago tried to redirect him toward activities that are more conventional for boys in their town. A year ago, Rob’s father told him that he could no longer be involved in theater at all. For six months, Rob avoided all theater activities, and sank into a deep depression. Finally, he ended this hiatus (against his father’s wishes), and was cast in a high school production. Despite his father’s opposition, Rob has sustained his passion for theater, and has decided to major in musical theater at a conservatory program.

Session 2 - Roundabout

1. Form groups of 5 students each.
2. Find your group's starting corner, where you'll see a piece of cardboard with a dilemma.
3. Work together to answer the first question related to your problem.
4. When the teacher says, move as a group to the next corner with a different problem and work on the second question.
5. Keep rotating corners like this. You will move 5 times, answering one question at each stop.
6. After the fifth rotation, go back to your original corner.
7. Read the answers the other groups have written for your initial problem.

Time: 25 min

All the World’s a Stage 

Silence Isn’t Always Golden 

Beyond the Science Club 

Tough Love

Acting Out 

Session 2 - Roundabout

According to the dilemma and your turn in the activity, answer in the cardboard template, the questions given:

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1. Get the gist of the dilemma: in 30 words or less describe the dilemma
2. What obstacles do you see the main character encountering?
3. If you were the main character of the dilemma, what decision would you make?
4. What is the impact of this decision?
5. Has this decision embraced Good Work? Justify your answer.

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Title: Joe’s dilemma

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PORTFOLIO OUTCOME

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Exit Ticket for

lesson 2.3

10 MIN