THE UNIT PLAN
8th grade Health
Title: 8th Grade Communication Unit
Communication, Relationships, Media Messages,
Body Image and Advocacy
Overview: This unit uses several different aspects of communication to educate
the 8th grade class on effective and ineffective communication. The areas of
media, family, and advocacy are all covered, with the overarching theme of
effective communication. It also has the students influencing negative messages
from the media and counteracting them with positive messages for the 5th
graders. This is the culminating unit of Health, which our students have taken for
all three years of Middle School.
Rationale: Communication is an integral part of life. From the time we’re born,
we’re constantly learning about the appropriate ways to communicate our ideas
and feelings with others. During the time of adolescence, communication shifts
and takes on an even greater level of importance. Relationships are changing,
and communication becomes even more difficult as ineffective communication
can cause issues to arise. The methods of communication are also expanding to
include more types of technology. Communication is a major component of the
Health curriculum, as plays a major role in most of our topics. Doing a
comprehensive communication unit as the culmination of the MS Health
program ties together everything the students have learned over the past three
years.
National Health Education Standard 2:
Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology,
and other factors on health behaviors.
National Health Education Standard 4:
Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills
to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.
National Health Education Standard 8:
Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and
community health.
Prior Knowledge: The students here take Health at all three grades, so any
returning students would have had communication lessons in the 6th and 7th
grades. They will be in need of a review, and the new students will need to have
the vocabulary introduced if they aren’t already aware. In the 7th grade, they do a
unit on conflict resolution, and in the 6th grade, they study bullying, so they know
about attacks and other ineffective methods of communication.
Existing vocabulary knowledge: Media, Body Image, Passive, Aggressive,
Assertive, “I Statements”
Unit Goals and Essential Questions:
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What is communication?
Why do we need to study communication?
What are some of the different methods of communication we use?
How can ineffective communication have a negative impact on
relationships?
How can I use effective communication to help others? (Advocacy)
Content: This unit is an overarching unit, covering many different health topics
under the umbrella of communication. During this unit, the students will learn
how and why they should talk to their parents, how to handle difficult
conversations, the influence of media messages, and how to spread positive
messages and help others through advocacy, proper communication methods for
different outlets (no sarcasm in written correspondence, etc), and how to use “I
Statements”.
During this unit, we will cover many different areas of communication:
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Effective vs. Ineffective Communication
Friends and Family Relationships
Media Messages and Their Impact
Advocacy
Difficult Conversations
Key Vocabulary:
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Advocacy
Passive, Aggressive, Assertive, Passive-Aggressive
Sarcasm
“I Statements”
Preparing and Sustaining the Learning Environment:
Each lesson will begin with a journal entry that will help them connect the
subject matter to real life applications. The journal entries serve as a formative
assessment for me throughout the unit, as I am checking for individual
understanding. It also has the students making connections from their lives to
the materials.
The whole unit will start out with the students answering the question, “Are
there any relationships in your life that cause you stress? What are the main
causes of the stress?” We have just wrapped up our unit on stress, and this
journal entry is good in connecting the two units, and works as a lead in to a
smooth transition discussion. The students usually discover that the main cause
of stress in these relationships (usually with parents) is that they don’t feel the
other person is listening to them. This leads us into the importance of
communication.
Lesson Plans:
Part 1: Communication and Relationships
Content
1
Journal:
Do you have any relationships in your life that
cause you stress? What is usually the cause of
that stress?
** Show students an example of stressful
communication. Short video clip of Bert & Ernie
having a communication issue:
Materials Needed
1. Family Dinner Webquest
2. Family Dinner Conversation
Starters
3. Family Values Assignment Sheet
4. Video of Friends & Family from
Discovery School
Bert & Ernie can't communicate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjF4rKCR8
1o
Unit begins
Communication Lesson 1:
1. Friends and Family video (Discovery School)
-As students are watching the video, they
should write down a bit of information about
each of the vignettes to help them remember
the key ideas around each one.
2. Family Dinner Webquest
This project has the students finding out
information that links the concept of family dinners
with certain traits and statistics. The idea is to have
the students understand the importance of family
dinners and share the information with their
parents.
2
Journal:
Reflect on the video from last class. Which
1. Family Dinner Webquest
2. Family Dinner Conversation
family can you most relate with? Why do you
think that is?
3
Communication Lesson 2:
Discuss notes from Family and Friends video
Work on Family Dinners Webquest
--Finish by end of class, email to Mac mail
account
Journal:
Write about a time when ineffective
communication caused a conflict.
Communication Lesson 3:
1. Show students the SMS picture of the LOL
message
2. Distribute the Communication handout with the
Penny “I Statements” sheet on the back.
Starters
3. Family Values Assignment Sheet
Video of Friends & Family from
Discovery School
** Students will need laptops
1. Communication handouts with
“I Statement” sheet copied on
the back
2. Projection of Communication
notes
** Students will need laptops
3. ** Start class with discussion on communication
vocabulary:
“I Statements”, mixed messages, tone,
sarcasm, passive, aggressive, passiveaggressive, assertive
4. Put up the projection of “Penny for your
Thoughts”. Go through the lesson and have
students write down the different examples of
ineffective and effective communication.
4
5. Have students fill out the first half of the
communication sheet. (Passive, Aggressive, and
Assertive examples of one statement, three
different ways).
6. Share different responses.
7. “I Statements” sheet. At the end of the lesson give
each student one of the “You Statements”, and have
them re-word it as an “I Statement”. Many of them
will not be correct. Make corrections and
suggestions, and tell them they will have to present
them at the beginning of next class.
Journal:
Write about the last difficult conversation you had.
What would you do differently now that you know
more about effective communication?
Communication Lesson 4:
1. Assign groups, and distribute Difficult
1. Communication Scenarios
(Should be posted onto Moodle)
2. Sheet from last class
** Students will need laptops
Conversation scenarios
2. Give the groups the remainder of class to
work on the scenarios, telling them that
their scripts will be due by the end of
class
3. Check scripts and remind students that
they will be presenting their scenarios
next class.
5
Journal:
Did you encounter any communication issues
when working with your group? Why do you
think that is?
1. Communication handout
2. Communication Scenarios
3. Communication Scenario
rubrics
Communication Lesson 5:
Present Scenarios
1. Students will present their ineffective
** Students will need laptops
communication scenarios, and as a
class, we will go around the circle and
evaluate, while giving some
suggestions as to how they can improve
them.
2. Students do a self-assessment for their
group as a whole as well as for their
individual contribution to the group.
Part 2: Media Messages and Advocacy
Content
1
Journal:
What does the media tell us that beauty is?
Beauty is…… Write down what you think beauty is
based on the messages you get from movies, tv,
magazines, and advertisements.
Unit begins
Lesson 1:
1. Discuss Journal and brainstorm all of the
ideas on the board. Put a chart up on the
Materials
Needed
1. Dove Evolution video (also
posted on Moodle)
2. Body Image handout (front
with Boy/Girl questions,
back with four section chart
for notes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=iYhCn0jf46U&feature=related
board with Boys on one side and Girls on the
other… write down the students responses in
either column (many will be in the middle)
2. Lead the students to be specific. The idea is
for them to realize how unattainable the
ideals we receive are. (Muscular, but not too
muscular, tall… but not too tall….
3. Discuss measures people go to in trying to
attain these unattainable beauty ideals.
Plastic surgery (many students will bring up
examples of people who have gone too far.
Michael Jackson, etc. They formulate the idea
that if you had all of these things that the
media told you that you needed to have, that
you wouldn’t look real anymore.
4. Watch Dove Evolution video 1 time without
any real introduction
5. Watch it a second time telling the students to
pay attention to all of the ways they alter the
model’s appearance
6. Table brainstorm on all of the ways, have one
student record in their journal
7. Distribute Body Image hand-out
8. Have students share the items from their list
and everyone should write them all down on
their sheet
9. After the students have filled in their sheets,
have them open their journals for reflection:
How does the media influence the way you
view others? How does it influence the way
you view yourself?
2
Journal:
How was your body image in 6th grade? Has it
changed at all? If so, reflect on how and why it has
changed. If not, reflect on why you think that is.
Lesson 2:
1. Discuss journal
2. Body Image Handout
3. Watch Dove ad “Onslaught”, as a table, write
down all of the messages the young girl got
from the media, share
4. Formulate your own message for a younger
brother, sister, or friend
5. Together as a table, compile your messages
into one message and write on a large piece
1. Dove Onslaught Video
2. Body Image Handout
3. Large sheets of construction
paper (one for each table)
4. Markers
5. Tape or magnets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Ei6JvK0W60I
(Also posted on Moodle)
of paper. Share message and hang on the
board for the 6th and 7th grade classes to see.
3
Journal:
What do you remember about nutrition? If you
could sum up the way you feel about food and your
food choices in one sentence, what would it be?
Lesson 3:
1. Discussion of nutrition and nutritional
philosophies
2. Pre-assessment of nutrition knowledge: Have
students write out an ideal day of healthy eating
based on what they know about nutrition.
Remember to include all three meals, snacks, and
beverages.
3. Have students go see nurse for accurate height
and weight measurements. They will then go to
www.mypyramid.gov to input information to
calculate their caloric needs.
**A listing of all of the different trackers is also
available here.
http://www.mypyramid.gov/professionals/food_tr
acking_wksht.html
4. Students should print the tracker for their caloric
needs.
5. Students take their food plan and input it onto
the sheet. They should figure out the amount that
they have planned for each food group and then
reflect at the bottom of the page whether or not
they are getting all of their food group and calorie
needs met.
5. Staple both the tracker and the food plan
together and hand in by the end of the class.
4
Journal:
What factors do you consider when making food
choices? Do you use any guidelines when making
decisions on what to eat?
Lesson 4 (Advocacy Introduction):
1. Journal
2. Discuss journal
3. What is an advocate? Write the definition on
the board and ask students if they can think
of any examples. (returning 7th graders
would have already received an introduction
to advocacy during the nutrition unit last
1. Nutrition Tracker Samples
** Students will need laptops
1. Article on Bryant Terry
(with Advocacy in Action
handout copied on the
back)
2. Jamie Oliver Clips (also
posted onto Moodle)
3. Nutrition Advocacy project
sheets (students should
download directly from the
Moodle)
4.
year. This will serve as a reminder)
4. Distribute the article about Bryant Terry (or
another example of an advocate), the chef
and food activist, and read aloud.
5. Do the corresponding questions from the
back with tables and then have the students
share their answers with the class.
6. Show the Jamie Oliver clips
7. Ask students if they can think of any possible
audiences to advocate to
8. Questions should lead to the students
discussing the 6th graders and their food
choices in the cafeteria.
9. Distribute the Nutrition Advocacy Project
and read through the instructions.
10. Be sure to let the students know that this is a
very serious project, and that with advocacy,
they have the power to change lives. Tell
them to start thinking of issues regarding
nutrition and food in our community
(chocolate rolls and slushies!)
11. Assign groups for next class (might just be
existing table groups)
5
Journal:
Aside from nutrition, what are some other possible
areas in which you could be an advocate? For your
community? For your family? For yourself?
Lesson 5:
First day of advocacy project. Walk around
monitoring students on-task behavior. Students
must have a decision on the message of their
project as well as the division of labor. Each group
must have a brief conference with the teacher for
approval.
Student Instructions:
Lesson 1
Step 1 – Go to www.mypyramid.gov
- Click on “print materials” on the left
column
- Click on the 7th bullet point down, “Your
Personal Path to Health: Steps to a
Healthier You!”
- Read through the document
- Look through the kids materials (for
children ages 6 – 11), also in the left hand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
bGYs4KS_djg
** Students will need their laptops
for the remainder of the unit
column
Step 2 – Talk to your table group about how you
would like to divide the information into equal
sections for each person. Once you know the section
of the project you will present, move to step 3.
The major topics of the presentation will be:
1. Personalizing the Pyramid & It’s All About
You
2. Food Groups
3. Portion Size & Ordering Out
4. Steps to Get Active
5. Healthy Snacks versus Treats (The 90/10
Rule!!!)
Step 3 – Think of your pitch – tips for home, tips for
school. How can you present your information in a
practical, fun and memorable way? Check out other
good resources for your project.
Step 4- Plan an activity for after the presentations.
You’ll be breaking into smaller groups with the 5th
grade students. Make sure you’ve got something in
place to help you advocate, while still having fun.
This will be your chance to reach the students who
might not have gotten the full message through the
presentations.
6
7
Journal:
What if the 5th graders don’t want to listen to your
message? What are some ways in which you can
make it more effective?
Lesson 6
Class Nutrition Review (a good advocate always
wants to learn more!)
1. Students will fill out the review sheet with the
information needed
2. Groups present their pitch for the class
 What is the main form of media for your
project?
 What about the theme?
 Do you have a script?
 Any multimedia materials?
Journal:
Why do you think it’s important to combat the
negative media messages kids get with positive
ones (remember “Talk to your daughter before the
beauty industry does.” From the Dove “Onslaught”
1. Nutrition Advocacy Review Sheet
ad?)
Lesson 7:
Students should have their presentations ready to
go. They will be presenting to the class and receiving
constructive feedback on their message, their
delivery, and their activity.
Student Instructions:
Presentation Day (consider this your dress
rehearsal)!!
Step 6– Have your presentation ready for the class,
get feedback
1. Make sure all of your videos are ready to
go.
2. All materials should be prepared and setup prior to the start of class.
3. Fill out the rubric as a group, giving
yourselves an honest self-assessment. Are
you ready? Do you have all of the tools in
place that you’ll need to succeed?
4. We’ll evaluate your presentation as a
class. Remember, you’re representing all
of us, so be open to constructive criticism.
8
Journal: How’s your presentation? Do you feel like
your message is strong enough? Has everyone in
your group pulled their own weight and
contributed to the presentation?
Lesson 8:
Student Instructions
Final Preparation for Advocacy Day
1. Teacher will choose the best
presentations. Class will select their
favorites, subject to teacher approval.
2. While selected groups are working with
the teacher on final preparation and
adjustments, other groups will be working
on their small group activities. Try them
out on each other to make sure everything
works. Be honest with each other! Do you
think the activities your peers have
selected will be fun and informative for
your audience?
3. Quiz on Nutrition
9
Journal: No Journal today!!! Presentation Day.
Spend 5 minutes polishing up with your group and
we’ll get ready to present.
Lesson 9:
PRESENTATION DAY!!!
Family and Community Engagement:
As this is the communication unit, there are a couple different ways in which the
students effectively involve their families and the community:
1. Friends and Family Webquest: This project has the students writing a
letter to their family, inviting them all to have dinner together. In
addition, they have to come up with some dinner table conversation
starters to encourage communication.
2. Advocating for Nutrition: This project has the students involving the
community by directly advocating proper nutrition to our 5th grade
students on the elementary campus. This engages the community while
getting the 8th grade students to learn how easy it is to make a difference
in the lives of our community, and how they have an influence over the
younger students.
3. SAMS Health Website: www.tinyurl.com/samshealth
This is the website dedicated to our Middle School health program. I could
have the students post information that they’ve found on the website, as
well as introduce the 5th graders to the site so that they can find links to
useful information.
Culminating Activity: The nutrition advocacy project!!! (file attached)