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Free Lesson Plans for Teachers
Alpha Stage
Graffiti
March 1, 2007





There's a lot happening in the news today. But, this particular story
sparked some thought. The L.A. Times is running a story entitled,
"L.A. Mayor Offers to Mentor Tagging Suspect."

According to the article, the boy's principal met with the boy and
his family earlier Wednesday. "(The principal) described them as
"shellshocked" by reactions to the incident, adding that the boy 'felt
hunted by the mayor.'"

The article reports that Vince Carbino, the school principal said, "If
the mayor wants to be a mentor..he will have to apply through the
Los Angeles Unified School District, which would use the same
standards as for any prospective mentor."


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Ask your students to recall a time when they apologized for
    something Why did they apologize? What did they learn from
    the experience?
  • Consider asking students to pretend that they are
    teachers. Ask them to develop short lessons in which
    they teach the lesson that they learned. They might
    work in small groups.

  • Ask your students if anybody's ever said, "I'm sorry," to
    them? Why did somebody else apologize to them? Did they
    accept the apology? Why/why not?
  • Ask your students if they think it's OK to make
    mistakes? Encourage them to explain their answers.

  • Ask students if a baseball player hits the ball every time he
    comes up to the plate. Does a basketball player make the
    shot every time he shoots? Even the greatest athletes make
    less hits or less baskets than they miss.

  • Do your students think it's important to forgive other people
    when they apologize? Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students to compare the pros and
    cons of accepting an apology from somebody else.
    You might ask them to write simple sentences in
    response to this question.

Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: Mentor; Misdemeanor; Caveat;
    and, Consequence.

  • Ask your students how writing graffiti on a crowded bus
    can be compared to crying out for help? What kind of help
    might somebody who commits such an act be looking for?
  • These questions might serve as a useful prompt for a
    comparative essay.

  • According to the newspaper article, the boy's school has a
    "comprehensive team of people ready to help the boy." The
    article does not include other students when it lists the
    members of this team. How can other teenagers help a peer
    who is in trouble? Who do your students think is better able
    to help a troubled teenager: his/her peers or adults? (They
    could help in equally important but different ways.)
    Encourage your students to explain their thoughts.
  • Students could develop Venn Diagrams explaining the
    different ways that different groups of people can
    help teenagers.

  • Pose: Imagine that you are the school principal's supervisor
    and the mayor's office complains that the mayor should not
    have to follow the same process as everybody else to
    become a mentor. What would you think about the mayor's
    offer to become a mentor? Why? How would you reply to
    this complaint? Why?
  • Working in small groups, students could develop skits
    in which they act out the answers to these questions.
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