Values, Influences, and Peers

Resource Guide, Revised Edition, 1996

A Joint project of the Ministry of Education and Training and
the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services

Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
1.Values and Rules
2.Decision Making
3.Peer Pressure
4.Healthy Friendships 5.Authority Figures
6.Youth and the Law
7.Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
8.Responsible Citizenship
9.Service to the Community
10. Interpersonal Skills
11. Social Diversity

Acknowledgements

The Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services and the Ministry of Education and Training are pleased to acknowledge the contributions made by the participants, including the members of the Ad-Hoc Committee, Steering Committee, and focus groups, and the teachers, principals, and police officers, all of whom contributed their time, energy, and expertise to the development of this revised edition of Values, Influences, and Peers. The participants' commitment to the VIP project has helped to produce a valuable resource guide that teachers and police officers can use to assist Grade 6 students to develop the values, skills, and knowledge they will need to be responsible citizens

This project was funded by the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services and the Ministry of Education and Training.

Preface

Values, Influences, and Peers (VIP) is aimed at Grade 6 students. It is intended to assist teachers to:

help students make informed choices related to values and the law;
inform students of their rights and responsibilities;
enhance students' self-esteem.

Programs developed from this resource guide should reinforce responsible citizenship, positive social behaviour, and community values.

VIP is a joint project of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services. VIP programs and resources have been prepared and delivered in Ontario classrooms since 1984 by teachers working with the Ontario Provincial Police and municipal police services.

This resource guide was first published in 1984. It has been revised to make it consistent with new crime-prevention and community-safety initiatives of the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services and with new Ministry of Education and Training policies such as those outlined in the following publications:

The Common Curriculum: Policies and Outcomes, Grades 1-9¹ (Note that the content of this VIP resource guide shows the links to the specific learning outcomes outlined for the end of Grade 6 in the Policies and Outcomes document. These specific learning outcomes appear in bold and are accompanied by the page references and codes from the Policies and Outcomes document.)
Violence-Free Schools Policy²
Aménagement linguistique en français, paliers élémentaire et secondaire³(for French-language schools)

This revised edition of the VIP resource guide also reflects the changes that have taken place in Ontario society in which there have been increasing numbers of community members from diverse social, family, racial, and ethnocultural backgrounds. To live harmoniously and successfully in this society, students need to appreciate, understand, and respect the different values, perspectives, and life experiences of Ontario's diverse population.

The success of the VIP program depends on the following main factors: the continuing partnership between educators and the police; the collaborative involvement of various stakeholders in the community, including people from diverse groups; the integration of VIP programs into the curriculum and the daily life of the classroom.

Teachers may photocopy and hand out to students the "Information Sheets" that accompany some of the activities in this resource guide. These sheets are placed at the end of each unit of study.

French-language schools are required to use only those resources that are compatible with the language of instruction of the class, and to seek French-speaking police officers and other guest speakers.

Note: Under the Child and Family Services Act,⁴ one is required by law to report suspected incidents of child abuse to the Children's Aid Society. The policies of Ontario schools should reflect this law. Should VIP program activities result in any student disclosures of this nature, teachers should follow the appropriate protocols and policies of their school board.

Introduction

Values are those qualities that an individual or a society considers important as principles for conduct and that are intrinsically worthwhile.

As students develop their personal value systems, they must be made aware of the set of values that Canadians from diverse groups regard as essential to the well-being of society. They must also be provided with an environment that helps them develop a positive self-image, which is crucial to their functioning as responsible, caring members of society.

Students must . . . be equipped to respond constructively to social change. In recent years, for example, we have witnessed significant alteration in the structure of the family, the influence of established institutions, and the roles and lifestyle choices of men and women. In Ontario, there has been a significant increase in racial and cultural diversity. It is therefore more important than ever before that students develop the values, skills, and knowledge needed to live productively and harmoniously in a society that values diversity and is committed to equity and social justice.⁵

Values may be defined as those qualities that an individual or a society considers important as principles for conduct and that are intrinsically worthwhile.

Societal values, which serve as expectations for everyone, are the values that are generally accepted by a society, and that form the basis of its cultural traditions, structures, practices, and laws. The most important societal values in Canada include freedom, fairness, honesty, respect, compassion, and justice.

There are a number of values that Canadians consider to be essential to the well-being of our society. These values are those that reinforce the democratic rights and responsibilities of individuals and are based on a belief in the fundamental worth of persons of all races, creeds, ethnic backgrounds, ages, and physical and mental abilities.

Personal values are values that are acquired and held, consciously or unconsciously, by each individual. An individual's personal values profoundly affect his or her thinking and behaviour, although personal values are strongly influenced by the values held by society in general.

Each child is a unique individual with physical, intellectual, social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. These dimensions develop through a process that is identifiable and somewhat predictable and that can be traced from infancy through childhood and adolescence to adulthood. This development may be either fostered or impeded by the child's environment and experiences.

Much more is involved in contributing to children's moral growth and values development than simply telling them about important societal values such as compassion and respect. Children are neither empty vessels to be filled with knowledge nor computers to be programmed. Rather, children actively develop their personal values and capabilities as they interact with others and with their environment. Consequently, the teacher must be sensitive to the influence of the classroom and school environments and must also encourage students to think about and assess their values and those of others.

Teachers and others working with this document should also be aware of students who have been identified as exceptional through the school board Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) process. For example, students who have been identified as exceptional in the behavioural, learning disabled, or intellectual areas may show behaviour that is different from that of other students. Strategies that are helpful to such students will have been identified already through the IPRC process and there may be particular components of individual programs that could be incorporated into aspects of the VIP program and vice versa. Such modifications will help the students benefit more fully from the VIP program.

Individuals who feel good about themselves and who have a positive sense of their own identity are much more likely to interact with others in positive ways and to respect the values and laws of their society. When children have developed the feelings of self-respect and self-worth that they require to function independ-ently, they are better equipped to cope with negative influences and pressures from others. Because their own identities are not in doubt, they are less vulnerable to peer pressure, and their behaviour is more likely to reflect the values they have acquired. This positive view of human nature is the basis of this document.

The early years of adolescence are perhaps the most challenging for the maturing child. It is at this time that major physical changes begin, and these changes tend to be accompanied by a need for group acceptance. Together, these forces can create emotional stress for adolescents. To cope with this stress, young people need to understand the changes they are experiencing. They also require a strong sense of self-worth and a coherent set of values, both of which are essential to the well-being of individuals and of society.

Without this understanding and these values, young people may become involved in a number of antisocial activities. They may be more inclined to show off, to react negatively to authority, and to become involved in truancy. They may also attempt to escape the difficulty they are having in solving their personal problems by using alcohol or taking drugs.

Students entering Grade 7 are at a particularly vulnerable age. Some students begin to experience emotional conflict at this age. For some, this is a crucial time for deciding whether or not to smoke, use alcohol, take drugs, or participate in antisocial activities. It is for these reasons that the activities in this resource guide are intended for use with students in Grade 6.

The involvement of young people in unlawful activities sometimes occurs as a result of peer pressure. Young people must learn to recognize and to cope with negative peer influences. Peer pressure is one of the primary issues dealt with in this resource guide.

The predominant methodology of the activities in this resource guide is collaborative learning, in which students work in groups and develop a high level of involvement in their learning. The instructional strategies used by teachers must be appropriate to the students' cultural background and faith.

The VIP program encourages positive social behaviour by increasing students' awareness and building their feelings of self-confidence and self-esteem, and by providing them with the skills and insights needed to examine the value issues inherent in particular circumstances. Implicit in this approach is the basic assumption that students with a positive self-image will develop positive relationships with their peers and will also be more likely to develop the ability to cope with peer pressure.

The sample activities included in this resource guide encourage students to become involved in discussion and self-expression without fear of embarrassment or ridicule. Thus anonymity is important; a "no name" rule should be established for students relating incidents of a personal nature. Teachers are also urged to read the caution at the end of the Preface, on page 4.

Teachers should use or adapt the activities in this resource guide to help students become aware of:

the personal and societal choices with which they will be confronted;
the possible consequences of these choices;
the relationship of these choices to personal and societal value systems.

Thus, a program based on this resource guide should help young people develop a positive self-concept and the habits and values that will help them become good citizens. This, in turn, should help them cope with negative peer pressure.

The topics in this resource guide are all interrelated. VIP begins with an examination of personal and societal values and standards and the way they are translated into rules and laws that give society the authority to enforce them. Within this context, VIP also examines areas in which students traditionally, to a greater or lesser extent, have had problems or have been influenced in a negative way.

To a large degree, children learn about values by actively making decisions, trying them out, and learning from the consequences of their decisions. There are many supervised school activities through which students can safely experience this process; group work, team sports, and science fairs can all provide important learning experiences related to human relationships, plans, contributions, and accomplishments. The experience of making group decisions can also be beneficial.

VIP provides learning activities, based on scenarios and real-life examples, that can be used to develop that experience.

Some of the values that form the foundation of the school curriculum in Ontario include:

– acceptance	– freedom	– peace
– compassion	– generosity	– respect for the environment
– co-operation	– honesty	– respect for life
– courage	– justice	– respect for self
– courtesy	– loyalty	– responsibility
– equality of opportunity	– moderation	– self-discipline
– fairness	– patience	– sensitivity

While no person or institution has exclusive responsibility for the development of values in children, the home has the primary responsibility. For many children, the community also has a profound influence, often within the religious or faith tradition of the parents or guardians. Educators must recognize and respect these areas of influence.

At the same time, society has frequently turned to the school for assistance in helping young people learn to cope with such problems as the use of tobacco and the abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Although schools cannot, nor should be expected to, solve such problems alone, VIP programs can help focus attention on this particular area of personal need.

To help achieve the goals discussed above, value-related activities appear throughout this resource guide. It should be understood that these activities are provided as samples only and are not intended as a program of study. Teachers are encouraged to adapt or expand on these activities or to use them to involve their students in the discussion of some of these issues.

The units of study outlined in this document will provide opportunities for students to:

become aware of some of the basic values of our diverse Canadian society and in particular of the set of values considered essential to the well-being of individuals and of society;
learn to accept responsibility for their own actions;
understand that each person may be influenced by peer pressure;
become aware of the importance of self-respect and self-confidence in meeting the challenge of peer pressure;
gain insights that will help them make good choices when confronted with negative peer influences;
develop a respect for the rights of others and for the rule of law.

The units of study can be expanded, or additional units can be developed, to meet the needs of the students in the local community. Additional topics could include crime prevention and shoplifting, vandalism, and violence, with an emphasis on the personal and societal costs of these crimes.

Students should be encouraged to maintain personal VIP journals, in which they can record their thoughts and feelings about the value-related activities and reflect on the concepts and ideas covered in class. Since the VIP journals should be learning journals, not personal diaries, students should be comfortable sharing their contents with teachers, classmates, and parents or guardians.

Although the individual units do not contain assessment strategies, it is expected that teachers and police officers will continuously evaluate the content and strategies of the VIP program, as well as students' acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes and their achievement of the learning outcomes. Program and student evaluation can be done in many ways:

Teachers can use observation sheets, which they can share with students.
Students can be encouraged to evaluate their own work and the program. For example, they can be encouraged to write in their VIP journals about their growth in understanding or their need to develop certain skills.
Teachers can provide students with checklists, which students can use to assess the program and their own progress.

Such continuous monitoring of the program and of student progress will help ensure both that students' needs are met and that the VIP learning outcomes are achieved.

1. Values and Rules

Personal values are values that are acquired and held, consciously or unconsciously, by each individual, and that influence his or her thinking and behaviour.

Societal values are the values that are generally accepted by a society, and that form the basis of its cultural traditions, structures, practices, and laws.

Values are qualities that an individual or a society considers important as principles for conduct and that are intrinsically worthwhile. This unit is designed to introduce students to the concept of values and to lead them to discover and analyse some of their own values and those of society.

An important goal of this VIP resource guide is to help Grade 6 students to explore and understand the values that underlie the choices they make and to respect their own and others' values. This unit will help students to understand how values shape an individual's behaviour, the development of personal rules, and, ultimately, the laws that regulate society.

Learning Outcomes

· Identify personal behaviour that is shaped by family values and beliefs and by the influence of peers. (P1, page 86)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

identify personal and family values;
understand the ways in which an individual's family background, language, and culture influence his or her ideas and behaviour.

Topic 1: Values

Resource: Information Sheet 1: Types of Values

Key Words: equitable, equality of opportunity, harmony, rule, value, value system

Sample Activities:

Have the class define values. You might start with the following:
- Have each student identify something tangible that has value to him or her (e.g., a family pet, a favourite jacket).
- Briefly discuss value as it relates to monetary value, noting that we do not always think of something as more valuable because its monetary value is greater.
- Explain that the values the class will be talking about relate to a different kind of values, ones that guide our behaviour and influence our decisions and the standards and rules we set for ourselves.
Distribute a copy of Information Sheet 1 to each student and ensure that students understand the three types of values: personal, family, and societal.

Ask students to brainstorm to extend the lists of values on Information Sheet 1. Then have them work in small groups to determine ten values that are important to them and the rules or behaviours that are based on these values. When the groups' lists are complete, ask them to refine them further, reducing them to the five values that they consider most important.

Have students examine and assess their own values and those of their families and their community, noting these values in their VIP journals.
- Ask students to discuss the values they identified with their parents or guardians.
- Have students make collages that represent the values that are important to them.

Have students select a character from a short story, novel, television program, or film and describe his or her values. Have them share their findings in small groups.

Topic 2: Values/Rules in School

Resources: your school's code of behaviour and other policies

Key Words: policies, code of behaviour

Sample Activities:

Have students, working in small groups, examine the school's code of behaviour and list the value(s) on which each of the rules is based.
Have students look at other school policies and determine the values on which they are based.
Have students examine the class and school rules and policies, and discuss how these support values considered important in the local community or society. Ask students to consider the following:
- Do any of the school's rules or policies contradict societal values?
- Are there any societal values that are not currently supported by the school's rules or policies but should be?
- If the answer to either or both questions above is "yes", what can students and teachers do to solve these problems?

Topic 3: How Values Guide Behaviours and Decisions

The following examples show how our values underlie our behaviours and decisions. Note that these values are only examples.

Value		Behaviour or Decision
...............................		............................................................
patience	·	giving others time to express their ideas
cleanliness	· ·	attending to personal hygiene disposing of litter in containers designed for that purpose
responsibility	· ·	putting away equipment after using it returning borrowed items
punctuality	· ·	meeting deadlines for school assignments being on time for appointments
respect for self	·	taking only those drugs that have been medically prescribed and only according to directions
fairness	·	ensuring everyone has equal opportunities to succeed

Sample Activities:

Have students list in their VIP journals an appropriate behaviour or decision resulting from values such as:

– acceptance	– freedom	– peace
– compassion	– generosity	– respect for the environment
– co-operation	– honesty	– respect for life
– courage	– justice	– respect for self
– courtesy	– loyalty	– responsibility
– equality of opportunity	– moderation	– self-discipline
– fairness	– patience	– sensitivity

Have students look at the list of values used in the previous activity and note in their VIP journals those values that they have and those that they would like to acquire. Have them prepare a plan for developing the latter values.
Have students, working in small groups, examine their classroom and school values to see if all the values listed in the earlier activity are represented. Ask students to determine what they should do if their classroom or school lacks some of these values. Have the groups of students share their ideas with the whole class and determine if anything can be done to reinforce any of these values in the classroom or school.
Discuss the key points of the following with the students as a summary to this unit:
- If we are to live in a society that upholds the rights of the individual, encourages mutual respect, and treats everyone fairly, we must have some common values and rules. Our class has its rules. The school has a code of behaviour, developed jointly by parents or guardians, teachers, and students. The community is regulated by by-laws that reflect our values. The country is governed by laws that reflect the values underlying the Constitution of Canada.⁶ Any group or organization to which we belong has rules that are based on a particular set of values.

Information Sheet 1: Types of Values

Values are the beliefs on which people base their individual, family, and societal expectations and rules.

Personal, or Individual, Values

The following are some of the personal values that many people find important:

a belief in the importance of maintaining one's health and fitness
a belief in the importance of achieving one's personal potential
a belief in the importance of learning
self-discipline
trustworthiness
fairness
honesty
punctuality
kindness and generosity
compassion
open-mindedness
patience
courtesy
respect for others
respect for oneself
a belief in the importance of personal spiritual values
cleanliness
a belief in the importance of cherishing one's first language and culture, as well as any other languages and cultures acquired

Family Values

Family members have expectations of each other based on their own family values. These values may differ from person to person even within the closest family. The following are some common family values:

loyalty to the family unit and to individual family members
sympathy for family members
a belief in the importance of sharing resources with family members
co-operation
respect for family members
respect for family rules
a sense of responsibility towards the family

Societal Values

To maintain the kind of democratic society in which we want to live, we must share important values such as:

peace
respect for the law
a belief in the importance of examining our laws for fairness and working within the law to change those that are unfair
respect for the local community
participation in public life
respect for diversity
respect for others
willingness to compromise
respect for the environment
respect for property and society
a commitment to fairness and equality of opportunity
a commitment to equality

2. Decision Making

A decision is the process of selecting one or more alternatives from a number of choices.

Everyone makes a multitude of decisions every day. Many of these daily decisions do not require much thought and could be called habits rather than decisions. However, each individual will also make many important decisions that will affect the quality of his or her life. It is therefore crucial that students examine the way decisions are reached.

Problems are part of human existence, and problem solving is a skill that everyone must acquire. Without an understanding of the problems that are common to their age group and the ability to deal with those problems, young people are in danger of developing other, more serious problems. In fact, much antisocial behaviour exhibited by maturing children is really a reaction to troublesome problems or worries.

Studying the issues that are important to most adolescents and the ways in which people make decisions increases students' understanding of themselves and others. By helping students understand and cope with their problems, teachers can help them grow into self-confident individuals who are capable and desirous of becoming good citizens.

In a democratic society, individuals have the right to make their own choices in many aspects of their lives, and thus each individual may make choices that differ from those made by others. Teachers must respect this right to choose and help increase students' ability to make effective choices by teaching decision-making skills. In making their decisions, students must consider their own and others' feelings, preferences, and goals and their own and others' rights and responsibilities, as well as the feasibility of their alternatives.

The sample activities are based on a decision-making model that is commonly used in the Ontario curriculum. Teachers should be aware that people from other cultures and in other regions of the world may use a different decision-making process. If possible, teachers should provide students with opportunities to use a decision-making process related to their own culture and integrate it with the sample model.

Learning Outcomes

· Apply a problem-solving model. (P5, page 87)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

identify factors that influence decisions;
identify the steps in making decisions;
make a decision using a decision-making model.

Topic 1: Defining Decisions

Key Words: alternatives, choices, decisions, consequences, compromise, consensus, dissention

Sample Activities:

Have students brainstorm to find a definition for the word decision (the process of selecting one or more alternatives from a number of choices). Then have them discuss the following questions:
- What is a good or responsible decision?
- Why is it important to know how to make good, responsible decisions?
- How do you feel when you make a good, responsible decision? Why do you feel this way?
Have each student list in his or her VIP journal:
- a recent decision he or she made;
- a recent decision made for him or her by another person;
- a decision he or she made jointly with another person or a group of people.
Have students form small groups to discuss what they wrote in their journals. Then ask them to discuss the following questions with reference to what they wrote in their journals:
- What kinds of decisions do we make ourselves?
- What kinds of decisions are made for us by others?
- Why is it appropriate that some decisions should be made by others (e.g., fire drill procedures that are developed by someone responsible for the safety of everyone in the school)?
- What kinds of decisions are made jointly with another person or a group of people?

Topic 2: A Decision-making Process

Resource: Information Sheet 2: A Decision-making Model

Key Words: alternatives, consequences, decision-making model, dilemma, process

Sample Activities:

Have students list the following in their VIP journals:
- three decisions that each one made related to the day on which this activity is taking place
- the way each student made his or her decisions
- the consequences of the decisions
Have each student select one of the decisions that he or she made and do the following:
- list alternatives to the decision made
- select one of the alternatives and list the consequences to the rest of the day had she or he chosen that alternative
Distribute a copy of Information Sheet 2 to each student and present the decision-making model. Have students work in small groups and discuss some of the decisions they recorded in their VIP journals in the first sample activity.

Ask each student to apply to one of his or her decisions the model outlined on Information Sheet 2. Observe students to determine if they understand the five steps involved in making a decision. Have students explain how their values, feelings, experience, and knowledge influence their choices.
Have students record in their VIP journals a situation that will require them to make a decision in the near future, and then use the decision-making model to determine the best decision or choice to make.

Have students explain in their VIP journals how their choices were based on their values, feelings, experience, and knowledge.

Encourage students to ask themselves such questions as the following when evaluating their personal decisions:
- Which of my values are consistent with this particular solution or decision?
- Does my decision actually deal with the situation?
- What is the best possible result of my decision, for me and for others?
- How might other people react to my decision or solution?
- How does my decision recognize the rights of others?
- What might happen if everyone decided to solve this kind of problem in the way I have?

You might post these questions on the bulletin board or ask students to list them in their VIP journals.

Topic 3: Applying Decision-making Skills

Resource: Information Sheet 3: Decision-making Scenarios

Key Words: priorities, questioning, ranking

Sample Activities:

Distribute a copy of Information Sheet 3 to each student. Choose a decision-making scenario for the class to analyse and have students apply the first three steps of the decision-making model (Information Sheet 2) to the scenario. Ask students to:
- state the nature of the problem or dilemma;
- list possible alternatives;
- discuss the positive and negative consequences of each alternative and rank the alternatives.
Then have each student analyse another decision-making scenario from Information Sheet 3, using the decision-making model from Information Sheet 2. Observe students to ensure that they understand the steps in the model and can apply them to the scenario.

Have each student write a scenario in which a Grade 6 student is faced with a situation requiring a decision. Ask each student to:
- use the decision-making model to determine alternatives and the consequences or outcomes of each;
- choose the alternative that he or she thinks best and give reasons for selecting it.
Have each student present his or her scenario, alternatives, and decision (with reasons) to the class or a small group. Then have the class or group discuss:
- whether the decision-making model has been applied appropriately;
- whether the decision is a responsible one.
Ask students to share the decision-making model with their parents or guardians and, with them, identify the decisions their parents or guardians make for them and the decisions they can make for themselves.

Information Sheet 2: A Decision-Making Model

Identify the problem or situation.
\|
List the alternatives.
\|
A1	A2	A3	A4
\|
Weigh the alternatives according to predetermined criteria and predict outcomes for each one.
\|
Choose and use the best afternative.
\|
Evaluate the choice and method of choosing.

Information Sheet 3: Decision-making Scenarios

Scenario 1

A group of boys and girls go outside during a lunch break. One of the girls has brought the class soccer ball. She asks whether any of the others want to play a game. They decide they would like to, but realize there isn't enough space.

Younger students are playing in a part of the schoolyard they claim as their territory. The older students tell the younger children to leave, insisting the area is theirs. Some of the youngsters refuse to move, saying emphatically, "We were here first." The older students physically push them out of the way.

Scenario 2

Three boys – Michel, Raj, and Bill – are busy eating lunch in the school classroom that doubles as a lunchroom for students who don't go home for lunch. Bill asks Michel to lend him enough money for a drink; his friend refuses, saying he has no money.

Raj interrupts, "I know you have money; you showed me some on the bus this morning. You sure aren't acting like Bill's friend any more."

Michel tells Raj to mind his own business. More words are exchanged, and Raj pushes Michel's lunch off the table.

Michel's older brother arrives, grabs Raj, and tells him not to touch Michel. Almost simultaneously, the teacher on lunch duty comes to the table and tells all four boys to report to the office.

Scenario 3

Effie is about to board the school bus for home, when she tells the supervising teacher that she urgently needs to use the washroom. The teacher gives her permission, and Effie re-enters the school.

However, instead of going to the washroom, she heads directly for her classroom. The door is partially ajar, and the room is almost dark. Effie enters.

She walks to the teacher's desk and picks up the miniature piano music box the teacher had been given earlier in the day. Effie puts it into her bag and leaves. She returns to the bus and sits beside Nonie, her best friend. After a few minutes, Effie shows Nonie the piano. Nonie, stunned, doesn't know what to say or do.

3. Peer Pressure

Peer pressure affects all individuals throughout their lives. Individuals who have a strong belief in their own worth cope most successfully with peer pressure. Preadolescents and adolescents, however, are at an age when they are particularly susceptible to the influence of their peers. It is for this reason that young people are often persuaded to challenge authority by skipping school; by using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and by vandalizing or stealing.

The dangers of giving in to such pressure – of allowing oneself to be misled – must be impressed on young people and fully discussed in the classroom. The sample activities for this topic provide students with opportunities to examine ways in which people may be influenced by their peers; to become aware of the strategies people use to influence one another, either positively or negatively; and to consider ways of coping with such pressure.

Students should understand that peer pressure can be both positive and negative. For example, it can be used to persuade a student to help protect the environment or to violate school rules.

It is important to teach students strategies for dealing with negative peer pressure and to give them time to practise these strategies successfully. This knowledge will increase their confidence and self-esteem and make it easier for them to reverse the negative pressure into something positive.

Learning Outcomes

· Use different forms of communication to express their thoughts and feelings, explain their actions, and affirm their identity. (L32, page 59)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

identify positive and negative peer pressure and recognize the consequences of each;
understand the relationship between a person's self-image (self-esteem) and the ways in which he or she responds to peer pressure;
identify and demonstrate/practise strategies needed to respond appropriately to negative peer pressure;
identify ways of avoiding situations in which they are likely to be exposed to negative peer pressure.

Topic 1: Peer Pressure

Key Words: peer, pressure

Sample Activities:

Introduce the topic of peer pressure, using questions like the following:
- Who are your peers?
- Why do you want to feel accepted by them?
- In what kinds of situations – at home, in school, in the community – have you felt peer pressure?

You might share personal examples of peer pressure to show students that peer pressure does not end with adolescence.

Summarize the main points of the discussion on the chalkboard for students to copy into their VIP journals.

Have students discuss, in small groups, the various tactics and types of peer pressure, both positive and negative, that people, particularly adolescents, use. Then have them share these ideas with the whole class and record them in their VIP journals.
Encourage students to discuss peer pressure with their parents or guardians. Have them question their parents or guardians about the types of pressure they feel at work, in the community, or with friends, and then record the responses in their VIP journals. If students' parents or guardians are willing to have their comments shared, ask students to share their findings with the class.

Topic 2: Peer-Pressure Tactics

Resource: Information Sheet 4: Peer-Pressure Scenarios

Key Words: confidence, role play, strategies

Sample Activities:

Review what negative peer pressure means to students.
Have students list in their VIP journals strategies for saying "no" to negative peer pressure. Have them share these ideas with the whole class and list them on the chalkboard. Encourage students to compare the ideas presented with their own and add new ones to their own lists.
Discuss with students the merits of each strategy, ranking each as "excellent", "good", "fair", or "poor". Record these rankings on the chalkboard beside the strategies and have students record them in their VIP journals as well.
Have students discuss possible consequences of saying "no" to peer pressure, as well as ways of avoiding negative peer pressure. The discussion should include strategies for exerting positive peer pressure.

Divide the class into pairs and provide each pair of students with a scenario involving peer pressure (e.g., a student pressuring another student to try smoking a cigarette or to stop smoking). Have students discuss and practise the strategies that they would use to resist negative peer pressure or exert positive peer pressure, and explain why they would use the method(s) selected.
Have students form groups of three or four and give each group a copy of Information Sheet 4. Using the role-play situations outlined, assign to each group a situation to role-play. In their role plays, students must use one of the strategies discussed.
When the groups present their role plays to the class, have students identify the strategy that each group used. Have students practise as many role-play situations as time allows. In each one, they should try a different strategy.

Topic 3: Group Dynamics and Peer Pressure

Key Words: group dynamics, mob mentality, petition

Sample Activities:

Have students list examples of organized and unorganized groups and group situations, both in school and in the community (e.g., sports teams, clubs, fans at a rock concert). Discuss the ways in which groups and individuals function differently. For example, everyone on a sports team has a specific task so that the team will be successful. Ask students whether people sometimes behave differently in group situations than they would as individuals. Talk about mob mentality and ask students the following question: Why do people do things when they are part of a crowd that they would never do if they were on their own?

Have students form groups of two or three. Ask them to search current newspapers and magazines for articles about people working in groups to deal with diverse situations. Have them set up a page of their VIP journals as in the following example:

Situation Described in Article	Group Involved	Method Used	Effectiveness of Method
Neighbourhood upset that trees are being cut down	John Street Neighbours' Association	Developed a petition and obtained signatures for it	Positive, peaceful, effective

When students have completed a similar analysis of examples from five articles, discuss what they have discovered. Ensure that they pay close attention to the positive and negative ways in which groups deal with situations. Ask them how peer pressure is related to group dynamics.

Have students apply the principles of group dynamics to their own groups:
- Are any students members of groups because of peer pressure? If so, is the peer pressure positive or negative?
- When in a group, do they behave in positive or negative ways? When the group wants to do something negative, does it respect individual wishes or does group opinion always dominate?
Have students describe in their VIP journals actual negative peer pressure incidents that they have experienced or observed and list the strategies that were used or could have been used to resist the peer pressure. Ask students to indicate why these methods were, were not, or could have been successful. Have students present their descriptions to the class. Consider adding them to a class book dealing with peer pressure.

Information Sheet 4: Peer-Pressure Scenarios

Scenario 1

Uri, John, and Donovan are in a variety store, and Uri slips a chocolate bar into his jacket pocket. John and Donovan watch, but are unsure what to do. They whisper at the magazine rack: Donovan wants to tell Uri to put it back, but John tells him to mind his own business. If you were Donovan, what positive strategies would you use to convince John that this wasn't the time to mind their own business and to convince Uri to put the chocolate bar back?

Scenario 2

A group of friends playing on the playground at recess notice that another group of kids of the same age are destroying old, but still usable, sports equipment belonging to the school. This second group encourages members of the first group to help them destroy the equipment. What should they do?

Scenario 3

A new student in Grade 6, Kelly, seems to spend all her time at recess and before school standing against a wall by herself. Often she hums and sings to herself. One of her classmates, Gill, is involved in a new choir at the school. Gill hears Kelly singing and decides to encourage her to become a choir member. Gill tells Kelly about the advantages of joining the choir. What reasons could Gill give Kelly to convince her to join the choir?

4. Healthy Friendships

Developing and maintaining friendships is an essential part of growing up, and adolescents' choice of friends strongly influences the way they think, act, and relate to others. It is vital, therefore, that students examine the importance of friends in their lives.

If they haven't already done so, students should broaden their perspectives and develop friendships with people who come from backgrounds different from their own, have abilities different from their own, or are older or younger than they are. Learning to relate to and understand others and to appreciate individual differences helps students learn more about themselves.

Rewarding friendships can provide students with self-confidence and a feeling of self-worth. However, some friendships can have a negative impact. For this reason, students should explore both the positive and the negative ways in which friends can influence their behaviour and their decisions. Students also need to become aware of their personal responsibility for each of their decisions and the consequences of these decisions.

Learning Outcomes

· Identify connections between the stages in their personal growth and changes in their roles, responsibilities, and interests. (P16, page 88)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

recognize indicators of healthy friendships and come to understand the values on which true friendships are based;
compare views on choosing friends with their parents or guardians;
say "no" – even to a friend – when it is important to do so and be comfortable accepting "no" for an answer – even from a friend.

Topic 1: Defining Friendship

Key Words: friend, friends' qualities

Sample Activities:

Have students, working individually, reflect on and list the ten qualities they would most want in themselves and in a friend. Ask them to find partners, compare their lists of qualities, and discuss and agree to a "top 10" list of qualities.
Then have the pairs combine to form foursomes and, once again, have students create a composite "top 10" list. This time ask them to present the qualities in chart form (see sample below). The chart should show the impact of the qualities on them. Note that the qualities in the chart below are examples only. Students should be given the headings and perhaps one example and asked to list the qualities they have chosen.
Discuss with the class the importance of recognizing their friends' qualities and the ways in which those qualities can affect their friendships.

Ask students to write an article for a popular teen magazine on one of the following topics:
- How to Make and Keep Friends
- A Friendship Survival Guide
- Are You Building Positive Friendships?
- When Should You Not Keep a Secret?
Have students create "Teen Line", a school magazine that includes articles such as those suggested in the previous activity as well as responses to teenagers who write letters such as the following:
Dear Abby,

I'm new in this school and don't have any friends. I'd like to be popular with the other kids. How can I make new friends?

Signed: Lonely and blue

Have students write their versions of Abby's answer to this letter.
Have students write entries in their VIP journals about difficulties that can occur with friends (e.g., participating in inappropriate activities, spreading rumours).
Have students find articles about friendship in magazines in the school or local library and summarize them in their VIP journals. Then have them work with partners to compare the ideas expressed in the articles with their own ideas.

Topic 2: Choosing Friends

Resource: Information Sheet 5: Case Studies

Key Words: personal values, choosing friends

Sample Activities:

Have students write responses to the following questions in their VIP journals:
- What image do you think you project of yourself by the way you look? The way you act? The way you talk?
- What might these characteristics tell others about your personal values? About the way you think?
- What observable characteristics in others give you a positive or negative impression?
Have students brainstorm to list a number of activities or groups in which they could participate to meet new people and make good friends.
Discuss with students the qualities that they feel they should have or should develop so that others would like to have them as friends, and how they would go about developing such qualities.
Distribute a copy of Information Sheet 5 to each student. Have students consider the case studies and brainstorm to find solutions, possibly by acting them out.
After students have fully discussed the case studies on Information Sheet 5, have students write on cards scenarios of similar dilemmas involving themselves and their friends. Collect the cards and divide the class into small groups. Distribute the cards randomly to the different groups and give students time to discuss the scenarios or act them out. Then have a class discussion of the issues raised by the scenarios.
Have individuals or groups of students create role plays or dramatic presentations on the theme of friendship. They could then present them to the class or videotape them.
Ask students to identify comic strips that are based on the theme of friendship. Then give them opportunities to create their own comic strips based on this theme.

Topic 3: Diversity in Friendship

Discrimination is the practice or act of excluding or demeaning individuals or groups based on such factors as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, faith or creed, or physical or mental abilities.

Key Words: acceptance, discrimination, inclusion, intergenerational, multicultural

Sample Activities:

Discuss with students the range of their friendships:
- How diverse are they?
- Do they include people in other generations: adults, seniors, younger children?
- Do they include people with disabilities?
- Do they include people from racial, ethnocultural, or socio-economic backgrounds different from their own?
- Do they include people of both genders?
Discuss the following issues with students:
- What can students learn and what new experiences are possible when they choose as friends people who have different backgrounds from their own (e.g., different gender, race, culture, physical or mental abilities, faith)?
- What stops some people from making friends with those who have different backgrounds from themselves? (Examples include bias, stereotyping, discrimination, racism, lack of understanding, lack of experience with various cultures, preconceived ideas or prejudice, and parental pressure.)

Encourage students to have similar discussions with their parents or guardians.

As a class project, have students make a collage mural celebrating diversity in friendships. The mural might include photos of all the interesting people with whom members of the class have become friends.
Have students bring to class articles or stories, from a variety of media, that involve positive or negative relationships between people of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Then ask them to analyse the relationships to identify the positive benefits to those involved or to explain the foundation for any negative experiences. Students should note how any negative experiences could have been avoided. After students have done this activity individually, have them discuss their findings in small groups to see if others agree with their conclusions.
Have each student select and research an example of a healthy friendship known to him or her. To find out what makes a healthy friendship work, students should interview the friends being studied and people who know them (e.g., parents or guardians, relatives, friends, teachers). They should ask them to describe (1) what makes the friendship healthy, and (2) what qualities each of the friends has that keeps their friendship healthy.

Information Sheet 5: Case Studies

Case Study 1

Oksana and her parents have moved to a different house and she has to go to a new school. When she goes to her first class, she feels awkward because she doesn't know anyone. In the schoolyard at recess, Oksana talks to some students who appear to be very popular. However, they also seem rather rough; they bully other students and use coarse language. These students ask Oksana to come with them to the mall after school. What should Oksana do?

Case Study 2

Aaron has a friend, Maurice, whom he has known for two years, ever since his family moved next door to Maurice's. Aaron and Maurice are the only two boys in the area who are close in age, but every time they plan to do something together, Maurice backs out. What should Aaron do?

5. Authority Figures

Authority is the legal power of one person to give commands to others and to enforce regulations and exact obedience.

Authority refers to the legal power of one person to give commands to others and to enforce regulations and exact obedience. It can also refer to the respect that is given to knowledgeable or esteemed individuals or can even refer to the informal and temporary power that a group may give to one of its members.

The exercising of authority by some individuals over others is one way in which society applies its values and standards to people's activities. In fact, giving some people authority over others is an expression of a societal value or set of values. In this unit, students examine how people are placed in positions of authority and why authority is necessary to the orderly functioning of society.

From time to time throughout this unit, teachers may wish to invite various authority figures to take part in panel presentations and discussions in the classroom and to have the students (individually, in small groups, or as a whole class) conduct interviews with the visitors.

Learning Outcomes

· Identify and give examples of their legal rights and responsibilities. (P18, page 89)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

identify positions of authority and their significance;
describe the consequences of ignoring authority;
recognize that those in authority are accountable;
recognize that there are misuses of authority.

Topic 1: The Who, What, Why, and How of Authority

Key Words: authority, authority figures, responsibilities

Sample Activities:

Discuss with the class a definition of authority. Then have students form small groups and examine photos and articles, which they have been asked to collect and bring to class, to identify a variety of authority figures (e.g., prime minister, premier, governor-general, Member of Parliament, lawyer, clergyperson, elder, police officer, probation officer, judge, school principal, teacher, referee, umpire, baby-sitter, caretaker, coach, parent, guardian, caregiver, doctor, nurse, crossing guard, bus driver).
Discuss the following questions with students:
- Why are these authority figures necessary to the functioning of society?
- What is the source of each figure's authority and what is each figure's role?
- What positive values and acceptable kinds of power would a person need to be effective in a position of authority in a democratic society?
- How might individuals misuse their positions of power or authority?

Have students list in their VIP journals some of the responsibilities of those who act under lawful authority (e.g., the principal and teachers under the Education Act,⁷ police officers under the Police Services Act⁸), under the following headings: Authority Figure, Basis of Power, Responsibilities, Values Needed.
Have students record in their VIP journals instances in which they act as authority figures in relation to each of the following: themselves, their families, the school, the community. Ask students to include the following information for each of these instances:
- the source of their authority (e.g., the child's parents in the case of baby-sitting)
- the values they must demonstrate (e.g., fairness) and the kinds of power or authority (e.g., a position of authority as baby-sitter) and qualities they require (e.g., firmness) to be effective
- their responsibilities
Have groups of students list examples of individuals who wield unlawful authority and consider how such people control the members of their groups.
Have students list five to ten authority figures with whom they come into contact on a regular basis. Have them also ask their parents or guardians to list five to ten people in authority whom they see regularly. Ask students to compare their lists of authority figures with the lists compiled by their parents or guardians and discuss similarities and differences. Have students report their findings to the class.

Topic 2: The Rights and Responsibilities of Those in Authority

Key Words: accountable, consequences, responsibilities

Sample Activities:

Have students work in groups to examine various community authorities (e.g., police officer, probation officer, referee, teacher, baby-sitter, crossing guard, peer mediator, student coach). Each group should examine a different authority.
Ask them to consider the possible consequences of listening or not listening to the directions given by any of these people, and to answer the question: What action can authority figures take to deal with those who refuse to comply with the rules?

Point out to students that all authority figures are responsible to someone else: the teacher to the principal, the police officer to the police chief or commissioner, the lawyer to the law society.
Ask students to look at the list of authority figures in the previous activity and consider to which group or person each authority figure is answerable. Students should answer the question: How is each authority figure made accountable for his or her actions? Encourage students to examine their own lists of authority figures and consider to whom these individuals are responsible. Students can do this individually or in groups.

Have students examine the role of laws in making some of the authority figures on their lists responsible for their actions. For example, they might consider the duties of teachers and principals as outlined in the Education Act.
Have groups of students examine and list the challenges they would face and the responsibilities they would have if they were in a particular position of authority. (You might wish to assign different positions to different groups.)
Have students, individually or in groups, prepare interview sheets and then interview authority figures in the community to find out their views on the topics considered in this lesson. The following are examples of the types of questions students might include in their questionnaires:
- To whom do you answer directly?
- What rules must you follow as a result of your position?
- What are the consequences for people who do not follow your directions?
- What could happen to a person in your position who misuses his or her authority?

Topic 3: Knowing When to Say "No" to People in Positions of Authority

Key Words: unfair, unjust

Sample Activities:

Have students discuss, in groups, examples of situations in which a rule or directive of an authority or authority figure might justifiably be disregarded (e.g., ignoring a "No Trespassing" sign to help find a younger child who has wandered off).
Discuss with students what is meant by the "misuse" (or "abuse") of authority. Give students (or have students suggest) examples of each. Discuss with them how the respect given to an authority figure who misuses his or her authority is affected and how his or her effectiveness as an authority figure may be reduced (e.g., loss of respect can lead to loss of authority).
Have students discuss or research, in small groups, past or present examples of the misuse of authority. Have students consider the following:
- What happened to the authority figures involved?
- What controls (e.g., laws, rules) exist to prevent the misuse of authority or for disciplining authority figures who misuse their authority?
Discuss with students effective ways of saying "no" to or dealing with an irresponsible authority figure (e.g., in cases of child or sexual abuse) and some examples of action they can take (e.g., a verbal reprimand, a report to a person of trust). Have them role-play scenarios in which they have to oppose the authority of someone who is acting irresponsibly.
Invite a guest speaker (e.g., a probation officer) to visit the class to discuss steps that students should take if they experience the misuse of authority (e.g., whom they should tell).

6. Youth and the Law

This unit examines the legal rights and responsibilities of people living in Canada. The main focus is on the provisions and implications of the Young Offenders Act.⁹

The involvement of local police officers is integral to the full development of this unit of VIP. Therefore, a representative of the local police force should be involved in planning the teaching of this unit. Schools that are located in remote areas can communicate with police for the same purpose by fax or mail. French-language schools must seek French-speaking police officers to assist in planning the teaching of this unit.

Before dealing with the material in this unit, students should have dealt with the material in the preceding units, so that they have a good understanding of the following:

society's values and the way rules and laws uphold these values
the ways in which rules and laws protect individuals and property
the role of police officers in maintaining and upholding laws and protecting individuals and property

Learning Outcomes

· Identify and give examples of their legal rights and responsibilities. (P18, page 89)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

explain what happens to young persons charged with breaking the law under the Young Offenders Act;
describe the possible consequences faced by a young person found guilty of an offence in Youth Court.

Topic 1: Rules and Laws

Key Words: federal, provincial, municipal

Sample Activities:

Give (or have a police officer give) a short presentation on the differences between a law and a rule:
- A rule tells us how to behave in society.
- A law tells us what kind of behaviour is unacceptable to that society and therefore illegal.
Have students list in their VIP journals five rules and five laws and explain why each one belongs in that category. Have students discuss their explanations with the whole class or in small groups.
Arrange to have a police officer, a local member of the federal or provincial legislature, or a representative of the local city or town council explain to the class how laws are made, by whom, and why.
Have students work in groups to research how early societies organized and regulated themselves, and then make a bulletin board display of their findings.

Topic 2: Police, Rights, and Crime

Key Words: crime, legal, obligations, rights, young person, young offender

Sample Activities:

Present to the class (or have a resource person such as a crown attorney/ prosecutor, probation officer, or police officer present) the Young Offenders Act, which is a federal law, and discuss its provisions and implications for young persons from twelve years of age to just under eighteen years of age.
Invite a local police officer to discuss with the class the following:
- the role of the police in protecting people and property, helping victims of crime, and enforcing laws
- the legal rights and obligations of police officers and citizens under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms10 and the Canadian Criminal Code¹¹
- the meaning of the term crime in the context of the Canadian Criminal Code
- the legal process and procedures followed by the police during (1) the investigation of an offence, and (2) the arrest or detention of a young person who is suspected of having broken the law
Following the presentation, divide the class into groups and have each group discuss and summarize the presentation under the following headings:
- Definition of a Young Offender
- Role of the Police
- Definition of a Crime
- Provisions of the Young Offenders Act
- Legal Rights and Obligations of Police Officers, Parents or Guardians, and Young Persons

Have the groups compare their summaries and work together to prepare a class chart. Then ask students to reproduce the class chart in their VIP journals.

As an alternative to the previous activity, arrange a field trip to a local police station so that students can learn about the topics suggested above through first-hand observation of the police at work.

Topic 3: Youth Court

Key Words: court, court reporter, crown attorney/prosecutor, defence attorney, judge

Sample Activities:

If possible, try to arrange a visit to a youth court so that students can see the justice system in action and possibly interview some of the people involved in the functioning of the court. In preparation for the visit, discuss with students the role of each of the following:
- the judge
- the crown attorney/prosecutor
- the defence attorney
- police officers
- probation/parole officers
- members of the public
- the accused
- the clerk of the court
- court reporters
Ask each student to identify in his or her VIP journal one person involved in youth court whom he or she would like to interview, as well as questions that he or she would like to ask that person. Alternatively, divide the class into small groups and have each group select a person to interview and develop questions to ask that person. Then have a class discussion to determine the three best questions to ask each of the people involved in youth court. Have different students, individually or in groups, interview different court staff members and share the information they obtain with the whole class after their visit.

If a court visit is not possible, discuss with the class other ways of obtaining answers to their questions (e.g., by inviting a police officer, probation/parole officer, staff member of a correctional institution, or judge to visit the class). Then have students follow up on their suggestions; for example, they can write invitations, send out interview letters, or do research in libraries.
Have each student list three legal rights that everyone has and three corresponding responsibilities.
Have students work in small groups to write scenarios showing various consequences of being found guilty of stealing for a thirteen-year-old boy or girl. Have the groups role-play their scenarios for the whole class. Ask students to list in their VIP journals the consequences raised by the role plays.

Topic 4: Crime and Its Consequences

Key Words: consequences, disposition, incarceration, punishment, reform, restitution

Sample Activities:

Arrange for a police officer, probation/parole officer, or other official involved in the justice system to visit the class and present information to students on crime and its consequences. In preparation for the police officer's presentation, have students brainstorm for possible answers to the following two questions:
- What influences a judge's decision?
- What are the different consequences of a conviction?

Record students' ideas on the chalkboard for further discussion with the guest police officer.

Among the considerations that influence judges' decisions are the seriousness of the offence, the safety of society, the need for deterrence, and the punishment, rehabilitation, and reform of the offender.

The consequences of a conviction include the various types and levels of punishment to which a judge may decide to sentence a young offender. These include probation, a fine, restitution, incarceration, an Order of Disposition with conditions, the possibility of being tried in adult court where penalties are harsher, and the Alternative Measures Program for first offenders (e.g., counselling programs, rehabilitation programs, restitution programs).

Divide the class into small groups and have students brainstorm for ideas on the implications of a youth court record for a young person. Have them share their ideas with the whole class, listing them on the chalkboard or on chart paper under the heading Consequences of a Youth Court Record. The consequences might include the following:
- A young offender will have a finding of guilt (not a conviction) for five years.
- Prospective employers may ask a young person if he or she has a youth court record, and they may discriminate against a young person on the basis of a youth court record, if it is a reasonable and bona fide qualification because of the nature of the employment.
- A young person with a youth court record may find it difficult to enter certain countries, depending on their immigration policies.
- Police officers and other individuals specified in the Young Offenders Act or other legislation may have access to a young person's youth court record.

If a police officer or other official of the justice system visits the class, ask him or her to comment on students' list of consequences and suggest any additional ones that students may have missed.

Have students, working in small groups, write scenarios that illustrate the consequences of a criminal record for a twelve-year-old boy or girl.
Have each group role-play the court scene involving the twelve-year-old boy or girl in their scenario. The roles to be performed could include the judge, crown attorney, accused, police officer, probation/parole officer, lawyer, and parents of the accused.

Topic 5: The Law and Your Community

Extortion is a serious form of stealing in which money or property is obtained by threatening or intimidating someone.

Key Words: extortion, fraud, mischief, perpetrator, theft, threatening, vandalize, vandalism

Sample Activities:

Ask small groups of students to brainstorm for definitions of the following terms: theft, fraud, mischief, extortion. Then have them share their definitions with the whole class. Ensure that students end up with definitions that approximate the following:
- Theft is stealing. It includes everything from shoplifting to taking something without the owner's consent.
- Fraud is a different kind of stealing that involves cheating or deception. It includes such activities as switching price tags in stores, using another person's bank or credit cards, and leaving a restaurant without paying the bill.
- Mischief is vandalism. It includes activities that result in damage to private or public property, such as spray-painting or writing graffiti on others' property, or vandalizing cars by scratching the paint or breaking windows or tail lights.
- Extortion is a more serious form of stealing in which money or property is obtained by threatening or intimidating someone.
Have students bring in articles reporting offences in which young people have been involved. Ask students, in small groups, to discuss the articles and determine which offences are reported most frequently.
Have students monitor the news on television or on the radio, and list in their VIP journals the offences reported that involved young people from twelve to seventeen years of age. Ask students to determine which offences were reported most frequently.
Have students discuss, in small groups, the effects of youth offences both on the victims and on the community (e.g., in terms of both tangible and intangible costs). Have students report their findings to the class and record the information in their VIP journals. They might also discuss this information with a visiting police officer who can provide specific information on offences in the community and on their costs to individuals and to the community at large.
Have students work in small groups to develop plans or programs that would help potential perpetrators understand the detrimental effects of criminal actions, and would prevent them from committing criminal offences. Have each group select its best plan or program and present it to the class.

7. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs

Drugs are substances that increase or retard the activity of the part(s) of the body that they affect.

The term drugs includes any substances that increase or retard the activity of the part(s) of the body that they affect. According to this definition, alcohol, cigarettes, cough syrup, aspirin, coffee, barbiturates, amphetamines, LSD, cannabis, heroin, and cocaine are all drugs. While some of them are more socially acceptable than others, they all have a greater or lesser effect on the body, and their use can be habit-forming.

Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs all have an influence on people's bodies and, in turn, on their minds. Some people use drugs to relieve physical pain, others to escape from mental pain or to make themselves feel "up". In this unit students examine the use, misuse, and abuse of drugs, consider why people use drugs in situations in which they shouldn't, and become aware of how abusing drugs can become a personal problem.

This unit of the VIP resource guide can be used with the drug education segment of the health course.

Learning Outcomes

· Explain different consequences of taking harmful and beneficial drugs or other substances. (P9, page 87)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

define the term drugs;
demonstrate an understanding of some of the reasons why drugs are used;
learn how to make informed choices about drugs.

Topic 1: The Definition and Classification of Drugs

Key Words: use, abuse, misuse, addiction, drug, non-prescription drug, prescription medication

Sample Activities:

Write the following three column headings on the chalkboard: Prescription Drugs, Non-prescription Drugs, Street Drugs. Then have students copy the headings into their VIP journals. Discuss the names of drugs that belong under each heading and write them on the chalkboard. Have students list these in their VIP journals.
Divide the class into small groups. Have each group select some prescription and non-prescription drugs from the lists on the chalkboard and discuss their uses and effects (both positive and negative). They should also consider why a prescription is needed for some drugs. Ask the groups to report their findings to the whole class and record them on the chalkboard under the following two additional headings: Uses of Drugs, Effects of Drugs.

Have students develop a definition of drug, considering the lists they prepared in the previous activity. Ensure that the students' definition corresponds to the definition provided at the beginning of this unit.
Have students discuss, in small groups, reasons why people use alcohol and tobacco, with particular reference to use and abuse by students (e.g., peer pressure, curiosity).

Topic 2: Consequences of Drug Use, Misuse, and Abuse

Sample Activities:

Discuss with students the distinction between alcohol use, alcohol misuse, and alcohol abuse.
Have students evaluate their knowledge of products that contain nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine by listing as many of them as they can in their VIP journals. Have students discuss their lists with their parents or guardians and examine labels on items at home (e.g., soft drinks) to check the accuracy of their lists.
Have students examine how the media portray the use of alcohol and tobacco through lifestyle advertising. Tell students that, in 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the federal government's plan to prohibit the advertising of tobacco products because it recognized the right of the tobacco industry to advertise its products. The exercising of this right may nonetheless be subject to some government regulation. Encourage discussion of the values and issues involved.
Write the following scenario on the board:
- Mr. Jones allowed his son Jim, a responsible secondary school student, to borrow the family car to drive to a party. Several of Jim's older friends drank beer and liquor at the party, and they offered alcoholic drinks to Jim. However, Jim had chosen to be the designated driver and only had non-alcoholic drinks.

Have students discuss the consequences of Jim's decision and his actions. Ask students what the consequences would have been if Jim had drunk alcohol.

Following the discussion, have students each create in their VIP journals a scenario involving a student who chooses to use or chooses not to use alcohol or tobacco. Each scenario should show the consequences of the individual's decision on the individual, the individual's family, and society in general (including the costs to the medical and justice systems). Then have students share their scenarios in small groups and select one to role-play for the whole class.

Have pairs of students develop role plays that illustrate strategies for countering peer pressure to drink or smoke. Ask students to share their role plays in small or large groups.
Have students evaluate their knowledge of the content and effects of "street drugs" – for example, cocaine and marijuana and the substances used to dilute them – by first writing down everything they know about these drugs and then comparing their knowledge with information about the drugs found in the school resource centre or the local library.

8. Responsible Citizenship

Communities are regulated by rules, which smooth the interaction of their members. These rules take different forms; they may be verbal or written or simply a set of assumptions that are understood and observed without being formalized. They range from written laws, which apply equally to everyone, to customs, which vary from group to group, according to age, gender, cultural background, and other factors.

Canadian laws are intended to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadians, whatever their social or economic level, their strengths, or their differences may be. Clearly, this places some limitations on individual rights and freedoms, when these rights and freedoms interfere with those of others.

Responsible citizenship involves personal responsibility for one's actions. All Canadian citizens must understand what is expected of them, what is acceptable behaviour, and what are the consequences of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. For the purposes of this unit, a citizen is anybody living in Canada.

Learning Outcomes

· Perform an activity that demonstrates awareness of their responsibilities as citizens. (P15, page 88)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

identify behaviours that students themselves must practise in order to be responsible citizens;
identify individual and group strategies for promoting responsible citizenship;
participate as responsible citizens in school, local, national, and global communities.

Topic 1: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

Key Words: citizen, citizenship, duties, rights, responsibilities

Sample Activities:

Discuss the terms rights, responsibilities, and duties with students.
Have students examine the following "Duties of Pupils":
- to exercise self-discipline
- to accept such discipline as would be exercised by a kind, firm, and judicious parent
- to be courteous to fellow pupils and obedient and courteous to teachers
- to show respect for school property

Every pupil is responsible for his or her conduct to the principal of the school that the pupil attends,

a) on the school premises;
b) on out-of-school activities that are part of the school program; and
c) while travelling on a school bus that is owned by a board or on a bus or school bus that is under contract to a board.¹²

Discuss with students their right to go to school and their corresponding duties and responsibilities.

Have students list examples of their rights and corresponding responsibilities (e.g., the right of pedestrians to use sidewalks and their corresponding responsibility to obey the rules and laws that govern the sidewalks and to respect the right of others to use them). Then ask students to share their lists with the class.
Divide the class into small groups and ask students to discuss the questions that follow. One member of each group should write down the group's conclusions.
- What is meant by the term citizen?
- What is meant by citizenship?
- What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens?
- Why are citizens entitled to certain rights and why do they have certain responsibilities?
- Is it right to inform authorities such as the police about the irresponsible or illegal behaviour of another citizen? Why or why not? If it is right, how is it done?

Have the groups share their findings with the class.

Ask students to discuss whether all students in their school have the same rights or opportunities, and to find out what measures the school takes to ensure fairness.

Topic 2: Behaviour of Responsible Citizens

Key Words: behaviour, responsible citizen

Sample Activities:

Have students list in their VIP journals the types of behaviour that they feel should be demonstrated by a responsible citizen with regard to self, family, school, and the community. Have students discuss their lists in small groups and ask each group to decide on three or four main types of behaviour for each category. Have the groups share their lists with the class. You may wish to have students establish a class list of key behaviours for each category.
Have students, working in groups, select one category or more from the previous activity and find examples of people demonstrating the behaviours identified. Students' examples can be taken from real life, television, magazines, books, or films.
Invite a guest speaker (e.g., a judge, police officer, human rights advocate, lawyer) to discuss with students the rights and responsibilities of citizens in terms of self, family, school, and the community. Have students compare the lists they prepared in the first activity with the information provided by the speaker.
Have students, in pairs or small groups, write and role-play scenarios in which people act as responsible citizens. Have students discuss their characters' actions.

Topic 3: Strategies to Promote Responsible Citizenship in the School and Community

Key Words: action plan, issues, strategies

Sample Activities:

Have students identify in their VIP journals those behaviours that they should promote in themselves to become more responsible citizens. Have them develop plans that would help them acquire and demonstrate these behaviours. Students can choose to keep their plans private or share them with you, a friend, or a parent.
Have each student select from his or her personal plan a behaviour to practise in (1) a role-playing situation, and (2) a real-life situation.
Have students, working in groups, identify some issues related to responsible citizenship in the classroom as well as appropriate strategies to address them. Have the groups share the results of their discussions with the whole class. Ask students to select one or two issues to be addressed and develop a plan of action, which should include the following steps:
- seeking permission from the appropriate authorities
- establishing timelines for the project
- allocating tasks
- identifying the resources required
- assessing the project
- completing any necessary follow-up
Have students follow the same procedure as that outlined in the previous activity to identify some issues in the school and the community related to responsible citizenship, and to develop strategies to address them.
Have students identify projects taking place in the school and the community that demonstrate responsible citizenship. Have them each present their findings in a collage, report, collection of articles, poem, or some other way.
Have students do research to find out about some of the strategies that could be used with young children to promote responsible citizenship in the home, classroom, school, and community. Have students work in groups and select the particular strategies that they will then develop for and present to young children (e.g., flyers, posters, presentations, skits).

9. Service to the Community

Community service is volunteering done in the community.

Community service is volunteering done in the community. Many community facilities and services are built, organized, and staffed largely by volunteers. Volunteers provide their time, skills, resources, energy, and commitment to make their communities better places in which to live and work. These people obviously derive much satisfaction from serving their communities.

This unit focuses on learning about community service. As students do volunteer work in their classroom, school, or school community, they gain experience and self-confidence, which helps reinforce their communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and also expands their knowledge base. Projects should be related to students' interests and needs. Initially, students should be encouraged to undertake projects that can be completed within two weeks. They should also be encouraged to share their thoughts with their classmates and record them in their VIP journals before and after their volunteer stints.

Learning Outcomes

· Perform an activity that demonstrates awareness of their responsibilities as citizens. (P15, page 88)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

define community (e.g., classroom, school, school community);
identify community needs for a particular sector of the community;
describe the skills they require to serve the diverse needs of the classroom, school, and school community;
undertake and successfully complete volunteer commitments in the classroom, school, and school community.

Topic 1: Community Volunteers

Key Words: community, service, volunteer

Sample Activities:

Have students identify the many communities to which they belong and record this information in their VIP journals. Clarify the terms volunteer, community, and service. Have small groups of students brainstorm for examples of each.
Have students brainstorm to determine the value of volunteering, both for the individual and the community. Record their ideas on chart paper or the chalkboard. Have students review the list and select the five most important values for the individuals involved as volunteers and the five most important values for the community. Have students record this information in their VIP journals.
Divide students into groups of four. Assign to each group (or have each group select) a specific community (e.g., classroom, school, school community, town/ reserve/city, region, nation) and ask students to research the community-service activities of their assigned community. Each group will have to decide where and how the information required will be obtained. Ask students to:
- identify two community needs;
- identify community volunteers who deal with these needs;
- identify the skills these volunteers bring to their communities;
- determine the reason(s) why these people volunteer their skills to the community;
- explain the benefits the community has received from their volunteering.

Have each group plan a brief presentation of its findings for the class. Students might use newspapers, senior students, and volunteers from the local community as resources for their presentations (e.g., interviews, pictures). Following the presentations, have each group prepare a flyer, collage, or newsletter outlining the findings. Students can take their flyers, collages, and newsletters home to their parents or guardians.

Topic 2: A Class Project Involving Community Service

Resource: Information Sheet 6: Project Planning

Key Words: service, volunteering

Sample Activity:

Identify with students a class community-service project. Have the class outline the project's goals. Then divide the class into committees of four or five students each. Have each committee make decisions about the responsibilities of the committee as a whole, the individual responsibilities of committee members, and the timelines for the completion of each task.
Have each committee complete Information Sheet 6. Review each committee's plans to ensure that all students can complete their assignments. Then post copies of the completed sheets on the class bulletin board.
After all the committees have completed their parts of the project and presented their findings to the class, have students respond to the following questions in their VIP journals:
- What did my committee accomplish? What did the class accomplish? What did I accomplish?
- What did I learn about the project in performing my volunteer role?
- What new skills did I learn in carrying out my responsibilities? What skills do I need to strengthen?
- What did I learn about myself? About my team members? About the class?
- How has the class community benefited from my community-service contribution?
- What community service will I do as follow-up to this project?

Topic 3: Service to the Family Community

Key Words: family, extended family

Sample Activity:

Have students, in groups, brainstorm to list the kinds of community-service or volunteer projects that they could do for their families. Then have them each identify from the list three or four projects that interest them and that are most appropriate to their families.
Have students discuss their lists with their parents or guardians and each select one volunteer project or service to undertake. (This service is not to be something that the student already does as a family member.) Have students develop with their parents or guardians a plan of action for the project or service. The plan should include such items as the following:
- time required (e.g., times and number of hours per week)
- location
- resources needed
- involvement or supervision of parent or guardian, if required
- timelines for the various steps involved, if appropriate
Encourage students to write logs of their activities in their VIP journals, as well as ongoing personal assessments of their work and commitment (e.g., What is going well? What do I need to do to make it better?).
After students complete their projects (approximately one month later), encourage them to assess the projects under the following headings:
- New Knowledge Acquired
- New Skills Acquired
- Value of Project to the Family
- Need for Follow-Up Project
Also encourage students to interview their parents or guardians to obtain their assessments of the projects, and to compare these with their own assessments.

If they are willing to do so, have students give presentations on their projects to the class.

Topic 4: A Project Involving Community Service

Key Words: community members, intergenerational

Sample Activity:

Help students identify a personal community-service project that can be completed during a school term. Have them discuss possible projects with their parents or guardians and then, in small groups, brainstorm to list projects that interest them. Students may work on such projects individually, in pairs, or in small groups, as appropriate. The following are some possible projects:
School-related Projects
- help younger students read
- teach younger students co-operative playground games
- lead a play-day activity
- help make posters and flyers that promote school activities
- participate with senior citizens in the school's intergenerational program (see Topic 5)
School–Community-related Projects
- develop posters and flyers that promote environmental awareness
- become involved in volunteer fall and spring clean-up services
- help take care of a park
- teach senior citizens how to use video cassette recorders, educational computer programs, or video games
- repair discarded toys or make new ones for use in a day-care centre
Have students develop action plans for their projects and review them with you and with their parents or guardians. When the plans have been approved, have students enter them in their VIP journals.

You and the students' parents or guardians should monitor students' progress towards completing their community-service projects. Have students record their own impressions of their progress in their VIP journals and be prepared to share their comments with their parents or guardians, with you, and with other students during the school term.

As students complete their projects, have them prepare posters that tell others about the projects and display the posters in an appropriate community setting. Notify local newspapers and encourage them to report students' service activities to the community.

Encourage students to assess what they have learned from their experience (e.g., new skills, knowledge), as well as the value of their projects to the community. Have them consider whether any follow-up activities are in order.

Topic 5: Community-Service Programs with Senior Citizens

Key Word: senior citizens

Sample Activity:

Identify with students the location of the nearest senior citizens' centre and have students obtain and record in their VIP journals the following information:
- the name of the centre's supervisor
- the existence (or not) of an advisory board
- the interest or need for an intergenerational program
- the benefits of such a program
- the way to obtain approval for such a program
If representatives of the centre express an interest in an intergenerational program, have students plan the following in consultation with senior citizens from the centre:
- the nature of the program to be set up
- the goals and purpose of the program
- the specific elements of the program
- the role of individuals, small groups, and the whole class in the program
- the process of obtaining the centre's approval of the program design
- the location of the program
When the program has been designed, approval granted, and the location chosen, have students work in small groups, with senior citizens from the centre, to plan and prepare for the following:
- determining participants' roles in the program
- advertising the program
- celebrating the successes of the program
- assessing the program (during the program and at the program's completion) to ascertain whether the goals were met
- determining the need for future or follow-up programs

Information Sheet 6: Project Planning

Briefly describe the class project.
What are the goals of the class project?
My committee will be responsible for _______________________
What are the committee's tasks?

What jobs have to be done? Who will do them? When do they have to be done?
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
What materials or resources will be needed?
Who might be able to help?
What are my personal tasks?

What are my Jobs? How will I do them? When do I have to have them finished?
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .

The following questions should be completed after the project is finished.
How do I feel about this project?
What did I do well?
How did this project influence my behaviour and attitudes?

10. Interpersonal Skills

Human relationships are complex and intricate, and even the smoothest of them involve problems and negative emotions from time to time. Students need to know that everyone experiences emotions such as anger, but that such emotions must be carefully controlled. Thus, students have to develop strategies for settling disputes and handling unpleasant situations. This involves fostering self-esteem and developing skills to manage anger and resolve conflicts peacefully. In this way, students practise acceptable social behaviour and develop strategies for managing the antisocial behaviour of others.

Learning Outcomes

· Use a variety of social skills and describe their benefits. (P6, page 87)

In helping students achieve the above outcome, teachers should ensure that the students are able to:

identify acceptable ways of promoting their values and beliefs;
develop their sense of self-worth;
demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills.

Topic 1: Communicating

Resource: Information Sheet 7: The Construction of "I Messages"

Key Words: active listening, "I messages", empathy

Sample Activities:

With a student, role-play a scene that demonstrates poor listening techniques (e.g., interrupting while the other person is speaking, asking irrelevant questions, talking off-topic). Ask the class to identify and record in their VIP journals the poor techniques demonstrated in the role play.
Repeat the role play using good listening techniques and have students identify and record these in their VIP journals. Discuss active listening with the class and compile an active-listening guide to help students communicate more effectively.

Divide the class into groups of three, each with a listener, a talker, and an observer. Give the talker two minutes to discuss a specific topic (e.g., a favourite television show, a hobby, a like or dislike, an embarrassing moment), while the listener practises active listening and the observer uses the active-listening guide produced in the previous activity to record the techniques used by the listener. At the end of the two minutes, the observer has one minute to provide the listener and talker with feedback. Have students repeat the activity until each student in the group has experienced all three roles.
Distribute Information Sheet 7 to students and explain the

Values, Influences, and Peers

Resource Guide, Revised Edition, 1996

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

1. Values and Rules

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Values

Topic 2: Values/Rules in School

Topic 3: How Values Guide Behaviours and Decisions

Information Sheet 1: Types of Values

Personal, or Individual, Values

Family Values

Societal Values

2. Decision Making

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Defining Decisions

Topic 2: A Decision-making Process

Topic 3: Applying Decision-making Skills

Information Sheet 2: A Decision-Making Model

Information Sheet 3: Decision-making Scenarios

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

3. Peer Pressure

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Peer Pressure

Topic 2: Peer-Pressure Tactics

Topic 3: Group Dynamics and Peer Pressure

Information Sheet 4: Peer-Pressure Scenarios

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

4. Healthy Friendships

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Defining Friendship

Topic 2: Choosing Friends

Topic 3: Diversity in Friendship

Information Sheet 5: Case Studies

Case Study 1

Case Study 2

5. Authority Figures

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: The Who, What, Why, and How of Authority

Topic 2: The Rights and Responsibilities of Those in Authority

Topic 3: Knowing When to Say "No" to People in Positions of Authority

6. Youth and the Law

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Rules and Laws

Topic 2: Police, Rights, and Crime

Topic 3: Youth Court

Topic 4: Crime and Its Consequences

Topic 5: The Law and Your Community

7. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: The Definition and Classification of Drugs

Topic 2: Consequences of Drug Use, Misuse, and Abuse

8. Responsible Citizenship

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

Topic 2: Behaviour of Responsible Citizens

Topic 3: Strategies to Promote Responsible Citizenship in the School and Community

9. Service to the Community

Learning Outcomes

Topic 2: A Class Project Involving Community Service

Topic 3: Service to the Family Community

Topic 4: A Project Involving Community Service

Topic 5: Community-Service Programs with Senior Citizens

Information Sheet 6: Project Planning

10. Interpersonal Skills

Learning Outcomes

Topic 1: Communicating