To middle schoolers, there's nothing worse than being excluded from a peer group. Developing important self-esteem skills can not only get them through awkward adolescent times, it can carry them through the rest of their lives as confident adults. Explore how online interaction can contribute to teens' self esteem, for better or for worse, with a series of collaborative activities.

Concepts

self esteem, peer pressure, cyberbullying, bullying, friendship, online communication

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Additional Tags

classroom support

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members reflect on a time when they were left out of an activity, whether it was online or in person
• Pick and choose the parts of the lesson that best fit your curriculum and the needs of your pupils
• Use in a peer counseling class or group, or when discussing cyberbullying in a teen issues lesson

Classroom Considerations

• The final activity in a four-part series on peer relationships
• Be sure that class members can participate maturely in a conversation about sensitive topics

Pros

• Encourages middle schoolers to take care of themselves and to value their own identities
• Includes a variety of activities to address all skills and reading levels

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.1.a SL.6.2 SL.7.1.a SL.7.2 SL.8.1.a SL.8.2