Alternative Thinking Through Hip Hop Education
By:Michele Hairston©2014
Hip Hop Educator/ Historian
Material Needed:
-Large Poster Board
-Marker (Black)
-Pencil
-Chalk Board
Group Activities: 5th-12th Grade
Time:1 hour
Objective:
-Identifying Communication and Productive Social Skills
-Understanding Accountability
-Positive Thinking Strategy/ Organized Thoughts
-Skill Development
(A.) Introduction:
Teaching Alternative thinking to your students creates a way to reinforce Social Skills and decrease behavior and Anger Issues in their daily lives and help increase a healthy relationship towards each other. Our youth had witness many Street Crime in the Urban Community which it’s caused by the lack of Social Skills, Build Up Anger and Personal Issues. Teaching our youth to communicate with a positive and productive manner and to practice Alternative Thinking instead of an Anger or Physical Approach.
Lesson 1: (Group your students in a pair of 4)
Give each group a Poster Board, have one child draw two lines, One going down and another going across to make 4 boxes.
Have the student to write in each Box in this exact order
(1) Negative Behavior (2)Consequence
(3)Solution to the problem (4)Positive Behavior
**Have the group to decide who will be the first to write in the Box.(Every Box have your students to Alternate).
(B.) Starting the Activity:
Start in the Negative Box, You will start a Q/A with your students to open a discussion.
1. What are the caused of Negative Behavior ?
2. Do you think using positive communication will help increase Social Behavior?
3. Why is it important to communicate instead of Physical Altercation?
4 How often do you see your classmates, peers or family members being Bullied?
5.What are the outcome of someone being Bullied? 6. What are the caused of Altercation? 7. Why Cell Phones are the trend of Video taping Negative altercation? 8. Should the person who is Video Taping should be help accountable? 9. Why is it important to encourage your friends never to start, caused or be apart of an Altercation. 10. What are the cause and action will take place if someone get involved in a Verbal or Physical Altercation? In Each Box have the groups to start their own discussion, Once discussion is finished have one child to write with the help of the group in each box. Each group or student can alternate on being the writer.
- Negative Behavior:
Name 10 Negative Behavior from Cause and Action Once Finished have one person from each group to share with the class to see if they all came up the same words. Once your students finished the discussion and Debate proceed to the Consequence Box.
Example: Fighting, Bully, Negative Eye Contact, Shoving, Horse Playing etc.
- Consequence:
Discussion and Q/A on Consequence ?
1. What are the Accountability and Outcome of Negative Behavior?
2. How can it affect your future and Career?
3. Discuss the Financial Burden on their families.
– Have your students to write their thought on Accountable and Outcome in the Consequence Box.
- Solution to the Problem:
Start a Q/A on Solution to a problem
1. Why is it important to organized your thought to enhance your delivery in communication?
2. Why is it important to Respect someone’s opinions? and debate respectfully when reviewing others point of view?
3. What is a Positive Approach in a respectful gesture means to you?
4. Why is it important to Encourage instead of Discourage.
5 Why is it important to Analyzed the Situation before taking action?
Have the group to write down how they were problem solvers in the pass and present. What strategy they used and what was the outcome.
- Positive Behavior:
1. Why is it to Empower self and others?
2 Why its important to be a Decision Maker ?
3. Why is it important to be a leader not a follower?
4. Why is it important to reinforce positive communication and Debate.
Have the group to write down how they Promote Positive Behavior towards others.
Q/A
1. What are your thought on this activity,
2. Do you think using Positive Behavior will help decrease some of the issues that goes on in your community and schools?, If Yes/No why?
3. Do you think setting a positive example will help change your community and people who are around?
4. What Ideas you want to share about decreasing Crime, Verbal and Physical altercation?
