Lesson Title: Positive and Negative Consequences of Peer Pressure

Grade: 9
Level: Standard


Introduction

Lesson Overview

This lesson asks students to evaluate the term peer
pressure within a fiction and nonfiction text and argue
whether the pressure is positive or negative. Students will
also reflect on their own experiences with peer pressure and
apply a reader response lens to the texts.
Content Standard(s)
Addressed
(Common Core)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or
conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text,
interact with other characters, and advance the plot or
develop the theme.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize
points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted,
qualify or justify their own views and understanding and
make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning
presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to
support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Measureable Objective
Based on Content
Standard(s)

-Students should be able to use valid reasoning to defend
whether text displays positive or negative peer pressure
-Students should be able to complete a character map for a
fiction and non-fiction text
-Students should be able to reflect personally on their
experience with peer pressure and write a 1-2 paragraph
journal entry conveying their ideas
-Students will contribute to pair and whole class discussion
-Students will complete a short response exit ticket
evaluating peer pressure as more positive or more negative
and support their claim with textual evidence
Essential Question

How can peer pressure influence both positive and negative
consequences?
Prior Knowledge

Definition of peer pressure, basic understanding of American
stigma against peer pressure, prior use of character maps,
text annotation skills
Link to 21
st
Century Critical evaluation skills, Peer collaboration, Visual
Skills

diagraming, Rhetoric


Assessment/Accommodation

Formative Assessment

-Checking in with each group to ensure that they understand
the purpose and content of the activity
-Circulating to ensure student completion and understanding
of 1-2 paragraph journal entry
Summative
Assessment

-Each students character map (individual, not group)
-Short response exit tickets
Lesson Plan

Materials

-Class copies of The Huffington Post article
-Class copies of Marcelo in the Real World Ch. 6 excerpt
-Screen/LCD projector to display journal prompt and teacher
modeling of character map
-Blank character maps
-Character maps with main characters already labeled for
students who receive accommodations
Bell Ringer/Review
Activity

Students submit HW, read Marcelo in the Real World Ch. 6
excerpt and annotate keeping in mind the essential question
of the day How can peer pressure contribute to positive and
negative outcomes?
Detailed Activities and
Procedures

Marcelo in the Real World reading, 15 minutes
-Each student will reread the passage again, underlining the
two sentences they think are most important to the excerpt
or simply stood out to them
-Teacher reads entire excerpt aloud, inviting students to
choral read the lines they have underlined along with her
-Some students share why they chose to underline certain
sentences
Character Map 1, 25 minutes
-Teacher will model a character map of the tale The Three
Little Pigs for the students, highlighting using different
colors or line styles (i.e. zig zag, dotted, straight) with a Key
to signify the kind of peer influence between the characters
(positive, negative, neutral, other)
-Students will form small groups of 2-3 to complete a
character map for the MITRW Ch. 6 novel excerpt
-Teacher circulates to help answer group questions and
offer praise/advice
-Some students will share character map decisions their
group made and explain the reasoning behind them
The Huffington Post article, 25 minutes
-Students read and annotate article individually
-Students watch a YouTube clip of Obama giving Climate
Summit speech (see links below)
-Students complete Character Map for article and video;
students may include group characters such as the
American people and Heads of State in Europe
-Teacher circulates to answer questions and offer
praise/advice
Group Sharing, 10 minutes
-Students clear desk of everything except character maps
-Students take silent cake walk around room for the length
of two songs to look at classmates character maps
-Students return to seats and write down notes of two
things they saw that they really liked or didnt consider for
their own map
-Some students share aloud
Advocacy for Positive Peer Influence, 10 minutes
-Teacher and students participate in Think, Pair, Share of
the positive and negative outcomes of peer pressure
-Teacher shows students High School Illustrated article that
balances the two opinions
Journal response, 15 minutes
-Students respond to the prompt Describe a time when you
were peer pressured or peer pressured another person. Do
you regret what you did? Why or why not?
-Students pair off to share their responses. Students may
choose to pass if response is too personal.
-Some students share responses with whole class
Exit Ticket and Reflection, remaining time
-Students respond to the question Does peer pressure
yield more positive or more negative outcomes in American
society? on half sheets of paper, using at least one
example from class texts and at least one personal
experience.
Closure

Allow a few students to share their final reflections.
Collect student exit slips and answer any student questions
that remain.
Alternate Strategies for
Re-teaching Material

-Look at facts and statistics before formulating solution
proposals
References (within this
lesson)

(See Below)

Additional Materials:
1) Link to Chapter 6 excerpt from Francisco Storks Marcelo in the Real World
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/marcelo-in-the-real-world/excerpt


2) Link to The Huffington Post article Obama UN Speech will include New Executive
Order on Climate and International Development
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/23/obama-un-climate_n_5865544.html

3) High School Illustrated Dealing with Peer Pressure online article:
http://bit.ly/1ncUJDX

4) YouTube video of Obama Climate Summit speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmz6srlnur8