Lessons

In 2010, ASA conducted a school wide survey which revealed that the major life issues of the most concern to students include substance abuse, violence and the spread of HIV/AIDS and STDs. Please read the following summaries and links to the lesson plans that are based on the concerns of ASA students.

Language Arts
  • Violence and Teen Pregnancy in a Research Writing Class
    Using these real life issues as fuels for learning, a language arts teacher (Ms. Knight) was able to teach skills in research and writing while helping students address their concerns and fears in a meaningful way; grappling with societal questions and engaging in self-reflection. Some of the questions they pursued were: What are the roots of violence? How is my life affected by violence? How has teen pregnancy affected my community? How can I avoid sexual activity that puts me at risk?

  • Safe Sex in a Research Writing Class
    Students at ASA, like teenagers all over the world, are very concerned about the spread of Sexually Transmitted Illnesses (STIs) however, like all teenagers, many tend to think this problem will happen to others but not to them. The result is that teens are very susceptible to risky sexual behavior and have high rates of STIs. This language arts class provided a forum for students to increase their knowledge about the risks of STIs and become more responsible for their own social and sexual behaviors. All the while, students are sharpening their skills in writing, research, debates, interviews and other language arts.

  • Crime - Nature or Nurture - in a Research Writing Class
    Students take on a longstanding debate - is violent behavior a result of nature or nurture? Students looked at factors that are statistically linked to a higher prevalence of violence and the factors that build resilience. Students wrote "personal stance" papers and linked their research to a service learning project in the community.

  • Prevention Public Service Announcements in a Speech Class
    Students in a Speech class designed public service announcements (PSAs) for the prevention of violence including domestic violence, racism, and other social problems. After researching the topics, students had to sort out truth from myths as well as figure out ways to get out critical information within the short format of a PSA.

  • Decision Making and Resilience in Literature Courses
    Using examples in literature (Native Son, by Richard Wright and The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho) these classes provide an opportunity for students to explore resilience and decision making that can lead to better life outcomes.

Social Studies
  • Bullying in a U.S. History Course
    A 10th grade U.S. history teacher, Mr. Lupo, used the issue of bullying, a familiar topic to most students, to teach an 18-week unit on the Cold War (1950s - 1960s between the US and the USSR). Students delved into the dynamics of bullying, (the bullies, the targets and the bystanders) and gained confidence in their own abilities to handle bullying. They applied their insights regarding bullying to global power dynamics as they occurred during the Cold War. Read more about the lesson plan and the knowledge and skills students developed.

  • Social Ostracism in an Ethnic Studies Class
    Cliques, snubs, and outright exclusion of students on the basis of ethnicity, race, economic status, gender, sexual identity or any other characteristic is social ostracism and it can hurt! In an ethnic studies class, the teacher uses games and scenes to engage students in learning about social ostracism as well as exercises in building relationships and trust.

Mathematics
  • Crime
    Many ASA students live in neighborhoods where there is high crime but the extent of crime is still exaggerated. This misperception contributes to the problem. This geometry class took on the question and students honed their quantitative skills in reading statistical reports, understanding citywide and local data, and analyzing rates and patterns of crime in Chicago. Armed with facts, students can take a clearer look at their own risks for becoming involved with crime or becoming a victim; what the consequences are and how they can become part of the solution.
  • Developing a Community Garden
    In a geometry class students laid out a grid for a garden space for the ASA community garden and designed a three-dimensional plan for the garden. The class provided the opportunity for students to study the issue of food deserts in their communities.

Science
  • Substance Abuse in a Chemistry Class
    Having the opportunity in high school to take a scientific look at the harmful effects of drugs exposes youth to the facts about the body's vulnerabilities to various substances and how it becomes physiologically and psychologically addicted when these substances are abused. There is no better opportunity to do this than in a Chemistry class. While satisfying the Illinois State common core standards for high school chemistry, the ASA chemistry teacher implemented key prevention strategies such as correcting misperceptions of norms, and increasing perceptions of personal risk to fortify her students resolve to stay away from drugs.

  • HIV /AIDS in a Biology Class
    The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to threaten the well being of youth particularly those in low income minority communities. In an eight-day unit students studied how the virus works and why it is so devastating. The students studied some of the economic and social conditions in the world, such as trafficking and poverty that contribute to its spread of the virus and reviewed data on the extent of HIV/AIDS in their own communities. Their final projects were to create AIDS prevention interventions and present them to their classmates and others.
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