Mend - A Story of Divorce: Teaching Guide | Ages 11 - 14

Mend - A Story of Divorce: Teaching Guide | Ages 11 - 14


OVERVIEW


Dear Educator,
The ideas and activities provided are designed as independent resources and are not a comprehensive program with prioritized activities. Teachers can select and use what activity best suits their classroom, grade level, students’ ability etc. 
Activities are designed to enhance lessons on the topic, and assist with ideas for integrating our books into your curriculum. These activities include discussion points aligned with the book to increase student to student discourse, teacher to student discourse and self-reflection; printable activities for written discourse and reflection, and other optional materials you may choose to utilize.
In the event that you would like a specific idea included, or changes made to an activity, please contact us for a personalized activity to meet your specific needs. Here at Zuiker Press, we strive to provide resources that make implementation easy for you. If you are interested in additional Health resources, ELA guides for these titles, or digital version of the content, please visit our website, Zuikerpress.com or email livelyeducationalresources@gmail.com.
We support educators, and are excited to help you get our books in the hands of students, while providing you any resource you need to do so.
Enjoy!

Middle School Health Standards


About the Book

Sophia’s story of divorce is a heart-wrenching tale of how an eleven-year-old girl’s heart broke when her parents unexpectedly announced their divorce. Feeling lost and alone, Sophia initially puts the blame on herself.
Over time, self-loathing manifests into empowerment. Sophia goes on a mission to get her parents back by demanding they both remain in her life. Her heroism is driven by the prophetic words written on an old report card, an innocuous paper robot, and a single prayer that’s miraculously answered.

About the Author

Sophia Recca is currently fourteen years old and attends private school in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a straight “A” student, plays volleyball, and loves reading. Blindsided by divorce at eleven years old, Sophia wanted to share her story with other readers to help ease the pain of young people who are going through divorce.


ACTIVITIES

See a quick synopsis below of the activities involved in the full Teacher Resource Guide. 
Download the full Teacher Resource Guide here
The following pages can be used by the teacher to guide discussion, provide ideas for teacher created activities, be reproduced and handed out to students, projected on the board or any other way of your choosing.
The ideas and activities provided are designed as independent of one another  and are not a comprehensive program with prioritized activities. Teachers should select and use any activity that best suits their classroom, grade level, students’ ability etc. These are used to supplement the curriculum, and engage students to interact with the content in a way that meets your learning target. 
Digital versions are available, and editable to provide opportunities for teachers to personalize the content, make modifications, and use in a way that fits their individual needs.
Enjoy!

Before Reading Discussion

Goals:  I will respect others' differences and opinions while participating in discussions.
Standard: M27. Practice respect for individual differences and diverse backgrounds.
Objectives: SWBAT respect individual opinions of their peers while engaging in meaningful discourse using their own diverse backgrounds..

During Reading Discussion

Goals:  I can analyze a situation and determine who can help.
Standard: M18. Analyze situations to determine whether they call for acts of caring among friends or require getting help from trusted adults.
Objectives:  SWBAT determine when they encounter a situation that requires help from a friend, or a trusted adult.

After Reading Discussion

Goals: I can examine situations and identify how family values and practices influence how people handle things, and respond verbally or with through meaningful discourse.
Standard: M14. Examine the influence of culture on family values and practices.
Objectives: SWBAT examine how family values influenced the emotions and decisions made by the people in the novel.

Interactive Activities

Goals: I can work with others to complete an activity that demonstrates an understanding of the concept assigned.
Standard:
M2. Identify a variety of nonviolent ways to respond when angry or upset
M10. Describe signs of depression and self-destructive behaviors, including potential suicide.
M12. Analyze internal and external influences on mental, emotional, and social health.
M.16 Describe situations for which adult help is needed, including intimidating and dangerous situations, and how to access such help for self and others
M20. Apply decision-making processes to a variety of situations that impact mental, emotional, and social health.
M25. Develop achievable goals to handle stressors in a healthy way.
Objectives: SWBAT interactively complete one activity focusing on the health standard that follows.

Project-Based Activities

Goals:  I can create a visual or multimedia project to demonstrate an understanding of my assigned activity.
Standard:
M22. Describe healthy ways to express caring, friendship, affection, and love.)
M11. Describe common mental health conditions and why seeking professional help for these conditions is important.
M19. Seek help from trusted adults for self or a friend with an emotional or social health problem.
M13. Analyze techniques that are used to coerce or pressure someone to use or be a target of violence.
M29. Practice personal boundaries in a variety of situations.
Objectives: SWBAT connect prior learning to real world activities.

Emotions Over Time

Goals: I can examine how my emotions about a situation can be very different now, than when I was young.
Standard: M4. Examine how emotions change during adolescence.
Objectives: SWBAT identify various scenarios which directly affect their emotions as they get older.

Graffiti Art

Goals: I can identify the things that cause me stress, and I know what I can do to manage it.
Standard: M21. Monitor personal stressors and assess techniques for managing them.
Objectives: SWBAT identify their personal stressors, and list techniques for managing them in a healthy way.

Reactions

Goals:  I can identify times in my life that make me angry or upset, and respond to them in nonviolent ways.
Standard: M2. Identify a variety of nonviolent ways to respond when angry or upset.
Objectives: SWBAT identify how they feel, and how they respond nonviolently to scenarios that make them angry and upset.

Who Is There?

Goals: I can list people in my family, friends, people at school, and professionals that I can trust to report to if people are in danger or hurting themselves or others.
Standard:M17. Identify trusted adults to report to if people are in danger or hurting themselves or others.
Objectives: SWBAT list family, friends, people at school, and professionals that can help if people are in danger or hurting themselves or others.

Problem Solving

Goals: I can describe a situation, reflect on how it impacts my mental, emotional, and social health, analyze my reaction, and determine if the outcome was positive and if not, how to change it.
Standard: M.20 Apply a decision-making process to a variety of situations that impact mental, emotional, and social health.
Objectives: SWBAT apply decision-making processes to a situation that impacts their mental, emotional, and social health.

Reflect

1. Think about how you respond when angry or upset. What is your reaction when you are angry? Upset? How do you find ways to release those feelings? Identify ways that you, or someone you know could respond when angry or upset, that would contribute to a positive, nonviolent outcome.
Goals: I can identify nonviolent ways to respond in situations that make me angry or upset.
Standard: M1. Identify a variety of nonviolent ways to respond when angry or upset.
Objectives: SWBAT identify nonviolent ways to respond when angry or upset.

2. Often, we read a novel that sparks an emotion within us that may make us think about our own lives. What emotion did you feel when reading Mend? It was clear how much Sophia and her family cared for one another, but it didn’t always show in their actions. Describe healthy ways to express caring, friendship, affection, and love.
Goals: I can reflect on my own life, and describe healthy ways to express emotions.
Standard: M22. Describe healthy ways to express caring, friendship, affection, and love.
Objectives: SWBAT describe healthy ways to express caring, friendship, affection, and love.

3. How does a divorce, or changes within the household impact parents, children, and friends of the family? Explain the positive and negative outcomes that result from a drastic change in the family dynamic such as this. 
Goals: I can identify when I am upset or angry, and respond in nonviolent ways.
Standard: M1. Identify a variety of nonviolent ways to respond when angry or upset.
Objectives: SWBAT identify nonviolent ways to respond to situations that make them feel upset or angry.

Reflection Questions

Goals: I can analyze internal and external influences that impact mental, emotional, and social health through discussion and meaningful discourse.
Standard: M12. Analyze internal and external influences on mental, emotional, and social health.
Objectives:  SWBAT analyze internal and external influences on mental, emotional, and social health through written or verbal discourse.

Multimedia Comparisons

Goals: I can examine how emotions change by comparing the emotions shown in the novel, to the interviews given by the author.
Standard: M4. Examine how emotions change during adolescence
Objectives: SWBAT compare the novel with the interview clips and identify the changes in Sophia’s emotions from when she was younger until now.

For Further Reading

Click on the title below to access the correlated Reading Guide!