"Hurting With Words"

Students will use appropriate words when interacting with peers, family and staff.

Standards: Listening and Speaking

Steps:

  • define verbal abuse and emotional violence
  • acknowledgement that emotional abuse is never excusable
  • recognition of when verbal abuse is being used on themselves or when they are using it on others (hidden messages and values in music)
  • develop empathetic caring for others by realizing what if feels like to have one's feeling hurt
  • examine personal habits and identifying any unacceptable emotionally violent behaviors
  • distinguish between statements which are meant to manipulate and those which are sincere.

Role Play: Not recommended for this activity.

Project implementers have acquired the lyrics of popular songs and examined the meaning of the words in print with the classes. Many of the students have the lyrics memorized, b ut honestly don't have a conscious knowledge or implications of the words. "Dog," "O.G." are references to gangs. "Smoke an L," for example, glorifies drugs. Many sexual terms.