LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify challenges involved in saying goodbye to a person or a phase of life; define “closure” and describe a variety of ways to achieve closure when saying goodbye.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 4: Use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.

 

CASEL: Relationship skills

KEY VOCAB

reminiscing

souvenirs

gratitude

terminal

Lesson Plan: Secrets of a Good Goodbye

Saying farewell can be tough, but if you do it right, it can have some unexpected silver linings. Read on for tips to make sure your goodbyes are as good as possible.

Table of Contents:

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

3. Building Comprehension and Vocabulary

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

1. Preparing to Read

Before you read the article “Secrets of a Good Goodbye,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What can you do to make goodbyes feel good even though they are hard?

2. Reading and Discussing

  • Have your students read the article "Secrets of a Good Goodbye" independently; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed?
  • Next, have your students answer the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking questions, either working in small groups or independently.


Close-Reading Questions
The following questions can be shared in printable or interactive form from the Resources tab. 

  1. What is closure?
  2. How can achieving closure when saying goodbye help you, according to the article?


Critical-Thinking Questions

  1. Think back to a goodbye in your life that gave you closure. Describe the goodbye and how you were able to achieve a sense of resolution.

  2. Why do you think moving on to a new relationship or phase of life might be difficult if you don’t achieve closure from a previous relationship or phase?

3. Building Comprehension and Vocab

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Quiz

  • Vocab Builder

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In GOODBYE ADVICE, have students talk to a trusted adult about that person’s experiences with saying goodbye. Then, they’ll share what they learned with a small group.

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