LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Recognize the signs of healthy and unhealthy friendships; identify ways to deal with friendship red flags when you notice them.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 4: Use interpersonal communication skills to support health and well-being of self and others.

CASEL COMPETENCY: Relationship skills

KEY VOCAB

acquaintance

rumination

retaliating

Lesson Plan: Friendship Red Flags

Are your friendships as healthy as they could be? Here’s what to do if the answer’s no.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Friendship Red Flags,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What does an unhealthy friendship look like?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Friendship Red Flags”; 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?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION

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

  • Audio Vocabulary Review
  • Comprehension Quiz with Vocabulary Questions

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In GREEN OR RED FLAG? have students work in small groups to role-play a few scenarios that show either green flags or red flags in a friendship. If they like, they can draw some ideas from the article in order to create their role-plays, but they should also try to use their own ideas. Have each group perform their role-play in front of the class. After each scenario is presented, have the class discuss whether the scenario shows a green or red flag. Encourage students to include a mix of green- and red-flag scenarios in their role-plays to promote engagement and discussion.

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