Teaching middle school students, especially those with special needs, about self-advocacy is a vital aspect of their development. This blog post presents an engaging and straightforward lesson plan, centered around a “Free Advocating for Yourself Goal Poster,” designed to equip students with the skills to express their needs confidently.

Lesson Plan Overview

Duration: 30 minutes

Materials: “Advocating for Yourself Goal Poster” (printable PDF), writing materials.

Objective: To empower students with the ability to recognize their needs, communicate effectively, and evaluate outcomes.

Preparation Steps

1. Print the “Advocating for Yourself Goal Poster” for each student.
2. Arrange a comfortable space conducive to open discussion.

Lesson Execution

1. Introduction to Self-Advocacy (5 minutes): Begin with a discussion about what it means to advocate for oneself. Explain the importance of communicating one’s needs.
2. Exploring the Goal Poster (10 minutes): Distribute the posters. Walk through the steps: Deciding what you need, telling someone, using a respectful tone, and self-evaluation.
3. Interactive Activity (10 minutes): Have students think of a scenario where they could apply these steps. Encourage them to write or draw their thoughts on the poster.
4. Group Reflection (5 minutes): Facilitate a group discussion. Let students share their scenarios and reflect on the importance of self-advocacy.

Conclusion

This lesson plan, along with the “Free Advocating for Yourself Goal Poster,” provides a structured yet flexible approach to teaching self-advocacy. By empowering students to understand and articulate their needs, we equip them with lifelong skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

Sample Video

Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video-modeling lesson below. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here!

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