STUDENT PATHS OUTCOMES:
• 2-1: Students choose courses and activities that align with their interests and abilities.IN THIS LESSON, STUDENTS WILL:
Learn benefits of extracurricular participation bySTANDARDS ADDRESSED:
This lesson aligns with the following American School Counselor Association Personal/Social Development and Career Development Standards:2. Would you say the student who wrote this piece is benefiting from extracurricular participation in ways described by the first piece? Explain your answer.
- answers will vary according to students’ interpretations and understandings
ASSESSMENT:
Completed handout
Activity Handout
Introductory Written Response
Use the next 5 minutes to respond to the questions below.
1. Without too much thought, write quickly here some things you’re really interested in doing—in school, in your free time, whatever.
Just make a quick list of things you’d do all day long if you could.
2. Of the things you listed above, which ones do you feel you can pursue regularly in your school?
3. How would you rate your personal extracurricular activity? (Circle one of the choices below.)
VERY INVOLVED MODERATELY INVOLVED MINIMALLY INVOLVED NOT INVOLVED
(3+ activities) (1-2 activities, plus active attending school activities) (1-2 activities, but I’d quit if I could) (No activities)
Briefly describe why the above-circled level of involvement describes you. Don’t just say, “It describes me because I’m in this and this and this,” though. Tell why you choose to be involved at the level you are. Why do you like being involved? What do the activities do for you? If not really involved, why not? What’s in your way? Have you tried and not liked the activities? Explain.
Reading questions
4. Name 2-3 things pointed out by this article as the reasons extracurricular activities exist in the first place.
5. Complete this sentence: Extracurricular activities are good places to use school time and facilities working on your real _________________and_____________________________.
6. What might one’s level of participation in extracurricular activities predict, at least according to a study by the University of Illinois’ Christy Lleras?
7. What does this article suggest students do if their school doesn’t have an activity that would meet their particular interests and passions?
Now read the “High School Diary” piece from the Fall 2013 issue of Student Paths. If viewing online, choose one of the articles available from current high school students around the country.
8. Looking at this article, written by a current high school student, name a couple ways they feel their extracurricular activities are helping them.
9. Would you say the student who wrote this piece is benefiting from extracurricular participation in ways described by the first piece? Explain your answer.
10. In your opinion, does your school offer activities for you to participate in that allow you to pursue things you’re passionate about or interested in? If so, what activities do you participate in and how do they benefit you? If not, explain what kinds of activities you might be interested in, but that your school does not offer. (Consult answers from introductory response for this question.)
11. Identify a “dream club” that you’d belong to if your school offered it. Do you think you could find other students who would be interested? Is it the sort of thing you’d ever try to organize? Why or why not?
Activity Fair (If your teacher chooses to skip this stage, move straight to Final Individual Response, below.)
In a group of 3-4 other students who share some interests, look over the student handbook or activity roster distributed by your teacher. Discuss the questions below and complete.
12. According to your interests, name an athletic activity offered by your school that you’d be interested in joining—competitive or intramural. (If you and your partner[s] aren’t interested in any athletic activities, indicate “None.”) Also record who to contact in order to express your interest and get more information.
13. According to your interests, name an arts-related activity offered by your school that you’d be interested in joining. (If you and your partner[s] aren’t interested in any arts-related activities, indicate “None.”) Also record who to contact in order to express your interest and get more information.
14. According to your interests, name an academic activity offered by your school that you’d be interested in joining. (If you and your partner[s] aren’t interested in any academics-related activities, indicate “None.”) Also record who to contact in order to express your interest and get more information.
15. According to your interests, name an organizational or student government-related activity offered by your school that you’d be interested in joining. (If you and your partner[s] aren’t interested in any organization or Student Government-related activities, indicate “None.”) Also record who to contact in order to express your interest and get more information.
16. According to your interests, name one club offered by your school that you’d be interested in joining. (If you and your partner[s] aren’t interested in any of the clubs listed, indicate “None.”) Also record who to contact in order to express your interest and get more information.
17. Talk over with your partner(s) the question of “What do we wish our school had that they don’t?” Is there any kind of club/organization/activity that you think students like yourselves would be interested in joining if it existed? List an example or two of clubs/organizations you wish your school had (like the Graphic Literature Club from the reading).
Final Individual Response
18. After all the various thinking, writing, reading, and talking about extracurricular involvement, its values, its options, etc., have you come to view your own level involvement any differently? For instance: if you are involved, do you now see some value in those activities that you hadn’t before? Or if you’re not involved, do you see why it can be a good idea to become more involved? Explain your answer.
19. Is there anything in the school or outside the school you’ve always wanted to know more about or to try doing but never had the chance? If so, do your school activities offer you an opportunity to work with it? If not, do you think your school would be willing to expand its offerings to better serve students with interests and passions like yours? Explain.