Responsible Decision-Making
Family Resources on Making Friends
Lesson Topic
After listening to Berhane’s story about making friends students will participate in a group discussion activity to learn about maintaining friendships.
Essential Question
How do people become friends and stay friends?
Making Friends – Berhane
If this lesson was used in the classroom: Students learned about value of making friends and maintaining friendships. In class students discussed the concept of friendship and read what some famous people have said about friendship. In small groups students developed a “Friendship Action Plan”.
Getting Ready for the Conversation
The video for this module features Berhane who emigrated to the United States from Ethiopia and because of cultural differences had trouble making friends at school. Berhane and a friend of his tell how they became friends and how to maintain friendships.
Conversation Starters and Practice at Home
The first item is for follow-up after viewing the lesson video and participating in class activities.
Share your “Friendship Action Plan”. What did you include? Describe why you included the things that you did in your plan.
Who are some of your friends? What is the difference in the relationship between your closest friends and your other friends? Why is it important to maintain close friendships?
What are some of the things that friends do together that are not fun? Why are these experiences important as well?
What are the things you do to make sure your really good friends stay really good friends? Why?
Schools to Home Resources on Making Friends
Lesson Plan
Interactive Reflection > Open/Download Complete PDF Lesson
First day of school
Ms. Yashita, Berhane’s mother, described his first day of school in the United States as being very difficult. What would Berhane have expected as a new student in an Ethiopian school? If Berhane was experiencing his first day at our school, would we have been accepting of him? Why or why not?
Being a new student in a new school
Berhane says, “At school I felt like nobody really cared where I came from, I wanted my teachers to say, ‘Hey you came from Ethiopia. What different perspective do you have?’” Why do you think Berhane thought that teachers should call on him? Do you think it would be difficult to be a new student in a new school? When a new student comes to our school, what are some good ways to start a conversation? Why would your approach make the new student comfortable?
Making friends who are different from you
In the video, Berhane’s friend Jesse says, “If you put us next to each other, we really don’t seem to have anything in common, but you would be surprised.” What do you think Jesse means by this comment? Do you consider making friends with others who may be different from you? Who do you think is your most un-likely friend? Why would someone be surprised that you and this person are friends?
Strategies for making friends
Take a look at this photo (shown below), featured in a recent Edutopia blog post titled “Passport to Tolerance,” by Don Vu. What does this picture mean to you? What are some good strategies for making friends with people who might be different?
Additional Reflection Questions > Open/Download PDF
