Hey everyone! Thanks for joining today. I’m Mrs. Martinez, one of the school counselors, and I’m excited to talk to you about something important: digital drama. We’re going to learn about how social media can sometimes cause problems and how we can handle them better.
Have you ever seen drama on social media get out of hand? It’s more common than you might think! Once it starts, it can be tough to stop. Today, we’re going to explore why this happens and how we can prevent it.
Let’s start by thinking about how drama can grow on social media. Have you noticed how quickly things can escalate? I want you to brainstorm and write down ways drama affects you and how it happens online. Use sticky notes to jot down your ideas.
We’ll share these ideas with the class. For example, how does drama start online? Maybe it’s because of attention-seeking behaviors, hurt feelings, betrayal, or revenge. Let’s discuss!
Next, we’ll watch a video from a teen’s perspective. This will help us understand what other teens experience with digital drama. Some people find it hard to express their emotions online, which can lead to misunderstandings and arguments. Others might prefer to communicate behind a screen instead of face-to-face.
Now it’s your turn to take action! I’ll assign roles randomly, and you’ll open your folders to find a yellow sheet. You’ll pick a color-coded index card. For example, orange cards are for Felicia, and yellow cards are for Jen.
We’ll read a scenario about Felicia and Jen, who are friends auditioning for a school play. Think about your role, what you said, why you did it, and how you might have acted differently. This will help you reflect on your actions and learn how to handle situations better in the future.
My favorite part of the lesson is the group discussions. Everyone has different opinions, and it’s fun to see how others think about digital drama. On the third page of your folders, you can write down ideas about conflict and how to deescalate it.
We’ll finish with a role-play activity based on a news article that received negative posts. Each of you will choose a role and think about what your character might be feeling. Use the de-escalation strategies we discussed to resolve the situation. A volunteer group will act out their scenario in front of the class.
The main takeaway from this lesson is that while it’s easy to create a script, being honest about your feelings is important. After learning this, I believe it’s better to talk face-to-face rather than online. In-person conversations allow for better emotional expression.
Now, I understand my classmates’ perspectives better and how they feel about online interactions. My advice for teachers is to stay updated with technology and listen to students’ viewpoints. We can learn a lot from each other about dealing with digital drama.
Thank you all for participating and sharing your thoughts. Remember, it’s important to use social media responsibly to help reduce drama in our lives. Working with you keeps me young at heart, and I love learning from you too!
Think about a time when you saw or experienced digital drama. Write down your thoughts on sticky notes about how it started and how it made you feel. Share your ideas with the class to see if others have had similar experiences.
Watch a video that shows a teen’s perspective on digital drama. After watching, write a short paragraph about what you learned and how it relates to your own experiences. Discuss your thoughts with a partner.
Participate in a role-playing activity where you act out a scenario involving digital drama. Think about your character’s motivations and how you could handle the situation differently. Reflect on what you learned from the experience.
Join a group discussion about conflict and de-escalation strategies. Write down your ideas on how to resolve digital drama peacefully. Use these strategies in a role-play based on a real-life scenario and present it to the class.
Pair up with a classmate and practice having a face-to-face conversation about a topic of your choice. Focus on expressing your emotions clearly and listening to your partner. Discuss how this differs from communicating online.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
Welcome, everybody! Thank you for coming today. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Mrs. Martinez, one of the sixth-grade counselors, and you are all my lovely sixth graders. Today, we’re going to have a lesson on digital drama. I taught the Common Sense Digital Drama Unplugged lesson, which is really about heightening awareness of social media, how to use it responsibly, and, more importantly, how to deescalate conflict once it arises.
Has anybody ever seen or witnessed digital drama get out of control? Raise your hand if you have. I want everyone to see how common it is. Once drama starts, it can be hard to fix. That’s what today’s lesson is all about.
I start the lesson by asking students if they’ve noticed how easily drama escalates on social media. The purpose is for kids to share their experiences and examples of how digital drama escalates. I’m going to ask you to brainstorm and jot down ways in which drama can affect you and how it happens online. Use sticky notes to write down as many ideas as you can.
I’ll call on one table at a time for volunteers to share their ideas. For example, how does drama start online? Other tables might have ideas about attention-seeking behaviors, hurt feelings, betrayal, or revenge.
Next, I have students watch a video from a teen’s perspective, which gives them insight into what other teens experience regarding digital drama. Some students noted that since people can’t express their emotions well online, it can lead to misunderstandings and a stream of arguments. Others mentioned that some avoid showing their emotions in person, preferring to communicate behind a screen.
Now it’s time for you to take action and lead! I assign roles randomly and have students open their folders to take out a yellow sheet. Everyone selects a color-coded index card. For example, all the orange cards are Felicia, and all the yellow cards are Jen.
We read a scenario about Felicia and Jen, who are friends auditioning for a school play. Students then reflect on their roles, identifying what they said, why they did it, and why they might have acted differently.
The purpose is for them to engage and reflect on their actions and how to deescalate situations in the future. One student shared that they felt hurt and didn’t consider how Jaden felt, focusing only on their own feelings.
My favorite part of today’s lesson was the group discussions because everyone has different opinions, making it fun to see how others think about digital drama.
On the third page of your folders, you have a chance to write down ideas about conflict and how to deescalate it. This leads us to our final activity, where students role-play a scenario based on a news article that has received negative posts. Each student chooses a role and thinks about what their character might be feeling.
Students will use the de-escalation strategies they discussed earlier to resolve the situation. After they prepare, I ask for a volunteer group to act out their scenario in front of the class.
The takeaway from this lesson is that it’s easy to create a script, but students were honest about their feelings, which is relevant and allows them to ask questions. After learning this lesson, I believe it’s better to talk face-to-face rather than online, as in-person conversations allow for emotional expression.
I can now better understand my classmates’ perspectives and how they feel about online interactions. My advice for educators teaching digital citizenship is to stay relevant and keep up with current technology. The students are engaged and eager to share their viewpoints, and we can learn a lot from them about the challenges they face with digital drama.
Thank you all for participating and sharing your thoughts. It’s important to use social media responsibly to help deescalate drama in our lives. Working with kids keeps me fresh and young at heart, and I love learning from them as well!
Drama – A situation or series of events that is exciting or emotional, often involving conflict or tension. – In social studies, we learned about the drama of the American Revolution and how it changed history.
Social – Relating to society or its organization, and how people interact with each other. – Our class discussed social issues like poverty and how they affect communities.
Media – Various means of communication, such as television, newspapers, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely. – We analyzed how media can shape public opinion during elections.
Emotions – Strong feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, or fear that are part of human experience. – Understanding our emotions can help us make better decisions and improve our relationships.
Conflict – A serious disagreement or argument, often a prolonged one, between people or groups. – The conflict between the two countries led to a long discussion about peace in our social studies class.
Feelings – Emotional states or reactions, such as joy, anger, or sadness. – Sharing our feelings can help us resolve misunderstandings and build stronger friendships.
Conversations – Informal talks between two or more people where ideas, thoughts, and feelings are exchanged. – We had conversations about how to be respectful and listen to others’ opinions.
Strategies – Plans or methods developed to achieve a specific goal or solve a problem. – Our teacher taught us strategies for resolving conflicts peacefully.
Reflections – Serious thoughts or considerations about something, often involving looking back on past experiences. – Writing reflections on our community service project helped us understand its impact.
Experiences – Practical contact with and observation of facts or events, which can lead to knowledge or skills. – Sharing experiences from different cultures helped us appreciate diversity in our social studies class.
