Lesson Title: Adolescent Character Profiles
Teacher: Julia Clark
Target Grade/Subject: 10 – 12 – Psychology
Length: 90+ Minutes
Summary
This lesson is a classroom and homework activity in which students research theories of adolescent psychology and apply the concepts to familiar characters from fictional books, television and film. Students are responsible for creating a character profile and collaborate in a google site to share their work and evaluate contributions.
TIPC Ratings
Students are engaged in self-directed research on adolescent psychology through the authentic task of creating a web site . They are responsible for evaluating the reliability of the research source and applying the concepts to familiar popular culture characters. Students often research concepts for this course and have learned the basics of finding reliable sources. In this assignment, students are given the theorists and are tasked with finding resources that provide them with information about the findings of each. This information is then shared as part of their google site.
Students are responsible for contributing the content to the class website and collaborate to provide feedback on each other’s research and strengthen their understanding of the concepts.. Students use a google site to organize their research and respond to each others’ pages. The teacher facilitates the site to ensure all material is appropriate and that students are getting a real-life understanding of the sometimes difficult concepts included in the curriculum.
Students generate their own questions regarding the theories on child psychology and, once they have explored the common theories, students apply what they have learned to a character from fiction, movies, or television. Students must become the psychologist and apply what they have learned to diagnose the characters they choose. Students must then determine the accuracy of the each others’ assessments and reflect on how they can improve.
Students apply all of the skills they have learned to the creation of a website. They use the website to demonstrate their understanding of the process and the material. Students have the freedom to represent their information in any form.
