Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

In This Episode

For Educators

Living the “Good” Life – Procedures For Teachers

In This Lesson

Prep — Preparing for the lesson
Steps — Conducting the lesson
Extension — Additional Activities


Prep

Media Components

Computer Resources:

  • Modem: 56.6 Kbps or faster.
  • Browser: Netscape Navigator 4.0 or above or Internet Explorer 4.0 or above
  • Personal computer (Pentium II 350 MHz or Celeron 600 MHz) running WindowsÆ 95 or higher and at least 32 MB of RAM
  • Macintosh computer: System 8.1 or above and at least 32 MB of RAM
  • RealPlayer
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher. Download the free Adobe Acrobat reader here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Bookmarked sites and video resources:

Preview all of the sites and videos before presenting them to your class. Bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom; create a word-processing document with all of the Web sites listed as hyperlinks and email to each student (or type out the URLs and print); or upload all links to an online book marking utility, such as www.portaportal.com, so that students can access the information on these sites. Make sure that your computer has necessary media players, like RealPlayer, to show streaming clips (if applicable).

RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY Web Sites:

Other Web Sites:

Books

  • Happiness: A History. Darrin McMahon. Atlantic Monthly Press

Materials:

    • Chart paper and markers and/or chalkboard and chalk
    • Screen upon which to project video segments, if available
    • Handouts of web resources if computers are not available
    • Downloadable student organizers
    • Downloadable quotes
    • Post ItsÆ
    • Four 8 x 11 sheets of paper
    • Computers with the capacities indicated above

    • For teachers:

    For students

Steps

Introductory Activity 1:

  1. Download the Quotes PDF and cut the quotation strips. Separate them into bags or boxes marked with each of the headers-happiness, pleasure, life purpose, and peace.
  2. Divide students into groups each assigned to one of the headers. Have each group pick up its matching bag or box. (NOTE: The number of groups determines the amount of bags/boxes.)
  3. Ask students to read and discuss their quotes to determine what their composite message is. For example, what do the quotes suggest is the essence of happiness? How do they define and describe pleasure?
  4. Invite each group to share its thoughts/interpretations. Synthesize ideas and concepts with students to determine, based on the quotes, what is/might be at the heart of happiness, peace, pleasure and life purpose. Invite students to discuss these notions and whether they personally connect to some.

Learning Activities:

Activity 1:

  1. Around the classroom, separately post the terms happiness, peace, life purpose and pleasure on 8 x 11sheets of paper. Distribute eight Post ItsÆ to each student.
  2. For each header, have the students write down on the Post ItsÆ those things (two per header) that provide them with happiness, pleasure, life purpose and peace, and then place their notes under each header posted in the classroom.
  3. Ask the students to rotate among the four groups to review the items found in each section. Then, work with the class to categorize the items under each heading, placing them in common groupings. For example, under happiness, categories such as money and good job might emerge. Under peace, categories such as spirituality might arise. (Facilitate this process for each group: after one grouping is complete, invite students to discuss the categories; in particular, what do they intimate about what individuals do or how they achieve each one. Then, move on to the next section.)
  4. Have students reflect on the activity and their personal lives, and then consider what-at least in the United States-drives individuals’ searches for happiness, peace, pleasure and life purpose.

Activity 2

  1. Have students revisit the happiness and pleasure groupings created in Activity 1 to determine what the differences are between the two. Questions to consider: Are there differences between the two? Do they mean the same thing? If there are, what are the causes and results of the differences? To what extent do they offer satisfaction — over the long term or short term? Are they equal in impact?
  2. Optional: Students may research and informally debate the differences.
  3. Optional: Students might poll their school peers, asking the question: What is the difference between happiness and pleasure? They can present their findings through a visual presentation.

Activity 3

  1. Invite students to look into their future and see who they will be. Ask them to write down the person they will become and what they will do, starting now, to become that person. (This might be in the form of a dramatic monologue.) How will their life purpose materialize? What will ultimately bring them happiness, peace and pleasure? They can build their future vision on pieces they laid out in Activities 1 and 2.Optional: Students can do this activity in the form of a timeline, projecting their life direction/purpose through a series of activities they will undertake from high school through adulthood.
  2. Invite students to share their future visions with the class.

Activity 4

  1. Divide students into small groups or pairs. Assign each group two different R&E Weekly segments listed above. Explain to students that the segments highlight individuals who have conscientiously chosen to rethink their life purpose to pursue happiness, peace and pleasure in ways that may be unlike the average person. Instruct students to review these segments and discuss the questions listed in the CHOICES student organizer.
  2. Invite groups/pairs to share and discuss their thoughts with the entire class. Ask students what they have learned about life purposes/direction from these segments. Other questions to consider: In what way have these individuals redefined peace, pleasure and happiness? In what ways have these individuals influenced student thoughts about what is important in life?

Culminating Activity

Have students revisit and, if applicable, rewrite their future life vision that they created in Activity 3. Now that they have viewed the segments – and gained other perspectives on what might make someone happy, give them pleasure and peace – might they create a new future vision of themselves? If yes, what would they be like? What would they be doing that would demonstrate a newly envisioned life purpose? Invite students to share these altered versions of their lives.

Extension Activities:

Students can:

  • Survey students or the entire school community to determine how people view their purpose in life and what that involves, as well as pose questions regarding ways to seek pleasure that are not related to material objects or seeking status.
  • Locate and interview people in their community who have chosen inspiring life paths.

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