Play "cool-heads" and "hot-heads."
- Tell
students that in this activity, they are going to observe students acting
out "a fight inside someone's head."
- Explain
that one student will play the role of cool-headed thoughts and another
will play the role of hot-headed thoughts.
- Explain
that you and a student will read a script that models how the cool-headed
and hotheaded thoughts play out.
- Select
a volunteer from the class and ask him or her to play the cool-head
or the hot-head. You may want to select and meet with the student before
the class so that he or she has a chance to read the "Cool-Head/Hothead
Dialogue" and prepare.
- Introduce
and read Sample Situation 1.
- Read
aloud the "Cool-Head/Hothead Dialogue"
with the student volunteer.
- Ask
students to comment on the "Cool-Head/Hothead Dialogue."
- Then,
select two volunteers--one to play the cool-head and the other
to play the hothead. Point out that this time, they will role-play
the situation rather than read a script.
- Remind
students that the cool-head and the hothead are not two different people;
rather, they are different sides of the same person. However, we have
a choice as to which one we listen to and follow.
- Read
Situation 2 to the class. Tell the two students to role-play
the fight inside the head of the person in the situation.
- Allow
the role play to proceed for a few minutes.
- When
students seem to have depleted their arguments, stop the role
play.
- Review
and discuss the role play with students.
- Point out that sometimes it is hard to sort through the jumble of thoughts and emotions we experience during conflict. Therefore, it is important that we stop and think about what is going on and understand that we may need help sorting it out.
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