DESCRIPTION How do you want people to treat you? Why don't people do good? Are people good just because they don't commit a crime? Why not do the right thing? Celebrities in familiar vignettes model issues of individual responsibility and integrity. Concludes that it's a personal choice to be good and do the right thing. ACADEMIC STANDARDS Subject Area: Behavioral Studies Standard: Understands that interactions among learning, inheritance, and physical development affect human behavior Benchmark: Understands that expectations, moods, and prior experiences of human beings can affect how they interpret new perceptions or ideas (See Instructional Goals #1, #2, #3, and #4) INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS 1. To recognize goodness as an important value in life. 2. To understand that it takes action to do good. 3. To recognize the obstacles to goodness and how to overcome them. 4. To illustrate why it s in everyone s best interest to do good. 5. To generate ideas about how to use goodness more actively in life. 6. To stimulate discussion on morals, ethics and values. VOCABULARY 1. natural disasters 2. eulogies 3. preoccupied 4. premium 5. rationalize 6. gratification 7. obstacles 8. obsessed 9. confrontations BEFORE SHOWING 1. Define goodness. 2. Share personal experiences with goodness. a. What emotions were felt after the experience? b. Did the experience prompt more goodness? 3. Poll the class to determine which has caused the most pain in life; natural disaster or interactions with other people. AFTER SHOWING Discussion Items and Questions 1. Review the initial definition of goodness and add to it as necessary. 1
2. Discuss the vignettes about Matthew and the VCR. a. What do the two heads talking to Matthew represent? b. How do the talking heads affect Matthew s decision to return the VCR? c. What effect did Matthew s decision have on others? d. How did Matthew feel after he returned the VCR? 3. Discuss the vignette about the minister giving a eulogy. a. What is the purpose of a eulogy? b. What do most people strive for in life? c. Why isn t goodness a high priority in most peoples lives? d. Why is goodness stressed after a person is dead? What is the irony in this? 4. Discuss the vignettes about the students cheating. a. Why do some believe that being honest puts them at a disadvantage? b. Why do the students feel they need to cheat? c. How do the students rationalize their cheating? d. Will cheating help them in the end? Why or why not? e. How can cheating be harmful to others? f. How and why does cheating become easier? 5. Discuss the vignette about Michael and Blaine on the playground. a. Why is it easier to go along with the group than to stand up for what one believes? b. What may happen if someone chooses not to go along with the group? c. Why do the students find it easy to be mean to Albert? d. Why does Michael not stand up for Albert in the first scene? Is this the right thing to do? e. When Michael finally stands up to Blaine, how do the other students react? 6. Discuss the vignette about the businessman in the hotel. a. How does he rationalize stealing the hotel items? b. Does rationalizing make it right? c. How does the businessman s rationalizations influence his wife? d. How does the thief rationalize stealing the car? 7. Discuss the vignettes about the mechanic, cab driver, contractor, and others. a. What did each person gain by doing the good deeds? b. Was anything lost by doing these good deeds? c. How does one good deed prompt others? 8. Discuss how life would be improved if all people practiced goodness. 9. People are not basically good and people are not basically bad. Explain. 10. Discuss reasons why people are not good. Include: a. Worry about being seen as a goody-goody. b. Attitude that good guys finish last. c. It is easier to rationalize bad behavior. d. Bad behavior can provide instant gratification. 11. Discuss the difference between being a goody-goody and doing good. 12. Share experiences with rationalizing to excuse bad behavior. 13. Discuss how goodness is contagious. 14. Most people think they are good. However, to be good, you have to act good. Explain. 15. To display goodness, one must do something positive, not just avoid the negative. Explain. 16. Why does goodness take so much effort? 17. Discuss the following list of what it takes to practice goodness: 2
a. thoughts about goodness b. strength of character c. self-discipline d. moral strength 18. Discuss specific ways to practice goodness at home and school. 19. Discuss obstacles faced when trying to do good. 20. Discuss the statement If it feels good, do it. 21. If daily life were recorded on tape, what good and bad deeds would be displayed for all to see? 22. Explain how good deeds affect both the giver and the receiver. 23. The narrator stated that goodness, like cheating, will become habit if practiced enough. Explain. 24. Discuss the Anne Frank quote How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world. Applications and Activities 1. Create and display posters with the Anne Frank quote How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world. 2. Discuss the purpose of eulogies. From the perspective of a friend, write a eulogy to describe oneself. 3. Collect stories of random acts of kindness and create a book to share with the school or community. 4. Create a pamphlet to distribute to others in the school or community listing ways to practice goodness. 5. Practice random acts of goodness and record responses of the recipient. Share responses and personal thoughts on the event. 6. Write an essay based on the statement The smallest good deed is better than the greatest of intentions. 7. Research people who are considered examples of goodness, such as Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King. Include: a. biographical information. b. the reasons this person is considered good. c. highlights of this person s career or life work. 8. Obtain and read folk tales, fables, and myths that have morals such as: a. One good turn deserves another. b. Good will prevail over evil. 9. Research how goodness is defined and viewed by various cultures and religions. RELATED RESOURCES Captioned Media Program Christianity: The Way of Goodness and Mercy #8057 Tragedy to Triumph #3416 World Wide Web The following Web sites complement the contents of this guide; they were selected by professionals who have experience in teaching deaf and hard of hearing students. Every effort was made to select accurate, educationally relevant, and kid-safe sites. However, teachers should preview them before use. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Captioned Media Program do not endorse the sites and are not responsible for their content. 3
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS http://www.greetz.com/charity/rak/page1.html Gives a definition and examples of random acts of kindness, and explains Random Acts of Kindness Week. Click to reviews of the book Random Acts of Kindness. 4