Module 1: FAMILY

Page 6

topic two: being an adult

to the teacher

A dictionary definition of adult is: 'having reached maturity; fully developed'. This refers to physical development. However the statement made by many young people 'I want to be treated as an adult' implies more than this. It is saying something about equality of treatment.

The aim of this topic is to help the pupils to see what is entailed in becoming more adult in attitude and behaviour. Among other things, it is adult to:

• try to see things from other people's point of view
• think for others and be less selfish and self-concerned
• be responsible for the consequence of actions taken

topic development

Give the class worksheet 2 on page 8 I want to be treated as an adult and ask them to answer numbers 1 to 5 so that they have the chance to think out what 'adult' or mature behaviour means. It can then be used with the following as a basis for discussion.

Hold a class discussion asking them the following question and then reading each incident in turn.

Which of these attitudes was 'adult' and which 'childish'? Explain your answers.

1) Two small children were about to cross the road. The elder took the other's hand, carefully looked both ways to see that all was clear, and then they crossed.

2) A teenager did not like the dinner all the family were given and went into a sulky mood because she was not allowed to have something different.

3) A father wanted to watch a football match on television when the rest of the family was watching a film. Because they would not switch over, he stormed out of the house in a temper, banging the door.

4) A little girl, under five years old, kept calm when her mother had epileptic fits and 'phoned the father at work.

From these discussions, let each pupil make a list of qualities under the two headings childish and adult on their worksheets.

Give each pupil resource sheet 1 on page 9 Dear diary to read. Ask them to underline in different colours the irresponsible attitudes and the more responsible attitudes illustrated in this story.

Divide the class into small groups to talk over what they think of the story on the resource sheet and to discuss the answers to questions 7, 8 and 9 on the worksheet before writing down their own conclusions.