Our Centers for Ethics:
CC! activities created by schools and youth groups
"Taking a Stand": Lesson plans and discussion questions
By Paul Richardson, Fine Arts Teacher, Portola Middle School
- Opening Scene
- Before School
- Skeeter’s Test
- Lunch
- Passing Period
- After School
- Dean’s Office
- New Friends
1. Lesson Plan - Opening Scene
This play is based on the CHARACTER COUNTS! program and its Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.
Some of these values are easier to define and understand than others. Before you read or watch this play, list each of the Six Pillars with a brief definition of each one and an example of how someone in your community or at school has shown that Pillar.
2. Lesson Plan - Before School
This play is written by middle school students. It is an attempt to express some of the pressures and difficult situations they face on a daily basis, and how to show good character when faced with these situations.
After reading the scene, can you give an example of a person or a group putting pressure on another person or group? Explain.
Give an example of one person trying to take advantage of another person in this scene.
How does the character or characters react to someone trying to take advantage of her/them?
Does this reaction show a strong or weak character? Explain.
What name does Candy and Gertrude call the group of kids identified as the Victims?
How does that name make you feel about the Victims?
What does it tell you about Gertrude and Candy?
Why is it more important to Eve to be a member of the Popular Girls than to be a friend to the new kid?
Stacy is a new member of this community. Give a brief description of how each group or individual treats her as “the new kid”.
How do the Victims treat Stacy?
How does Eve treat her?
How do the Popular Girls treat her?
How do the Dudes treat her?
How about Skeeter?
How does Cory treat her at the end of the scene?
Which group do you think Stacy will try to fit into?
Which group do you think you would fit into?
Which group or person best represents how you treat new members to your school community? Explain.
3. Lesson Plan - Skeeter’s Test
Is Skeeter a trustworthy person? Please explain your answer.
Does Skeeter show responsibility? Please explain.
Is Skeeter a character that other people respect? Explain.
What could Skeeter do to earn respect from other people in this community?
Why does Cory give Stacy a cheat sheet?
Cory thinks he is showing that he is a caring person by handing her a cheat sheet. If he is really trying to help her, does that make it a right thing or wrong thing to do?
Instead of helping her, Cory only creates a problem. How does Stacy deal with it? Does she do the right thing or the wrong thing? Explain.
The Teacher is watching Skeeter very closely because she knows he cheats. Is it fair to Skeeter to be watched closer than the other students? Explain.
List all the people Skeeter claims are responsible for him failing the test.
Is he being honest with himself? Is he showing responsibility? Whose fault is it that he failed?
4. Lesson Plan - Lunch
Stacy decides to talk with the first group of students who were nice to her. What stops her?
Cory sees that Stacy is alone and is trying to make friends with her. Do you think it’s working? Explain.
Cory takes two things from the group he bullies. Name those two things.
Does Cory appear trustworthy? Caring? Responsible?
What is Cory showing Stacy about his citizenship in this community?
Does Cory come across like someone who earns respect? Explain.
Eve sees what Cory took from the Victims. She wants to tell the Dean. Should she tell the Dean or mind her own business?
As part of that community, is it any of her business that other people were bullied and ripped off?
Wally, Danny, and Jessie all feel badly that they are too afraid to stand up for each other. Alex tells them they are not real friends. Do you agree or disagree with her? Explain.
5. Lesson Plan - Passing Period
After lunch and during passing period, we see students trashing their community with litter and garbage. Are students at your school like that? Explain.
If you see someone litter, do you consider that person irresponsible? Explain.
Does that person appear to care about anyone else? Explain.
Is that person showing good citizenship to your community? Explain.
Do you feel that people who litter earn respect or disrespect from the people around them?
When you see a lot of litter and trash, what do you feel about the people in that community? Explain.
How do you feel about a community of people who disrespect each other with foul language?
What are Mosey Dali and his friends known for?
Do you feel they are showing a lack of responsibility?
By always being late, do they earn respect or disrespect? Explain.
6. Lesson Plan - After School
Stacy is in a new school with no friends. Cory, the school bully, is trying to push her into being his friend. She doesn’t want to go along with him, but she also doesn’t want to get the school bully mad at her.
What would you do in her place? Try to come up with a suggestion that would show good character and use at least one of the pillars of character.
At the local 7-11, the kids are making fun of the Cashier because of his nationality. Moe feels badly for him, but laughs at him and makes jokes about him anyway.
Why is Moe acting that way if he really feels it’s wrong?
What do you think Moe could do that would show good character, be honest, and not offend his friends?
How does Eve feel about being one of the Popular Girls?
Why does she feel guilty about not being a good friend to Stacy?
When Stacy goes back to pay for the candy bar, what does the Cashier do that surprises her?
What pillar of character does she show that makes the Cashier respect her more than the other kids?
Mandy’s sister asks her if the Popular Girls are her real friends. What are the three pillars of character that she feels makes a good friend?
Does Mandy feel the Popular Girls are her real friends? Explain.
7. Lesson Plan - Dean’s Office
Who is the first person to take a stand against Cory in the Dean’s office?
Who refuses to take a stand with the rest of the group?
Cory tried to be Stacy’s friend and he trusted her, but she was the one that got the others to stand up against him. Does that make her a bad person or someone who can not be trusted? Explain.
Cory also says it is all Stacy’s fault that he is in trouble. Do you agree with him? Explain.
How does Cory try to earn respect in the school community?
What is Bob’s definition of fairness?
Does anybody like or respect Cory? Explain.
8. Lesson Plan - New Friends
At the beginning of “New Friends” Eve is honest with Stacy and then, tries to be her friend again. How should Stacy deal with that situation? Would you trust her? Explain.
Alex, Jessie and Danny are all happy that they stood up to Cory together. Now, they want to make friends with Stacy. Do you think they would make good friends? Explain.
Why is Wally embarrassed to sit with them?
Why does Mandy refuse to say bad things about Eve?
Bob says, “It’s nice to care about someone, but caring doesn’t mean anything unless you’re willing to tell someone else.” Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Explain.
In the final scene, kids from different groups come together to create their own group.
Why did they leave the groups they were in?
Does this sound realistic that students would leave their groups to make new friends? Explain.
What character in this story do you relate to the most? What did the character do that made you think of this person? Explain.
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