Strategies
Students view violence as a means to justice. They are angry because another student has disrespected them and they want to feel better about themselves and show the perpetrator that their actions will not go without reprisal. However as students get older, many start to see hurtful comments as things to be ignored. Also they themselves choose to not make hurtful comments knowing that it makes them look like someone that should not be respected. Middle school students that have this concept reinforced, do better academically and socially.
To teach this concept to students and also to have them understand Aristotle's approach to anger and calmness, students will form groups and write a list of comments that they have heard that cause anger. These can be comments directed at them or directed at others. They will read Aristotle's Rhetoric Book II chapters two and three and write observations on what causes anger and calmness. As a class, we will discuss how anger is only caused by slightness from the groups Aristotle identified. That rhetoric used for negative purposes is inappropriate and can cause harmful actions. That students should practice Aristotle's approaches to calm vs. anger. Each group will convene again to form a list of things they could say that to calm a fellow student and defuse a potentially violent situation. We will share out as a class and use these ideas as a base for our public speaking activity.
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