Extension Activities


		Extension Activities
		Extension activities can be used to expand classroom lessons or to give students a chance to earn extra credit during the Chill™ series. If you would like to suggest additional activities for this page, please send your suggestions to chill@chef.org.

		1. In the System Academic Stress A. School Stress Around the World Ask your students to explore school stress in three other countries. They should look at schedules, adult and peer expectations, the school environment, and other potentially stressful areas. Tell your students to keep these questions in mind as they research: Do students in these countries spend more time at school than we do? What academic requirements do they have? What standardized tests do they take in school? What are their graduation requirements? Is there as much social stress at school in these countries as there is in American schools? How do they show their social stress? If possible, your students should establish communication with your school’s sister school in another country and communicate with those students about their school stresses. Once your students have researched school stress in three foreign countries, they should compile their findings into a format that interests them (poster, short video, presentation, etc.) and present it to the class. B. And Justice for All An ombudsman is a person who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements between members of an organization, such as a school. An ombudsman can mediate issues and suggest resolutions between conflicting students or between students and faculty. It’s important that the ombudsman be fair-minded, objective, and impartial. If your school has an ombudsman, ask your students to interview that person about conflicts in the school environment. (If possible, have the ombudsman come to the classroom and conduct the interview as a class discussion.) Here are some questions to get the discussion started: How are situations presented? How does the ombudsman evaluate and deal with conflict? What is the process for working toward resolution? What kind of follow-up action is taken? How is success measured? If your school doesn’t have an ombudsman, encourage your class to work with your school faculty to establish a volunteer ombudsman position. They should consider the following questions: What type of person should be considered? What personal and professional qualities would make a good ombudsman? What personal and professional qualities would make a bad ombudsman?
		2. Playing the Part Social Stress A. Your Very Own Soap Opera Sometimes social stresses, expectations, and games take on enough drama to be called a “soap opera.” Encourage your students to go with it! Ask them to think of a real or imagined social situation and write a scene for a soap opera, one-act play, or short novella that describes the situation and its conflict. Their creations should emphasize strong character development and interactions, an interesting setting, a compelling voice, and an engaging plot. They can be as dramatic as they want, but they must include positive conflict resolution and effective problem-solving skills. Have them present their scene to the class. B. Cyber-Bullies Electronic bullying is a growing cause of social stress. Mean games that are quietly played out on the computer screen via instant messaging or e-mail are just as damaging as other types of bullying. Ask your students: Why do you think that electronic bullying is a problem? Have you ever been involved in electronic bullying? How does electronic bullying start? What are some examples of electronic bullying? Brainstorm three ways to raise awareness about electronic bullying and/or make it stop. What sort of commitment would it take from those involved?
		3. Family Ties Home and Family Stress A. Family Talk Communicating with family members is important, but it’s not always so easy. Some family members might be more outspoken than others, or some might be more easily intimidated. To establish a level playing field, suggest that your students ask each family member to make a list of three things that stress them out the most at home (they can be anonymous). This list can cover anything—sibling relationships, parent relationships, home environment, family rules, etc. Your students should collect the list and discuss each item with the family. Ask your students to be respectful in their discussions. They should listen to their family members without interruption, invite participation without demanding it, and emphasize cooperative problem solving. If their families give permission for sharing, students can write down some of their family stresses and bring them to class anonymously. (Have a shoebox on your desk where students can turn these in.) Use these lists to make a chart on the board that shows the types of family stress your students face and how many students experienced them. Ask your students: Do other students have the same family stresses that you do? How are your families the same? How are they different? Brainstorm some ideas about how students can manage these stresses in a healthy way. B. Family Stress Around the World Ask your students to explore home and family stress in three other countries. They should look at sibling and parent relationships, family expectations, the home environment, and other potentially stressful areas. Tell them to keep these questions in mind as they research: Do teens in those countries have stresses like yours? What makes them similar? What makes them different? How does the home environment in other countries contribute to teen stress? How are parental expectations different in other countries? What are teens’ relationships with their parents like in these countries? How are sibling relationships different in other countries? How are they similar? How does the culture in other countries affect teen stress levels at home? Which cultures have more stress than ours? Which cultures have less stress than ours? How do cultural factors play a part in teen stress levels? Once your students have researched home and family stress in three foreign countries, they should compile their findings into a format that interests them (poster, short video, presentation, etc.) and present it to the class.
		4. Keeping It Real Media and Cultural Stress A. The International Food Scene Ask your students to research, organize, and conduct a cultural food fair during lunch break at your school. They should recruit peers from a variety of cultures to help them research, prepare, and serve a variety of international dishes. Ask students from the represented cultures to make an oral or visual presentation for each dish—the ingredients, how it’s prepared and served, and what sorts of cultural celebrations it is part of. B. Morning Media Most schools have some form of morning announcements. These are usually broadcast over short-circuit TV or the school’s intercom system. Put your students in small groups and ask each group to produce one morning announcement segment. Your students could discuss what they learned about media stress from the Chill series. They can encourage their peers to think about the messages they get from the media and how those messages affect their decisions—what they purchase, the music they listen to, etc.