Filtering the Influences: Making Smart Choices for Health
Materials Needed
- Notebook or computer for note-taking and digital design.
- Writing utensils (pens, markers, or digital drawing tools).
- Printouts or digital display of the "Influence Scenario Cards" (provided in the body).
- (Optional) Internet access for the extension activity (researching current social media trends).
Learning Objectives (TLW: The Learner Will)
By the end of this lesson, TLW be able to:
- Identify and categorize the four main external influences that impact adolescent decision-making (Media, Peers, Family/Culture, Technology).
- Analyze a given scenario to trace how external influences could lead to an unsafe or uninformed health choice.
- Develop and apply a three-step "Decision Filter" tool to evaluate the safety and suitability of a health-related choice.
Part 1: Introduction (Tell Them What You'll Teach)
Hook: The Choice Question (5 Minutes)
Educator Prompt: Imagine you are planning a weekend activity, but three different groups are pulling you in three different directions: your friends want to do one thing, a popular social media star suggests something else, and your family expects a third thing. Who do you listen to? Why?
Sometimes, making choices about health and relationships feels like that—there are a lot of voices competing for your attention. This lesson is about figuring out which voices are helpful and which ones you need to filter out.
Success Criteria Check-in
You will know you are successful today if you can create a personal tool (a filter) that helps you make informed choices, even when others are pressuring you.
Part 2: Body (Teach It)
A. I DO: Defining and Categorizing External Influences (15 Minutes)
Content Delivery: The Four Magnets
We are constantly making choices, but our "Choice Compass" isn't always pointing North. External influences are like powerful magnets that can pull your compass needle off course. Let's look at the four biggest "magnets" that influence decisions about safety and health:
- Media/Entertainment: Movies, TV shows, music lyrics, advertisements.
- Example: Showing risky behavior without showing the negative consequences, or setting unrealistic expectations about relationships.
- Peers: Friends, classmates, teammates.
- Example: Pressure to conform, fear of being left out (FOMO), or trusting friends' advice over medical facts.
- Family & Culture: Parents, older siblings, religious beliefs, community norms.
- Example: Strict rules that lead to hiding behavior, or cultural traditions that prevent open discussion about health.
- Technology/Social Media: Apps, anonymous forums, influencers, direct messaging.
- Example: Rapid spread of misinformation, the pressure of maintaining an online image, or the permanence of digital communication.
Formative Assessment Check: Which category do you think has the fastest influence on your decisions right now, and why?
B. WE DO: Analyzing Scenarios (Guided Practice) (20 Minutes)
Activity: Influence Scenario Cards
We will analyze a few realistic scenarios together. For each one, we need to answer two questions:
- What external influence (or magnets) are at work? (Identify 1-3 categories).
- What is the potential impact on making a safe, informed choice?
Scenario Card Examples:
| Scenario | Focus Question |
|---|---|
| A. A music video features a glamorous couple treating each other disrespectfully, but the song portrays it as romantic and exciting. | How might this change a 13-year-old’s expectation about what a healthy relationship looks like? |
| B. A friend tells you they heard a "secret fix" for a health issue from someone on an anonymous online forum, insisting it's safer than going to a doctor. | Which influences are working here? Why is relying on anonymous advice risky? |
| C. In a community, it is culturally common for teens to not talk openly with their parents about reproductive health, forcing them to rely only on friends for information. | How does this cultural/family influence limit access to accurate, factual information? |
Transition: We can see that influences are everywhere, and they often mix. Now, let’s build a tool to deal with them.
C. YOU DO: Creating and Applying the Decision Filter (20 Minutes)
Activity: The Three-Step Decision Filter
To resist negative influences and make smart choices, you need a personal filter. This filter ensures that before you act, you pause and check the facts against your own values and safety standards.
Step 1: Design Your Filter
On your paper, design a simple graphic (a funnel, a stoplight, or a three-column chart). Label the three key questions you must ask yourself:
- The Safety Check (Is it Safe?): Does this choice put me or anyone else in physical, emotional, or digital danger? Does it violate any boundaries?
- The Reality Check (Is it True?): Is the information I’m acting on based on facts, trusted sources (like doctors, credible health educators), or just gossip/misinformation?
- The Self Check (Is it Right for Me?): Does this choice align with my personal values, goals, and future? Am I doing this because I truly want to, or just because of external pressure?
Step 2: Apply the Filter (Independent Practice)
Use your newly created Decision Filter to analyze the following complex scenario:
Scenario D: Your older cousin posts a picture of themselves engaging in an adult activity, tagging you and writing, "Don't be a kid forever!" Your friends start congratulating your cousin and encouraging you to "catch up." You know this activity is risky, but you desperately want to fit in with this older crowd and feel more mature.
Heidi/Learner Task: Write a short paragraph (or bulleted list) explaining how you would put this situation through your three-step filter and what your final, informed decision would be.
Part 3: Conclusion (Tell Them What You Taught)
Recap and Review (5 Minutes)
Educator Prompt: Who can remind us of the four external "magnets" we discussed today (Media, Peers, Family/Culture, Technology)? Why is understanding where an influence comes from so important?
Key Takeaway Reinforcement: We learned that external influences are powerful, but you have the power to create a boundary—your Decision Filter—to protect yourself and make choices that align with your long-term health and safety goals.
Summative Assessment: Filter Demonstration (5 Minutes)
The educator reviews the learner's completed "Decision Filter" tool and their analysis of Scenario D.
- Success Criteria Check: Did the learner successfully identify the influences in Scenario D (Peers, Family/Technology)? Did the learner clearly apply all three steps of their filter (Safety, Reality, Self Check) to arrive at a safe, informed decision?
Differentiation and Extension
Scaffolding (For learners needing extra support)
- Provide sentence stems for the analysis (e.g., "The influence in this scenario comes primarily from ______. I feel pressure to ______ because ______.").
- Work through the filter application in Scenario D step-by-step verbally before writing.
Extension (For advanced learners, or next session)
- Influence Campaign Creation: Research a current health trend (positive or negative) on social media. Design a counter-campaign (a poster, a short video script, or a series of Tweets) that uses factual information to help other teens apply their Decision Filter to that trend.