Skip to Main Content
Cancer Support
Home > Cancer Support > For Professionals > LIVESTRONG at School | Cancer Lesson Plans, Cancer Curriculum > LIVESTRONG at School - For Middle School Teachers > LIVESTRONG at School - Giving Support

LIVESTRONG at School

Print This LessonMiddle School Lesson 1: Giving Support

Summary

In this lesson, students discuss how to respond to people with cancer in a variety of situations.

National Academic Standards (DEVELOPED BY THE MID-CONTINENT REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY-MCREL)

Health

  • knows how to maintain mental and emotional health

Language Arts

  • demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process
  • demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning

Student Learning Objectives

Students will demonstrate the ability to:

  • identify ways to support people with cancer
  • identify difficulties with being around people with cancer as well as ways to overcome those difficulties

Resources

On the Site:

On Your Own:

  • video player

Preparation

  1. Read the teacher sheet, "Questions and Answers about Cancer". Use the content as background for the lessons and for answering questions from students.
  2. Make a copy of the work sheet, "What Could You Do?" for each student.
  3. Be sensitive to students who may know someone - or who may even be living with someone - with cancer.
  4. Download the video "Body Image" and set up on a computer or TV for viewing by the students. (If you have trouble downloading the video, make sure you have the latest version of QuickTime.)
  5. Download the "Introduction Video with Lance Armstrong" and set it up on a computer or TV for viewing by the students.

The Lesson

  1. Show students the "Introduction Video with Lance Armstrong."
  2. Tell students that today we will be discussing how you can support people who have cancer. Ask students what they know about cancer.  Depending on their responses, ensure that students have a basic understanding of the following points:
    • Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States.
    • Cancer occurs when cells grow and divide and don't die as they should. It can spread to different parts of the body.
    • Some cancers are inherited; other cancers may be caused by factors in the environment such as overexposure to sunlight or any exposure to tobacco smoke. We don't know what causes all cancers.
    • Many cancers can be detected by medical exams.
    • Many cancers can be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormones, and biological therapy.
    • People with cancer can live full, productive lives.
  3. Ask students, "What are some ways we can support people who are sick?" Get students' responses. Then ask, "How do those ways change depending on our relationship with the people? Would we do different things if our mother was sick, as opposed to the neighbor down the street?" Again, get students' responses. Finally ask, "Does how a person look affect how willing we are to help and what we do to help?"
  4. Tell students that they're going to see a video about some people whose appearance changed because of their cancer treatment. Add that they're also going to read and discuss different situations involving people who have cancer. Ask students to think in particular about how they can help people who might be feeling different because of how they look.
  5. Show the video, "Body Image".
  6. Focus discussion on the following questions:
    • "What were some of the effects of the cancer treatments?"
    • "How did the girls react to those effects?"
    • "What were some of the challenges to having cancer treatments?"
    • "What did the girls do to meet those challenges?"
  7. Distribute the work sheet, "What Could You Do?" and do either of the following:
    • Arrange students into five groups, and assign each group one of the situations on the work sheet. Have each group read the situation and discuss it.
    • Arrange students into small groups of about four or five, and assign each group all the situations on the work sheet. Have each group read all the situations and then discuss them one at a time. Act as a timekeeper so that students have enough time to discuss all of the situations.
  8. In either case, after students have discussed the situations in their groups, reconvene the class and review each of the situations. Focus discussion on the following questions:
    • "What did people do to support the person with cancer?"
    • "How did the relationship between the people affect what you decided?"
    • "What were some difficulties you had to overcome?"
  9. Emphasize to students that it's frequently difficult to know how to support someone with cancer, especially someone whose appearance has changed dramatically. Say, though, that it's usually a good idea for them to be as honest as possible about their feelings-honest with themselves and honest with the person.

Check for Understanding

Ask students to write down one thing they didn't quite understand from the lesson today. Say that if they understood everything, they can leave their paper blank. Tell them not to sign their names to their questions. Gather the sheets of paper and then read aloud any questions, giving students the opportunity to respond.

Tell students that in the next lesson, they'll identify people who have made a difference in the cancer community.

Extension Activities:  If you would like to emphasize this lesson with students, you can review the "Get Involved" booklet to learn more about how your students and your school can become advocates for people affected by cancer by participating in LIVESTRONG events in your community, raising funds for cancer research, accessing information about people living with cancer, or increasing cancer awareness.

>> share this site with a friend