Let’s Talk Respect — Classroom Curriculum (Grades 6–8)

A full year of classroom follow-up to the “Let’s Talk Respect” assembly, built for middle school. Eight lessons, one a month, each one scripted so a teacher can run it cold.

What each lesson contains

• What they heard — the exact language and demonstrations from the assembly, so you can reference them accurately.
• Discussion questions — six to eight, in the order that works.
• The activity — one interactive thing, 10–20 minutes, no technology and almost no prep.
• The assignment — something short to finish independently or take home.
• Teacher notes — what tends to go sideways and how to handle it.

How to use it

One lesson a month keeps the assembly alive for a full school year, which is the whole point — a single assembly fades in about a week. Run them in order the first year; the first four build the tools the last four depend on.

Each lesson runs 30–40 minutes and fits an advisory period, an SEL block, or a health class.

Two things to get right

The breathing in this version is not the elementary version. Middle school learned in for 10, hold for 3, out for 12. Grades 4–5 learned 10-5-10. Teach each group the one they actually heard — students notice, and “that’s not what he said” costs you the room.

This is not an anti-bullying unit. Robert opens by asking whether anyone has ever woken up and not wanted to come to school, and spends the hour on the premise that a school’s culture is built by the students in it, one interaction at a time. Most of what happens between middle schoolers is emotions and how we interact — that is not bullying, and Lesson 7 is where the line gets drawn. Do not let this unit become a hunt for the bad kid.

Robert Hackenson Jr., MBA, CAOL · Dynamic Influence · dynamicinfluence.com