Bloom’s Taxonomy Discussion – Sam Self-Mentors Versus Psychological Warfare

Section 7:Bloom’s Taxonomy Discussion – Sam Self-Mentors versus Psychological Warfare

There are six levels in the Bloom’s Taxonomy discussion question process. After reading “Sam Self-Mentors rather than giving in to Psychological Warfare,” the teacher will ask questions from all six levels.

Links to Teaching posters needed for these questions
Two Basic Needs posters
3 Responses to Conflict poster
3 Outcomes to Conflict poster
Poster: Stay in control of your anger! Don’t let your anger control you!
I Message Sentence Starters poster
Good Character Traits poster

A. Level 1 –Ask the Knowledge Questions.

Answer options:
4 Anger Styles of Acting Out, Displaced Anger, Ignored Anger, Avoidance vs. Working it Out

Teacher says or asks: CHOOSE which Anger Style or Styles got displayed by the various characters in the story. SELECT what was the Anger Trigger that provoked that character into feeling angry in the first place.

Students Respond:
Anger Triggers for Sam’s Dad:
* drinking too much alcohol
* his wife complaining about him coming in late
* his wife complaining about him being drunk

Anger Style for Sam’s Dad:
* mixture of Acting Out & Displaced Anger

Anger Triggers for Shawn & his gang:
* bad home life
* the lack of love they feel
* other environmental and interpersonal happenings

Anger Style for Shawn & his gang:
* mixture of Acting Out & Displaced Anger

Anger Triggers for Sam:
* his father’s abuse
* his mother deserting him
* Drew abandoning him to join a gang
* the gang targeting him for psychological warfare

Anger Style for Sam:
* mixture of Ignored Anger, Avoidance, & Working It Out

B. Level 2 – Ask the Comprehension Questions.

1. Teacher Says: DESCRIBE what Basic Needs Sam was trying to get met.a. Belonging
b. Self-Respect
c. Respect
d. Power
e. Safety & Security
f. Freedom
g. Fun

Students Respond:

a. Belonging– Sam wanted to get his BELONGING need met by having his Dad be nicer, his Mom come back, keep his friendship with Drew, and continue to be friends with John, Stu, and Emily.

b. Self-Respect – Sam wanted to find more and more ways to increase his feelings of SELF-RESPECT so he wouldn’t be talked into joining Shawn’s gang or he wouldn’t be brought down by the treatment he received by his parents and former school mates.

c. Respect– Sam wanted more RESPECT from his parents and Drew.

d. Power– Sam thought he would feel POWERFUL if he could find ways to Self-Mentor.

e. Safety & Security– Sam wanted to feel more SAFE & SECURE with the people at his new school, with his Dad, and by raising his feelings of Self-Esteem.

f. Freedom– Sam wanted to have the FREEDOM of having a friendly Dad, Drew to be his friend again, and to get Emily as a girlfriend.

g. FUN– Sam wanted the FUN of being able to go skateboarding and to the movies with Drew again. Later, he also wanted the FUN of having Emily as his girlfriend.

2. Teacher: DESCRIBE what Basic Needs Drew was trying to get met.
a. Belonging
b. Self-Respect
c. Respect
d. Power
e. Safety & Security
f. Freedom
g. Fun

Students Respond:

a. Belonging– At first, Drew wanted to get his BELONGING need met with Sam, John, and Stu. Later, he only wanted to get that need met by being a member of Shawn’s gang.

b. Self-Respect – Drew’s feelings of SELF-RESPECT became all wrapped up in being accepted as a member of Shawn’s gang.

c. Respect– Drew wanted RESPECT from Shawn and his gang members.

d. Power– Drew thought the only way he could feel POWERFUL is if he could be accepted as a member of Shawn’s gang.

e. Safety & Security– Drew thought the only way he could feel SAFE & SECURE is if he could be accepted as a member of Shawn’s gang.

f. Freedom– Drew wanted the FREEDOM of being able to join Shawn’s gang and abandoning his ties to Sam, John, and Stu.

g. FUN– Drew decided he would have more FUN being a member of Shawn’s gang then being a friend to Sam, John, and Stu.

3. Teacher: DESCRIBE what Basic Needs Sam’s Dad was trying to get met.
a. Belonging
b. Self-Respect
c. Respect
d. Power
e. Safety & Security
f. Freedom
g. Fun

Students Respond:

a. Belonging– Sam’s Dad wanted to get his BELONGING need met by having his wife still be around, his new job be safe, and by having his son Sam living with him full time.

b. Self-Respect – Sam’s Dad’s feelings of SELF-RESPECT were not very high as he felt the need to drink and take out his rage on helpless others.

c. Respect– Sam’s Dad wanted more RESPECT from his bosses, his co-workers, his son, and his wife.

d. Power– Sam’s Dad felt quite POWERFUL when he hit and yelled at his wife and yelled at his son.

e. Safety & Security– Sam’s Dad did not feel very SAFE & SECURE when his wife left and he lost his job. Also, the alcohol was messing with his mind. He probably only felt SAFE or SECURE when he was drinking.

f. Freedom– Sam’s Dad wanted the FREEDOM of being able to vent his anger as he wanted with his wife and without risking his marriage or his job.

g. FUN– Sam’s Dad probably felt that drinking was FUN.

4. Teacher: DESCRIBE what Basic Needs Shawn and his gang were trying to get met.
a. Belonging
b. Self-Respect
c. Respect
d. Power
e. Safety & Security
f. Freedom
g. Fun

Students Respond:

a. Belonging– Shawn and his gang wanted to get their BELONGING needs met with each other.

b. Self-Respect – Shawn and his gang’s feelings of SELF-RESPECT were all wrapped up in being part of a gang and having power over others.

c. Respect– Shawn and his gang wanted RESPECT from each other and from other people at school viewing them as all powerful.

d. Power– Shawn and his gang felt quite POWERFUL as they intimidated prospective members and others at the school and at Borden Park.

e. Safety & Security– Shawn and his gang felt SAFER & more SECURE by sticking together as a gang.

f. Freedom– Shawn and his gang wanted the FREEDOM of choosing which members they wanted and by being able to do what they want without fear of consequences.

g. FUN– Shawn and his gang probably had FUN being with each other and by intimidating others.

C. Level 3- Ask the Application Questions.

1. Teacher Says or Asks: Look at the three posters for Passive, Aggressive, and Assertive Responses to Conflict. SELECT when one of those responses happened in the story. IDENTIFY how or with whom it was done.

a. Any Passive Responses displayed by Sam?
b. Any Aggressive Responses displayed by Sam?
c. Any Assertive Responses displayed by Sam?

d. Any Passive Responses displayed by Drew?
e. Any Aggressive Responses displayed by Drew?
f. Any Assertive Responses displayed by Drew?

g. Any Passive Responses displayed by Sam’s Dad?
h. Any Aggressive Responses displayed by Sam’s Dad?
i. Any Assertive Responses displayed by Sam’s Dad?

j. Any Passive Responses displayed by Shawn and his gang members?
k. Any Aggressive Responses displayed by Shawn and his gang members?
l. Any Assertive Responses displayed by Shawn and his gang members?

Students Respond:

a. Passive Responses displayed by Sam
* Sam avoided his Dad when he was drinking or he was angry.
* Sam kept his sad feelings to himself.
* Sam avoided trying to do more to keep Drew out of Shawn’s gang.
* Sam avoided confrontations as much as he could.

b. Aggressive Responses displayed by Sam
* NONE

c. Assertive Responses displayed by Sam
* Sam talked things out with Emily and some with John and Stu. He tried to do this with Drew with no success.
* Sam firmly set his boundaries by making sure he did not give in to psychological warfare.
* Sam acted on his morals by not drinking like his Dad or giving in to rage.
* Sam self mentored himself as much as he could through life’s travails.

d. Passive Responses displayed by Drew
* Drew hid his feelings of fear and confusion from Sam and with Shawn and his gang.
* Drew gave in to be nice to Shawn’s and his gang’s psychological warfare attempts.
* Drew did the attitude thing with Sam when Sam tried to talk things out with him.

e. Aggressive Responses displayed by Drew
* Drew beat up a guy at Borden Park as a form of imitation to get into Shawn’s gang.

f. Assertive Responses displayed by Drew
* Drew showed respect to Shawn and his fellow gang members.

g. Passive Responses displayed by Sam’s Dad
* Sam’s Dad hid his feelings about his wife leaving.
* He also hid or numbed his feelings by drinking way too much.
* Sam’s Dad would do the attitude thing with his wife and his son.

h. Aggressive Responses displayed by Sam’s Dad
* Sam’s Dad would yell at his wife and son.
* Sam’s Dad would use his wife as a punching bag.
* Sam’s Dad would threaten his son when he dared to cry or complain.

i. Assertive Responses displayed by Sam’s Dad
* Sam’s Dad would show respect at work with his new boss and co-workers.

j. Passive Responses displayed by Shawn and his gang members
* Shawn and his gang would do the attitude thing with prospective members and others.
* They would do psychological warfare stuff with others.

k. Aggressive Responses displayed by Shawn and his gang members
* Shawn and his Gang would beat up others to get into the gang.
* Shawn and his gang would yell at and make threats to prospective members and others.

l. Assertive Responses displayed by Shawn and his gang members
* They would show respect to only each other, once a guy was a firm member of the group.

D. Level 4 – Ask the Analysis Questions.

a. Teacher Says or Asks: ANALYZE which outcome was demonstrated between Sam and Drew: WIN-WIN, WIN-LOSE, or LOSE-LOSE?

Students Respond: It was a WIN-LOSE with Sam feeling like he LOST a friend and Drew getting his way, so he felt like he WON.

b. Teacher Says or Asks: ANALYZE which outcome was demonstrated between Sam and Emily: WIN-WIN, WIN-LOSE, or LOSE-LOSE?

Students Respond: It was a WIN-WIN with both Sam and Emily ending up WINNERS.

c. Teacher Says or Asks: ANALYZE if Sam had told a teacher or a guidance counselor about Drew thinking about joining Shawn’s gang, would it have been Responsible Reporting or Tattling? Please explain.

Students Respond: It would have been Responsible Reporting if Sam had tried to help Drew keep from joining a gang. He might not have been able to succeed; but at least, he would have known he had tried to intervene.

d. Teacher Says or Asks: Look at the following poster:

Don’t be part of the problem. Be part of the solution.

ANALYZE in what ways was Sam’s mother part of the problem of her husband’s abuse. CONTRAST how she could have been part of the solution instead.

Students Respond: Sam’s mother was an enabler to her husband’s abuse by not leaving or going to a Safe House the very first time he hit her. Therefore, she became part of the problem. She could have been part of the solution if she had insisted on counseling, gone to a Safe House, or left the very first time he hit her. However, abandoning her son was definitely being part of the problem.

e. Teacher Says or Asks: Sam’s father got ousted from the Army due to his drinking and spousal abuse. ANALYZE how he could have been part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.

Students Respond: Sam’s Dad was part of the problem as he continued to drink, and he did not allow himself to benefit from the counseling sessions he went to. He could have been part of the solution if he had allowed himself to benefit from the anger management classes he went to and the alcohol counseling sessions he also attended.

f. Teacher Says or Asks: DEBATE why some kids would rather give in to psychological warfare rather than to self-mentor or to get help from someone.

Students Respond: (Accept Reasonable Answers.)

E. Level 5 – Ask the Synthesis Question.

a. Look at the ‘I Message’ Sentence Starters poster. Pretend you are a character in the story. CHOOSE one of the Sentence Starters and CREATE three ‘I Messages’ to say to another character within the story, making a request of him or her.

I ____________________ because ___________________.