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= Addressing Teen Self Abuse and Why Teens Hurt Themselves = =A Thematic Unit=

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Our thematic unit is based on the statement: "Some people are in so much emotional pain, they turn to drugs, alcohol, or self injury as an escape, but those things just magnify the original problems and cause new ones."====== This unit would be co-taught with a high school English teacher and the Family and Consumer Studies teacher. They would also be collaborating with the teacher-librarian and counselor.
 * OVERVIEW:**
 * Role of English teacher:** The role of the English teacher, in collaboration with the teacher-librarian, will be to faciliate literature circles and an end-of-unit character-driven project.
 * Role of Family and Consumer Studies teacher:** To help students to develop an effective plan for positive use of leisure time and recreational activities.
 * Role of teacher-librarian:** assist in putting together the bibliography and choice of text to be read for this assignment. He/she would also pull the books from shelves onto a cart so that it is easier and more efficient for students to come check out their choice text.
 * Role of counselor**: The role of the counselor will be to be present during the viewings of various video clips. He or she will also take one or more opportunities to address the classes on the causes and repurcussions of addictive behavior. If possible, the counselor could facilitate other community leaders (police, emergency workers, social workers) to come and speak about their expertise as relates to addiction.

=Rationale for this unit= With a recent surge in adolescent literature surrounding topics of teen self abuse to cover emotional pain frequently experienced by teens, we thought it would be an appropriate topic to address at the high school level. While some teens are fascinated by the topic because it is an unknown, unfamiliar world/topic to them and they can safely experience what other teens go through without having to directly deal with the consequences or realities, other teens need a safe and proper outlet to discuss these tough issues. Perhaps it is a good friend who has sworn to secrecy not to tell but desperately wants to get an adult involved. Perhaps it is a teenage boy seriously contemplating suicide. Or perhaps it is a quiet and shy girl who hides her scars from years of cutting. To talk about these topics is often taboo, but in this unit, all different sorts of teen self abuse are exposed, discussed, analyzed, and reflected upon. Teens will learn about different ways in which they can cope and overcome an addiction or how to help a friend. Through their own research on the topic and reading a text centered on this, they will be able to describe what happens physically and mentally to a person who is addicted. We realize that this is a tough but also necessary topic to tackle with adolescents.