Choosing the Right Words
The Story.
Nick is excited to chat with his friend Mike after school, but he’s uncomfortable with the offensive language Mike uses in their messages. Nick fears getting in trouble with his parents and losing his chance to get a phone for his birthday. He decides to message Mike and ask him to stop using that language, but the way he says it causes Mike to stop messaging altogether. This story highlights the importance of communication skills and shows how misunderstandings can damage friendships.
Communication Skills.
- Communicating clearly and effectively online
- Using appropriate language, tone, and formatting
- Expressing oneself in a clear and concise manner
- Being clear and transparent in communication to build trust with others online
- Being open to feedback and willing to listen to others in order to maintain trust in online relationships.
Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities to Explore Themes and Ideas in the Story.
I hope you enjoyed listening to the story, and have had a chance to think and discuss it. You can explore the story further by having a go at this response task either as Google doc, or download it as a pdf. These tasks will help you reflect on the story and engage with its themes. Additionally, there are interactive polls that you can participate in to see what other students think about the story.
Teachers and whanau can also use the Teacher Notes document provided to help unpack and encourage critical discussion on the story.