Overview

Students in middle school may struggle to talk about the conflicts in their lives or about new emotions and experiences. In this activity, students role-play a variety of conversations and then evaluate and discuss their performances. (Note that the activity incorporates subjects such as honesty, friendship, academic achievement, and general health and wellness. However, it excludes controversial and emotionally sensitive subjects, such as sexuality and gender identity.)

Students write and act out skits to build self-awareness and conflict-resolution skills. First, students work in pairs to write and practice skits about a conflict they might have with a person in their everyday lives, and then they perform the skits for the group. However, the student who is the “star” of the skit delivers only their half of the conversation, with the other half of the conversation not being performed. The whole group then discusses what they learned about themselves and how they resolve conflicts.