3/30/25, 1:27 PM Rewarding Relationships | Common Sense Education

GRADE TIME TOPICS

10 45 mins. Relationships & Communication

Rewarding Relationships
How can I make sure my relationships are healthy and positive?

"It's complicated" can describe many of our relationships with others, both romantic and otherwise. Add
digital devices and social media to the mix, and things get complicated even further. Help students take the
first step toward building healthy and rewarding friendships and romantic relationships, both online and
off.
Students will be able to:

- Reflect on how their relationships are affected by devices and the internet.
- Identify the qualities of healthy and rewarding relationships.
- Use the Feelings & Options thinking routine to brainstorm strategies for navigating challenging
relationships.

Key Standards Supported

COMMON CORE

L.9-10.1, L.9-10.3, L.9-10.4, L.9-10.5, L.9-10.6, RH.9-10.1, RH.9-10.2, RH.9-10.4, RH.9-10.7,

CASEL

1a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3d, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e

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AASL

I.A.2, I.D.1, I.D.2, I.D.3, I.D.4, II.A.1, II.A.2, II.B.1, II.B.2, II.B.3, II.C.1, II.C.2, II.D.1, II.D.2, III.A.1,
III.A.2, III.A.3, III.B.1, III.B.2, III.C.2, III.D.1, IV.A.1, IV.A.2, IV.A.3, IV.B.1, IV.B.2, IV.B.4, V.A.1, V.A.2,
V.A.3, VI.A.1, VI.D.1

ISTE

1d, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3d, 4a, 4b, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d

What You’ll Need

Some resources below are available in Spanish

SUPPLIES

Blank paper

IN CLASS

- Lesson Slides

- Friendships and Boundaries

- Lesson Quiz

FOR FAMILIES

- Family Activity
- Family Tips

- SEL Conversation Starter

Lesson Plan

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Consider: Texting and Talking 10 mins.

Before the lesson: This lesson involves students choosing from a list of online resources, which they will
use to explore and analyze the lesson topic. Use the Resource Notes on the Teacher Version of the
student handout to review the resources beforehand. You may want to suggest particular resources over
others for some students, or you may want to watch a resource together as a class. You will also need to
confirm that all resources are accessible and not blocked by your school or district's filter.

1. Ask: How often do you chat or text with your friends? Every hour? Every day?

Invite students to share out. Follow up by asking: How is messaging with your friends different from
speaking to them in person? Do you talk about different things when using a phone vs. in person?

Highlight similarities and differences in how students communicate with friends using devices and in
person, particularly any differences related to frequency.

2. Say: Today we're going to be talking about relationships and friendships and how people communicate with
each other. We're going to begin by watching a short video.

Show the Teen Voices: Friendships and Boundaries video and ask students to think about the
discussion questions as they watch (Slide 4).

3. Invite students to share out their ideas about the video. As students share out, highlight examples of
relationships and communication that feel positive and healthy and ones that do not. Follow up by
asking: Do their experiences match yours? Why, or why not?

Explore: Friendships and Boundaries 15 mins.

1. Say: You're now going to explore some resources on your own and track what they say about healthy
relationships and unhealthy relationships.

Distribute the Friendships and Boundaries Student Handout and read the directions aloud. (Slide 5)

2. Arrange students in pairs. Have each person review one of the two resources from the handout. Allow
students five minutes to review and take notes on their resource. Then have students take turns
sharing with their partner what they learned from the resource they reviewed. Students should
ultimately complete the Notes Tracker for both resources.

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3. Invite pairs to share out their notes and capture new ideas. (Slide 6) Use the Teacher Version to help
guide discussion. Highlight any specific takeaways that you want students to capture and allow them a
couple of minutes to add to their notes.

Analyze: Flag It 20 mins.

1. Say: When something happens in a friendship or relationship that feels uncomfortable, this is a red flag. A red
flag feeling is when something happens that causes you to feel uncomfortable, worried, sad, or anxious. (Slide
7) It is a warning sign that something might be off.

2. Explain that when you have a red flag feeling, it's important to slow down, pause, and think about how
you're feeling using the Feelings & Options steps.

Project Slide 8 and have students read aloud the questions associated with each step.

Feelings & Options is a thinking routine that supports social skills and thoughtful decision-making for
digital dilemmas. Learn more about teaching with digital dilemmas and thinking routines.

3. Direct students to Part 2 of the Friendships and Boundaries Student Handout and read the directions
aloud. (Slide 9)

Allow students 10 minutes to complete Part 2, and then invite students to share their responses to the
Feelings & Options steps. Use the Teacher Version of the handout for guidance.

4. Optional: If time permits, have students read Part 3: Complicate and choose two to three questions to
explore together. Have students share responses with each other or with the whole class.

5. Have students complete the Lesson Quiz. Send home the Family Activity and Family Tips.

Additional Resources:

Extend the lesson: Have students write and perform an ode-to-healthy-friendships poem. They can
review "Ode to My Socks" by Pablo Neruda to see an example. Have students use Flipgrid or a similar
video app to record and share their poems.

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© Common Sense Media. Lessons are shareable with attribution for noncommercial use only. No remixing
permitted. View detailed license information at [Link].

Lesson last updated: July 2020

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