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🎯 Lesson Title:

Back Talkers: Behind You for Reasons Understanding the psychology of gossip, building resilience, and mastering forward focus

📘 Learning Objective:

Students will analyze the social dynamics of backtalk and gossip, explore strategies for emotional resilience, and create expressive responses that affirm personal growth and forward movement.

✅ Learning Outcomes & Examples:

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define the concept of “backtalkers” and explain why they operate from behind. Example: “Backtalkers are people who criticize others in secret, often out of envy or insecurity. They stay behind because they fear direct confrontation or lack the courage to lead.”
2. Identify tw0 strategies for ignoring gossip and maintaining focus. Example:
   • Silence is strategy: Don’t respond to rumors.
   • Turn repetition into revelation: Use affirmations like “They’re behind you for reasons.”
3. Interpret and perform a monologue that uses repetition and satire to expose hypocrisy. Example: Students rehearse and perform the monologue, emphasizing the repeated line “They’re behind you for reasons” and delivering the satirical Snickers conclusion with punchline timing.
4. Create a personal mantra or short spoken-word piece affirming their own forward motion. Example: “I rise without apology. I move without explanation. I don’t turn around for whispers—I walk forward with purpose. They’re behind me for reasons.”

🧠 Assessment Activities:

• Discussion Prompt: “Why do people talk behind others’ backs—and what does it reveal about their position?”
• Written Reflection: Students write a 30-word sentence capturing the essence of Back Talkers: Behind You for Reasons.
• Creative Response: Students write their own short monologue or mantra using the phrase “They’re behind you for reasons” as a ritual refrain.

🧩 5E Lesson Plan Structure

1️⃣ Engage

Activity: Open with the monologue title and a bold question:

“Why do people talk behind your back—and what does it say about their position?”

2️⃣ Explore

Activity: Students brainstorm reasons why people gossip or backtalk. Create one column:

• Why they’re behind

Purpose: Encourage critical thinking and personal reflection. Reveal the psychology and insecurity behind backtalk.

3️⃣ Explain

Activity: Introduce the full monologue: Back Talkers: Behind You for Reasons Break down key themes: movement, envy, distraction, resilience. Discuss the four strategies for ignoring gossip:

• Silence is strategy

4️⃣ Elaborate

Activity: Students write and perform their own short mantra or spoken-word piece using the refrain:

“They’re behind you for reasons.”

5️⃣ Evaluate

Assessment Options:

• Written Reflection: “What does ‘They’re behind you for reasons’ mean to you personally?”

To be a guest on the podcast: educatorsocialscience@gmail.com or 773-809-8594