LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read opposing viewpoints and take a side; evaluate potential reasons for and against making curfews required for teens.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

CASEL COMPETENCY: Social awareness

KEY VOCAB

infringement

civil liberties

punctuality

mandatory

punitive

Lesson Plan: Should Teens Have Curfews?

Some cities require minors to be home by a certain time each night. Should all cities adopt this policy?

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the debate “Should Teens Have Curfews?” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What are the pros and cons of laws that require teens to be home by a certain time each night?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the debate “Should Teens Have Curfews?”; read the debate out loud to them; or have one student read one side of the debate and another student read the other side.
  • After they’ve read the debate, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION AND VOCAB

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Vocab Builder

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:

In TIME TO WEIGH IN ON CURFEWS, have your students write a one- to three-page persuasive essay to take a final stance on the debate question. They should start with a short introduction on curfews and state whether or not they believe it is O.K. to require unaccompanied teens to be home by a certain time each night. Then they should use a mix of their own thinking along with ideas from the article to give two or three specific reasons to support their side in the debate. Students can also share an anecdote from their own experience that illustrates why teens should or should not have a curfew. Next, they should recognize one convincing argument from the opposing viewpoint in the debate and clarify why they still believe that side is wrong. Remind them to recap their ideas in a creative and memorable way at the end!

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