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Big Idea: To have students explore the thoughts and feelings of John and Jane from the play Meet Cute.
By the end of this lesson students will be able to:
Deepen their understanding of the characters from the play
Comprehend and reflect on the characters’ points of view
Create and write a piece that reflects on their understanding
Make inferences about the characters’ motivations and opinions
Materials: Projection or photocopies of the blog post An Open Letter to my Stalker, Paper and Pencils
Health and Physical Education
C2.5 describe factors that influence sexual decision making, and demonstrate an understanding of how to use decision-making and communication skills effectively to support choices related to responsible and healthy sexuality
C1.3 demonstrate an understanding of how relationships develop through various stages, and describe the skills and strategies needed to maintain a satisfactory relationship as the relationship evolves (e.g., communication and interpersonal skills, adaptive and coping skills, conflict resolution strategies)
Drama
A1.3 use role play to explore the possibilities of different scenarios, situations, and characters
B3.2 identify problem-solving techniques they have learned through drama activities, and explain how they can be applied in work and other social contexts
English
2.2 demonstrate an understanding of several different interpersonal speaking strategies and adapt them to suit the purpose, situation, and audience, exhibiting sensitivity to cultural differences
2.3 use appropriate descriptive and evocative words, phrases, and expressions to make their writing clear and vivid for their intended audience
2.5 explain how their own beliefs, values, and experiences are revealed in their writing
Read the blog post entitled An Open Letter to my Stalker. This letter was written by a friend of the playwright’s (Erin Norah Thompson).
When asked permission from the playwright to use her blog post she responded by saying, "I'd be honoured to have my letter used in the guide. I'm glad you and I could connect through our stories and that you felt it was worth sharing. Being able to articulate my feelings toward that man helped me so much. After writing the letter for myself, the next time I saw him I had the courage to tell him he was making me uncomfortable and since then he has left me alone."
What led the author of this blog post to write this letter? What actions did this individual do to cause her to harbour these feelings? How was her consent and her safety put into question?
Instruct students to take on the role of either the author or her stalker.
What was the letter this person gave to her? Instruct students to take on the voice of this individual in the form of a written letter. They may use instances from the play.
What led the author to write this letter? Instruct students to write a diary entry that chronicles her growing discomfort on her bus rides home from work.
Read out some examples of both the letter and the diary entries. How can we deal with instances like these in real life? How does this blog post and this situation connect to those experienced by John and Jane in Meet Cute?
Why is freedom of expression an outlet for us to explore feelings? What resources do we use to express ourselves? What would you do if this situation started happening to you?
Further connect this discussion to John and Jane in Meet Cute: What made it clear that John/ Jane were both uncomfortable with how the conversation was unfolding in the first two scenes. What are some things that both John and Jane could have done differently in either situation?