When friends aren't friendly

Unfortunately, not all friendships are positive. Some can have a negative impact on students' lives and be considered toxic. Teach students how to recognise when a friendship is toxic, and to develop strategies to help them cope with these relationships.

Year Level

7-8

Duration

60 minutes

Type

  • In class activity
  • Online learning

SEL Competencies

  • Social awareness
  • Relationship skills

Learning Intention

Students learn how to recognise when a friendship is toxic, and to develop strategies for dealing with different situations.

Key Outcomes

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

  • identify how positive and negative relationships make them feel
  • define a toxic relationship
  • describe how to deal with negative relationships
  • respond assertively to toxic relationship situations.
Activity 01

Post-It brainstorm: Positive and negative friendships 10 min

  1. Provide students with Post-It notes or equivalent.
  2. Ask students to write, on separate notes, words to describe both positive and negative friendships.
  3. Draw two circles on the board. Label them ‘Positive’ and ‘Negative’.
  4. Ask students to stick their notes on the board in the corresponding circle.
  5. Discuss students’ answers.
  6. Ask the class to write a description of a:
    • positive friendship
    • negative friendship.
  7. Explain to students that sometimes a negative relationship is described as a toxic friendship.