Module 14
Being Street Smart
Weeks 27 and 28
Ask the students: What, in your opinion, is the meaning of being Street Smart? Student responses to the question are to be written in their workbook. (Page 106)
The answer is:
Always being keenly aware of your environment, whether at school, at play, in the park, at the mall, with or without your parents, or wherever you happen to be. ALWAYS BE KEENLY AWARE OF YOUR ENVIRNMENT!
Now, just to be sure you listened well, write the definition of being Street Smart, in your own words, on the second set of lines in your workbook.
Use the mall scenario as demonstrated on the video if applicable. Al goes over a scenario where gunfire suddenly breaks out. Consider teaching the drop, spread eagle, Military Crawl Drill, as taught on Video.
Divide the class into 5 groups, and assign each group a number from 1-5, representing the five (5) bullet points on page 106 in their student workbook (Walking on the safe side of the street, Blind spots, Where to walk on the sidewalk, Creating your “Imaginary Friend or Relative”, What to yell when you need to get the attention of others).
Give them a few minutes to prepare a roleplay representing the number they have been given. Allow them to use desks, tables, or chairs as props. Give each group a couple of minutes to present their role-play to the rest of the class. At the end, the group representative (they choose) will give an explanation of what they presented.
Page 106 gives space for students to talk about their imaginary friend or relative they would create when approached by someone making them feel uncomfortable.
STREET SMART SCENARIOS INTRODUCED
After watching the video, tell students:
You must anticipate trouble and stay ready for a possible bullying situation before it occurs. It is much better to stay safe! Being Mentally Tough and Confident will help you immediately implement Awareness, “Hitting the Light Switch,” the “3Rs’, and Body Language. This reaction will become your automatic reflex. (Teacher please explain automatic reflex as necessary.)
You must learn and remember these skills and have the confidence to apply them effectively whenever you are threatened.
Possessing the ability and conviction to “Think on Their Feet” in an emergency or uncomfortable bullying situation is extremely important.
- Bullies come in all ages, shapes, and sizes, looking for an opportunity to take advantage of anyone they can.
- Keen Street Awareness is a VITAL LIFE SKILL that you must have and effectively apply.
- Take two (2) chairs representing two cars going in opposite directions.
- In this make-believe street scene, have someone show the Safer Side of the Street to Walk on and then explain why (This is a review of Awareness Module 1).
- Awareness while walking and its importance
- Blind Spots Awareness
- The best and safest place on the sidewalk to walk and why
Now demonstrate what could happen to people walking on the side of the street that gives the bully an advantage.
The Being Street Smart video also showed a 12-year-old boy walking on the same side of the street as Al. This was a test to see how the boy would react to a surprise enticement.
Discuss the following:
- Picking up an available BLUNT OBJECT and what to do with it
- Creating an Imaginary Friendly Person or Relative
- Blind Spots and Street Safety
- The student is not in proximity to his/her destination. (Three or more blocks from their destination.)
- Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone threatening appears from behind.
- The strange person makes the child feel uncomfortable by aggressively yelling out: e.g., “Hey kid come here for a second, I want to show you this.” (Or anything to immediately attract the kid’s attention)
- “You really need to see this. Kids love this, just take a minute, you’ll be glad you did, come here!” (Or anything to pique the curiosity in the kid.)
The predator will say or do almost anything, aggressively and with enticement, to make the child feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, curious.
- The child responds in the best way they can, using the skills that have been taught
Reinforce how Awareness, “Hitting the light switch,” the 3Rs, SIC, Mental Toughness, and Body Language all play an important role in these Street Safety Awareness situations.
When you are in a real-life situation, you must YELL when you feel danger. When someone approaches you or calls you to come to them you must yell as loud as you possibly can. Why yell? So you can quickly get the attention of other people. Don’t think about being embarrassed. It’s better to be embarrassed AND SAFE!!!
Do you know what to yell!
- The word “FIRE” should be yelled more than the word “HELP”. People generally respond to “fire” because it could possibly affect their safety! (Explain further.)
- For example: Fire, fire, fire, fire, help, help, fire!
- Keep in mind that it is unlawful to yell “FIRE” in places like a “movie theatre,” when there is no actual fire.
Yelling “Fire” in this case would cause a stampede in the crowded movie theater, which would more than likely lead to people being trampled and injured, and possibly killed. The person/s responsible for the false alarm would then be liable for those injuries and any unfortunate death.
Also, on the “Being Street Smart” video is a story about a 17-year-old high school girl who was sexually assaulted by a gang of boys. It tells how neighbors responded to her as they heard her yell for HELP! It was broad daylight when the incident occurred.
“Being Street Smart”
Students give their interpretation of the Theme or Main Idea of the illustration and any possible hidden message(s) as it applies to bullying.
“BEING STREET-SMART” – Poem
You may be asking yourself, “What does “being street-smart” mean and what does that have to do with me?”
Almost all kids are sheltered and protected by their parents or other responsible adults, and that’s how it should be.
When a bully hassles another kid, that kid is no longer under the protective umbrella of parents or responsible adults. The kid is left to fend for him/herself all too often, eventually in the mean streets.
If a kid is not street-smart, and most are not, the bully has the advantage. The bully is then tough to defeat.
Being street-smart is being confident, alert, aware, and having the ability to create confusion and doubt in the bully’s mind.
This is not easily done when a kid has been sheltered all the time.
Being street-smart is knowing words to say, things to do, and not do when a bully has decided he/she wants to bully you.
Being street-smart is doing exactly what a bully doesn’t expect you to do.
Bullies carefully avoid street-smart kids, so make sure the bully quickly knows to stay away from you.
Street-smart kids create on the fly, as quickly as can be.
A street-smart kid’s antennae are sharply tuned for any negative possibility.
Street-smart kids quickly reverse a bully situation in their favor. A kid must be trained to be street-smart by someone who knows and understands the mean streets.
It may or may not be the parents who do the training; however, what a kid wants to avoid is for their street-smart training to come from the bully.
Al Johnson
Remind students: Select your favorite words or phrases in the poem. Copy them onto your “My Favorites” at the end of your workbook! Practice repeating them over and over again, so you are ready to confidently respond to a bully.
“BEING STREET-SMART” VOCABULARY – Discuss the meanings of the following words/phrases, and how they are used in the stanzas of the poem for a clear understanding of the Theme/Main Idea and the author’s intent:
- Sheltered
- Protected
- Hassle
- Protective umbrella
- Fend
- Mean streets
- Avoid
- Create on the fly
- Antennae
- Encounter
- Sharply tuned
Discuss with the students the Words, Phrases, and Stanzas that are in Bold Print in the body of the Poem.
