Life Success
For Students With Learning Disabilities:
A Teacher Guide


Perseverance: Secondary Grades

Introductory Activity

As you introduce perseverance, add it to the chart entitled “Keys to Success.”  (You will be adding more attributes to the chart later.)  Have class define “perseverance” in their own words.  Post word cards, posters, and lists brainstormed and created through classroom activities.  Review at the beginning of each day or class period and infuse through the curriculum.  Reinforce and refer to each attribute using “teachable moments” throughout the school day.  Have students find examples of success attributes in current events, news stories, TV programs, peer experiences, and their own experiences, and create a bulletin board with the appropriate attribute as a label.

General Activities

• Share inspirational stories (e.g., tell, have students read, watch movies) of people who have persevered in the face of adversity.
• Have students share their own stories (e.g., tell, write, draw) about times when they have or have not persevered and the outcomes.
• Have students keep journals focusing on experiences requiring perseverance.
• Have students self-monitor their behavior and attitude when playing games (e.g., physical, table-top) that require perseverance.

Extension Activities

Don’t Quit Alternatives

• Brainstorm alternatives to quitting and write them on the board.
• Add these to the list if not mentioned:
• get help, information
• try another way to reach your goal
• get some encouragement, sympathy from a friend
• take a breather and try again later
• readjust your goal
• cheer yourself up by doing something you like
• get angry and use the anger to give you energy, move you to even more action
• make a mental picture of succeeding - make it very elaborate - bask in the warmth of success - daydream!!
• give yourself a pep talk

• give yourself credit for making it this far
• give yourself credit for the effort you’ve put in
• list the strengths you have that will help you to succeed
• give yourself credit for reaching past goals!

• Have students choose a strategy and make an 8½ x 11 poster of it. Pin them on a bulletin board entitled “Feel Like Quitting?”
• Offer a choice of making up success mottos such as “the difference between success and failure is getting up that one last time,” “quitters never win and winners never quit,” “hang in there,” “nice try,” and have students write them out as posters.

Solutions

(Uses the “Solutions” and “Role Plays” handouts available in the Activities Worksheets section)

• Make a chart and “Solutions” handouts
• Discuss the chart and go over the steps.
• Give an example of using it to solve a problem (e.g., forgot lunch).
• Distribute the “Role Plays” handouts, read the role-plays, and have students choose one problem and solve it using the handouts.  They can write/tape/dictate responses.
• Leave the chart up and have copies of the handouts available under the chart.  As you see students having a problem, have them get a handout and try it on their problem.