Class: Adult Roles/Financial Literacy Instructor: Leslie August

Unit Name: Families Date: April 16 (Block) 90 minutes

Lesson: Divorce

Core Standard
8.0 Students will describe effective financial management strategies in support of effective ways to develop
meaningful relations in home and family life.

Enduring Understanding
Identify the effects of divorce and coping strategies.
8.3
Identify factors leading to divorce.
8.3.1
List effects of divorce on family members (lower self-concepts, delinquency, and fear, personal adjustments
for each family member, mediation, and family therapy).
8.3.2
Identify coping methods for dealing with divorce (visitation, economic stability, community resources, support
of friends and family).
8.3.3
List legal aspects of divorce (alimony, child support, custody, division of assets).
8.3.4

Essential Questions
1. What is divorce?
2. What are the factors leading to divorce?
3. What are the effects of divorce on family members?
4. What are some coping methods for dealing with divorce?
5. What are the legal aspects of divorce?
6. How will understanding the effects of divorce and coping strategies help you develop meaningful
relationships in the family unit?

Assessment Plan
1. Students will be evaluated by participating in group activities.
2. Students will answer leading questions during lecture.

Learning Outcomes
1. Students will be able to list the effects of divorce on family members (lower self-concepts, delinquency,
and fear, personal adjustments for each family member, mediation, and family therapy).
2. Students will be able to identify coping methods of dealing with divorce (visitation, economic stability,
community resources, support of friends and family).
3. Students will be able to list the legal aspects of divorce (alimony, child support, custody, division of
assets).

Strategies for Diverse Learners

1. Struggling students will have difficulty with this new important concept of Divorce. Working in pairs with
another average student as well as having the questions written on the whiteboard will give them
additional support.
2. Struggling students will benefit from working in groups with other peers for extra help.
3. Using visuals will help struggling students grasp the concepts of the affects of divorce on children.
Time Lesson/Activity Content Materials
15 mins Bell Ringer and EQ1 Celebrity Gossip
Introduction to Divorce: Prior to class, arrange Magazines
As students enter the desks into pairs. Give Whiteboard
room, direct them to each pair a variety of Marker
each sit with a partner celebrity gossip
and look at the following magazines, paying close
prompt, written on the attention to those that
whiteboard for easier highlight relationships,
student access: weddings, and divorces.
“Examine the celebrity How did the student’s
magazines in front of you answers compare? What
to discover relationship factors led to different
trends. With your opinions? Why is
partner, discuss answers marriage a popular
to the following institution in American
questions: culture? How many
-Based on the students think they will
information in the get married someday?
magazines, how sacred Marriage and
is the commitment of commitment often plays
marriage? Do you agree a role in works of
or disagree with this literature, such as
view? William Shakespeare’s
-Why do you think it is “Romeo and Juliet” and
difficult for famous “Macbeth”, or Jane
people to get married Austen’s Pride and
and stay married? Prejudice. How does the
-If a relationship is hard concept of marriage in
to maintain, is it these works compare to
necessarily a “bad” what is being conveyed
relationship? Why or why in today’s literature
not? and/or media? What do
-What is your longest you think accounts for
relationship (either this change?
romantic or platonic)?
What do you do (or what
did you do) to maintain
this relationship?
-Do you think teenagers
are capable of true love?
After a few minutes,
allow time for partners to
share their findings with
the class.
20 mins Activity: Divide the class EQ2:
into four groups and The most common cause
discuss the case studies of divorce is selfishness.
I have handed out. Have It may be the selfishness
each group identify the of not spending time with
problems and devise one’s spouse or children.
solutions on how to It may be selfishness
resolve them. with money. It may be
Possible discussion that a spouse is too
questions: selfish to have children,
 1. What type of too selfish to care, too
selfishness contributes to selfish to work, too
divorce? selfish to nurture a
Finances spouse or too selfish to
Substance abuse apologize. It may be
Sexual infidelity shown in the actions of
Children one spouse dominating
Selfishness the other or in refusing to
2. Are there valid acknowledge the needs
reasons for ending a of her/his spouse, or to
marriage? appreciate his/her
3. What can be done contribution to the
when a spouse finds marriage. Lack of
him/herself being treated communication with a
selfishly? spouse is selfishness
4. Can a person tell because a partner
when her/his actions are refuses to unveil his/her
selfish and are harming a feelings to his/her
marriage? spouse. Sexual infidelity
5. How are society’s is selfish self-satisfaction
standards changing without regard for the
concerning marriage and feelings of the other
divorce? spouse.
Other causes may be
changing value systems,
physical or emotional
abuse, and irreconcilable
religious differences.
Alcohol and substance
abuse are the cause of
many marriages
dissolving, as are
physical and extreme
mental abuse or severe
mental illness.
15 mins Video: the effects of EQ3: TV Monitor
divorce on family No one ever escapes Computer
members. Show the from a divorce YouTube Video: how
YouTube video on the unscathed. He or she is divorce affects children
effects of divorce on permanently harmed.
children. The hope and dreams
See internet address shared with a mate are
Below shattered and are
Ask the students if any of replaced with feelings of
them come from a rejection, insecurity, and
divorced family. Only if loss of self-esteem.
they are willing to share;
discuss the effects of
divorce on family
members. How did they
feel and how did affect
them?
15 mins Lecture: brainstorm with EQ4 Whiteboard
the class why couples Many people say that Markers
divorce. List the reasons dealing with divorce is
on the board then similar to coping with a
 discuss the provided death, depending upon
information on coping whether or not you
with divorce with the initiated the divorce.
students. There is a certain
Have students amount of grieving that
brainstorm some simple must be dealt with. A
activities that families person will go through
going through a divorce the following stages:
might do to strengthen 1. SHOCK AND
each other. NUMBNESS
List these on the 2. REALITY
whiteboard. 3. RECOVERY
The spouse and children
must learn to deal with
these stages.
Often families can
comfort one another,
especially if they realize
what is taking place.
Some families will need
help from a professional
counselor to deal with
the loss and change.
Children will often
change their behavior as
a means of coping. Be
aware of unusual cues
they give to you. Be sure
that children understand
that the divorce was
NOT their fault.

15 mins Lecture: discuss the EQ5 Whiteboard

legal aspects of divorce Divorce increase poverty Markers
(alimony, child support, for both children and
custody, division of mothers.
assets). Married couples seem to
Have students share build more wealth on
what they learned from average than singles.
the assignment due
today regarding the legal
aspects.
List these on the
whiteboard
5 mins Summary: summarize EQ6
divorce, the effects, Divorce affects the lives
coping with, and the of many people. It
legal aspects. affects the lives of the
couple involved, the
children, the extended
family and friends. It is
one of the most
disturbing events that
can happen in life and it
may take many years to
feel a return to normalcy.
 Divorce rarely solves
problems, but rather is
an exchange for a new
set of problems. By
educating ourselves
about the problems
associated with divorce,
we may be better
prepared to avoid this
problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld9TNx3ig1w&NR=1