Our comprehensive curriculum materials are available at the middle school and high school levels. They include lesson plans designed to help educators explicitly teach students the skills that are relevant to their lives and how to apply these skills to daily situations.
Each level of the curriculum includes:
- 80 full lesson plans (50 minutes each) that can be adapted to suit the needs and time constraints of most classrooms
- Over 500 activities and 180 hours of instruction
- Student-centered, activity-based lessons
- Stimulating discussion topics
- Six extension activities for each lesson plan
- Journal writing assignments
- Student worksheets
- Assessment questions
Both levels of the curriculum encompass a variety of individual and collaborative learning techniques, are designed to stimulate critical and creative thinking skills in young people, and engage students with hands-on activities. They incorporate the same pedagogy, structure, and organization, and begin with the three fundamental skills on which all other skills can be built: communication, decision making, and goal setting.
Themes and Topics
Students of the Overcoming Obstacles Life Skills Program learn many important concepts and skills, such as:
- Confidence
- Responsibility
- Respect for self and others
- Teamwork
- Assertive behavior
- Time management
- Stress management
- Maintaining a positive attitude
- Study and test-taking techniques
- Problem solving
- Conflict resolution
Preparing for the Future
Students in the high school program also focus on college and career readiness, and learn strategies and techniques that enable them to:
- Plan for a continuing education
- Complete applications for scholarships, grants, and loans
- Prepare employment applications and resumes
- Perform well in employment interviews
- Excel on the job
- Develop financial responsibility
Applied Skills
Based on the belief that responsible citizenship must not only be learned but also applied, both levels of the Overcoming Obstacles curriculum include our Service Learning Handbook, which provides a step-by-step guide to developing student projects that foster active participation within their communities using content learned in academic courses. The handbook provides descriptions of each phase of a project, as well as lessons to engage students in each step of the planning process. Suggested contacts and website references are also included.
