Session 7:
Me in the world (part two)
Session overview
Continuing from last time, pupils will consider the processes involved in grooming. They'll explore how some individuals or groups can identify, target and access us, leading us towards potentially harmful outcomes. Again, this will firstly take the perspective of Marcus but then encourage pupils to think about their own situations and how these might put them at risk from people or groups intent on taking advantage for their own ends (e.g. gangs, CSE and radicalisation).
A. Session aims & objectives
Begin to understand the processes sometimes used to groom young people
Improve understanding of principles such as British Values and Children's Rights
B. Learning outcomes
I can recognise behaviours that negatively influence or 'groom' young people
I know, understand and can apply positive strategies to keep myself safe
C. Terminology introduced
Example definitions of key terminology are included but, wherever possible, use pupils' own agreed descriptions as per previous sessions.
TARGETING: A person selected as the aim of an attack - in this instance, someone that is sought out to be influenced, taken advantage of or exploited.
DISILLUSIONMENT: Disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as it was believed to be.
REWARD & RECOGNITION: Reward is a way of recompensing someone to motivate them to perform better. Recognition is a basic psychological process — we all want to be appreciated by others, and if you want someone to repeat a behaviour, you should positively recognise it immediately.
D. Resources required
❏ Pupils handheld devices (eg iPads, Chromebooks)
❏ Checklist for Session Seven
❏ Slide pack for Session Seven
Session title
Targeting
Definition of 'targeting'
Disillusionment
Definition of 'disillusionment'
Reward/Recognition
Definition of 'reward/recognition'
Model of grooming
What are they trying to do?
British Values A
British Values B
British Values C
British Values D
British Values E
UNICEF Children's Rights
E. Assessment opportunities
In the plenary, pupils are asked to record what they have learned so far and what else they might wish to learn. This reflection is an opportunity to assess learning to date and pick up on any additional help pupils might need.
Starter activity: Session six recap
In the last session, we began to look at the meaning of 'grooming' and the different ways and opportunities people have to influence us. During this session, pupils will continue to look at the grooming process.
Recap and review ground rules as a class.
Discuss any rules created that worked well, together with any that didn't work – do they need to change?
Make amendments if required. Either way, ensure that pupils understand why we have ground rules and why they are essential.
ASK: (open question to pupils by teacher)
Do you remember what the definition of 'grooming' was?
Ensure pupils pick up on the critical elements of the definition, stated below:
When someone takes action to gain a child's trust to abuse or exploit them
This can take place online or face-to-face and could be done by a family member, friend or another adult, as well as someone they don't know
It may include physical or psychological abuse
It may include persuasion or threats to keep the abuse secret so that no one knows what's happening
Introduce Learning Outcomes for this session.
Activity one: Model of grooming
This activity introduces a more detailed 'model' of grooming. This is intended to give pupils a breakdown of the distinct stages someone might go through when being targeted by another person and how they might go about it.
EXPLAIN:
We're going to look at ways in which someone might be groomed. We'll break this down into several stages to help us understand even more about how someone might try to influence us.
Discuss each of the following stages and encourage pupils to reflect on each one, giving examples by referring to where they might have seen evidence of this in the story.
SHOW:
Slides 2-7: Targeting; Disillusionment; Reward/Recognition
Discuss the definitions with pupils to ensure they understand their meaning.
SHOW:
Refer to Resource Sheet 7a - Model of grooming if more detail is required.
NB: Teachers must be clear on these five elements of the grooming model. This will help them confidently talk through this sensitive and complex topic with language that pupils will understand.
SHOW:
Slide 9: What are they trying to do?
Discuss the slide as a summary statement of the grooming model.
Activity two: Is Marcus being groomed?
In this activity, pupils will work together to better understand the stages of the grooming model. Looking again at the story, they will reflect upon things that Marcus' brother Karl and the group of older boys may have said, exploring how this fits within a model of being influenced or 'groomed'. This aims to help pupils understand how some people might seek to influence or even control them.
EXPLAIN:
Working in groups/tables, we'll now use the grooming model we looked at earlier to think about how Marcus is being influenced, making him act differently from how he perhaps wants to.
Look back over the story and find examples that fit with the following statements, which correspond to the stages in the model:
Marcus is identified and targeted
Marcus is made to feel disillusioned
Marcus is persuaded to think differently (leading to him acting differently)
Marcus (or others) justifies negative behaviour
Marcus is rewarded/recognised for his negative behaviour
Use Resource Sheet 7b to record/note examples from the story.
Note: Pupils might come up with different examples from those provided below - assuming they can accurately justify their views - this is fine.
Marcus is identified and targeted
Marcus is made to feel disillusioned
Marcus is persuaded to think differently
Marcus (or others)
justifies negative behaviour
Marcus is rewarded / recognised
for his negative behaviour
Teaching Tip
There are opportunities to link into other aspects of your curricula, e.g. CSE.
You may wish to signpost pupils to relevant support, such as the NSPCC or local agencies.
EXPLAIN:
It's not just other young people that may want to influence us.
ASK:
For what reasons might an individual, group or organisation want to influence us?
Draw out examples relating to:
COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION
Companies/media that want us to buy things. What actions might they take? e.g. celebrity endorsements, convincing us that their product will make us stronger, thinner, more beautiful, etc. Relate this back to our need to belong.
JOINING A GANG
Often preceded by building (a false sense of) trust that may involve offers of 'gifts', 'protection' or 'status'. Again, these draw from our basic needs to survive, belong, gain a sense of power, etc.
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
Manipulating our need to belong, those described as 'controllers' earn victims' trust quickly by making them feel loved and cared for, like part of a family. CSE victims often explain that the controller provided the love they were searching for. Controllers are highly adept at using psychologically coercive language and actions that engender trust and feelings of love or romance.
RADICALISATION
Often follows feelings of disappointment that something is not as good as they thought it would be, i.e. a particular way of life. Therefore, an alternative way of life is presented. Furthermore, any means of bringing this about, including violence, are justified. Victims are made to feel that they are taking legitimate action or following a 'just cause'.
GENDER TOXICITY
A set of (often male) behaviours associated with harm to society. For example, traditional stereotypes of men as socially dominant, along with related traits such as misogyny and homophobia, can be considered "toxic" due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. The violent socialization of boys often normalises violence, such as in the saying "boys will be boys" about bullying and aggression.
Activity three: Children's rights and British values
This last activity encourages pupils to use British Values and the UNICEF Rights of the Child as a basis for exploring how they can keep themselves safe and resist negative influences.
EXPLAIN:
We can all take steps to keep ourselves safe, firstly from being negatively influenced to do things we shouldn't, and secondly by committing to live by specific shared values and staying true to those values, no matter what.
ASK:
• What are British Values?
ASK:
How can we use the British Values and Children's Rights to keep us safe or help us to develop our own values? Focus on Rights 12, 13 & 14 in particular (Right to have a say in all matters affecting them, etc.).
In pairs, pupils should consider how British Values and Children's Rights help them understand negative influence. If possible, they should also identify people they feel can help them stay safe or resist such influence.
EXAMPLE:
Mutual respect and tolerance – respecting other people's rights would mean I was less likely to be influenced by someone who wanted to turn me against someone else just because they might be 'different' to me.
The rule of law/Article 13 – being observant of the law would help me to understand that some people wanted me to break the law and therefore be able to resist that influence while remaining free to express myself.
Talking about these principles with my teacher/religious leader/aunt/uncle will help me identify and protect against any negative influences.
Plenary
Pupils will now get the chance to reflect on their own learning journey so far, as well as any additional related learning they might wish to explore.
Teachers should take the opportunity to use this reflection and self-assessment to decide if any additional work needs to be done with pupils.
Review terminology, any new language and key learning introduced today.
Let's briefly recap on how we got to this point.
In tables, pupils should summarise the key things they have learned so far. They should avoid talking about events from the story, focusing on the concepts that discussions about the story have uncovered.
Hand out Resource Sheet 7c: Our journey so far
Ask pupils to nominate a spokesperson (to give feedback from their table at the end of the activity).
Allow them 5 minutes to individually note their responses to the key points. You may need to prompt them to consider new things they have learnt to do (or to not do) or new concepts they have learned. If necessary, encourage them with questions, for example:
"We have been learning about choice. What do you think are the two most important things we have learned? What else do you need to learn about to help you?"
Each group should briefly discuss their ideas and select one point to give feedback about:
What we have learnt so far...
What else we would want to know...
When pupils have fed back to the group, summarise the class journey regarding what has been covered so far.
We agreed that we all have an identity, which we believe drives our choices.
We now understand how those choices can be influenced by the groups we belong to and others around us.
We looked at how even our basic psychological and emotional needs and the drive to answer them can also affect our choices.
Finally, we're becoming aware that when we communicate with those around us and to the world, we demonstrate how our choices can be/have been affected and that some people will use this to identify, target, and access us. This can lead us to make choices we would not ordinarily have made.
EXPLAIN:
In the next session, we'll focus on just one example of how some people might be negatively influenced by others. We'll try to understand it in more detail and develop strategies we can use in our everyday lives to keep ourselves safe.
Delivery resources
Lime 2021-22 Year 5 Session 7 Checklist.pdfDelivery checklist
Lime 2021-22 Year 5 Session 7 Resource Sheet(s).pdfResource sheet(s)
Lime 2021-22 Year 5 Session 7 Slides (PDF version).pdfSlides (PDF)
Lime 2021-22 Year 5 Session 7 Slides (PowerPoint version).pptxSlides (PowerPoint)