Standards
NYS module line
- HDR 2. Self-Concept and Self-Image a)Define the term self-concept and identify factors which affect the formation of self-concept
- HDR 2. Self-Concept and Self-Image b)Compare characteristics of a positive and a negative self-concept
- HDR 2. Self-Concept and Self-Image c)Identify ways that an individual's self-concept changes
- HDR 2. Self-Concept and Self-Image d)Describe ways personal image is projected to others through physical appearance, verbal and nonverbal communication, behavior, and action
- HDR 2. Self-Concept and Self-Image e)Assess the impact of first impressions on the development of relationships in social and work settings
CTE theme line
- CTE HSW 5. Social-Emotional Learning a)Discuss how personal habits, environment, and heredity affect social-emotional health
- CTE CIR 5. Peer Relationships c)Describe how self-esteem and self-image impact peer relationships
NYS FACS learning standard
- NYS FACS Learning Standard 2 (Intermediate)Key Idea: Students will know the basic principles of home and community safety. They can demonstrate the skills necessary to maintain their homes and workplaces in a safe and comfortable condition. They can provide a safe and nurturing environment for themselves and others.
Performance Indicator: none of the three Standard 2 indicators fits; the key idea's "nurturing environment for themselves" is what the self-talk swap builds. The state assigns only Standard 2 to HDR.
CDOS
- CDOS Standard 3aPersonal Qualities
National FCS 3.0
- National FCS 3.0 13.2.3Examine how self-esteem and self-image affect relationships.
- National FCS 3.0 12.2.2Examine how social, economic, and technological forces shape individual growth and development.
(Five module lines instead of the usual one to three because each has a step: a) in Step 1, b) and c) in Step 3, d) and e) in Step 4. Line e) is taught here, in Step 4, where students read two fictional candidates walking into the same interview and judge what the interviewer already decided; Lesson 3.9 revisits it online, Lesson 3.13 with friends, and Lesson 7.5 in a real mock interview, so this is the first teaching and those three are revisits. 13.2.3 and 12.2.2 are both confirmed in the 3.0 text; 12.2.2 carries the media half.)
Enduring understanding and essential question
Big idea: Self-concept is what you believe about yourself. Self-image is how you think you look to others. Both are built by what people say, what you do, and what you see, and a filtered feed is built to make you compare yourself to something that is not real.
Essential question: If the photo everyone liked was edited, who were they liking?
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- (Low) Define self-concept and self-image in their own words and list four factors that build or dent each.
- (Mid) Given an unedited and an edited version of the same photo described in words, identify five changes the edit made and explain what each change is designed to make a viewer feel.
- (High) Rewrite six negative self-talk lines as accurate, positive lines and judge which rewrite would actually change what they do tomorrow, with a reason.
Vocabulary
Tier 2 (general academic): compare, accurate, project (to show), influence
Tier 3 (FACS): self-concept, self-image, self-esteem, self-talk, filter, first impression (previewed). See the unit vocabulary list (Vocabulary 03.md) for Turkish, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Materials and setup
Handout 03.05 - Self-Talk Swap.md, one per student- Slides:
Slides 03.05 - Self-Concept Self-Image and the Filtered Life(slide 6 and 7 are the photo pair, described in words on the outline; Sal may use a real pair of his own hand or a mug, never a student and never a body) - The influences map from Lesson 3.4, in the FACS folder
- Index cards, one per student, for the closure
- Timer visible to the class
- Setup notes: none beyond the slides. If Sal wants a real edited pair on screen, photograph an object (a coffee mug on a desk) and run it through a filter: brighten, blur the background, smooth the surface, crop. The lesson never edits a person.
Pre-assessment
The do now asks students to write one word they would use to describe themselves (private) and one word they think a friend would use. The gap or match between the two is the lesson, and the two words never leave the page. Yesterday's quiz exit lines tell you whether the class is ready to move from stages to self.
Do now and hook (Time: 4 min)
On the board: "Private, nobody shares: write one word that describes you. Then write one word you think a friend would use to describe you. Are they the same word?"
Debrief: "Hands only: is your first word the same as your second? Different?" No words are said aloud. Then the hook, slide 2: "The first word is your self-concept. The second is your self-image. Today is about where each one comes from and what a phone does to both."
Procedure
| Step | Teacher will | Students will | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Direct instruction: two definitions, and what builds them | Slides 3 to 5. Self-concept: what you believe is true about yourself (I am good at fixing things; I am bad at math). Self-image: how you think you look to others. Self-esteem: how you feel about both. Then the builders and denters, slide 4: what people say to you (family, friends, teachers, strangers online), what you do and how it goes (a lab that worked, a test that did not), what you see (other people, ads, feeds), and what you tell yourself. Slide 5: positive self-concept vs negative, side by side (tries new things vs avoids them; says "not yet" vs "never"; takes a compliment vs argues with it). Tie to Lesson 3.4: the influences map is the environment half of self-concept. | Copy the two definitions onto the handout, Part 1. Fill the four builder and denter boxes with one example each (general, not personal). | 7 min |
| 2. Learning activity: the filtered feed | Slides 6 and 7, the same photo twice, described in words on the outline (a person at a beach at noon; the edit adds warm light, smooths skin, blurs the crowd out, straightens the horizon, boosts the sky, and crops out the trash can). Task: spot the five changes and write, for each, what the change is trying to make the viewer feel. Then slide 8: how long the edit took (the outline says twelve taps and two minutes), how many photos were taken to get the one (about thirty), and the question: "When someone compares their real Tuesday to this, who wins?" | Find five changes on Part 2. Write the feeling each change is aimed at. Answer the last question in one sentence. | 8 min |
| 3. Self-talk swap | Slide 9. Self-talk is the fourth builder, and it is the one you control. The swap rule: not fake, accurate. "I am terrible at this" becomes "I got two of the six steps; I need the other four." Model two swaps. Students do six on Part 3 (the lines are general, printed on the handout, not about themselves), then one private line of their own on the back, never collected. Then rank: which rewrite would actually change what you do tomorrow, and why? | Rewrite six lines. Write one private line and its swap on the back. Rank and explain the one that would change a real action. | 9 min |
| 4. First impressions preview: what you project | Slide 10 and 11. Self-image goes both ways: you also send one. Four channels: appearance (clean, put together, not fancy), words (what you say and how), nonverbal (eye contact, posture, phone down), behavior (on time, follows through). Two fictional characters walk into the same interview described in words, one on the phone and slumped, one with a greeting and eye contact; before a question is asked the interviewer has an impression. The rule: a first impression takes seconds and can be changed with actions over time. Say that Lesson 3.9 picks this up online and Lesson 3.13 picks it up with friends. | Fill the four-channel table on Part 4 with one thing each character did. Write one thing they would change about the first character. | 7 min |
Questions to ask
Monitor understanding:
- What is the difference between self-concept and self-image?
- Name two things that build self-concept and two that dent it.
- Which of the five edits in the photo was the one you noticed last? Why do you think it was hidden?
Deepen learning:
- If you know a photo is edited, does it still change how you feel? Why might it?
- Self-talk is the one builder you control. What would it take to actually change the sentence in your head, not just on paper?
- The first character in the interview may be a great person having a bad day. What does that tell you about how much a first impression really knows?
Check for understanding
Whiteboard check after Step 1: "Self-concept or self-image: 'I think people see me as the funny one.'" A "got it" answer is self-image, with "it is about how I look to others." Clipboard during Step 3: for each student, a yes or no on "rewrite is accurate, not fake" (a rewrite of "nobody likes me" to "everybody loves me" is a no; "two people sat with me at lunch today" is a yes).
Closure (Time: 5 min)
Index card, private side and public side. Private side (kept by the student): one negative line you tell yourself and its swap. Public side (turned in): 3 factors that build self-concept, 2 things an edit changes in a photo, 1 channel you project an impression through. Three students read a public "1" aloud. Sort the public side into "got it" and "needs more."
Differentiation and supports
- ELL: the two definitions have a picture cue each (a mirror facing in, a mirror facing out); the photo changes are listed in a word bank (light, smooth, blur, crop, color); word bank on the handout for self, image, compare, filter, and real in Turkish, Portuguese, and Spanish; sentence starter for the swap: "Instead of ___, I can say ___."
- IEP and 504 (general): four swaps instead of six; the photo task may be done in pairs; the private line is optional; the closure card may be spoken to the teacher for the public side; extended time on Part 3.
- Grade 6 support: three swaps; the photo task asks for three changes; Part 4 is one channel per character.
- Grade 8 stretch: Part 5 on the handout: write the caption the edited photo would probably get and the caption the unedited one deserves, then two sentences on which one you would rather be friends with and why.
- UDL checkpoint used: multiple means of engagement (every self-referencing task is private; the public work uses general lines) and multiple means of representation (a photo pair, a side-by-side table, modeled swaps).
- No-kitchen or no-machine alternative: not needed.
Assessment
| Objective | Standards met | Learning task | Assessment (formative or summative; tool) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Define both terms; list four builders and denters | HDR 2. a) and b); HSW 5. a) | Part 1, Step 1; whiteboard check | Formative; handout checked for definitions and four boxes; the terms return on the Unit 3 test |
| 2. Identify five edits and the feeling each targets | HDR 2. c); National FCS 12.2.2; CDOS 3a Personal Qualities | Part 2, Step 2 | Formative; scored complete, partial, or missing for daily work |
| 3. Rewrite six lines and judge which would change an action | HDR 2. b), c), d); CIR 5. c); National FCS 13.2.3; Std 2 KI | Part 3 and Part 4, Steps 3 and 4 | Formative; clipboard yes on "accurate, not fake"; the swap skill is one of the tools rated in Lesson 3.8 and can appear in the Stress Plan (Lesson 3.9) |
Homework
None. Optional: notice one edited photo on any feed this week and name one thing the edit changed. Do not post about it. Do not name the person.
Connections
Inside the building: the health teacher owns body image, eating, and anything medical; share slide 4 and slide 9 so both classes use "self-talk" the same way. The art or media teacher, if there is one, can show how a filter works in two minutes, which makes the "twelve taps" number real. [Sal: your Brentwood personal branding unit had a first impressions lab with a handshake and greeting practice; that practice runs in Lesson 3.13 and again in Unit 7, not here.]
Sources
- NYS Middle Level CTE FACS Content Module 02, Human Development and Relationships (nyctecenter.org, June 2018), lines 2. a), 2. b), 2. c), and 2. d). Copy in
02 Standards/NYS Module PDFs/. - NYS Middle Level CTE Theme Module, Health, Safety, and Wellness, line 5. a); Theme Module, Communication and Interpersonal Relationships, line 5. c). Same folder.
- NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (1996), Standard 2, Intermediate, FACS strand. Wording per
02 Standards/STANDARDS SOURCES - web research.md, section 2. - National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education 3.0 (LEAD FCS Education, 2018), competencies 13.2.3 and 12.2.2.
- Sal's own materials: the "online you vs the real you" packet (Brentwood, Unit 5 Personal Branding, April 2026) supplies the filtered-life framing, the highlight reel vs real life contrast, and the "keep some privacy, post what is real" resolution; the first impressions lab packet from the same unit supplies the two-character interview and the four channels. Both are rewritten here without the branding language, and the fictional characters are new.
Teacher notes
- The photo pair is an object or a landscape, never a student and never a body. If a student says "but you can edit your face too," the answer is "yes, and the same five changes are happening; that is the point," and then move on. Weight and shape are not discussed in this room.
- If the period runs short, cut Step 4 to the four channels with no table; Lesson 3.9 and Lesson 3.13 cover it again.
- Common mistake: students rewrite negative self-talk into fake positive self-talk. Hold the line on "accurate." The clipboard check is for this.
- The private side of the closure card stays with the student. Say it twice. If you forget, someone will hand it in, and you will have a problem to solve.
- [Sal: your Zoe story from the Brentwood packet is a good two-minute read-aloud before Step 2 if the class is slow to see the cost of a two-self life. The version in the slides is a new fictional character; use yours if you prefer it.]