Watch the clip and then complete the activities.
Think-Pair-Share
Students do a Think-Pair-Share on the clip using the following:
- What is your initial reaction to the video? How big a problem is this for you and your friends?
- Describe a time when you have experienced someone else being distracted by a screen? How did it feel?
- Do you think screen-addiction is a bigger problem with your generation than other generations? Explain.
Read & Respond
- Article: Pay attention, lest we forget how (5 min)
Students read the article ‘Pay attention, lest we forget how’ and complete the Values-Identities-Actions Thinking Routine.
The author says that “Encounters with Jesus in the gospels are luminous with this quality of attention – all of them.” Students rewrite this thought in their own words and illustrate it with an example from the Gospels that they appreciate.
Extend
As a class watch the TED Talk ‘The art of paying attention’ (13:09).
In pairs, students do the activity at the start of the video (1:20 – you may choose to only watch up to 4:30). Students reflect on the experience and discuss:
- Did you notice things about your partner that you didn’t notice before?
- What might be different if we approached all our interactions with people with the same level of focus and attention that we used for this activity? How would that change the way your interactions feel?