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Strong Marriages

Additional Core Ties

Adult Roles and Financial Literacy
Strand 6 Standard 3

Authors

CTE LESSON PLANS

Summary

Students will be able to identify positive characteristics and behaviors of strong marriage relationships, identify specific behaviors found in strong marriage relationships, and develop a list of ways to personally build and strengthen a marriage.


Materials


Instructional Procedures

Introduction
How many of you would try to make a fancy new food without following a recipe? We all know that in order to make a successful food product, we must know what ingredients and how much of those ingredients are needed.

Have students list on the board a list of "ingredients" that they feel would be necessary to a successful and strong marriage. Also discuss attitudes and behaviors that could be detrimental to a marriage.

Content Outline, Activities and Teaching Strategies
(All options do not necessarily need to be taught. Select ones to cover standards and objectives and according to your district policies.)

Option 1: Happy Marriage
Give the Happy Marriage Lecture (pdf). Suggested assignment for this option is to have students make their own lists of what they think will keep a marriage happy.

Option 2: Getting the Bugs Out of Your Marriage
Show the Marriage Bugs PowerPoint. Have students define each bug while you explain what the bug is, the symptoms, and the advanced stages. Then have the students work in small groups to complete the Marriage Bugs Worksheet (pdf). Student will identify treatments they think would help resolve this marriage problem. Then review the suggested treatments with them.

Option 3: Panel - Making a Happy Marriage
Have students write questions for the panel discussion. The panel should consist of a variety of marriage types: happy marriages, struggling marriages, divorced people, etc. Give the panel participants a copy of the questions prior to the discussion. Ask panel members to prepare a short explanation of what they think is required to make a marriage happy. After each panel member has shared his/her feelings, let the class ask questions.

Option 4: Marriage Interview
Have students complete the Marriage Interview (pdf).

Option 5: Making a Happy Marriage
Share the ideas from the Making a Happy Marriage document (pdf). Have the students discuss other ideas that they have observed to be effective in happy marriages.

Option 6: Marriage Counselor
Ask a licensed marriage counselor to come and speak with the class.

Summary/Evaluation
Many people get married without giving much thought or planning to it. Happy marriages do not just happen. They are planned for and worked at constantly. Students need to understand that it is not necessarily expensive to keep a marriage happy. However, it will require time and energy. Maintaining a happy marriage requires give and take from both parties, but is well worth the effort.


Created: 08/02/2011
Updated: 02/05/2018
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