Goal: Students will read and respond to a selection of written works

Students will explore various styles and approaches to writing

Today, we will read an article on "Advice"

Next, students will write a short essay about advice they would give to others or advice that they follow.

Below is a section from an essay that appeared in Reader's Digest.

DIRECTIONS: Read the article. Respond to the author's opinion about giving advice. How do you feel about giving advice to others? What advice do you live by? Should you get involved in other people's lives?

ADVICE: DOES ANYONE ASK FOR IT?
You hate getting it when you didn’t ask for it, but in the end it might have helped you. Unwanted advice is annoying and can put you on the defensive. But occasionally, you’ll need to give advice to someone who desperately needs it, but won’t seek it out. So how do you impart your words of wisdom without seeming nosy or pushy, and when should you just be quiet? Find out now. Plus: Do you have good manners? Take our quiz.

“Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that’s no reason not to give it.” Agatha Christie

Other advice columns and radio call-in shows deal with this same kind of question constantly. You are not alone in your care and concern for trying to do the right thing. With no direct rules and regulations for each different kind of situation, how do you know where to draw the line when it comes to giving unsolicited advice? What if someone you know or love is compromising their health or safety or the health and safety of someone around them? Is it then OK to step in and say something?


Not many people agree on when it would be appropriate to “butt in” and offer advice to someone. Some people are naturally more private while some people let everything hang out in the open. But it’s not difficult to tell the difference between someone who needs advice on the right way to cut a cantaloupe versus someone who needs advice on how to quit smoking. Isn’t it obvious? But sometimes it’s not so simple.

If you decide to offer advice or help in a situation where destructive behavior is occurring, you’re going to have to take a more aggressive approach with advice rather than trying to please the other person by sugar coating it. There’s a definite art to giving advice. First, recognize what your true motives are by asking yourself a couple of questions:

Is it really my business? For example, is it something private between a couple or a family?
Can I really inspire change?
Does the situation call for just a suggestion or an actual stepping in with the intent to change the situation?

This will seem more like a two-way street rather than dictation, which might make them more receptive.

Remember, not many people enjoy receiving unsolicited advice involving personal matters. Solicited advice is something totally different, in which case they either know the answer, but want approval, or they genuinely want advice and will be more inclined to use it. When confronted with advice, people will resort to all sorts of tactics, from being defensive to making all kinds of excuses. And sometimes, there’s only so much you can do.


Sample response:

Student Essay - Sample:
Advice
From the moment you are born, everyone is always giving you advice and telling you how you should live your life. I always listen to others' advice, but I do not always follow it. There has been one piece of advice I have followed since the day it has been given to me and will continue to follow for the rest of my life. From the moment I was able to comprehend what words meant, I can remember receiving one piece of advice from my parents, "as long as you do your best." This advice was given to me in everything I did, from sports to school to my first job. I believe that this is good advice because it tells me that they trust my judgment and will respect my decisions and stand by me, even if I made the wrong ones.

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1.2. Reading Critically in All Content Areas
1.3. Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature


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