What else is also true?
Learning intention By the end of this lesson, students can find a second honest frame for a difficult situation and explain how it changes the possible next steps.
This classroom lesson is the base for session 3 of Ten sessions for advocates.
- Time
- 40 minutes
- How the room works
- Groups of three or four
- You need
- Paper, pens and fictional scenario cards
- Opens with
- Stress, reintroduced
Before you start
Never ask students to reframe trauma, discrimination, abuse or a live personal difficulty. Keep scenarios fictional and personal reflection low-stakes.
Read the full safeguarding note Adapting it for your class A note home for this lesson
Open this drawing in the library
Why this matters
When something goes wrong, the first story about it can feel like the only truth. Reframing keeps the facts and the difficult feeling. It asks whether another part of the situation is also true, and whether that wider view makes another response possible.
Skill in context Finding another honest angle that makes a difficult situation feel less fixed without denying what hurts.
On the skill of reframingTry the interactive practiceTry it yourself first
“What Else Is Also True” takes a few quiet minutes, just for you, before you teach it. Nothing you write in it is saved or sent.
Open with “Stress, reintroduced”
5 minUse Stress, reintroduced as an optional experiment in interpretation. The bodily feeling may remain uncomfortable, and students do not need to believe a new story.
Notice whether pressure is present in your body today, perhaps as a faster heartbeat, a busy stomach or no clear sensation at all.
One possible way to read these sensations is that the body is preparing to meet a demand. That interpretation may be useful, and it may not fit every situation.
If you would like to, take an ordinary breath and try the sentence, "My body is responding, and I can decide what support I need."
The sensation does not need to disappear, and you can return your attention to the room whenever you choose.
Listen for Scepticism and discomfort are valid. Do not claim that a reframe improves performance or makes stress helpful in every context.
Teacher explanation
10 minA frame directs attention towards some parts of a situation and away from others. Reframing begins by separating the event from the story we have attached to it, then asking what else is supported by the facts.
An honest reframe leaves the difficulty in place. "This result shows me where I need support" may sit beside disappointment; it should not become "The result does not matter." Some situations are harmful or unjust and need action, not a more cheerful interpretation.
Questions for the room
- How can the same event support more than one honest story?
- Why might the first frame be especially narrow during pressure?
- How can we recognise when a reframe has become denial or forced positivity?
The frame swap
15 min- Model a low mark by separating the fact from a first frame such as "I am incapable" and another truth such as "This gives me information about where I need help."
- Give each group one fictional, low-disclosure situation, such as a missed bus, changed plan, disappointing result or place on the bench.
- Write the first narrow frame, then find two or three other frames that remain supported by the situation.
- Reject any wording that minimises the loss, blames the person or requires gratitude.
- Choose the frame that opens a realistic next step, including asking for help, resting, appealing a decision or doing nothing yet.
- Share the scenario, the wider frame and the possible next step, while leaving room for other interpretations.
Private reflection
7 minBring to mind a small, low-stakes hassle without writing what it was. What else is also true, and does that additional truth change anything you may choose next?
How they reflect Private journal
Closing
3 minYou do not need to argue with the first story or replace it with a brighter one. You can ask what else is true and let a fuller picture shape the next choice.
Safeguarding
Never ask students to reframe trauma, discrimination, abuse or a live personal difficulty. Keep scenarios fictional and personal reflection low-stakes. Follow safeguarding procedures if a disclosure emerges.
If something a young person says gives you concern, follow your setting’s usual safeguarding route. This is not yours to carry alone.
Adapting it
In other settings
Take this lesson with you
The plan is editable, so you can change the names, the examples and the timings to fit the young people in front of you.
To teach
For students
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