A Helping Hand

Introduction

As we read Thirteen Reasons Why, we have discussed some things the people in Hannah's life could have done to recognize the signs of suicidal thought in their friend and student. As you complete this webquest, you will learn the signs to look for when you think a friend may be considering suicide and develop suicide prevention materials you can share.

Task

You have three tasks for this Webquest, as follows:

Your first task will be to learn the warning signs of a suicidal individual. You will select three of these warning signs and find examples of Hannah's exhibiting these signs in the novel.
Using this analysis, you will develop a Thirteen Reasons Why-themed PSA for the provention of suicide.
You will present this PSA to the class and explain your stylistic choices.

Process

Using the following links, become familiar with the signs and indications that a friend may be suicidal, and write down what you learn:

From your findings, choose three warning signs of suicide. Using your novel, find instances where Hannah exhibits these warning signs, quote the specific passages, and answer the following questions for each warning sign:

Which character was in the best position to notice these warning signs? Why?
Which character was in the best position to help Hannah overall? Why?
What are three things you can do to help a friend who shows these warning signs?

Then, look at the following examples of suicide prevention PSAs. As you watch/view them, take notes on the style of each one. What kind of music do they use? What colors? What language?

Using your analysis from the novel and your style notes from the PSAs, compose a teen suicide prevention PSA of your own. You may create a poster or a movie, and it must reflect the theme of suicide prevention as well as the novel. You will present this to the class and then describe why you chose to include the content you did. Please proceed to the Evaluation section for a rubric.

Evaluation

Size Requirement (10 points)--Your project should be a full-size poster board or a movie PSA lasting at least a minute.
Tone (20 points)--Your project should reflect the serious tone of a suicide prevention PSA, including music, color, and language choices.
Content (30 points)--Your project should "teach" something to the class, particularly how to recognize signs of suicide in a friend. It should be thoughtfully and appropriately presented.
Novel Integration (30 points)--Your project should reflect themes from the novel and should use examples from Hannah's life to convey points to the audience.
Overall Neatness (10 points)--Your project should be grammatically and visually neat.

Conclusion

Throughout this project, you have used the novel Thirteen Reasons Why to explore the concept of teen suicide. Although Hannah's story is ficitional, the real pain felt by people dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts is not. If you suspect someone may be suicidal, remember what you've learned, and don't hesitate to act!