Betty Rollin, Author

First, You Cry (Season One)

Overview

“When I hear other people tell stories about their lives, if they’re well told, I benefit.” -Betty Rollin, The Thread

In the last interview before her death, Betty Rollin reflected on her life journey, marked by career shifts and personal challenges. She discussed how she used humor in her book First, You Cry about her battle with breast cancer. Rollin opened up about assisting her mother in peacefully ending her battle with cancer and trying to cope with the loss of her husband.

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Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

*Learn about moral courage from a very personal point of view

*See the power of storytelling to decrease stigma and shift understanding

English Language Arts

*Explore the emotions of loss and grief and the capacities of resilience and courage

*Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one author

*Explore the idea of purposeful work and a meaningful life

*Use Betty Rollin’s episode as evidence to write a rhetorical argument, commentary, or synthesis essay

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

First Take >

The "First Take" activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the "First Take" asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Betty Rollin's lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of her interview using the "First, You Cry" episode and transcript.

In this lesson, students will explore the transformative power of one story.

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"First, You Cry" >

In this lesson students will explore memoir as a genre with Betty Rollin's episode in mind.

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Resources

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