The Passport Program: A Journey Through Emotional, Social, Cognitive, and Self-Development . - Grades 9-12 - book reviews

Adolescence, Summer, 1999

VERNON, Ann. Champaign, IL: Research Press, 1998. 288pp. $32.95 (p).

This volume in the Passport Program series gives educators and mental health professionals a comprehensive curriculum to help young people in mid-adolescence learn positive mental health concepts and navigate the journey through the situational and developmental problems of growing up. This book presents 64 activities, field tested with adolescents in grades 9-12. These activities are designed not only to teach young people what is normal, but also to help them learn effective strategies for dealing with problems characteristic of their age group. Organized by grade level, the activities cover four key areas: self-development, emotional development, social development, and cognitive development. Each activity includes a short

statement about developmental perspective, specific objectives, a step-by-step lesson, and content and personalization questions. At the end is a follow-up activity, which reinforces the concepts in a variety of ways, including actual skill practice.