Sleep and Dreams
Lecture/Discussion Topic 2(a):
Why do we Dream?
To open your class discussion on dreaming, pose the question of why we dream to students.
Expect a variety of student suggestions, even some from Chapter Five, for those students who have read the chapter. Write all student suggestions on the board. As the lecture covering sleeping continues, check off any suggestions that correspond to the material presented.
Lecture/Discussion Topic 2(b):
The Ancient Egyptians and Dreaming
This also may serve as a lecture opener, to arouse student interest in the topic of dreaming.
§ The Ancient Egyptians explained dreams in terms of meaningful opposites (Fontana, 1994, p. 10). Author David Fontana provides a foundation of dreams by addressing the understanding Egyptians -from the Middle Kingdom years (2040-1786 BC)- had of human dreaming. For example, at this time in history, the Egyptians interpreted dreams of happiness as really a foreboding of terrible events to come. Just as happy dreams predicted future distress, bad dreams could be taken as a sign of future successes or good fortune to come. In addition, all dreams were said to be made up of content delivered directly by the gods.
§ Ask students to volunteer any stories or folklore related to dreams that they have either heard, or believe. Point out that the previous introduction -over the Egyptians and ancient beliefs used to explain dreams- illustrates that the interest we have now in explaining dreams is just a powerful as it was in ancient times. And, many traditional explanations for dreams have weaved their way into the fabric of current explanations
In-Class Activity Topic 2:
Lack of Sleep: Effects
Time & Tools: (a) Students will need one-half sheet of notebook paper, a pen/pencil, and their textbook for reference (b) this in-class activity should take 10- to 15-minutes depending on your class size.
This in-class activity will combine knowledge earned from the previous section. Students will work in pairs to explore the effects of sleep deprivation on their everyday lives.
§ Ask students to list five events in their lives that interfere with sleep.
§ Then, ask students to organize into student pairs.
§ Once all students have found a partner, ask students to share their ideas with their partner and offer each other suggestions for what could help reduce the effects of the disturbing factors that contribute to sleep disruption.
§ students worried about school work; advice may be to set days of the week and times where only work for that class should be done- this may reduce the worries that interfere with sleep
Independent Student Development Topic 2:
Dream Journal
*Plan Ahead: This activity should be assigned prior to students learning material from Chapter five, as the first stage of this assignment must be completed one-week prior to Chapter Five’s introduction.
Many introductory psychology courses advance student activities that include “dream journals.” This independent student development assignment puts a spin on the old “dream journal” activity:
§ Ask students to use 5 index cards to record dreams over a five night period, only on one side of the index card.
§ Be sure to emphasize for students that as soon as students awake will be the best time to capture the most vivid images and storyline from their dreams. Encourage students to keep their nightly index card near their sleeping area with a pen/pencil.
§ After students have recorded five dreams, ask students to summarize their feelings about the dreams in one-to two-paragraphs on a sheet of notebook paper.
§ Encourage students to be creative with their summaries- it is not often we take the time to critically evaluate dreams that, more times than not, appear as fleeting memories, and then just vanish from memory…
§ Students should stable their dream index cards to their summary and either:
§ Turn their assignments in for instructor review
or
§ Share their findings with students at the next class session in student-groups or with assigned-partners.
§ This independent student development assignment presents students with an opportunity to reflect on their dream experiences with a critical eye.
