Week Long Education: Middle and High School, Starting the Discussion
Promote bullying awareness in your classroom by using the activities and resources in this day-by-day toolkit. Whether you have just a few minutes or you can devote 15 to 30 minutes a day to this important issue, you’ll find everything you need — downloadable materials, discussion ideas, and interesting activities.
Monday - Bullying 101
Morning Announcement
Today’s topic is “Bullying 101.” Bullying can take many forms. It can be physical, and it also can be emotional and social—using words to hurt someone, leaving someone out, or gossiping and spreading rumors. Bullying also happens over cell phones and the Internet. In your classroom today, you will learn what bullying is, how to identify it, and why it happens.
Classroom Education and Activities
Active Learning and Discussion
Bullying 101 – Review what bullying is, how to identify it, and why it happens.
- Visit PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org > Bullying Defined
- Bullying 101 – covers the basics about what bullying is and isn’t, the roles of teens, and tips on what students can do in response to bullying.
Common Points of View About Bullying – Share these often repeated statements, followed by insight into the real story.
Discussion Questions:
(To make sure all students participate, you may want to break the class into groups of 5 to 8 students. Appoint one student in each group to take notes and report results to the class. Consider using that feedback for future bullying prevention projects.)
- What is bullying?
- Why might kids be bullied?
- Why might kids bully?
Video and Discussion
Watch “Teen Talk on Cyberbullying” Video. Discussion Questions:
- How do you define cyberbullying? How is it different from traditional bullying?
- How does/would being cyberbullied make you feel?
- What could you do as a bystander when you see cyberbullying?
Handout
Share or print Bullying Prevention 101: A quick guide for middle and high school students
Tuesday - Who Is Involved?
Morning Announcement
Today’s bullying prevention topic is “Who is Involved?” Everyone knows that bullying situations involve the student who’s targeted and the student doing the bullying. Did you also know that many situations involve bystanders — students who aren’t involved directly but see what’s happening?
Bystanders are powerful. In fact, more than half of bullying situations will end if bystanders take action. Direct confrontation is one way to intervene, but is recommended only if its feels safe to do so. Indirect help — such as not encouraging the situation or offering support to the person being bullied — is also effective. The most powerful acts to take are giving support to the person being bullied. Bystanders can also let other students know that bullying is not okay. In your classroom today, you will be learning about different ways to respond to bullying situations.
Classroom Education and Activities
Active Learning and Discussion
Are you being bullied? Bullying can happen to anyone – and it’s not so simple to recognize. Review this checklist to determine if bullying might be happening to you. An important note here is that students should complete the checklist and not be required to share results.
Could You Be the Person Bullying? There is no typical student who bullies. Review this checklist to determine if any of these questions apply to you. An important note here is that students should complete the checklist and not be required to share results
Person First – Explain the importance of recognizing the person first, then his or her differences.
Discussion Questions:
(To make sure all students participate, you may want to break the class into groups of 5 to 8 students. Appoint one student in each group to take notes and report results to the class. Consider using that feedback for future bullying prevention projects.)
- What are other ways that students can address bullying?
- What can you do in a cyberbullying situation?
- How does language affect how differences are perceived?
- What can someone who sees bullying do?
- What can teens do within their school to help prevent bullying?
- What options does someone who is being bullied have?
Video and Discussion
Watch “Advocacy and Self-Advocacy” Video. Visit PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org > Advocacy For Others.
Discussion Questions:
- What is advocacy?
- What is self advocacy?
- How does learning advocacy skills help address and prevent bullying?
Wednesday - Bullying Impacts Everyone
Morning Announcement
Today’s topic is “Bullying Impacts Everyone.” National Bullying Prevention Month, held in October each year, was created to raise awareness and provide options to respond to bullying. Bullying isn’t something that can be resolved in a month, however. Students and adults need to work on it throughout the school year to be effective. For many years bullying was thought to be a normal part of childhood and that targets just needed to toughen up and deal with it. We now know that bullying has long-term negative effects. Students who are bullied often have a loss of self-esteem, endure physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches, begin to miss school, suffer slipping grades, and become depressed. Students who bully are more likely to have a criminal record as an adult. Witnesses report feeling less safe at school and they fear that the bullying might happen to them. Bullying affects everyone. Together, through a united effort, everyone can affect how bullying is addressed in school.Classroom Education and Activities
Whether you’re the target, the bystander or even the student who picks on others, there’s something you can do to put an end to bullying.- Are you being bullied: PACERTeensAgainstBullying > Advocacy For Self
- Do you bully?: PACERTeensAgainstBullying > Advocacy For Self
- Advocacy for others: PACERTeensAgainstBullying > Advocacy For Others
Discussion Questions:
(To make sure all students participate, you may want to break the class into groups of 5 to 8 students. Appoint one student in each group to take notes and report results to the class. Consider using that feedback for future bullying prevention projects.)- What are some of the long-term consequences of students being bullied?
- What might be the long-term consequences for students who bully?
- How is a school environment in which bullying is not tolerated different from one in which bullying is not addressed — or maybe is even accepted?
- What are some ideas to continue bullying prevention efforts in your school?
- How can older students educate and help younger students?
- What rules or guidelines could your school establish around bullying?
Video and Discussion
Watch “Bullies and Bystanders” Video. Visit PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org > Advocacy For Others (scroll to bottom of page) Discussion questions:- What are some positive ways bystanders can help end bullying?
- What are some negative ways bystanders can contribute to bullying?
- What could you do as a bystander when you see physical bullying?
- What could you do as a bystander when you see verbal bullying?
- What could you do as a bystander when you see cyberbullying?
Handouts
Share or print:Thursday - Students and Adults Working Together
Morning Announcement
Today’s bullying prevention topic is “Students and Adults Working Together.” When it comes to bullying, teens and adults don’t always see eye-to-eye. In one survey, for example, educators said they intervened in bullying situations 75 percent of the time; students said adults intervened only 10 percent of the time. Why the difference? Bullying often happens outside the view of adults, bullying is not always easily recognized, and adults may not perceive a situation as bullying.
Many students don’t talk with an adult about bullying. Some think they need to handle it on their own, others may have received unhelpful advice, and still others might think adults could make the situation worse.
In your classroom today, you will be learning why students don’t tell an adult, how to talk with an adult about bullying, and why it’s important to tell, seek help, and work with adults to deal with bullying.
Classroom Education and Activities
Active Learning and Discussion
Share Your Opinion! – Participate in an interactive polls.
Did you know – Read these interesting facts, some you may already know, some will definitely be new and informative.
Reasons Teens Don’t Tell – Explore reasons students don’t tell an adult about bullying.
Advice Gone Wrong – Check out advice from adults that may not be helpful.
Discussion Questions:
(To make sure all students participate, you may want to break the class into groups of 5 to 8 students. Appoint one student in each group to take notes and report results to the class. Consider using that feedback for future bullying prevention projects.)
- What are some of the reasons teens don’t tell an adult?
- What can schools do to help prevent bullying?
- What can parents do to be helpful?
- What is not helpful?
Video and Discussion
Watch “What Should You Do? Inclusion |PACERTalksAboutBullying, Ep. 29”Video. Visit PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org > AdvocacyForSelf
Discussion Questions:
As you watch the video, pause at the beginning of each prompt and record your response about the possible impact of that option on bullying prevention. Then press play to hear what other students think about that option. Continue this format for the other prompts.
Friday - Create a World Without Bullying
Morning Announcement
Today ’s theme is “Create a world without bullying.” Bullying prevention takes a united effort of students and adults. It also takes an individual effort. It is about each person taking responsibility. Each one of us can participate in creating a world without bullying. Each one of us can also define where we want to start.” For example, you might start with “creating a classroom without bullying”, or leading your sports team to “create a team without bullying.” The more who speak out, the more that bullying can be prevented.
Classroom Education and Activities
Active Learning and Discussion
Share Your Opinion! – Participate in an interactive polls.
Take the Poll at PACERTeensAgainstBullying > AdvocacyForSelf
Student Action Plan – Ready to take action to address bullying? Maybe not sure how to start? As a student, bullying is something that impacts you, your peers, and your school – whether you’re the target of bullying, a witness, or the person who bullies. Bullying can end, but that won’t happen unless students, parents, and educators work together and take action. Start by creating a plan that works for you and your situation.
Learn more at PACERTeensAgainstBullying > AdvocacyForOthers
Take Action – Keep the momentum going with one or more of the ideas listed here.
- Hold a Pledge Signing Event Set up a table at your school where students can sign paper copies of the “Together Against Bullying” pledge
- Students with Solutions An initiative which engages students to address bullying through videos, art and writing. After viewing and discussing a video(s), students can share their poetry or stories, create a drawing, film a short video, or design a graphic that are then eligible for awards and recognition.
