Skip to main content
Home / Classroom / Elementary School / All In Year-long Toolkit /

All In Year-long Toolkit — Registered Entry

Welcome and thank you for registering!

Free, easy to implement online resources designed to inspire students to be invested in creating safe and supportive schools and communities through education, engagement, and peer interaction.

Objective: To provide everything needed for an adult presenter in a classroom or community organization to deliver information on addressing and preventing bullying within the school, in online platforms, and in the community.

Lessons

  • Each tab in the online module contains all the materials for the month.
  • Lessons are designed to be presented each week during the school calendar year (September through April).
  • They can be delivered within a 20-minute time frame or adapted to fit the time requirements.

Audience:

  • Resources and activities are appropriate for grades K-12.
  • Some of the resources are designated for either (a) elementary school students, or (b) middle and high school students.

Structure:

  • Designed to be used in a classroom or community setting
  • Each month focuses on a theme
  • Within each month, there is a weekly pattern:
    • Week One: PowerPoint designed to be delivered by the instructor
    • Week Two: Classroom interaction to supplement the instruction provided in week one
    • Week Three: Club sponsored activity designed to provide every student the opportunity to participate
    • Week Four: Video or book with a follow-up activity or discussion questions

September: Starting the Conversation

Monthly Introduction

The objective for September is to start the conversation with your students on bullying. Within the education piece, students will learn all about the basics of bullying – including everything from the definition of bullying, roles students play, and what they can do to address bullying situations at school. This will be a great foundation for the upcoming month’s activities. The following week of interaction will test their knowledge with a quiz and clarify any follow up questions your students may have about the topic of bullying. The club activity of creating welcoming messages will start the school year off on an encouraging note, showing that students are united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. The month will wrap up with videos and activities that reinforce the positive messages from the month.

Week 1 - Education: Bullying 101

Age relevant classroom guides to start the bullying prevention conversation. Include group discussion questions for certain slides, ask their students about their own experience if they are willing to share.

Week 2 - Interaction: Test your knowledge!

Give students the age-appropriate quiz to gage what they know about bullying as you begin to start this year long toolkit. Ask students to complete the quiz on their own and then go over answers as a class. Ask students why they chose certain answers and share information from the educator guide with the students.

Week 3 – Club Activity: Welcoming Messages

The start of a new academic year brings many new students to your school. To welcome these – as well as returning students – for a great and positive year, use the schoolwide “Welcoming Messages” activity.

Have your club set up a table during lunch hour or in the library before school. On the table, have Post-it notes or pieces of paper, as well as pens and markers. Ask students to write a welcoming message on the paper to an anonymous peer at their school. You can have examples at the table for students to reference. Encourage students to write multiple notes, so you have enough for every student. Your club or group may need to write additional notes to ensure you have enough.

Once you have enough welcoming messages, place a note on every student’s locker. This is recommended to do after school one day, so students are surprised and encouraged by their welcome note the next morning when they come to school. Along with placing the notes on lockers, you can also consider displaying the welcoming messages in your school library, the cafeteria, or other visible places to serve as a year-long reminder for students!

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School – Video - You are Braver, Strong and Smarter Than You Think

Have you ever felt like the whispers, giggles, note passing, and looks were directed at you or someone you care about? Imagine if all that attention was channeled into positive action. The Walt Disney Company supported PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center with the creation of an inspiring video titled, “You are Braver, Stronger and Smarter Than You Think.”

As a follow-up activity, have students in your class write a positive note with encouraging messages they’d like to hear, similar to the message on the note passed around the class. At the end of the activity, collect all the notes, shuffle them, and then distribute them randomly back to students in your class. Be sure to read all the notes before passing them out to ensure the messages are appropriate. This is a great way to bring joy and positivity in your students’ day!

Middle and High School - Video – Silent, An Award Winning Short Film about the Power of Kindness

Lindsey Hunter is a 15-year-old freshman at Folsom High School in Folsom, CA. “Silent” is her first short film. Lindsey wanted to create a silent film about a girl living in a silent world to convey the message, “If you are going to say something mean, remain silent.” Lindsey has grown up around people with disabilities, as her father is blind. In fact, when she first showed “Silent” to her father, Lindsey had to describe each scene to him. The story brought her dad to tears.

As a follow-up activity, use the idea below to inspire students’ creative thinking:

Give each student in your class a Post-it note. Ask them, “What are your ideas / solutions as a student to prevent bullying in your school or community?” Give each student 3 minutes to write their ideas down on the Post-it note. Afterwards, have them turn to a partner and discuss their ideas. Together, have them come up with the best idea or solution for bullying prevention. Give students 5 minutes for partner discussion. Next, have students get into groups of 6 and share the ideas they come up with in pairs. As a group, they will then come up with their favorite idea or solution. Give students 5 minutes for this second group discussion.

After groups have their best idea, have each group share their best idea with the class. Have the class give feedback and choose what ideas they would like to implement. If the ideas are realistic and actionable for your school, try to incorporate them into a club activity throughout the year.

October: National Bullying Prevention Month
United! Together Against Bullying, United for Kindness, Acceptance and Inclusion

Monthly Introduction

The objective of this month is for students to learn more about the importance of unity and coming together as a class (or group), a school, and a community to prevent bullying. So often the focus is put on just one person to stand up to a bullying situation, but real social change occurs when we stand united. During this month’s education piece, students will learn more about what unity means and why it’s important in bullying prevention. The following three weeks will build on this important idea as students take a pledge and create a Unity Tree to show the power of Unity. The book or video will wrap up the month on a positive note, further encouraging students to unite to create a safe and supportive school environment.

Save the Date! We encourage you to participate in Unity Day, held towards the end of October!

Make it ORANGE and make it end! What are your true colors when it comes to bullying? If you care about safe and supportive schools and communities, make your color ORANGE on Unity Day. That’s the day everyone can come together — in schools, communities, and online — and send one large ORANGE message of support, hope, and unity to show that we are together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Ideas include:

  • Wear orange to show that we are together against bullying and united for kindness and acceptance
  • Share stories and pictures of your celebrations
  • Encourage participating in activities found in the Unity Day Guide, such as creating orange chains, unity trees, unity parade, and much more.
  • Display a unity banner at your school and ask everyone to sign.

Visit the Unity Day page for more ideas, including how to order posters and other materials.

Week 1 - Education: What does the word “unity” mean and how does it apply to bullying prevention?

During this week’s education piece, share the included PowerPoint with your students to begin the discussion about the concept of unity and what it means to stand together for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. View the PowerPoint presentation, with educator notes.

Week 2 - Interaction: Take the Pledge and plan a Unity Day celebration in your school or community

Write the pledge below on a large poster, take together as a class, and then have your students sign. Keep the pledge up throughout the year to remind students about the pledge they took. You can also create your own classroom pledge around bullying prevention. Have students share words or phrases they think represent the type of classroom they want (such as united, inclusive, supportive, caring, or powerful) and then create your own pledge.

Middle and high school students:

Make a commitment to:

  • Support others who have been hurt or harmed
  • Treat others with kindness
  • Be more accepting of people’s differences
  • Help include those who are left out

Note: An interactive pledge is also available online.

Elementary school students:

Take the pledge:
As a Kid Against Bullying, I will:
Speak up when I see bullying
Reach out to others who are bullied
Be a friend whenever I see bullying

Note: An interactive pledge is also available online.

Week 3 – Club Activity: Unity Tree

The Unity Tree is a powerful symbol reminding everyone that bullying can be prevented when we all come together – united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

Creating a Unity Tree is an interactive and hands-on activity, a shared experience in which anyone can participate and everyone can watch the tree grow. Each person contributes their own unique experiences, creative ideas, and strategies by writing positive messages on leaves that are attached to the tree. As the number of leaves increases, it creates a visual reminder, demonstrating that when we are united we can create social change.

  1. On the classroom wall or bulletin board, create the trunk of a tree, along with branches, with construction paper or materials of your own choosing.
  2. Next, cut out leaf shaped pieces of orange paper; make them large enough for students to write a message. Below are three options for types of messages, or create your own:
    • If you planted a seed, what would you tell your seed about bullying?
    • What can you do change/impact your school’s culture about bullying?
    • How can you support a friend/peer who is being bullied?
  3. Have each student write down their response on a leaf.
  4. Attach each of the leaves to the tree.

Find the full Unity Tree activity here.

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School - Book - The Legend of Spookley and the Square Pumpkin, by Joe Troiano and illustrated by Susan Banta

Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a square pumpkin who lives in a round pumpkin patch world. The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, available as both a book and movie, delivers a message of tolerance and kindness in a fun, accessible format that is easily grasped by young students. By making these advanced concepts easily understood by early learners, teachers can help stop bullying before it begins.

As a follow-up activity, use the Spookley online toolkit, which includes downloadable lesson plans, Spookley play, video reading of the story, and more.

Middle and High School - Video – You’re Not Alone

Every year, 13 million kids in America are bullied. This video features facts and information about bullying, as well as how PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center helps.

As a follow up activity, have students write down words and phrases that they think are important for creating a united school community around bullying prevention. Then have students create an image, or “word bubble,” out of these phrases. This can be done online with a word bubble generator website or by hand drawing. Hang the word bubbles in the classroom as a reminder for students.

November: Reality about Bullying

Monthly Introduction

During this month, students will dive further into the realities of bullying. The objective of this month is for students to learn more about bullying, as well as get answers to frequently asked questions and common myths about bullying. Within the educational component, content will further break down some of the specifics about bullying, such as the difference between bullying and conflict, and if friends can bully each other. These go beyond the basics and will give students further information about the topic of bullying. This theme continues through the interaction piece as students take the myth or truth quiz to learn more about common misperceptions about bullying and the truth behind them. During the club activity, students will see the impact that kindness has through the All In Cards. The month will wrap up with great videos that share about the impact bullying has and how we can all make a difference.

Week 1 - Education: Did You Know?

Now that students know more about the basics of bullying, this week’s education piece will begin to break down some of the more complex issues surrounding bullying.  This will expand student’s knowledge about the issues of bullying, as well as answer frequently asked questions, such as “Do friends every bully friends?” and “Does bullying happen more often than adults think?” View the PowerPoint presentation, with educator notes.

Week 2 - Interaction: Myth or Truth?

For many years, bullying was considered a normal part of childhood and that those who were bullied just needed to toughen up and deal with it. Together, let’s find out the reality behind some of these common misperceptions. Read to students the common views about bullying in the handouts below and ask them if they think it’s a myth or truth. Then share the facts behind the statement. At the end of the discussion, ask the students if there are any other myths about bullying that they’ve heard before.

Week 3 – Group Activity: All In Cards

Goal: Service-oriented activity in which all students can individually participate and see group results of their efforts.

Overview: Club members, or other students and adults, hold a table in which all students are invited to participate by selecting a card with instructions on doing something for others, such as holding the door, saying hi to someone new, or giving a compliment. Once students have completed their kind act, they record how the act made them feel, and turn it in for an incentive. The description or outcome (no names) of how the act made them feel is then recorded on a mural or graph for all to see.

Ideas for kind acts:

Recording the outcome:

  • Option One: Invite students to write something on the card about how their actions made them feel or how they think it made the other person feel. Turn the cards in to a designated person who then records the responses on a public banner or mural.
  • Option Two: Download and print a copy of the All In graph for each classroom. Invite students to color in the box(es), using different colored pens/markers/crayons, which correspond with their responses.
    Note: Page one is for recording how it made the student feel. Page two is for how they think it made the other person feel.
  • Option Three: Be creative! Think of other ways to share the outcome of students participating.

Incentives:
Provide each student who agrees to do an action with an incentive, such as a cookie coupon for the lunchroom, pencil, or bookmarks (order online).

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School

Option One – Book – Frenemy Jane: The Sometimes Friend

One topic covered within this month’s PowerPoint is bullying behavior that may happen from a friend. To continue this conversation, read the book Frenemy Jane: The Sometimes Friend as a class. This book tackles the issue of a ‘sometimes friend,’ nice one day, not so nice the next! View a free PDF version of the book to use with your students.

As a follow-up activity, use the classroom discussion questions listed at the back of the book to further discuss the question, “Can a friend be bullying me?”

Option Two – Video - Kids Against Bullying Video Series

To further the conversation with your students about the reality of bullying, watch videos featuring the following topics:

As a follow-up activity, complete the Wrinkled Heart Activity with your students! This provides students with a powerful visual that shows the effects hurtful words or behaviors have on someone. The activity is simple and a great reminder to be kind to others.

  • Cut out a paper heart for each student, or a large heart to use as a class.
  • Ask the class for examples of things that people say or do that hurts their feelings. For each example, have students wrinkle or fold their heart. If you are doing this activity with one group heart, pass it around in a circle and have each student create a fold.
  • Then, have students share positive experiences or ways that others have made them feel good. For each response or example, unfold the heart.

Learn more about the activity and find additional discussion questions for The Wrinkled Heart here.

Middle and High School - Video -  Bullying is Real at Leon High School – Bullying Awareness video

Bullying has been seen in the news and in online videos in schools across the nation, but a lot of times we don't realize that it's also happening right at our school. It's important for students who are victims or witnesses of bullying to know where they can get help. Students from Leon High School share how bullying can make a person feel and give advice to how to prevent bullying.

As a follow-up activity, have students get into small groups of 3-4 people and create a poster with their top tips to prevent bullying.

December: Cyberbullying

Monthly Introduction

This month, students will be learning about all things cyberbullying. Just as the use of technology itself has evolved, so have the methods used to bully. Bullying, once restricted to the school or neighborhood, has moved into the online world. Bullying through electronic means is referred to as “cyberbullying.” Within the education piece, students will learn more about cyberbullying, action steps to take when they see or experience cyberbullying, and tips to being safe online. Following this PowerPoint, students will learn tangible action steps through the interaction piece, where they will research cyberbullying policies for sites such as social media, gaming websites, and more. During the club activity, students will to get to know their peers and find new ways to engage through the “Sit With Us” Activity. Finally, the month will wrap up with a book and video that continue to celebrate acceptance and inclusion – both online and in-person.

Week 1- Education: Digital History

Using technology is the newest way to bully. Cyberbullying is when someone uses technology to send mean, threatening, or embarrassing messages to or about another person. It could be through video games, text, email, messages, or in a post online. Present the included cyberbullying PowerPoint to your students to educate them about cyberbullying, creating a positive digital history, and more tips to being safe online. View the PowerPoint presentation, with educator notes.

Week 2 - Interaction: Online Safety

It’s important for students to know just as there are action steps they can take to stay safe at school, there are similar steps they can take to be safe online. As an interaction piece, break students up into small groups for this online safety activity.

  • Give each group a different social media platform or online interaction site and have them research the policies and rules on safety and cyberbullying within that site.
  • Along with their assigned platform, provide the group with a copy of the “Social Media Privacy and Reporting Assessment” to help guide their research.
  • After groups research their sites, have groups create a poster sharing a summary of these policies, as well as steps their peers can take if they experience cyberbullying. Share posters with the class so all students are aware of their online rights.

Social media sites and other websites where students interact, such as online games (add different sites that are popular with your students):

Week 3 – Club Activity: Sit With Us

Goals: Meet new people; learn communication skills; no one eats alone.

This activity will mix up the normal lunch groups and introduce students to new peers in a fun way. This can also be done in settings outside the cafeteria, such as a classroom during a free period. Before this activity, set up tables for small groups, with each table having a colored sign. On each table, have a few supplies that students can build structures with, such as straws, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, tape, or whatever you have easily available. As students enter the cafeteria, give them a piece of colored paper. Groups of five to seven students typically work best for this activity. Students will go to the table with the coordinating color on it and introduce themselves to others in their groups. Once all groups are settled into their tables, give them the challenge to create a winter-themed structure with all the materials at their table. Give students about 10 to 15 minutes to build their sculpture. If there’s time at the end of activities, have groups circle around the room to view other groups’ sculptures.

Week 4 – Video

Elementary School - Video

What Should You Do? An activity designed with hypothetical bullying scenarios (that are based on real events). After showing the video to your students, follow up with discussion questions:

  • What would you do in this scenario?
  • What are other ideas to address the situation?
  • What are other ways to be supportive of the person being bullied?

Middle and High School - Video

What Should You Do? An activity designed with hypothetical bullying scenarios (that are based on real events). After showing the video to your students, follow up with discussion questions:

  • What would you do in this scenario?
  • What are other ideas to address the situation?
  • What are other ways to be supportive of the person being bullied?

January: Being There – Show Your Support!

Monthly Introduction

The objective for this month is for students to learn more about how to support a peer that may be experiencing bullying. So often, students see a bullying situation and want to help, but don’t know what to do. During the education piece this month, students will learn steps they can take to support someone who is being bullied, as well as steps they can take if they experience bullying themselves. The following three weeks will build on positive behaviors that can prevent bullying with the “above the line / below the line” activity and Project Connect, which shows how much our actions matter. The book or video this month will wrap up the theme of being supportive in an encouraging manner. Kindness, support, and hope are things everyone can give.

Week 1 - Education: Ways to be there as a kid or teen

Think about what it means to feel all alone, to believe that no one cares, or to think that there is no way to change what is happening when you are being bullied. That is a lonely place to be. Now imagine how all that can be different. Imagine during those times when you feel alone that someone is there for you. Consider how simple it is to tell someone you care. Your support is meaningful! This week’s educational piece will teach students about how they can support a peer that is experiencing bullying, as well as action steps they can take if they experience bullying. View the PowerPoint presentation, with educator notes.

Week 2 - Interaction: Above the Line / Below the Line

GOAL: To help students understand the concept of above the line versus below the line behaviors, and to make a commitment to promoting above the line behaviors at their school.

  1. While one presenter is talking, have another draw a line across the paper. Write “above the line” on top of the line and “below the line” under the line, with arrows pointing up and down, respectively (i.e. copy the accompanying graphic).
  2. Ask the group to brainstorm ideas of what behaviors might be above or below the line in a bullying situation. Answers might include:
    1. Above the line
      • Saying something nice to the target
      • Asking the target to sit with you at lunch
      • Telling the person bullying that what they’re doing is not OK
    2. Below the line
      • Joining in the bullying
      •  Laughing at the target
      • Saying something mean to the target
  3. Write the group’s answers on the poster in the appropriate locations.
  4. Ask the group to brainstorm answers to these questions:
    1. What happens at our school when students engage in above the line behaviors?
    2. What happens when they engage in below the line behaviors?
  5. Ask students to commit to having more above the line behaviors and fewer below the line behaviors in their classroom.
  6. Find a place to display the poster as a reminder to students of their commitment.

Week 3 – Club Activity: Project Connect

Project Connect joins students, schools, and communities to make a powerful statement about uniting against bullying. The process is simple.

  1. Create the strips (links) using sheets of 8 ½ x 11 ORANGE construction paper. Cut into strips of 1 ½” to 2” wide and 11” long.
  2. Students write what they do to help make their school a safer place for their peers or a quality that makes them unique and proud of who they are as individuals.
  3. The strips are then stapled or glued together, resulting in one long, connected chain that visually represents the power of uniting for a common cause.

The message is this: While one person can speak out against bullying, our message is much stronger when we come together to make a difference. View Project Connect online here.

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School – Book – Great Things To Be

Great Things To Be features upbeat rhymes and colorful, full-page illustrations that teach children positive characteristic traits that encourage and build up their self-esteem and improve their approach to life. Let’s help children choose kindness over bullying and confidence over self-doubt as they embrace these easy to understand messages. View a free PDF version of the book to use with your students.

As a follow-up activity, download the teacher guide to Great Things To Be for a classroom discussion about themes within the book.

All ages - Video – Who Will Stop the Bullying?

This video shows a young girl getting bullied at a bus stop. Will the bystanders remain silent or will they take a stand? This video is a great conversation starter about the importance of supporting those experiencing bullying.

As a follow-up activity, use an interactive discussion model (Pair & Share) to talk about the video. Have students walk around the room while music plays. When the music stops, have each student find a partner closest to them and high five. Now that they have a partner ask the students question #1 (see below). Give student 3 minutes to discuss (depending on the question; gauge the room).  Once they’ve had a chance to discuss, play the music again as students walk around. When the music stops, they will find a new partner and facilitator will share question #2. Continue this until students have discussed all four questions. 

  • How do you think being bullied feels?
  • Do you think the bystander role is important in a bullying situation? Why or why not?
  • What ideas do you have about how to support someone being bullied?
  • What type of impact do you think supporting someone experiencing bullying can make?

February: Advocacy and Self-Advocacy

Monthly Introduction

The goal for this month is to supply students with the education and skills needed to advocate for themselves and their peers to manage bullying situations. Teaching advocacy and self-advocacy empowers students, protects those targeted by bullying, and helps them gain empathy and leadership skills. Within the education piece, students will learn the definitions of advocacy and self-advocacy, how it relates to bullying prevention, and strategies to advocate for oneself and others. Students will apply their education and knowledge to the upcoming month’s activities. The following week of interaction will have students create solutions to bullying scenarios using the student action plan. The club activity will provide students with hands-on learning of how to be supportive to peers followed by reflection on how it made them feel. The month will wrap up with videos and activities that reinforce how students can stand up for themselves and their peers to end bullying.

Week 1 - Education: Advocacy and Self-Advocacy: What does it have to do with bullying prevention?

Did you know that more than 50 percent of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes? That shows just how powerful your actions in looking out for someone else can be! This month’s educational piece will teach students about advocacy and self-advocacy and how this relates to bullying prevention. View the PowerPoint presentation, with educator notes.

Week 2 - Interaction: Being a self-advocate

Being a “self-advocate” means speaking up for yourself, telling people what you need, and taking action. These skills can be used if you experience bullying, if you see bullying happen, if you demonstrate bullying behavior, and if you are experiencing other issues at school. In this interactional activity, students will learn tools they can use to think about how they can change a situation, and then make an action plan.

This activity can be completed individually or in groups. Give students a copy of the Student Action Plan Handout as well as one to two scenarios of bullying situations. Examples of age appropriate scenarios are listed below, but feel free to create your own as well. The handout includes sample scenarios, as well as example action plans to give students ideas as they get started. If you are creating your own scenarios for students to use, provide enough details and context to get the students started.

Have students think about ways they could create their own action plan and make a difference. The student action plan includes three steps:

  • Step 1:  Describe the bullying situation that’s happening. Include dates, location, who is involved, and details of the behavior.
  • Step 2: Describe what you would like done about it. Think about how the situation could be stopped or prevented.
  • Step 3:  What steps can you take to make that happen? Include who could help, what they could do, and what you can do.

After students complete the student action plan, have a class reflection about the activity and how it feels to be part of the solution to an issue they are having.

Week 3 – Group Activity: Sticky Note Mural

Goal: School-wide activity that joins students together to make a powerful statement about the impact we can make when we all use our voices together.

First, locate a prominent area in your school that the sticky note mural can be displayed. This could be a hallway, a large window, a row of lockers, school cafeteria, library, or any area where students frequently interact. Then, display a large sign in the designated spot that asks a question or theme for students to respond to, such as:

  • What can you do each day to inspire a school without bullying?
  • How will you use your voice to speak up for others?
  • Why do you care about bullying prevention?

Then, ask students and staff to write their responses on sticky notes to be placed under the sign. Keep this mural up throughout the year, as a reminder of what everyone can do to help create a world without bullying.

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School – Video – What Should You Do? Peer Advocacy

Students with disabilities are bullied at a much higher rate than their nondisabled peers. This video shares a bullying scenario involving a student with Down syndrome, then explores ways to advocate on behalf of someone else.

After showing the video to your students, follow up with discussion questions:

  • What would you do in this scenario?
  • What are other ideas to address the situation?
  • What are other ways to be supportive of the person being bullied?

Middle and High School – Video - Bullying and Bystanders: What Teens Say

Bullying is a fact of life for many kids and teens; research suggests almost half of teens have experienced bullying online or on their cell phone in the past year. But by standing up, instead of standing by, kids and teens can help end bullying.

As a follow-up activity, have students answer the same questions as the teens in the video. Then create your own short video about what your school’s teens say about bullying.

  • What is bullying?
  • What type of bullying have you seen?
  • Where have you seen bullying?
  • As a bystander, what could you do if you see bullying?

March: Inclusion

Monthly Overview

The objective of this month is for students to learn about inclusion and why it matters in creating safe and supportive schools. When we are inclusive, everyone feels respected and a sense of belonging. During this month’s education piece, students will learn what inclusion means, how it relates to bullying prevention, and tangible action steps they can take to be inclusive in their school and community. The following three weeks with continue to build on the importance of inclusiveness. The interaction piece and club activity gives the opportunity to reflect on similarities they may have with others – whether it’s peers or other students across the country. Finally, the month wraps up with videos focused on kindness and supporting peers.

Save the Date! Participate in “Spread the Word>>Inclusion”

Pledge for inclusion today and hold an event at your school encouraging others to pledge as well. Your pledge shows that you believe that the world would be better if all people were valued, respected, embraced, included. Included in the games we play and the friends we make. Included in our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. A world that respects the dignity of people with intellectual disabilities and to create more accepting attitudes and communities for all people.

The campaign is generally held in March each year. The campaign is supported by Special Olympics, Best Buddies, and more than 200 other organizations from around the world.

  1. Visit the campaign website.
  2. Access the online resources.

Week 1 - Education: All about Inclusion

This week’s education piece focuses on inclusion. Share the presentation with your students to start the conversation about what inclusion means and why it’s important in bullying prevention. Your students will learn different ways to be inclusive at school and in the community, and will then brainstorm their own ideas.  View the PowerPoint presentation, with educator notes.

Week 2 - Interaction:

Elementary School Students: More Alike Than Different

The goal of this activity is to creatively engage youth through an interactive, thoughtful activity, and reflect that we are all much more alike than we are different. For this activity, you will need:

  • Two jars of brightly colored candy, such as M&M’s or Skittles
    • One of all the same color
    • Second with many different colors

Instructions

  1. Presenter Question: “What is the best part about this brightly colored candy?”
    Presenter or audience answer: “How great it tastes!”
    Presenter statement: “The color of the candy doesn’t really matter, does it?”
  2. Presenter will ask or select a volunteer. Instruct them to close their eyes and taste a candy. Then ask the volunteer to guess what color it is. When the volunteer guesses, the presenter will say, “You couldn’t really tell, right?”
  3. Invite all students to look around. Share that people are like the brightly colored candy. It doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
  4. Presenter then holds up the jar of the one color of candy, say, “We all look a little different on the outside. We are different heights, and have different colors of eyes and hair. But like this candy, even though we look different on the outside, we are the same on the inside. So why should anyone be treated differently for how they look?”
  5. Share, “Sometimes students are left out of games or activities or even made fun of because their differences.” Then ask the students for their ideas on how to be a good friend or how to make sure everyone feels included.

Middle and High School Students – “I Was Bullied Because...”

  1. Hand out copies of the PEOPLE Magazine article or display on a monitor
  2. Pass out the “PEOPLE Magazine Article “I Was Bullied Because . . .” worksheet
  3. Ask students to complete and then discuss responses as a class or in small groups.

Along with the discussion questions on the worksheet, you can also ask the class the following questions:

  • Ask the class to name people – celebrities, fictional characters, etc. – whom they would call “individuals.” Discuss why those people may have been excluded.
  • Ask the class: “Do you think there is a lot of pressure to fit in? Discuss why or why not.”
  • You can also discuss why people want to fit in, what’s so great about fitting in, and why it’s hard when you feel like you don’t.

Week 3 – Group Activity: Acrostic Poem

Have your club meet to create an acrostic poem that can be read at an upcoming assembly or other schoolwide event. An acrostic poem is when the first letter of each line in a poem spells out a word or message. The club should decide what word or phrase they would like their poem to spell out—it could be INCLUSION, WORLD WITHOUT BULLYING, FRIENDSHIP, UNITY, or any word they feel they want their message to be centered around.

Once they have the focal word decided upon, break up the students into small groups to write out phrases for each letter involved; together, these phrases will make up the poem. The poem could then be recited at an assembly or schoolwide event, with students holding letters to spell out the phrase. View an example created by PACER’s Youth Advisory Board:

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School – Video – A Wave of Kindness: Ride the Wave!

Falmouth Public School District created a video titled “A Wave of Kindness” to show the ripple effect that kindness can have in schools and communities. This video shows that kindness, support, and hope are things everyone can give that make a POSITIVE impact on students experiencing bullying.

As a follow-up activity, have your students complete the kindness poem. The “Kindness Poem” is an activity in which students can write a word or line of poetry that starts with each letter in the word KINDNESS. It can be about helping others, making a difference, or being a good classmate. Kindness is something that everyone can share—and it makes a difference!

Middle and High School – Video – Student-to-Student Advice on Bullying

In this 8-minute video, high school students give advice to middle school students about bullying. They share their thoughts about the types of bullying that happens, as well as advice on what to do if you experience or witness bullying. This video is a great way for students to reflect on their own experience around bullying and what advice they might give to younger students.

As a follow-up activity, have your students craft their own advice that they would give to younger students about bullying. For high school students, this will be directed for middle school students. For middle school students, this can be directed at elementary school students or new incoming middle school students. Students can answer similar questions as those on the video and write their answers on notecards, posters, or in a letter format. As an educator, if you have a connection with a local middle school or elementary school, consider sharing these advice notes with the younger students for upcoming school year.

April: Students with Solutions

Monthly Overview

This month, students will explore how other students have created solutions to address bullying, as well as design their own creative approaches to discuss and prevent bullying. Students will gain innovative skills to share what bullying feels like to them, how to respond to bullying, and how to make a difference. The month will start off with an educational video that illustrates how students are making a difference to prevent bullying through art (elementary school) and authentic insights (middle and high school). Students will apply this education to the month’s activities. For the interaction piece, students will have the opportunity to create and discuss their own solutions to bullying. The club activity will have students create a mural that represents unity to be displayed at school. The month will conclude with a book or video and follow-up activities that reinforce how to create solutions to prevent bullying.

Week 1 - Education: Watch the “Students with Solutions” videos and engage in classroom discussion.

PACER released a series of videos, sharing kids’ and teens’ ideas about what it feels like to be bullied (in person or online), what students can do if they see bullying, and how to make a difference. Watch the videos as a class, then hold a classroom discussion using the suggested questions.

Elementary School Students:
Animated Video Series: This simple, authentic, animated video series was created from student drawings and writings, which poignantly provide insight into how painful bullying can be, and also touchingly shows that kids want to be part of the solution to prevent bullying. Watch each video and then hold a classroom discussion using the suggested questions.

Middle and High School Students:
Teen Talk on Cyberbullying: This is a five-minute video designed to provide authentic insight and perspective from peers on issues related to cyberbullying. Watch the video and hold a classroom discussion using the suggested questions.

Week 2 - Interaction: Share your ideas!

After watching the video(s), encourage students to write poetry or stories, create a drawing, or design a graphic (or even film a video) responding to the themes portrayed in the video and outlined in the discussion questions, including but not limited to:

Elementary School Students:

  • How does bullying make you feel?
  • Describe how to be kind, supportive, and helpful to other students.
  • What are some ways to help others feel like they belong and know that they aren’t alone?
  • What does it mean to be “together against bullying?”
  • How can we celebrate the differences that makes each person unique?

Middle and High School Students:

  • What is cyberbullying?
  • What is your first reaction when you see negativity directed toward someone else or when it’s directed at you?
  • How does online bullying impact what happens at school?
  • What ideas do you have to help someone else who has experienced online bullying?
  • If you see the person who is being bullied online at school, what can you do to help or support them?
  • You may have heard the expression “Be comfortable in your own skin.” What does that mean to you?

Week 3 – Club Activity: Unity Mural

Create a mural for the classroom or in a school hallway that is symbolic of unity. The mural could be a photo of each student along with a short statement from each student about why it is important to be together against bullying. Or, each student could draw a picture or write a poem or story that depicts the importance of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Other ideas could include:

  • Each student decorating a puzzle piece and then assembling the puzzle as a classroom.
  • Have students decorate a tile or square and then use the tiles to spell out “UNITY” or make a shape such as a peace sign.
  • Have each student create their own pinwheel and write messages of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion on it. Then, have an end of year celebration, placing all the pinwheels outdoors on school property.

Week 4 – Book or Video

Elementary School – Video – All In Music Video

The music video for All In shares the power that we have when we stand together to create kind and inclusive schools and communities.

As a follow-up activity, recreate the dance from the All In music video with your students. This is a great way to wrap up everything the students have discussed throughout the year.

Middle and High School - Video – Turn a Life Around

Bullying knocks down thousands of kids every day, but when one person stands, another will stand with them. You can be that person, you can turn a life around, and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center can help. Remember, the end of bullying begins with you.

As a follow-up activity, have students break into small groups and complete the You Can…worksheet. Students will read through some of the ways that students experience bullying, and then think through ways they can “turn a life around” and support someone experiencing bullying.


©2023 PACER Center, Inc.