“Frances was Myrtle’s neighbor,” said Philippe. “Myrtle and her baby brother didn’t like their new neighbor,” said Tony. “That’s because she was mean,” said Philippe. “Myrtle had a good life until Frances came,” said Marta. “Then every time Myrtle went outside,” said Juan, “Frances played a trick on her.” Tony shook his head. “Frances sure does mean stuff,” he said. “Like she was making monsters and singing bad songs,” said Sarit. “And,” said Becky, rolling her eyes, “she put rubber snakes on the ground.” “And, she put gum on Myrtle’s brother’s ball,” said Lucy. “Then it stuck to his nose!” “She was really like a bad kid,” said Sarit. “I wonder why Frances was so mean?” asked Katie-Erin. “She was a bully!” said Pritka. “I think Frances was mean,” said Anya, “because she wanted people to pay attention to her.” “Maybe she had a bad life,” said Marta. “Or, maybe she was just jealous of Myrtle,” said Sarit, “because she had a good life.” “Frances wasn’t born mean,” said Juan. “It’s not somebody’s instinct to be mean. It’s their choice.” “Well, Myrtle was feeling really sad,” said Sarit. “And, she was very, very, scared,” said Marta. “It’s actually not your choice to be scared,” said Anya. Sarit agreed. “Yeah!” she said. “It comes up to you. You don’t know you’re going to be scared.” “So Myrtle’s parents called her Aunt Tizzy,” said Marta. “Myrtle’s aunt was very brave and intelligent. She told Myrtle that she wouldn’t even let a lion scare her,” said Sarit. “And she made Myrtle laugh,” said Jake. “That’s right,” said Juan. “Then Myrtle realized that if her Aunt Tizzy wouldn’t let lions keep her away from the jungle, Myrtle wasn’t going to let Frances keep her away from having fun.” “Myrtle really faced her fears,” said Marta. “She stood up for herself and said, ‘HOW RUDE!’ And her life came up great again.” “But, I wonder if Frances learned her lesson?” asked Kurtis. “Well, if Frances is mean,” said Philippe, “she won’t get the right respect.” “Yeah, she’ll be ignored by everybody,” said Kurtis. “But, I mean . . . come on . . .” said Juan. “Nobody can live without friends!” TEACHER TALK YOU BIG, BULLY Health (Part 1) Bullying comes in many different forms and they are all hurtful. Teasing and calling names are two of the most common forms of bullying for young children, and most children can recall at least one incident where he or she has been a victim of bullying. Have children identify as many bullying actions as they can think of. Then record them on a class list. Ex.: 1. Calling Names 2. Teasing 3. Hitting – Kicking Next, have children suggest ways to overcome bullies and record these answers on a class list, as well. Ex.: 1. Tell an adult – A Parent, Teacher, Lunchroom Aide 2. Stand up for themselves – Tell the bully to stop. 3. Ignore the bully – Walk away. Then, have the children suggest reasons why someone might act like a bully. Again, record the answers on a class list. Ex.: 1. Looking for attention 2. Making themselves feel more important 3. Feeling insecure themselves Last, split children into small groups and have them conduct their own discussions. Roam around the room to eavesdrop to be sure that each group understands the concept. YOU BIG, BULLY Health (Part 2) Have children volunteers role-play a variety of bullying situations. To get more real reactions, you might prefer the children to use puppets for the role-play. Ex.: Bully Role-Play Situations 1. Gabe takes Mike’s pencil and won’t give it back. He threatens to tell the teacher on Mike about something that Mike didn’t even do. 2. Maura tells Ginny she won’t be her friend if Ginny won’t go to the store with her, even though Ginny will get in trouble with her mom. AN EMOTIONAL LOOK AT BULLYING: from A to Z Health Make a list from A to Z of as many bully-related feelings as possible – both from the bully’s point of view and the victim’s point of view. After the list is made, have children decide which feeling/emotion belongs to which character. Ex.: Angry…………..bully or victim Brave…………..victim Confused………victim Disturbed………bully or victim Excited…………bully Fearful…………victim SUGGESTED WEBSITES: (Although I examined these websites and found them to be very helpful, please use them at your own discretion.) Sort It – Bullying http://www.sortit.org.uk/bullying.htm#you We Can Work It Out! http://members.aol.com/pforpeace/WorkItOut/color.htm What Kids Say about Bullying http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/poll_bullying.html SUGGESTED BOOKS: HOOWAY FOR WODNEY WAT by Helen Lester, Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger RECESS QUEEN by Alexis O’Niell, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith BOOTSIE BARKER BITES by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Peggy Rathman |
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