Dare: Bystander vs Upstander

In fourth grade this week we finished up our bullying unit with the much anticipated Dare by Erin Frankel.  This is the third book in The Weird Series that features the same story told from 3 different perspectives: the bully, the bystander & the target.  Students were anxiously awaiting the last character's perspective because it most relates to the position they are often in.

After reading and discussing the story from Jayla's point of view, we created flipbooks to differentiate the behavior of a bystander compared to an upstander.  Whereas a bystander = stand by; an upstander = stands up.  We brainstormed qualities of each and they used their creativity to get the point across.

The Juice Box Bully

After learning all about bullying, our first graders were ready to learn more about what to do when they see it happening.  We read The Juice Box Bully written by Bob Sornson & Maria Dismondy to discover ways that we can stand up for each other when we seeing someone being unkind.

After the story we brainstormed ideas that we can try if we see someone being bullied or treated unkindly.  They came up with a huge list of ideas!

Then they created their own juiceboxes to explain what they would do:

Learning about Cyberbullying

In 6th grade we've had increasing reports of inappropriate behavior happening on cell phones and online after school.  In order to prevent cyberbullying and help students be aware of the dangers of cyberbullying, I found a great lesson on CommonSense Media called "Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line.  This lesson helped students learn to distinguish good-natured teasing from cyberbullying by analyzing online bullying behaviors that "cross the line," learning about the various ways that students can be cyberbullied and adopting the point of view of teens who have been cyberbullied and offer solutions.

We started by discussing,

1. What are some of the ways that you and your friends tease each other online for fun?
2. When does teasing "cross the line" and become harmful?
3. What are some signs, and what does it feel like to be in that situation?

We then watched the video "Stacey's Story - When Rumors Escalate."  After the video I mixed up the students into small groups and had them discuss the following:

• Why did the girls start to harass and threaten Stacey online in the first place?
• When do you think the girls' behavior "crossed the line"?
• Stacey says, "People talk really big, when there's like, miles between you." What do you think she means by this statement?
• In what ways might the online context make the situation worse than if the bully had harassed Stacey offline?
• Stacey's mom says that Stacey should call the school and report the incidents.  Stacey responds that it would "just make it worse." Do you think this is true?  Why or why not?

Afterward we shared our discussions with the group.  We expanded our discussion to how cyberbullying is different from bullying and what steps to take if something sent to us "crosses the line."

Finally we watched this informational video from stopbullying.gov:

Bully Bugs

In first grade we've been reviewing what the term bullying means.  We started by watching this neat hand-drawn video that explains the basics:


Then we created our own bully bugs (inspired by Elementary School Counselor) to learn the 4 important parts of what bullying is:

Holiday Resources in Austin

Red Ribbon Week Oct 27-31

Red Ribbon Week is a nationwide campaign for communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs.  The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a Drug-Free America.  Students at Lee Elementary will be committing to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon, Oct 27-31.  I will be visiting each classroom to teach students the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through developmentally appropriate lessons.  Students will receive a Red Ribbon, sticker, bracelet, activity book, pencil and temporary tattoo to wear throughout the week.

We also will have the following themed days next week:

For more information on the history of Red Ribbon Week please visit http://redribbon.org/ 

Red Ribbon Week reinforces the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) for Health Education in the elementary setting that are taught by both grade level teachers and our PE Coach yearly:

"The student understands that safe, unsafe, and/or harmful behaviors result in positive and negative consequences throughout the life span. The student is expected to: 

(A)  identify and use protective equipment to prevent injury;

(B)  name safe play environments;

(C)  explain the harmful effects of, and how to avoid, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs;

(D)  identify ways to avoid weapons and drugs or harming oneself or another person by staying away from dangerous situations and reporting to an adult;

(E)  identify safety rules that help to prevent poisoning;

(F)  identify and describe safe bicycle skills;

(G)  identify and practice safety rules during play; and

(H)  identify how to get help from a parent and/or trusted adult when made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe by another person/adult."

In the lower grades, students learned about making healthy choices through "The Best Me, Drug Free" books.  Many students are already familiar with the harmful effects of drugs (such as alcohol & cigarettes) from previous health lessons, tv shows, social media, and family & friends.  It's important to have a safety conversation about only taking medicine from trusted adults.  Also, with Halloween falling during the same week, it opens up an important conversation about the safety of receiving candy from strangers.  I met with kindergarten through second grade the week before Red Ribbon Week so they could learn about the significance on this nationwide campaign.  These booklets (from SimplyKinder) teach children to say "no" to unhealthy choices, help students decide what is good to put in your body, promote kindness to others, think of ways to show others you love them, inspire them to think about what they'd like to accomplish in the future and how they'll look wearing their red ribbon.  Here are some sample pages:

In the upper grades we learned about the harm that is done to our bodies from drugs.  We began by watching a BrainPop, Jr video on illegal drugs.

We then worked on a flip book to learn about the different harmful effects drugs have on our bodies.  Savvy School Counselor created some great resources on TeachersPayTeachers that I utilized for these lessons.