Summary: Participants have a facilitated discussion about bullying
Target Grades: 6th grade and above
Minimum time needed: Approx. 20 minutes
Materials: White board; pencil and paper
Connection to bullying: Discussing bullying helps students identify how they are different/ how they are similar, and to strategize to prevent bullying.
Activity Instructions: Have students break up into 3 or 4 groups. Have a list of the discussion question starters (on the whiteboard or on a projector/Elmo) and have each group pick a question they think is essential to discuss. Try to have students lead the discussion and the answers and only voice your opinion when they are stuck. After that question’s discussion seems to be ending, ask the students why they thought that question was a good one to discuss.
Key Points:
- It is important to remind students to be respectful of all other students, even if there is some disagreement within the discussion.
- Remind students that everyone has different feelings and different opinions and we need to respect those in order to create and safe discussion area.
- It is never okay to initiate bullying behavior
Questions:
- Can bullying be prevented? Why or why not? How?
- Is it ever okay to spread rumors about someone else? If so, when?
- Do some people deserve to be bullied?
- How might you resolve the problem if you see yourself as a victim? Or a bully?
- What does bullying look like?
- What does bullying look like on social media?
- Why might bullying be happening?
Wrap-Up: Ask the students why they picked each question. Ask the students to facilitate a discussion with a friend, parent, or sibling regarding bullying or the questions that were discussed in class. Have the student record the reactions their listeners have to the subject. Allow students a few days or a week to complete assignment and then have, as a group, a discussion of what the students found.
