In this lesson, we reminded the students about who we are and how they can come and see us if they have a problem. After that, we introduced them to the acronym THINK, which gives them assistance if they are in a tough situation and are not sure what to say. Using this acronym, students will be sure to make sure they choose their words wisely and using words which will not hurt others. This acronym can also be used for posting online.
Lesson 2 - Anti-Bullying, Simon's Hook
In this lesson, we went over the definition of bullying (see the bullying page on this site to see the definition we used). Then, we talked about strategies on how to deal with rude and mean behavior. I told the students that if they're experiencing bullying, that they need to immediately tell an adult. However, for rude and mean behavior - they can try to solve the problem themselves.
We read the book Simon's Hook, which uses the analogy of fishing to talk about how not to get "hooked" and swim free when someone is being mean to you. The strategies that the book taught us are:
Do little or nothing, Don't react. "It's not a big deal unless you make it a big deal"
Agree with the hook.
Distract the fisherman. Change the subject.
Laugh or make a joke.
Stay away from the hooks. Swim in another part of the sea.
Lesson 3 - Conflict Resolution
In this lesson, we discussed the difference between conflict and bullying. We talked about how conflict is a normal part of life, while bullying is not. Unlike bullying, if we are having a conflict - we can take measures to solve that conflict on our own before it becomes too big that we don't know how to solve it. We read the book "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss. This is a story about a conflict that starts over a very small disagreement and grows into something so big that no one knows how to stop it. After the story, we identified ways that the characters could have solved the conflict before it became too big. Then, students were given a fortune teller/cootie catcher with conflict resolution strategies along with different conflict scenarios. They were encouraged to role play the conflicts with families or friends and use a strategy given to them by their cootie catcher. I told them that if they practice solving conflicts, they would be more likely to solve them on their own when they are in a conflict.
Lesson 4 - Self-esteem
In this lesson, we talked about self-esteem and the importance of trying to have high self-esteem even when others try to bring you down. We read the book "Zero" by Kathryn Otoshi. In this story, zero is a character who has trouble seeing her value. And, the other numbers help her see why she is special and important. After the story, we talked about how others often try to bring us down but it is important to try to bring each other up so we can all see our value. Students then did an activity where they passed around a paper with their name on it while everyone in the class gave them compliments. I encouraged students to keep this paper to look at when they are having trouble seeing their value - then they can see all the great things their classmates think about them.