HIGH SCHOOL�GRADES 9-12
TITLE OF LESSON: THE EFFECTS OF BULLYING
Outcome: Students will acquire the knowledge on the affects of how bullying impacts a person’s mental health and self image.
Learning Objective: After watching two videos about how bullying can affect a person’s mental health and self-image, students will have a better understanding of the long-term effects of when someone is bullied. Students will be able to infer how negative and positive comments can affect the development of a person’s character.
Materials: Anchor chart paper and markers.
Introduction: Begin a discussion by reviewing what bullying is and have 3 or 4 students share their responses. Continue the discussion by asking the following question:
- Can bullying affect the way a person thinks and feels about themselves? Give students 45 seconds to a minute to discuss with the person next to them then have 3 or 4 students share their thoughts.
- Discuss the effects that bullying can have on a person’s mental health and self image – Talk about how it can make a person feel worthless like they are not good enough. Discuss how bullying can make a person think they are not wanted by their peers because negative comments can make them think they are not smart enough, pretty enough, or have the right body. Mention that bullying not only affects a person’s mental health but their overall self image as well.
- Making connections - Ask the students to think of a time when someone made a negative comment and to think about how it made them feel? Ask them to share their thoughts. This part of the lesson is to get the students thinking about the effects of negative comments connected to bullying!
Activity #1: Explain to the students they will be watching a video where students like them talk about being bullied and how it has affected the way they think and feel.
- Right click on the link “The Impact of Bullying” and select open link to play the video >>> Impact of Bullying
- Begin video and stop the video at 1:56: Ask students to respond to the following question – “Did it make the girl feel better when she chose to be a bully back?”
- Continue video and stop at 2:32: Ask students to respond to the following question – “Does the effects of being bullied stop after a person finishes school or does it stay with a person as an adult?” Discuss what they think about having to deal with those feelings as an adult? Have 2 or 3 students to share their thoughts.
- Finish watching the video and wrap it up with asking the following question: “How does hearing these students' stories affect you and can you relate to how they are feeling?” Give the students time to process their thoughts then ask 3 to 4 students to share their responses.
-Wrap up activity #1 with a short video called Cyberbullying – there is no need to stop and discuss this video, but it will provide information about the effects of negative and positive comments that will help set them up for activity #2.
Activity #2: Wrinkled Wanda
- Place the students in groups of 3 or 4 – depending on the class size.
- Pass out an anchor chart paper and have the students trace an outline of a full body person and name her Wrinkled Wanda. Once the outline has been traced then instruct the students to write statements that are rude, unkind, and disrespectful all over the outline.
- Have them crumple up the paper then uncrumple it. Post the crumpled posters around the room.
- Explain to the class that these drawings are examples of what negative comments can do to a person who is bullied. Discuss with the class how negative comments can destroy a person's mental health and self-image.
Activity #2: Wrinkled Wanda Continued
- Pass out another anchor chart paper and have the students trace an outline of a full body person and name her Wanda. Once the outline has been traced then instruct the students to write as many positive comments as they can all over the outline.
- Tell them not to crumple it up but to post them around the room.
- Ask the students to analyze the two posters and as a group discuss how they are different. Have 2 or 3 groups share their responses.
Conclusion: Instruct the students to think back to the “Cyberbullying” video and with their group talk about the impact negative comments and positive comments have on a person. Tell them to be ready to share!