Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Learning how to be Bully Free: Middle school character education lesson plans



To help promote students learning anti-bullying techniques, here are eight (8) character education lesson plans appropriate for grades five to eight.

Each lesson includes nine sections:

Section 1: Lesson Objectives
Section 2: K-W-L MODEL discussion (‘K’ and ‘W’ questions)
Section 3: Vocabulary
Section 4: Story
Section 5: Popcorn Review
Section 6: Role-Play
Section 7: Bloom’s Taxonomy discussion questions
Section 8: Writing assignment
Section 9: K-W-L MODEL discussion (‘L’ questions)

These field-tested lessons are totally self-contained. They come with teaching posters and role-play downloads – all for FREE. Everything you need is there for you simply by clicking on the links. Feel free to copy and paste them onto your computer so that you can use them with your classroom students.

One of the ways students learn about character education techniques, conflict resolution strategies, and anti-bullying processes is to try them on for size. Through the use of engaging stories and fun role-plays about realistic middle school students, young people start to incorporate the concepts taught in each lesson.

These lessons were all utilized in a class called ‘Communication Skills’. The author, Debbie Dunn, taught over 500 middle school students (Grades 5-8) a year for five years until a budget-cut eliminated many of the school’s special extracurricular programs. During that time period, she created over 3000 pages of curriculum based on real middle school conflict resolution and anti-bullying issues.

For the benefit of middle school students, middle school teachers, guidance counselors, and concerned parents, the author posts many of these lesson plans on Examiner.com. Feel free to subscribe to Debbie Dunn’s school conflict resolution Examiner page should you wish to keep abreast of each lesson as it gets posted.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Accept Me for Who I Am
Story Description: Some kids start making fun of basketball player Jason just because he is short. In the first part of the role-play, seventh-grader Jason reacts badly to their ridicule. He ends up getting beat up. The last part of the role-play shows how much better the situation can be when Jason demonstrates enough self control to talk reasonably with his tormentors. As a result, they react in a more tolerant fashion as well. The role-play is called “Accept Me for Who I Am.” This Conflict Resolution role-play is based on an idea shared with me by one of my past seventh-grade students who struggled with being a lot shorter than the other 7th-grade guys.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Animal Justice for the Hyena and the Hare
Story Description: The Grandmothers of the Kikuyu tribe of Kenya tell stories to teach the children important lessons like don't be greedy. One of those children, Ann Njeri Mwangi, orally shared this tale with me in 1990. Hyena helps Hare find a cub-sitting job for Queen Lion. Unfortunately, Hyena demands a very unreasonable reward in exchange. Listen to this Character Education tale and see if you agree it also has a strong message about Justice and about being Responsible.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Be part of the Solution
Story Description: Students participate in acting out the twelve (12) skits called “Be part of the Solution Skits.”
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): How the Tortoise Got Cracks in his Shell
Story Description: The Grandmothers of the Kikuyu tribe of Kenya tell stories to teach the children important lessons like don't be greedy. One of those children, Ann Njeri Mwangi, orally shared this tale with me in 1990. Many of the birds were invited to a party in Heaven. Tortoise convinced them that a way must be found to bring him along as he was such a Sweet Talker. Read about his elaborate con job. Listen to this Character Education tale and see if you agree it also has a strong message about the necessity of being a strong Leader and Trustworthy.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): How to tactfully handle acquaintances who leach on to you
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about the importance of the Character Education traits of Caring & Giving, Leadership, Tolerance & Allowing, Valuing & Respecting Self, and Valuing & Respecting Others. Jenny never wanted a school shooting to happen at her school. Her solution: Find and befriend an outcast. Her problem: The loner she found, Anne, began to follow her around everywhere she went. How could Jenny still be Anne’s friend yet maintain her own personal boundaries? Additional Note: Sometimes, when we become an advocate for someone perceived as a loner or outcast, that person can suddenly expect you to become his or her best friend. So, in that case, it is important to learn an assertive way of handling that situation.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Making Friends with Kids from Other Schools
Story Description: I used to teach at a middle school that had 6 feeder schools: 3 were K-6 and 3 were K-5. The newly entered sixth-and seventh-graders found it challenging to meet so many news kids. This story addresses the best way to expand your network of friends.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Sarah and Jennifer End Their Friendship
Story Description: While Jennifer was out sick, Sarah hears rumors that Jennifer had been saying bad things about her. When Jennifer returns to school, Sarah verbally attacks her. Can their friendship be saved? This story demonstrates the importance of checking your facts. It also demonstrates the importance of finding a balance between the Character Education traits of Valuing& Respecting Self and Valuing & Respecting Others.
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Character education Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Three Outcomes for Denise
Story Description: This story demonstrates the three different outcomes to conflict: LOSE-LOSE, WIN-LOSE, and WIN-WIN. It also illustrates three character education traits: Valuing & Respecting Self, Valuing & Respecting Others, and Valuing & Respecting Authority. See if you can figure out when each happens.
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Resources
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Learning how to be Bully Free: Middle school basic skills lesson plans



To help promote students learning anti-bullying techniques, here are four (4) basic skills lesson plans appropriate for grades five to eight.

Each lesson includes nine sections:

Section 1: Lesson Objectives
Section 2: K-W-L MODEL discussion (‘K’ and ‘W’ questions)
Section 3: Vocabulary
Section 4: Story
Section 5: Popcorn Review
Section 6: Role-Play
Section 7: Bloom’s Taxonomy discussion questions
Section 8: Writing assignment
Section 9: K-W-L MODEL discussion (‘L’ questions)

These field-tested lessons are totally self-contained. They come with teaching posters and role-play downloads – all for FREE. Everything you need is there for you simply by clicking on the links. Feel free to copy and paste them onto your computer so that you can use them with your classroom students.

One of the ways students learn about character education techniques, conflict resolution strategies, and anti-bullying processes is to try them on for size. Through the use of engaging stories and fun role-plays about realistic middle school students, young people start to incorporate the concepts taught in each lesson.

These lessons were all utilized in a class called ‘Communication Skills’. The author, Debbie Dunn, taught over 500 middle school students (Grades 5-8) a year for five years until a budget-cut eliminated many of the school’s special extracurricular programs. During that time period, she created over 3000 pages of curriculum based on real middle school conflict resolution and anti-bullying issues.

For the benefit of middle school students, middle school teachers, guidance counselors, and concerned parents, the author posts many of these lesson plans on Examiner.com. Feel free to subscribe to Debbie Dunn’s school conflict resolution Examiner page should you wish to keep abreast of each lesson as it gets posted.
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Basic skills Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): A False Rumor about Brittany
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about the importance of checking your facts when rumors are being spread, Basic Needs, working for a WIN-WIN Outcome, and the Peer Mediation process. Brittany discovers that either Christy or Sarah has spread a false rumor that she has cheated on her boyfriend named Corey. Will Brittany discover who really started the rumor and why? Will Corey believe that she was innocent and take her back?
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Basic skills Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): It All Happened Because Mark Overslept and Missed Breakfast
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about that conflict happens when one or more of your Basic Needs get messed with. Either you have conflict within yourselves and you feel frustrated, angry, or depressed; or conflict happens with others and you get into an argument or a fight. But sometimes, conflict can happen from something as simple as being sleepy, sick, or hungry. Listen to this story about Mark and the chain reaction of actions that happened as a result of what was going wrong with him.

Sequel tale Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about why conflict happens. Mr. Campbell, a middle school Communication Skills teacher, teaches his class about the fact that conflict happens when our Basic Needs get messed with. He also introduces the concepts of Passive, Aggressive, and Assertive Responses to Conflict.
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Basic skills Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Oscar the Outcast
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about the importance of being an advocate for someone who is viewed as being an outcast and loner. Oscar is a middle school student who is viewed as an outcast at his school. No one will sit with him. No one will be his friend. The only ones who talk to him are the bullies who constantly put him down and push him around. Oscar has no idea how to fix or change things for the better. Then one day, a new girl enters his homeroom.
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Basic skills Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Who will make the Princess Laugh?
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach all about our Basic Needs. This is a story about a Princess who has never laughed and a goofy guy named Jack. The story was inspired by Richard Chase’s story called “Jack and the King’s Girl” found in his book called THE JACK TALES.
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Resources
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Learning how to be Bully Free: Middle school anger management lesson plans



To help promote students learning anti-bullying techniques, here are seven (7) anger management lesson plans appropriate for grades five to eight.

Each lesson includes nine sections:

Section 1: Lesson Objectives
Section 2: K-W-L MODEL discussion (‘K’ and ‘W’ questions)
Section 3: Vocabulary
Section 4: Story
Section 5: Popcorn Review
Section 6: Role-Play
Section 7: Bloom’s Taxonomy discussion questions
Section 8: Writing assignment
Section 9: K-W-L MODEL discussion (‘L’ questions)

These field-tested lessons are totally self-contained. They come with teaching posters and role-play downloads – all for FREE. Everything you need is there for you simply by clicking on the links. Feel free to copy and paste them onto your computer so that you can use them with your classroom students.

One of the ways students learn about character education techniques, conflict resolution strategies, and anti-bullying processes is to try them on for size. Through the use of engaging stories and fun role-plays about realistic middle school students, young people start to incorporate the concepts taught in each lesson.

These lessons were all utilized in a class called ‘Communication Skills’. The author, Debbie Dunn, taught over 500 middle school students (Grades 5-8) a year for five years until a budget-cut eliminated many of the school’s special extracurricular programs. During that time period, she created over 3000 pages of curriculum based on real middle school conflict resolution and anti-bullying issues.

For the benefit of middle school students, middle school teachers, guidance counselors, and concerned parents, the author posts many of these lesson plans on Examiner.com. Feel free to subscribe to Debbie Dunn’s school conflict resolution Examiner page should you wish to keep abreast of each lesson as it gets posted.
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Angry Blake
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about Anger Triggers, Anger Cues, our Fight or Flight Instinct, and Self-Mentoring techniques. The story is called “Angry Blake.” Blake was filled with fury. You could have cut the tension between his parents with a knife. They yelled at each other half the night, as Blake lay trembling and angry in his room. At school, he felt the need to vent that anger on some of the other students.
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Control your anger with SPAM
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about a unique Anger Management method. The story is called “Control Your Anger With SPAM.” Emily and Mike have a great deal of trouble keeping control of their temper. A guidance counselor teach them a method of Anger Management that works called SPAM, like the meat, only it is not something to eat. (S.P.A.M. = Stop-Ponder-Appreciate-Moment)
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Her First Kiss
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about resolving conflict with friends.

It is normal and natural to feel angry or sad when someone disrespects you in some way. What do you do if you are the person who is in the wrong? How do you make amends if you realize that you are the one who accidentally or purposely mistreated a friend?

Here is a true story about a sixth-grade girl named Debbie who did just that. There will be two role-plays to follow that tie in with this story. The discussion questions are built into each role-play, so other than a Popcorn Review, there will be no additional discussion questions at the end. The story is called “Her First Kiss.”
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Matt Falsely Accuses Jonathan of Stealing
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about Anger Triggers, Anger Cues, our Fight or Flight Instinct, and Self-Mentoring techniques. This story is about a boy not only making a false accusation of a good friend, he punches him in the nose. Will his friend agree to forgive him? Find out in the story called “Matt falsely accuses Jonathan of Stealing.”
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Pranks, Idle Threats, & Promises
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about Anger Triggers, Anger Cues, and Anger Management techniques. This story demonstrates that it is not appropriate to make threats or promises to administer bodily harm at school. The action of making threats or pulling pranks can often backfire as it did for Greg, Tim, and Bruce in this story called “Pranks, Idle Threats, and Promises.”
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): Sam Self-Mentors versus Psychological Warfare
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach about Anger Triggers, Anger Cues, and Anger Management techniques. The story is called “Sam Self-Mentors rather than giving in to Psychological Warfare.” Sam was overwhelmed. Due to his Dad’s drinking and rage, Mr. Duncan lost his job, his wife, and moved his son to a new town. Adding to all the other losses, Sam’s new best friend Drew deserted him to join Shawn’s gang. What will Sam do now that Shawn and his gang are starting to play their psychological warfare games on him?
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Anger Management Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8): SPAM and Stairstep Thinking
Story Description: Here is a story scenario you can use to help teach further details about a unique Anger Management method called S.P.A.M. The story is called “SPAM and Stairstep Thinking.” Jason is offended and angry that Blake put him down. The rest of the morning went from bad to worse. At lunch, his best friend Lee taught him how to use the SPAM method of anger management and Stairstep Thinking to psych himself into feeling better again.
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Resources
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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Voki videos for Matt falsely accuses Jonathan of stealing

Title page clip for voki videos giving a sneak preview of Matt falsely accusing Jonathan of stealing

Here is a sneak preview of the story about Matt falsely accusing his good friend, Jonathan, of stealing. Will their friendship survive?

Matt falsely accuses Jonathan of stealing.

To read the rest of the story, click on this link.

Matt falsely accuses Jonathan of stealing.

Click below for other parts of this lesson plan for middle school students, teachers, guidance counselors, and home-schooling parents.

Lesson Plan links
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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Chapter 5 of 12: Middle School Anti-Bullying series by Debbie Dunn

Bullies, Bystanders, and Victims Middle School lesson plan: Chapter 5 of 12

Middle School students who participate in this set of twelve lesson plans focusing on Bullies, Bystanders of Bullying, and Victims of bullying-type behavior will receive the following benefits:

(1) They will become skilled in using the eight (8) tools of Anger Control developed by Dr. Tony Fiore. (Many thanks goes to Dr. Tony Fiore, also known as the Anger Coach, for freely providing these techniques to my readers. See more info about him in resource section.)

(2) Students who have been identified as bullies should decrease the instances of bullying-type behavior.

(3) Victims of bullying and bystanders of bullying will increase their ability to defuse bullying-type behavior.

(4) Students will increase their feelings of empathy for self and others.

Click BE BULLY FREE to read Chapter 5 of the twelve-chapter series.
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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Chapter 4 of 12: Middle School Anti-Bullying series by Debbie Dunn

Bullies, Bystanders, and Victims Middle School lesson plan: Chapter 4 of 12

Middle School students who participate in this set of twelve lesson plans focusing on Bullies, Bystanders of Bullying, and Victims of bullying-type behavior will receive the following benefits:

(1) They will become skilled in using the eight (8) tools of Anger Control developed by Dr. Tony Fiore. (Many thanks goes to Dr. Tony Fiore, also known as the Anger Coach, for freely providing these techniques to my readers. See more info about him in resource section.)

(2) Students who have been identified as bullies should decrease the instances of bullying-type behavior.

(3) Victims of bullying and bystanders of bullying will increase their ability to defuse bullying-type behavior.

(4) Students will increase their feelings of empathy for self and others.

Click BE BULLY FREE to read Chapter 4 of the twelve-chapter series.
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Chapter 3 of 12: Middle School Anti-Bullying series by Debbie Dunn

Bullies, Bystanders, and Victims Middle School lesson plan: Chapter 3 of 12

Middle School students who participate in this set of twelve lesson plans focusing on Bullies, Bystanders of Bullying, and Victims of bullying-type behavior will receive the following benefits:

(1) They will become skilled in using the eight (8) tools of Anger Control developed by Dr. Tony Fiore. (Many thanks goes to Dr. Tony Fiore, also known as the Anger Coach, for freely providing these techniques to my readers. See more info about him in resource section.)

(2) Students who have been identified as bullies should decrease the instances of bullying-type behavior.

(3) Victims of bullying and bystanders of bullying will increase their ability to defuse bullying-type behavior.

(4) Students will increase their feelings of empathy for self and others.

Click BE BULLY FREE to read Chapter 3 of the twelve-chapter series.
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