Stephanie Mitchell Cyber Bullying Lesson Plan Lesson has been adapted from Whats Cyber Bullying?

(3-5) on Common Sense Media.org and Middle School Cyber Bullying Curriculum at Seattle School Materials: Actions To Take IF You Become a Target handout found at Middle School Cyber Bullying Curriculum at Seattle School 1. Time Frame: This lesson will be taught within the first two weeks of school (August 18-September 3). This lesson will be taught before the students are introduced to KidBlog, which is a classroom blog the class will be using throughout the duration of the year. 2. Objective: Students will be able to identify strategies for dealing responsibly with online bullying. They will be able to discuss the differences between online bullying and in-person bullying. 3. Purpose: This lesson will be taught prior to introducing my students to KidBlog. It will help them learn how to respond appropriately online and refrain from posting negative comments about others. Students are familiarized with online media at increasingly younger ages. Many students in my 5th grade class already view and have access to social networking sites at home. This lesson will allow students to view and participate in online activities in a responsible way both at school and at home. Students will know what steps to take if they, or someone they know, encounter cyber bullying. 4. Input Students will be able to understand and explain the following vocabulary words: a. Cyber bullying: the use of digital media tools such as the Internet and cell phones to deliberately upset or harass someone else b. Target: the person being cyber bullied c. Empathize: to imagine the feelings that someone else is experiencing d. Blocking: to make settings on a device or in an online service that stops specific people or categories of people from contacting you and viewing or posting to your site. e. Self-Esteem feeling good about yourself Students will learn the steps to take if they are victims or bystanders of cyber bullying. 5. Anticipatory Set: The teacher will have the kids play a round of Heads Up, Seven Up. One student will put a Post-It note on a kids thumb that says, Dork! As the students stand up, that student will asked to explain how he or she felt when they felt. The class will discuss how an anonymous note can

be hurtful to the person receiving it. The teacher will ask how an internet user is similar to a person who plays Heads Up, Seven Up (both individuals are anonymous or can have a hidden identity). 6. Modeling - The teacher will give the definition of a cyber bully. She will say, A cyber bully is a person who uses digital media tools such as the Internet or cell phones to upset or harass someone else. The teacher will draw a Venn Diagram on the board and label them Bully and Cyber Bully. Students will discuss the differences between both types of persons. Suggested answers may include: Bully known individual, can be physical, only heard when he/she says it, limited to certain hours of the day, face to face, few witnesses Cyber Bully can be anonymous, public, use of words, can say something damaging online and it may be accessed practically forever, can be done at anytime of the day, public Both bullies and cyber bullies have intent to upset and harass someone else. The teacher will say, A target is the person being cyber bullied. Statistics have shown that most targets or victims are people who appear vulnerable. A vulnerable person is typically someone who has low self-esteem or appears isolated. Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. While many targets may be a different race, ethnicity, or wear different clothes it is a persons vulnerability that makes them attractive to a cyber bully. It is easy for cyber bullies to hide their identity from their targets so there is no easy way to identify the attacker. The class will discuss different examples of cyber bullying. These include: Bashing Post comments or send texts that are verbal and visual attacks. Exclusion Being excluded from online activities, including gaming, group blogging, or mass texting Flaming a heated, short-lived argument that involves rude language or threats. This can occur in social networking sites, chat rooms, discussion boards, or gaming sites. Outing Disclosing personal secrets of an individual. Posing Cyber bullying uses the targets access to information or pretends to be the target and post on their behalf.

7. Guided Practice - The teacher will discuss the steps that students can take to prevent themselves against cyber bullying (How to Avoid Being a Target, Middle School Cyber bullying Curriculum). a. Protect your personal information b. Create strong passwords and dont share them c. Dont bully others d. Stand up for a friend or person you know who is being bullied

e. Seek allies and friends who feel the same way about bullying as you do f. Work together within your school community. The teacher will give out the handout, Actions To Take IF You Become a Target (Middle School Cyber bullying Curriculum) 1. Act immediately 2. Block anyone whose behavior is inappropriate or threatening in any way 3. Dont respond to the bully 4. Report bullying 5. Acknowledge your pain 6. Assess what additional help you may need. 8. Checking For Understanding The teacher will ask students the following questions: a. What is a cyber bully? (Someone who harasses someone else online). b. What are two characteristics of cyber bullying (it is often public, can be done at any time of the day, can be done repeatedly, anonymously) c. What are three actions you can take if you become a target? 9. Independent Practice: The teacher will present students with the following scenario: a. Eating pizza around the computer on Saturday with her friends, Jan sees that Chris just logged on to IM. Someone suggests they bug Chris, who is always trying to joint heir group. Your friends provide suggestions and egg Jan on. Then you all join in, thought you are beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. They ask personal questions of Chris like who he/she likes best, Drew or Jamie? Christ shares a lot of personal information thinking its a good way to be part of th e group. Your friends have fun stringing Chris along and decide to create an anonymous blog. There they post the IM transcript and share the URL with lots of kids at school including Drew and Jamie. By Monday, they know half the school will have read it and Chris will be a total joke. b. Questions: What would you do if you were part of this group of friends? c. Invite students to share their answers with the class. 10. Closure The teacher will explain that the target is never at fault. She will tell students that bullies never get away with their actions. The police can become involved in situations it has been documented that bullies may end up in jail one or more times, have failed relationships, have trouble getting and keeping work, and many more problems later in life. Students should know and understand that there are many safe people they can talk to if they encounter something online that makes them feel upset or

comfortable. Parents, teachers, and school counselors will be on their side.