Friendly vs. Mean Teasing – Teacher Resource #1
GRADE 5 LESSON 7
STORY 1: Jermane called to his friend Glenn and said, “Hey Glenn, get over here! I want to
show you something!” Glenn walks over to Jermane and asked, “What’s up?” “Look at that kid
over there with the weird clothes on. Who is he?” asked Jermane. Glenn started to laugh and
said, “I don’t know, but let’s go give him some grief. Anyone who dresses like that deserves it.”
STORY 2: Roxanne is on the cheerleading squad and really is a good organizer. She writes
down everything that needs to be done, and reminds everyone else on the squad about
practice times, etc. The other girls on the squad appreciate having someone as organized as
Roxanne, and often tell her so. One day the girls started teasing Roxanne about being the
“mother hen” of the squad, taking care of all her little chicks. Roxanne started to laugh and
said, “Believe me, taking care of all my little chicks is a full-time job!”
STORY 3: Malinda is a shy girl, and she loves to read. Every day after she finishes with her
lunch at school, she takes out a book instead of going outside with all the other students. She
doesn’t mind going to school, except for one thing: Two guys are always teasing her about
reading so much. They come up to her, knock the book out of her hands, and say things like,
‘What’s the matter, Malinda? Too afraid to take your nose out of your books?”
Adapted with permission from:
Goldstein, A. The PREPARE Curriculum: Teaching Prosocial Competencies. Champaign, IL: Research Press, 1999
Developed by: Shauna Jones, WV Children’s Home School (2009)