COOL TOOL LESSON
Skill: No Name Calling Week
This week is No Name Calling Week! That means we want to take a look at how we speak to
each other. We often use words that are hurtful and that cause pain in people’s hearts. I have
heard some students call other people names and then say, “I was just foolin’ around. I didn’t
mean it.” The problem is that other people don’t know when you are serious and when you are
just teasing. The words hurt. Please think this week about how your words can make others
feel wonderful or how they can cut them to pieces. Everyone in the school today will have the
oportunity to sign a pledge to particiapte in No Name Calling Week. I hope you will sign this
pledge with me and make this a great week!
Teaching examples:
1. (Monday) Andre and Matthew are playing basketball at lunch recess with a bunch of
other boys from their class. Andre is about 5 inches shorter than Matthew. Andre gets
the ball and makes a tries to make a shot, but misses. Matthew laughs at him and says,
“Give up. You can’t shoot, Shorty!” Andre wants to punch Matthew in the face. What
are some other things he could do instead?
2. (Tuesday) Bobby and Charlie are talking about their favorite TV shows. John says his
favorite show is “Friday Night Smackdown”. Charlie says his favorite show is “Ghost
Whisperer”. Bobby laughs at him and says, “Man, that is SO gay!” Other boys hear the
comment and start calling Charlie gay, too.
3. (Wednesday) Erin, Sophia and Calista are in the bathroom during their break. Calista
tells Erin that her pants are too short. Sophia laughs and starts chanting, “Short pants!
Short pants! Short pants!” When the girls return to the classroom, Sophia and Calista
keep saying, “Short pants! Short pants!” and soon some other people in class are saying
the same thing. Erin knows her pants are too short, but she didn’t have anything else to
wear today. She hangs her head, and though no one can see it, a tear runs down her
cheek.
4. (Thursday) Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Severns are having lunch in the teachers’ lounge.
They are talking about what they did over the weekend. Mrs. Jackson went hiking,
spent some time at the gym and then played with her children. Mrs. Severns said that
over the weekend she sat on the couch, watched TV and ate snacks. Then she
complained about not being able to lose the weight she wanted to lose. Mrs. Jackson
said, “Well you wouldn’t be so fat if you weren’t so lazy.” Mrs. Severns got up and
walked out of the room. Why do you think Mrs. Severns suddenly left the room? Please
talk this situation over with your teacher.
5. (Friday) In another school, in another town, a class is walking down the hallway. The
teacher, Mrs. Allan, tells sees Pat talking to another student and stepping on the heels
of the person in fron of him. Mrs. Allan tells him to stop talking and to leave a space
between himself and the person in front of him. She then says in front of the class, “Pat
you are always such a troublemaker!” How do you think this will affect Pat’s day? Talk
this over with your class.
Discussion points:
Monday:
 Andre could acknowledge that he is short and maybe even make a joke about it. He
could say, “I may be short, but I’m better lookin’ than you are!”
 Discuss with your class how name calling hurts everyone. Offer your students the
opportunity to sign a “No Name Calling” pledge for the week. Anyone that signs the
pledge will receive a yarn friendship bracelet to wear.
Tuesday:
 Have students write down on a piece of paper the names they have heard people called
here at school. Collect the papers and read them. Ask students what are the typical
“categories”for names that people are called (body image, physical ability or disability,
clothing, sex, race…any others?) Sometimes the names people are called are true and
sometimes they are just not even close to the truth.
 Put up the cut out of the boy in your classroom. Everyday this week, after the teaching
example is read, have students come up and tear a piece off the boy. (Save all the
pieces that are torn off. On Friday you will discuss how the name calling has hurt the
boy and will try to put him back together again.)
 Tear three pieces off your cut out boy, (because so many people participated in hurting
Charile).
Wednesday:
 How is Erin feeling right now?
 Some people have more clothes and newer clothes than others. Should people be
judged by what they wear? By their disability? By their skin color? By how much money
they have?
 What do you think about the people that joined in and started saying “Short pants!”?
 List on the board ideas the class has about responding to name calling. Write down ALL
of their ideas and then discuss which are positive responses, and which ones will get
them into trouble. (Remind students that there are ALWAYS many ways to respond to
situations…not just one. They have to make choices that are good for themselves.)
o Some ideas may be: hit, yell, walk away, make a joke, agree with the person)
 Tear four pieces off your cut out boy.
Thursday:
 What do you think Mrs. Severns wanted to do when Mrs. Jackson said she was fat and
lazy?
 Do you think Mrs. Severns made a good choice by leaving the room?
 What would have happened if she yelled back at Mrs. Jackson and said, “You might have
more friends if you weren’t such a sourpuss!” What would happen if Mrs. Severns was
so mad that she hit Mrs. Jackson?
 Tear another piece off of your cut out boy.
Friday:
 Even grownups sometimes get mad and call people names. Does this hurt more, or less
or the same as when a classmate calls someone a name?
 What kind of mood are you in when someone calls you a name? After someone calls
you a name, are you more likely to be friendly or crabby to the next person that speaks
to you?
 What kind of classroom would it be if everyone bullied each other and called people
names? What would it be like if everyone tried to give classmates a boost and said nice
things?
 Tear another piece off you cut out boy. Now gather all the pieces that have been torn
off this week and try to put the boy back together. Dose he look like he did at the
beginning of the week?
o Even though we can’t see it, names tear us up inside. They leave scars we can’t
see.
o Is there any way to heal the scars that name calling leave behind?

We all have things about ourselves that we don’t particularly like, and people will use
these to try to hurt us. But we also must remember that we all have special gifts that
are wonderful and make us special. DON’T LET NAME CALLING GET YOU DOWN!