Bullying Book Reflection – Tying it All Together
After you’ve finished reading your bullying book, and after class discussion and activities
with Ms. Landmark, it’s time to make some connections.
These are the major ideas/concepts you learned about in the bullying unit:
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Four types of bullying and examples
Categories by which we bully
The Players and their roles in a bullying situation (bully, target, encourager, bystander, ally)
Name It, Claim It, Stop It (orange handout)
The power of a bystander—b2a chart—how to move from a bystander to an ally (green chart)
Pyramid of Hate—how bullying can escalate into hate and violence
Write a 4 paragraph essay, due ________. Typed & double-spaced. Come up with a creative title.
The Essay’s Format
Paragraph One will be a short summary of your novel. Describe the main character and what
stands in his/her way. Describe other major characters. Include the narrative hook, a few events
from the rising action, the climax, and the resolution. Include the title of the novel (in italics) and
author’s name at the beginning of the paragraph.
Paragraphs Two, Three, and Four will explain the connections you’ve made between the novel
you read and what you learned about in class.
 For each body paragraph, choose one of the major bullet points above.
 Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that outlines what the whole paragraph
will be about.
 Explain using specific details from the book: How do characters in your novel use
(or not use ) the information and skills you’ve learned in class? Use many
examples/incidents from the book to help prove your point.
 In each paragraph (2, 3 & 4) you must use at least one direct quotation from your
novel. Use correct dialogue format (see below for an example—properly use quotation marks,
commas, page numbers, etc.).
 After you’ve used your quotation, be sure to explain WHY it is an example of the
idea you learned about in class.
 Be sure your paragraphs contain more of YOUR words, connections, and ideas than
direct quotes from the novel.
 Use transition words (hint: bright orange sheet) within and between paragraphs
Skills you’ll be demonstrating in this essay:
I can summarize.
I can write an organized essay using topic sentences and transition words.
I can compare and contrast ideas (between class discussion and a text).
I can use specific textual evidence to support my ideas.
I can properly quote information from a text.
Adv
Adv
Adv
Adv
Adv
Prof
Prof
Prof
Prof
Prof
Basic
Basic
Basic
Basic
Basic
Below Basic
Below Basic
Below Basic
Below Basic
Below Basic
Sample paragraph (paragraph 2, 3 or 4)
Another concept from the bullying unit found in The Revealers is social bullying. As soon as
Bethany DeMere is introduced in the novel, it’s clear she’s a classic example of a student who uses
this form of bullying. For example, Russell, the main character, first describes her like this: “She’s
popular, and she’s one of those people who knows just what to say to cut you down…If she wants
to show you that you are not worth seeing or hearing, she shakes her hair as she turns away and
sighs or rolls her eyes at somebody who is worth seeing and hearing” (28). This is bullying by
exclusion, especially when others see it. Social bullies make themselves seem better than others
through their seemingly innocent actions. Another example of her social bullying—this time verbal—
occurs when Russell and Bethany are forced to conference on their writing together in class.
“Bethany snorted. ‘It’s not fair,’ she said to me fiercely. ‘You’re a nobody who suddenly thinks
you’re somebody. You and your friends’ ” (131). This time, she is making mean comments to
Russell and his friends, and everybody in class can hear her trying to gain power over them.
NOTE: I triple-spaced this paragraph to leave room to write in comments. You should doublespace your whole essay. Don’t forget a great title.