No More Bullies at My School!
A Unit Developed for K-12 Students
Language Arts
Nancy L. Gray, PhD
Idaho Director of Bully Police USA
Brenda L. High
Founder, Co-Director, Bully Police USA
Table of Contents








Unit Goals
Learning Objectives
State Standards
Rationale
Materials
Lessons and Assessments
Long-term Strategies
Resources
Unit Goals
This unit can be presented school-wide or in individual
classrooms . The goal of this unit is to educate students on
the harmful consequences of school bullying. Students will
be encouraged to help make their school a safe place. They
will learn to recognize bullying behavior, to develop
strategies for coping with school bullies, and what to do if
they witness school bullying.
Unit Goals
The goals of this unit also include increasing empathy
among students in the school environment. Students will
learn how to develop respect for one another, how to form
personal and social judgments, and how to create a positive
self –identity. They will learn to engage in social sensitivity
and how to diffuse aggressive behaviors that may lead to
harmful interactions. Teachers will learn how to recognize
bullying behaviors and what to do to address these behaviors
before they escalate to violence against others or violence
against self, such as suicide (bullycide).
Learning Objectives






Students will be able to discuss and identify the affects of
bullying behavior.
Students will be able to write a narrative essay about bullying.
Students will be able to write in response to literature.
Students will be able to infer the affects of bullying behavior.
Students will be able to create and perform a play about
bullying.
Students will be able to construct classroom/ school rules about
bullying.
Idaho State Standards- Language Arts








753.02 a Students will edit for correctness and clarity
753.06 a Students will write to communicate research
findings
753.05 a Students will write to critically analyze and evaluate.
753.03 b Students will write to inform and explain
753.04 a Students will write for literary response and
expression.
753.03 a Students will write to inform and explain
752.02c Students will interpret the social, cultural, and
historical significance of a text.
752.04b Students will systematically organize and record
information.






752.01b Students will preview materials to understand
structure and anticipate content.
752.01c Students will develop analytic processes for
understanding and remembering words, phrases, and
information from reading material.
752.01e Students will synthesize and organize
information.
752.01f Students will apply and extend information.
752.02b Students will identify and compare own
experiences to those of others in situations, events, and
cultures within reading selections.
752.01d Students will identify, collect, and/or select, and
relate pertinent information to given situations.
Rationale
School bullying has become an increasing problem that may
end in violence against others or “bullycide”, a suicide
attributed to the effects of bullying.
School shootings have also been linked to incidents of
bullying.
Bullying is often seen as “normal behavior” among
students, yet the consequences of doing nothing can be
deadly. Teaching students that bullying is not acceptable
may save the lives of children.
Suggested Materials





“Do Unto Others” Wrist Bands (www.duntothers.com)
Certificates of Completion
Grade Appropriate Recommended Texts (see lists)
Materials to create class or school rules (poster board and
markers)
Materials for student plays (construction paper, markers,
costumes)
Recommended Texts – Grades K-3

Goggles! by Ezra Jack Keats
Archie and Peter find a pair of motorcycle goggles that the neighborhood
bullies try to take from them. They use their dog, Willie, to help them
outsmart the bullies. 1998, 40 pages, Grades Pre-K-3, Viking

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
When Molly Lou Melon starts at a new school, the class bully, Ronald,
teases her for being short, having buckteeth and a voice that sounds like
"a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor." Molly remembers what
her grandmother told her and she feels good about herself, which helps
her overcome the bully's taunts. 2001, 32 pages, Grades Pre-K-2, G.P.
Putnam's Sons
Recommended Texts – Grades K - 3

Nobody Knew What to Do by Becky Ray McCain
A boy tries to figure out what to do when he repeatedly witnesses a
classmate being bullied. Though frightened, the boy decides to tell his
teacher. When the bullies start up again, the boy and his classmates
band together with the student who is being harassed until adults
intervene and help. 2001, 24 pages, Grades K-3, Albert Whitman

Rosie's Story by Martine Gogoll
Unhappy because the other students in her class make fun of her red
hair and freckles, Rosie writes a story about how she feels and
discovers that she is not alone.
1994, 24 pages, Grades Pre-K-3, Mondo Publishing
Recommended Texts Grades 3 - 6

Bully on the Bus by Carl W. Bosch
Written in a "choose your own ending" format, the reader decides what
action to take while dealing with a bully. The reader can choose from
many alternatives that include ignoring, talking to an adult, confronting
the bully, fighting, and reconciling. 1988, 64 pages, Grades 2-5,
Parenting Press

Milton's Dilemma by Patricia Gatto, John De Angelis
Milton struggles to fit in, but is teased by the school bullies. With the
help of a mischievous gnome, he learns the difference between right
and wrong and the consequences of his actions when he vows to take
revenge. 2004, 32 pages, Grades 2-5, Providence Publishing
Recommended Texts Grades 3 - 6

My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig
Monica is bullied, not by the class thug, but by her close friend Katie.
This book explores relational bullying, a phenomenon that is often
ignored. 2003, 32 pages, Grades 2-5, White Cloud Press

Joshua T. Bates Takes Charge by Susan Shreve
Joshua T. Bates struggles with the biggest decision of his life as he
decides whether to disclose who is victimizing the new kid in fifth
grade, Sean O'Malley. No stranger to bullies, Joshua repeated third
grade and knows what it is like to be the target of Tommy Wilhelm
and his gang. 1993, 112 pages, Grades 3-6, Alfred A. Knopf
Recommended Texts Middle School

Blubber by Judy Blume
Fifth-grader Jill Brenner succumbs to the power of the most popular girl
in the class and joins her in tormenting Linda Fischer, a vulnerable
overweight girl who gives a report on whales and earns the name
Blubber. 1976, 153 pages, Grades 4-6, Bantam Doubleday Dell Books
for Young Readers

Crash by Jerry Spinelli
"Crash" Coogan, celebrated school jock, has been bullying Penn Wardsmall, poor, Quaker, and vegetarian-since the first grade. Crash begins
to question his brutality, materialism, and winner-takes-all attitude when
his beloved grandfather is disabled by a stroke. 1997, 176 pages,
Grades 4-8, Alfred A. Knopf
Recommended Texts - Middle School

Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
At Rucher High, the new kid, Jinsen, is called "Buddha Boy" and
considered a freak. He dresses in tie-dye shirts, shaves his head, and
begs for lunch money in the cafeteria. 2003, 117 pages, Grades 6-10,
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn
Elizabeth and Margaret have brothers fighting in Europe. On the
home front these sixth-graders have their own war going on with the
class bully, Gordy Smith. Hahn raises many issues, among which are
pacification, dealing with a bully, and developing self-esteem.
1992, 216 pages, Grades 5-8, HarperCollins Publishers
Recommended Texts – High School

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
"Cat's Eye" presents the retrospective of Elaine
Risley, a middle-aged acclaimed artist who
discovers that she cannot move into the future as
she is still trapped in the past, because of the
childhood trauma caused by Cordelia, Elaine's
tormentor and soul-mate. Elaine was so deeply
scarred by the sinister girly "power-games" of her
childhood years that she lost herself, her memories,
and "became" a cat's eye: cool as cold marble,
detached, and almost devoid of feeling. 480 pages
Anchor ISBN: 0-385-49102-6
Recommended Texts – High School

I Wrote on All Four Walls: Teens Speak out
on Violence by Fran Fernly
The harrowing stories of nine contemporary teenagers
who have witnessed, been the victim of, or instigated acts
of violence... sometimes all three. In their own words,
these teens offer thoughtful testimony on how such
experiences have impacted on their lives, and their choices
in dealing with those repercussions. 144 pages Annick
Press, 2004 ISBN: 1550377574
Recommended Texts – High School

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers
Six months after a deadly shooting at a suburban high
school, educators and psychological and criminal
experts compile their interviews and analyses to
assess any ongoing threat in the school environment.
Myers, winner of many awards for his young adult
novels, brings freshness and new anguish to this
familiar tale (and growing social problem) of unstable
victim tormented by bullies to homicidal rage. 223
pages Harper Collins Children’s Books ISBN:
0064472906
Recommended Texts - High School

Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee
Blanco
In her poignant autobiographical work, Jodee Blanco
tells how school became a frightening and painful place,
where threats, humiliation, and assault were as much a
part of her daily experience as bubblegum and lip-gloss
were for others. It is an unflinching look at what it
means to be an outcast, how even the most loving
parents can get it wrong, why schools fail, and how
bullying is both misunderstood and mishandled. 276
pages Adams Media Corporation ISBN: 1580628362
Lesson I - Personal Experience



Rationale – Students need to express how bullies affect
their day-to-day lives in order to make determinations on
future behaviors. This series of lessons will provide
opportunities for that expression.
Anticipatory Set – Students will discuss their own
experience with bullies
Time - 3 hours (varies)
Lesson II – Personal Essay




Students will be able to discuss the affects of bullying.
Time 3 hours (varies)
Students will be able to infer the consequences of bullying
behaviors.
Students will be assessed through the completion of a
graded narrative essay.
Lesson III - The Experience of Others





Students will read a grade-level appropriate text.
Time 5 hours (varies depending on text)
Students will discuss the text and how the text made them
feel about bullying.
Students will create online journals about the text as they
read.
Graded Journals will be used to assess student
comprehension of the text and of key concepts.
Lesson IV – Scenes from the Text



Using a word processor, students will take scenes from the
text and create a play that they will present for the rest of
the class.
Students will discuss the consequences of what has
happened in the scenes.
Students will be assessed on their ability to present key
concepts in their play such as empathy, sensitivity, and
social responsibility.
Lesson V – Role-Playing



Students will role-play to create a list of rules that illustrate
prohibited bullying activities.
Students will create a list of rules that illustrate what
students will do to if they see bullying occur.
Students will be assessed through their completion of a
comprehensive list of rules that they develop using
PowerPoint.
Lesson VI
Pledge – Long-term Strategy




Students will write a pledge not to bully.
The student pledge will include:
 Rules for student behavior
 Rules for reporting behavior
Students will be assessed through the completion of the
pledge they have created.
Students who choose to pledge will receive a “DO UNTO
OTHERS” wristband, www.duntothers.com.
Lesson VII – Mentor Certificate for
Long-Term Strategy




Students will become mentors to bullied students
Students will meet each week to discuss how to prevent
bullying in the school or classroom
Students will serve as mentors to students who are bullied
Students will receive a certificate of mentorship
Resources

NEA National Bullying Awareness Campaign


Bully Police - A Watch-dog Organization - Advocating for Bullied
Children


http://www.state.nj.us/njded/parents/bully.htm
School TipLine – If you see it, Report it


http://www.bullypolice.org/
New Jersey - Policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying


http://www.nea.org/schoolsafety/bullying.html
http://www.schooltipline.com
Bullycide in America: Moms speak out about the bullying/suicide
connection

http://www.bullycide.org
References
ERIC Clearinghouse - Schoolwide Prevention of Bullying.
By Request Series.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/co
ntent_storage_01/0000019b/80/19/bc/c1.pdf
About 30 percent of American children are regularly
involved as bullies, victims, or both. Despite this number,
bullying behavior is rarely detected by teachers and is
even less frequently taken seriously. This booklet also has
a list of programs along with contact information, a
technical assistance resource, and reading resources.
(Contains 27 references.)
Borg, M. (1998, December) The emotional reactions of school
bullies and their victims. Educational Psychology. 18
(4), 433-447.
This resource included a 20-year study of more than 6,000
participants. Research found that many of those bullied had
tried “to commit suicide, run away, refused to go to school,
or had been chronically ill.”
Crawford, N. (2002, October) New ways to stop bullying.
Monitor. 33 (9) 64.
This resource provides statistics on bullying and the profiles
of students who are most likely bullied. It also outlines
research that is being conducted on the prevention of
bullying.
Dake, J.A., Price, J. H., Telljohann, S. K., & Funk, J. B. (2003).
Teacher perceptions and practices regarding school bullying
prevention. The Journal of School Health, 73(9), 347-355.
This resource examined teacher perceptions on school
bullying and how they felt it should be addressed. The
researcher found that teachers rarely addressed school
bullying in the classroom.
Dake, J.A., Price, J. H., Telljohann, S. K., & Funk, J. B. (2003).
The nature and extent of bullying at school. The Journal of
School Health, 73(5), 173-180.
This resource found that 20% of students are bullied in the
schools and that bullying affects academic achievement,
school bonding, and absenteeism, yet preventing bullying is
rarely a priority.
Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (2003). Research on school
bullying and victimization: What have we learned and where
do we go from here? School Psychology Review, 32(3), 365383. This resource looked at five model programs designed to
reduce aggression in schools. The researchers found that
teachers needed to be educated about bullying and their
attitudes also needed to be assessed.
Furlong, M. J., Morrison, G. M. & Greif, J. L. (2003). Reaching
an American consensus: Reactions to the special issue on
school bullying. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 456-470.
This resource looked at legislative activities in response to
school shootings and other bulling phenomenon. The authors
felt that states had reacted well to hate crimes, but their
reaction to school bullying was inadequate and inconsistent.
Orpinas, P., Horne, A. M., & Staniszewski, D (2003). School
bullying: Changing the problem by changing the
school. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 431-444.
This resource looked at model for teaching bully prevention.
The researcher found that models that reduce aggression
and victimization by changing the school environment are
usually more effective than models that use an expert
consultant or punishment and reward.
Smith, P. K., Singer, M. Hoel, H., & Cooper, C. L. (2003).
Victimization in the school and the workplace: Are there
any links? British Journal of Psychology, 2 (94), 175.
This resource examines how bullying in school can impact
later life, especially once the former student enters the
workforce.
The Nature of School Bullying: A Cross-National
Perspective. (1999). Adolescence, 34 (136), 817.
This resource is a summary of school bullying in 19 countries.
The study includes victim and bully demographics, the types of
bullying, and interventions.