January and February Bullying Lessons

In January and February all grades received a lesson on Bullying. Bullying lessons focused on defining what bullying behavior is. Bullying is defined as intentional aggressive behavior that is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power. These three things must be involved in order for a behavior to be called bullying. Many times students call things bullying that do not meet this criteria. Therefore, it is important to define what it is so that students can correctly identify the behavior.

Kindergartners read the book Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully by Audrey Penn. We used this book to introduce to bullying behavior and identify bullying. Students learned what bullying behavior looks like, and discussed how being a good friend (and not a bully) to others will help create a school environment that is free of bullying.

First graders learned about bullying by watching Howard B Wigglebottom Learns About Bullying. You can see the link and activities here.

In Second grade students learned about how Seek First to Understand and then to be Understood helps develop empathy. Empathy is taking a walk in another person's shoes and seeking to understand how that person feels before making a choice of how to talk to or treat someone. If students develop empathy by using Habit 5 they will likely make the decision not to bully others as well as stand up to bullying when they see it happening to other people. We talked about how this is very important when people are different from us. Students read the book Rosie's Story by Martine Gogoll, a story about a girl who was bullied because she had red hair and freckles. Students then completed an activity comparing how they are different and the same from a partner in class to practice Habit 5.

Third Graders did an activity called "Classifying Bullying" where they matched different types of bullying behavior with the definition. Students watched a Pixar short film called For the Birds to infer these bullying behaviors. Then, students read Nobody Knew What to Do by Becky Ray McCain and discussed what they could do when faced with any of the bullying behaviors they had just learned extensively.

Fourth graders also learned about Classifying Bullying Behaviors similar to third grade. In fourth grade we focused on teasing and when teasing becomes bullying. Students listened to the story Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig and then completed an activity with a partner to decide when teasing crosses the line to bullying.

In Fifth grade students watched a video called Gum in My Hair to learn statistics about bullying and strategies to handle bullying. They completed an activity called "Walk in My Shoes" to apply the role of a bystander to different bullying situations.

In sixth grade students studied statistics of bullying with a partner and highlighted three important details. They shared these with the rest of the class to learn from one another. Students learned from a power point what classifies as bullying as well as the role of the bystander. After the lesson students were asked to give one take-away they learned, and many students identified that they now know what bullying truly is, how to be an Upstander rather than a Bystander, and that bullying has life long effects on both the bullies and the victims being bullied. Students also learned important information about cyber-bullying and digital citizenship.

November Gratitude Lessons

All grade levels received gratitude lessons in the month of November. Each child spent time brainstorming many things in their life they are grateful for. Most grades listened to a book on gratitude or watched a video about gratitude. Students then took the time to reflect in the manner writing or drawing about what they are thankful for or writing a gratitude note to someone they are thankful for. Students in 4th grade delivered gratitude letters to various HPE staff. Students in 5th and 6th grade wrote thank you letters to an individual in their life that they are thankful for. Each student received a copy of their letter to deliver to that person. Students learned that there is a scientific a connection between expressing gratitude and increased levels of happiness. Furthermore, being grateful encourages kind actions. Please see below a Gratitude wall that I displayed for Special Friends. These are examples of what our 1st and 2nd graders are grateful for.

In the month of December all grades will receive lessons on Body Safety.

October Lessons: Conflict Resolution

In the month of October counseling lessons will focus on conflict resolution or solving problems. Students will learn skills to identify small/minor problems vs. big/major problems and how to resolve them in the most effective manner.

Students in grades K-4 will learn the difference between small problems: ones that cause us to feel angry, frustrated, annoyed, and sometimes sad, and big problems: ones that are dangerous or that cause us to feel nervous or worried. Students in grades 5-6 will identify the difference between minor problems and major problems. These problems cause similar feelings to small and big problems but are more specific/unique to older students. 

All students will learn that small problems or minor problems can be solved on their own without asking for assistance from adults. Students learn 9 strategies/skills to solve small problems and the general rule of thumb is to try two of these 9 strategies before asking for an adult to help. Big or major problems require assistance from an adult right away.

Please see the parent letter below for more information about these problem solving skills that your child learned through their counseling lesson this month!