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lenny

Echoes of Bullying: What Lasts?

Lindsay Wilson

Tier 2
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Echoes of Bullying Lesson Plan

Students will explore the emotional, social, and academic impacts of bullying on targets, bystanders, and perpetrators, and identify strategies for fostering a supportive environment.

Understanding the profound and lasting effects of bullying helps students develop empathy, recognize the importance of intervention, and contribute to a safer school community for everyone.

Audience

6th Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, reflection, and scenario analysis.

Materials

Echoes of Bullying Slide Deck, Bullying Impact Warm Up, Understanding Bullying Discussion Guide, Reflecting on Bullying Journal, Supportive Community Cool Down, Pens/Pencils, and Whiteboard or chart paper

Prep

Lesson Preparation

15 minutes

  • Review all generated materials: Echoes of Bullying Lesson Plan, Echoes of Bullying Slide Deck, Bullying Impact Warm Up, Understanding Bullying Discussion Guide, Reflecting on Bullying Journal, and Supportive Community Cool Down.
  • Set up the classroom for small group discussion, arranging chairs in a circle or horseshoe shape.
  • Prepare whiteboard or chart paper for note-taking during the discussion sections.

Step 1

Warm Up: Setting the Stage

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Bullying Impact Warm Up to students.
  • Instruct students to complete the warm-up individually.
  • Briefly discuss a few responses as a whole group to activate prior knowledge and set a reflective tone.

Step 2

Introduction: What is Bullying and Beyond?

5 minutes

  • Display the first slide of the Echoes of Bullying Slide Deck.
  • Define bullying, ensuring students understand it's not just physical but can be verbal, social, or cyber.
  • Introduce the concept of "impacts" beyond immediate physical harm.

Step 3

Exploring Impacts: Who Feels What?

10 minutes

  • Use the Understanding Bullying Discussion Guide and the Echoes of Bullying Slide Deck to facilitate a guided discussion.
  • Focus on the emotional, social, and academic impacts on the target, bystanders, and even the perpetrator.
  • Use specific scenarios (provided in the discussion guide) to prompt deeper thinking.

Step 4

Personal Reflection: My Thoughts, Their Feelings

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Reflecting on Bullying Journal.
  • Instruct students to choose one or more prompts to write a longer-form reflection.
  • Emphasize that this is a safe space for their thoughts.

Step 5

Building a Supportive Community: Our Role

10 minutes

  • Lead a discussion using the Echoes of Bullying Slide Deck and whiteboard/chart paper.
  • Brainstorm and discuss concrete strategies students can use to prevent bullying, support peers, and foster a positive, inclusive school environment.

Step 6

Cool Down: One Last Thought

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Supportive Community Cool Down.
  • Have students complete the exit ticket activity to summarize key learnings or share one actionable step they will take.
lenny

Slide Deck

Echoes of Bullying: What Lasts?

Understanding the real and lasting impacts of bullying on everyone involved and our school community.

Today, we'll explore:

  • What bullying really is
  • How it affects targets, bystanders, and even those who bully
  • What we can do to create a more supportive environment
  • How our actions have a ripple effect on others, just like echoes in a canyon, lasting far beyond the initial sound. These echoes can be positive or negative, depending on our actions and choices.

Welcome students and introduce the topic. Emphasize that this is a safe space to discuss a serious topic.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.

Types of Bullying:

  • Physical: Hitting, kicking, tripping, pushing, and destroying possessions.
  • Verbal: Name-calling, teasing, intimidating, making threats.
  • Social/Relational: Spreading rumors, leaving people out, embarrassing someone publicly.
  • Cyberbullying: Using digital technology to harass, threaten, or target another person.

Define bullying. Ask students for examples of different types. Emphasize that it's not just physical. Make sure students understand the key components: imbalance of power and repeated behavior.

Impact on the Target: The Silent Scars

Emotional Toll:

  • Sadness, anger, fear, anxiety
  • Loss of self-esteem and confidence
  • Depression, loneliness, thoughts of self-harm

Social Impact:

  • Withdrawal from friends and activities
  • Difficulty trusting others
  • Isolation

Academic Performance:

  • Difficulty concentrating in class
  • Increased absenteeism (skipping school)
  • Drop in grades

Lead a discussion: What are the immediate and long-term effects on someone who is bullied? Encourage students to think beyond the obvious physical injuries. Prompt with questions like: How might their feelings change? How might their schoolwork or friendships be affected? Write student ideas on the board.

Impact on the Bystander: Watching from the Sidelines

Emotional Response:

  • Guilt for not intervening
  • Fear of becoming a target themselves
  • Helplessness or confusion
  • Desensitization to bullying over time

Social Impact:

  • Feeling unsafe or anxious in school
  • Less likely to stand up for others in the future
  • Can perpetuate bullying by silently condoning it

What can bystanders do?

Discuss the bystander's role. Why might someone not intervene? What feelings might bystanders experience (guilt, fear, helplessness)? How can bystanders empower themselves? This leads into the idea of a supportive community.

Impact on the Perpetrator: The Cost of Power

Short-Term:

  • Temporary feeling of power or control
  • Negative attention from adults
  • Disciplinary actions at school

Long-Term:

  • Difficulty forming healthy relationships
  • Increased risk of antisocial behavior and violence in adulthood
  • Legal consequences
  • Developing a reputation that makes positive social connections difficult

Discuss the potential reasons behind bullying behavior (e.g., insecurity, seeking attention, learned behavior). Also, highlight the negative consequences for the perpetrator, emphasizing that bullying can lead to a cycle of negativity for everyone. This slide should encourage empathy for everyone involved, even the bully, without excusing the behavior.

The Ripple Effect: Beyond Individuals

Bullying doesn't just affect the people directly involved; it creates a ripple effect that touches the entire school community.

  • Negative School Climate: Creates an environment of fear, anxiety, and distrust.
  • Reduced Learning: Students feel less safe, making it harder to focus on learning.
  • Breakdown of Trust: Students may lose trust in peers and adults to help.
  • Community Morale: Overall happiness and connection within the school can decline.

Connect the dots. How do these individual impacts combine to affect the entire school? How does bullying change the feeling of being at school for everyone? Use the "ripple effect" analogy.

Building a Supportive Community: Our Power to Change

Every student has the power to contribute to a positive school environment.

What can WE do?

  • Speak Up: Report bullying to a trusted adult (teacher, counselor, parent).
  • Stand Up (Safely): Intervene if you feel safe, or get help from an adult.
  • Reach Out: Offer support to someone who is being bullied.
  • Be Inclusive: Include others, especially those who seem isolated.
  • Lead by Example: Practice kindness and respect in your daily interactions.

Remember: Your actions, big or small, make a difference!

This is a key action-oriented slide. Encourage students to share concrete strategies. What specific things can they DO if they see or experience bullying? Focus on actionable steps. Write down student ideas on the board.

Be the Change

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your choices create the echoes of our community. Let's make them positive ones.

End on a positive and empowering note.

lenny

Warm Up

Bullying Impact Warm Up

Think about a time you either saw someone being treated unkindly, or perhaps experienced it yourself. Without sharing any specific names or details, how did that situation make you or others feel? What were some of the immediate reactions, and what feelings might have lingered afterward?







What is one word that comes to mind when you think about the "impact" of someone's actions, both positive and negative?




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lenny

Discussion

Understanding Bullying Discussion Guide

Guidelines for Respectful Discussion:

  • Listen actively to others.
  • Share your thoughts and feelings respectfully.
  • Focus on ideas and impacts, not specific people or situations from your school.
  • It's okay to disagree, but do so constructively.
  • Pass if you don't wish to share.

Scenario 1: The Exclusion
Maria notices a group of her friends whispering and laughing, and intentionally turning their backs when another classmate, Leo, tries to join their conversation at lunch. This has been happening for a few days. Leo looks down and quietly walks away.

  • How do you think Leo feels in this moment? What might be the emotional and social impacts on him if this continues?



  • How might Maria, as a bystander, feel watching this? What are her choices, and what might be the impact of those choices on Leo and the group?



  • What message does this send to other students observing this behavior?



Scenario 2: The Online Rumor
A mean meme about a new student, Sam, is posted in a private group chat that many students are in. It quickly spreads, and people start making jokes about it in the hallways. Sam sees the meme and stops talking as much in class and seems withdrawn.

  • What makes cyberbullying different from other forms of bullying in this scenario? How might the impact be amplified online?



  • If you were in the group chat, what could you do? What are the potential impacts of doing nothing versus saying something or reporting it?



  • How might this situation impact Sam's academic performance or desire to come to school?



Scenario 3: The Intimidation
Alex, a student known for being tough, frequently pushes past smaller students in the hallway, often making comments like, "Get out of my way, shrimp." One day, Alex trips a student, Sarah, causing her books to scatter. Other students see it but quickly walk away.

  • What are the immediate and potential long-term impacts on Sarah?



  • Why might other students walk away? What impact does their silence have on Alex and on Sarah?



  • What potential consequences might Alex face, not just at school, but in their own social development or relationships?



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lenny

Journal

Reflecting on Bullying: My Thoughts, Their Feelings

Choose one or more of the prompts below to reflect on the impacts of bullying. Write thoughtfully and honestly; this is a space for your personal understanding.

Prompt 1: Stepping into Their Shoes
Imagine you are the target of ongoing social exclusion, similar to Leo in our discussion. Describe in detail how this would make you feel emotionally, socially, and even physically. How might it change your daily routine or your feelings about school?











Prompt 2: The Weight of Witnessing
Think about a time you witnessed someone being treated unfairly or unkindly. Even if it wasn't outright bullying, what emotions did you experience as a bystander? What did you wish you could have done, or what did you do? What did you learn from that experience about the power of bystanders?











Prompt 3: My Role in the Ripple
We talked about the "ripple effect" of bullying. What is one specific action you can take, starting today, to create a more positive ripple in your school community? How do you think this action, no matter how small, could impact others?











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lenny

Cool Down

Supportive Community Cool Down: One Last Thought

Before you leave, please answer one of the following questions in a sentence or two:

  1. What is one new understanding you gained today about the impacts of bullying?



  2. What is one way you can contribute to creating a more supportive and inclusive environment in our school this week?



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lenny