Bullying in School January 2012-December 2012: Instructional Material (IM)

Many everyday behaviors that seem harmless and inconsequential are really bullying behaviors. This 110-page book helps kids recognize those behaviors by reading a meaningful and memorable reproducible story and completing six literature-based lessons on bullying behavior focusing on exclusion, friendship bullying, and cyber-bullying.

Decades of research have shown that there are ways to stop bullying and that 50% reductions in rates of bullying are achievable. The Stop Bullying Now resource kit was developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration and is based on the work of many researchers in bullying prevention and intervention. The DVD includes 12 animated webisodes for students which depict firsthand bullying experienced in schools, five public service announcements and video workshops for professionals. An activity guide with suggestions for schools and communities is included, as well as a CD-ROM with PDFs of fact sheets on a range of topics and resources.

This set of three 14 minute DVDs addresses the topic of bullying in preteen students by featuring preteen bloggers who discuss their feelings, relationships and concerns about school, friends and family. Live action video clips show demonstrations of the issues. Why Are There Bullies? (What are they thinking?) explores the reasons why kids bully. Internet Bullies?! (Just a click away) discusses online bullying through instant messaging, blogs, email, chat rooms and social networks. And Clique! Clique! Clique! Ouch! (Sometimes cliques hurt) addresses concerns about social groups and explains how some groups are cliques and while some cliques form naturally through shared interests and can have positive effects, others can be harmful as they leave some kids out on purpose and negatively change the behavior of their members.

This 276 page book provides 54 lessons on the prevention and reduction of bullying in grades 1-6. The accompanying CD includes reproducible forms of materials for both instructors and students. The book is a wonderful guide on identifying and addressing bullying behaviors and offers examples and options which help illustrate a wide variety of situations and types of bullying.