Laughing Leopard Blog

September Series: Integrating Bullying Prevention Part III: History

9/26/2016

Sometimes, the best way to go forward is to look back. History is an excellent teacher of what works, what doesn’t work, and what can be possible. That is why the next subject in our series on integrating bullying prevention throughout the classroom is history.

History is chock full of examples of individuals who were bullied or different, but succeeded despite the odds. It is filled with people who chose to respond to cruelty with kindness, and ended up changing the world.

For many students, the past can seem like little more than distant stories that have no bearing on their lives. However, the reality is that the people and difficulties of the past weren’t much different than the people and difficulties of today. As a result, we can learn a lot from their struggles and successes, and discover in the process that we are not alone.

History can serve as a warning, but it can also serve as an inspiration for what is possible. The activities below have been designed with this in mind. I hope they get your students excited about the past and inspire them to create a better future.

Living History

Atticus Finch once said “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” What better way to do this than to LIVE history? Allow your students, for one day, to completely immerse themselves in the experience of a time gone by.

For example, hold an Ellis Island Day. Allow your students to feel what it would be like to come to a new country where they didn’t know the culture or the language; a place where they looked and acted differently than others and didn’t fit in with those around them. Assign students nations of origin and allow them to only speak to other students that are from the same country.

Set up an inspection station mimicking the inspections immigrants went through upon arrival. Encourage your students to dress in the traditional garb of their nations and read personal accounts of people who immigrated to Ellis Island as children. Afterwards, talk with your students about how it felt to look different than their peers, to be inspected, and to be cut off from communication. Discuss how this experience can translate into their lives today. Will it change how they treat new students? Or how they interact with others who might look or act differently?

You can also use this opportunity to talk about all the wonderful foods, innovations, and traditions we have as a result of immigration in the U.S. If you have the participation of parents, hold a party at the end of the day with each student bringing in a dish representative of the nation they were assigned or even a family recipe. Your students will leave the classroom with a greater appreciation for the struggles faced by their ancestors, greater empathy for those who are new today, and a better appreciation for the benefits of differences and diversity.

Wall of Upstanders

Despite research which reports that, 57% of the time, bullying stops within 10 seconds when someone interferes, over 80% of children continue to stand by silently while their peers are bullied. Why is this?

Studies show that children choose to be bystanders for a multitude of reasons, including fear of retribution, uncertainty of how to act, and just plain shyness. While skits and books make good starting points for teaching children how to stand up to bullying, they can also feel fake or forced. This is where history can be helpful.

Image found on Pinterest.com, original pinner unknown

The wonderful thing about stories in history is that they aren’t just stories; they really happened. You don’t need to look far for examples of individuals who stood up against injustice or helped the oppressed. Why not give your students real people to emulate? As you learn about upstanders throughout history, create a collage filled with their pictures, quotes, and articles about them. Talk about what it means to be an upstander and why they are so important, drawing connection between the past and the present. As you learn about different upstanders throughout history, add them to the collage.

When issues such as bullying and unkindness arise in the classroom, refer students to the leaders of the past. How did they handle conflict? Why do we admire them? What can we imitate?

BE an Upsatander

This project is a combination of the first two. When I was in elementary school, one of my favorite projects was an oral report on a figure from history. Each student was assigned to research the life of a well known historic figure and then make a presentation while dressed as that individual, speaking from his or her perspective. We were allowed to choose anyone we wanted (within reason) and it was with great enthusiasm that I spent the next several weeks immersing myself in the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

By the time presentation day rolled around, I was an expert on all things Laura Ingalls Wilder. Since the assignment required me to speak in the first person, my presentation was more than a regurgitation of facts; it also included Laura’s personal thoughts and reactions to the events of her life, providing a far more rich and full portrait than any written report ever could. As the other students presented, I was fascinated to hear them speak like their characters and learned so much, not only about the historic figures, but about the students who had chosen them, as well.

Photo by Eunique Jones Gibson, part of his photo series showing children dressed as role models of past and present. Found on http://www.today.com/slideshow/mini-role-models-54829292

What I love about this project is that it’s fun for students but it also works on a variety of important skills such as research, writing, reporting, and public speaking. To incorporate bullying prevention, narrow the assignment to upstanders or individuals who overcame obstacles or found nonviolent solutions to problems or spread kindness in their communities. As students step into the shoes of these leaders, they will gain a better understanding of the fears and struggles upstanders of the past faced and how they overcame them, internalizing these lessons in a way they never would if they simply read out of a textbook.

If you lack the time to do such a research-heavy assignment, simplify it to a short before-class discussion. Write a bullying issue or scenario on the board along with a historic figure at the beginning of class. When students walk in, discuss how they think that figure would react to the situation. Assignments such as this not only help connect the past and the present, they build the all important skill of empathy.

***

Bullying, unfortunately, is nothing new, but neither is courage or justice or kindness. Human history is filled with people who stood up for the oppressed, overcame obstacles, and made the world a more peaceful place.

With the many tests and standards that must be met in schools today, adding lessons on bullying prevention can seem daunting, but it doesn't need to be. Lessons about acceptance and tolerance are all around us and, with a little creativity, you'll soon discover that you had the tools right in front of you all along!

I hope you enjoyed this series and that it helped take some of the apprehension out of bullying prevention. Let us know in the comments if you try any of these activities or if you have your own creative ways of integrating bullying prevention into the classroom!

Check back here next week as we dive into National Bullying Prevention Month!

Integrating Bullying Prevention: Part 1 Math, blog cover

Integrating bullying prevention, part 2 art, blog cover

Beyond bullying prevention month:integrating bullying prevention all year long, blog cover

This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos picture book cover

At Laughing Leopard Press, books are one of our greatest tools for education. Our newest book, This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos combines powerful text with vibrant illustrations to help children learn that bullies come in all shapes and sizes-- and there is usually more to people than meets the eye. The first in a series of picture books, This is A. Blob introduces young children to vital topics such as empathy, kindness, and differences. Find it on Amazon.com or right here on LaughingLeopardPress.com!

A. Blob on a Bus, by L.A. Kefalos picture book cover

BOOK 2 NOW AVAILABLE!
A. Blob is back, and this time it's on a bus! As the slimy bully pokes and pesters the children of Lincoln Elementary School, it seems like they will never be able to ride the bus in peace. That is, until one brave girl takes stand.

Can one act of bravery change everything--including A. Blob? Find out in this second installment of The Blob Series!

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September Series: Integrating Bullying Prevention Part II: Art

9/14/2016

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Welcome back to our September Blog Series-Integrating Bullying Prevention Throughout the Classroom! We started the series off with a doozy—math! Through activities such as “Counting on Kindness” and mathematical mystery messages of kindness, we learned that neither math nor bullying prevention needs to be intimidating.

This week we’ll be focusing on the more popular subject of art. Art is a beautiful tool of self-expression and exploration. Through art we are able to say and understand things that words alone simply could not convey, making it an excellent subject for learning about kindness and bullying prevention.

Here are some easy ways that you can integrate these topics into the art education you are already doing:

Compliments for Complements

In art, we have complementary colors. Complementary colors are colors opposite one another on the color wheel. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those colors. It is this intense contrast which makes these colors pair so beautifully.

The object lesson here is clear: just because two people are different from one another, does not mean they must necessarily clash. Sometimes we can find our greatest friends in those that are most unlike us; they can teach us new skills and ways of thinking and vice versa. If we take the time to learn about the differences of others, we can enrich our lives and see things we could never have seen on our own.

To practice this lesson in art as well as kindness, gather construction paper of complementary colors. Pass the papers out to your students. Next, they must find other students holding their complementary colors. The students then exchange papers and write compliments on them.

For older students, pair partners who don’t typically work together. Instruct your students to interview one another to discover what they have in common and what is different. What is one thing they can learn from their partner? After the interviews, have students create a piece utilizing two complimentary colors to reflect what they have learned. The project can be a painting, drawing, collage, or any other medium with which you are currently working.

Creating For Kindness

Who doesn’t love to treasure the work their little ones (and not so little ones!) create throughout their school days? However, the attic can only hold so many turkey hands. What if, instead of making art that will be admired for a bit and then added to the storage box to be looked at every 10 years or so, that art was created to give away for someone else to enjoy?

Choose a few projects out of the year to create with a specific audience in mind, such as hospital patients, the elderly, or even another teacher in the building. As students work on their art, they are building the skill of empathy so vital to bullying prevention.

Art Therapy

Art has a powerful ability to speak where words fall short. Demonstrate this by having students draw or paint various bullying situations. The situations can be real or imagined. Encourage the use of colors to represent feelings and tone. Later, discuss what is happening in each picture, why it might be happening, and what can be done to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

To make students more aware of the emotional impact of bullying, have them draw or paint how bullying makes them feel. Again, encourage the use of colors to help represent those feelings. If the students are too shy or frightened to present their work in front of the class, simply display the projects where everyone can see them. Sometimes those who bully are not fully aware of the deep impact they are having on others. The artwork of their peers may speak to them in a way that words alone never could.

Another option would be to create visual representations of the words spoken in bullying situations and words that can combat bullying. Help students see that words can be just as powerful as physical actions.

Building Awareness

Art has a long history of acting as a catalyst for change. As a class, create bullying awareness posters. The posters can have statistics, words of encouragement, drawings, etc. Have students discuss what they want their posters to accomplish and how they think the words and pictures in the posters will help them to accomplish this goal.

image found at: http://www.stcs.k12.oh.us/BullyingPreventionPosterContest.aspx

And don’t forget that art isn’t limited to paper. Make a video to educate others on bullying and bullying prevention or make a video celebrating the differences of individuals in the class.

Going Classic- Art History

History is filled with examples of artists using their gift to make a difference in the world. Discuss famous examples and then recreate famous works of art that have helped people be more understanding and tolerant or made a difference. For an additional twist, alter the famous pieces to educate about bullying, or simply mimic the artist’s style.

Stronger Together

We often think of art as an individual discipline, but some of the most influential art pieces have been created by groups. Here are a few teachers and counselors who have embraced the power of many to teach their students powerful lessons about differences and unity:

Random Acts of Kindness Tree

Administrators at Allenstown State School wanted to encourage and celebrate kindness, so they created a school wide ongoing art project. The school’s main hallway features a tree. Students are encouraged to write down random acts of kindness they do or witness throughout the year on paper leaves and pin them on the tree. Teachers hope to show students that kindness breeds kindness and helping others is worthy of celebration.

Wall of Kindness

What began as a way to celebrate National Bullying Prevention Month became something that would impact the lives of students for months to come. In October, art teacher Drew Jones wanted to focus on being positive. With his students, he created an interactive mural of cardboard in which students place and take encouraging notes from small cubbies in the piece. As they worked, they discussed bullying, his students opening up as they created.

Months later, students continued to fill the cubbies and take a message when needed, their faces beaming as they read the note of encouragement. It became so popular, Jones said it now has to be refilled daily!

***

With art, the possibilities are nearly endless. Art has the ability to reach across languages, cultures, and ages to connect people and ideas. I hope these ideas have inspired you! If you try any of these projects, please feel free to share them on our Facebook or Twitter pages so they can inspire others!

Check back here next week for a new installment in the September series-Integrating Bullying Prevention Throughout the Classroom!

5 easy ways to integrate bullying prevention across the classroom, blog cover

Integrating Bullying Prevention, Part 3, History, blog cover

At Laughing Leopard Press, books are one of our favorite forms of artistic expression. Our newest book, This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos combines powerful text with vibrant illustrations to help children learn that bullies come in all shapes and sizes-- and there is usually more to people than meets the eye. The first in a series of picture books, This is A. Blob introduces young children to vital topics such as empathy, kindness, and differences. Find it on Amazon.com or right here on LaughingLeopardPress.com!

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September Series: Integrating Bullying Prevention Part III: History

Living History

Wall of Upstanders

BE an Upsatander

September Series: Integrating Bullying Prevention Part II: Art

Compliments for Complements

Creating For Kindness

Art Therapy

Building Awareness

Going Classic- Art History

Stronger Together

Random Acts of Kindness Tree

Wall of Kindness

About Laughing Leopard Press

Archives

Categories

September Series: Integrating Bullying Prevention Part III: History

​Living History

​Wall of Upstanders

BE an Upsatander

September Series: Integrating Bullying Prevention Part II: Art

Compliments for Complements​​

Creating For Kindness

​Art Therapy

​Building Awareness​​

Going Classic- Art History

​Stronger Together

Random Acts of Kindness Tree

​​Wall of Kindness

About Laughing Leopard Press

Archives

Categories

Living History

Wall of Upstanders

Compliments for Complements

Art Therapy

Building Awareness

Stronger Together

Wall of Kindness