Spreading Rumors

One of the books that I use to introduce the topic of rumors is She Said What About Me?   

The main character in She Said What About Me? discovers that her "friend" has told lies about her. She can't understand why her friend would do this and becomes so upset that she doesn't want to go to school.  She ends up talking to her parents who bring her to talk to the school counselor.  With their help, she decides to talk-it-out with her "friend".  

I like this book for several reasons:

1.  I love that the school counselor is involved.  This story is a great reminder that students can go to their school counselor for help.

2.  I love that the girls "talk-it-out".  I use the Kelso's choice curriculum and this is one of the 9 ways to solve a problem.

3.  The story shows how hurtful it is when someone spreads rumors.

4.  I like that the girls are able to repair their friendship.

5.  There are 12 discussion questions at the back of the book.

Activities:

Telephone:  We play the traditional game of telephone to show how a message can change as it is passed from one person to another.  I usually pull one student into the hall and tell them a simple message.  I instruct them to return to the classroom to whisper it in the next person's ear.  The process continues until the "rumor" has been spread to each student in the classroom.  The last person announces the message as they heard it.  The final message definitely changes after it goes through a class of 15-20 kids!  

Toothpaste:  Start by telling students that they will each squeeze a large amount of toothpaste onto a paper plate.  Explain that each glob of toothpaste represents a rumor coming out of their mouth. Once the toothpaste tube is empty ask for a student volunteer.  Instruct this student to put the toothpaste back in the tube.  Obviously, the student will not be able to put the toothpaste back in.  This can lead to a great discussion about the power of words and how words can't be taken back once they are spoken.  Once a rumor is out there, damage has been done and we can't undo it.  We also talk about how easy it was to spread the rumor (squeeze out the toothpaste), but impossible to take the words back (put the toothpaste back).

Posters:  Each student can pick a topic and make a poster to hang in the wall or in the classroom. (idea from the back of the book).

For Small Groups: A coworker recently recommended the book, The Drama Llama.  This book includes a story as well as worksheets/activities.  

Another great book about spreading rumors is The Secret that Olivia Told Me.  

You could also use the She Said What About Me Card Game.  I don't own this game but it looks like it would be good for a small group setting.  

More lessons on rumors/gossip can be found here:

http://musingsofamiddleschoolcounselor.blogspot.com/2013/10/glitter-gossip.html

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rumors-Gossip-Bullying-and-Social-Skills-Booklet-Helpful-School-Counselor-1327953

Rumors and Gossip PowerPoint Presentation

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/rumors/

Pink Tiara Cookies for Three-A lesson on Friendship

If you don't already have Pink Tiara Cookies for Three I would strongly recommend adding it to your resources.  I have used this book many times in the past two years.  I originally ordered this book to be used during a girl's only "Lunch Bunch".  I am currently using it with a group of fourth grade girls who are dealing with some friendship issues.

Maria Dismondy is one of my favorite authors (along with Trudy Ludwig and Julia Cook) and this book might be my favorite of hers.  The story is about two best friends who's friendship is challenged when a new girl moves in.   This book teaches that children can have many friends and also touches on the topic of exclusion.

Discussion Questions:
1.  What is a friendship triangle?
2.  How does Sami feel when Jasmine moved in?
3.  Sami threatens that Stella can't be her best friend anymore if Stella keeps playing with Jasmine.  Is this fair?  Why or why not?  Have you ever had a friend say this to you?  How would you respond?
4.  How did Jasmine feel after Sami ignored her invitation to make cookies?
5.  Was it Jasmine's fault that Sami played alone at recess?  Was Sami being left out on purpose?
6.  How did Sami react to being paired up with Jasmine in Science?  Do you think that Jasmine was hurt by her reaction?  Have you ever witnessed this happen in your own class?
7.  What does Empathy mean?
8.  Sami remembers how it felt to play alone and recess.  What does Sami do to show empathy?
9.  What lesson did Sami learn?
10.  How can you apply this lesson to your own friendships?

You can find the  Reader's Guide and Lessons on Maria's website.  I would definitely recommend using it with the book.

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Connecting Bully Prevention with Common Core Standards

Way back in March (of 2013)  I stated that I would be posting some of my own bullying lessons. You may have read this blog post about bullying and common core standards.  Well, life happened and the post never happened.  I'm back and am going to try this blogging thing again.  I wanted to connect to some more great resources that I have been using.  Once again the topic is bullying and once again the lessons are connected to Common Core Standards.  I did not create the lessons but wanted to share them because they are GOOD!

The common core lessons are on Trudy Ludwig's Resource page: http://www.trudyludwig.com/resources_core.html

The books:

My Secret Bully:  I highly recommend this book for girls in 4th-6th grade. I am currently using it for a fourth grade girl group.  The story is about two girls who are "friends".  One of the girls, Katie, talks about the other behind her back and begins excluding her from activities.  Katie begins suffering from stomach problems and her mother provides advice/coping skills for Katie to use.  There are some discussion questions at the end of the book as well. You can find more lesson connections HERE, HERE,  and HERE.

Sorry!:  I am currently using this book in my fourth grade classroom guidance lessons.  The story line explains that saying sorry doesn't cut it, especially when you have done something mean on purpose. I love that the teacher prompts the character to "make it right" to show that they are truly sorry.  Here is another lesson that you can use with this book:  https://www.researchpress.com/sites/default/files/books/addContent/4986A.pdf

Confessions of a Former Bully:  Confessions of a Former Bully is a follow up to My Secret Bully. This time Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate and meets with the school counselor to learn how to be a better friend.  This book is full of tips for dealing with bullying as well as ways to turn bully behavior around.  I love the fact that the school counselor is involved!!!  More Connections to this book can be found HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

The Invisible Boy:  This is a good book for elementary students.  I am currently using it with a small group of second grade boys.  The story is about a student, Brian, who is isolated/excluded by his peers.  Brian imagines what it would be like to be a part of the group and the artwork in this story leads to its own discussion.  The story includes discussion questions as well.  You can find more lessons HERE, HERE and HERE.

Gifts from the Enemy:  I don't own this book but I am going to include it anyway because it looks like it could be a good one.  I just added it to my amazon shopping cart and plan to order it later today.  After reading the book description, it sounds like a book that would be great for a Junior High classroom lesson following a Social Studies lesson on the Holocaust.    

Just Kidding:  I don't have a common core lesson linked to this book but it is still a good book to use. If you need another lesson (other than the one on Trudy Ludwig's page) I have used the one shared Here by Coffee Cups & Lesson Plans.