Five Star Friday Lesson for February 6, 2009
- Ask students to pull desks/chairs together in a circle. This lesson involves a group discussion.
- Tell students that Cyber-Bullying is verbal harassment that occurs during online activities. Bullying can also happen through texts or calls on cell phones. Present the idea that part of being a Five Star General is Displaying Respect on the internet and phone. In every community, including the cyber-community, there are rules and guidelines to follow to be a good citizen.
- Present these statistics from a national survey on Cyber-Bullying conducted by I-SAFE America:
- 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online
- 53% of kids admit having said mean or hurtful things to another online
- 42% of kids have been bullied while online
- Present these questions for discussion. Have a student write lists/answers/tips on the board if you want.
· What are the most common ways GMS students encounter cyber-bullying? What are some examples of things you have heard about happening to other kids around the country (perhaps incidents you have heard about through the news)?
Present examples if the class is having trouble generating examples:
o a threatening email; nasty instant messaging session; repeated harassing messages sent to a cell phone; mean or hurtful text messages; a website set up to mock others; repeatedly posting mean comments online; “borrowing” someone’s screen name and pretending to be them while posting a message; forwarding a supposedly private email, text message, video, or picture to others
- What are some things you can do to avoid bullies online or over the phone? What should you do if you are being cyber-bullied?
Try to make sure these Prevention Tips are brought up during the discussion:
o Don’t reveal your password to anyone, not even your friends. Tomorrow they might not be your friends.
o Remember that texts, IM conversations, and emails are never private. They can be copied, forwarded, printed, etc.
o Don’t ever take or send a suggestive or x-rated picture of yourself to ANYONE. Pictures can be shared and forwarded without your permission, with potentially serious emotional and legal consequences.
o Don’t send a message when you are angry—it’s hard to undo things that are said in anger.
o Don’t read messages from people you don’t know, or those from people who seem angry or mean. If someone is repeatedly bullying or harassing you, put the messages in a folder unread and save them as proof so that you can take action if necessary.
o Don’t engage in an online or cell-phone battle with a bully. Ignore their comments—if they don’t get a reaction, they will usually stop.
o Be polite online and others will tend to do the same.
What to do if you are being Cyber-Bullied:
o Tell a trusted adult.
o If it is school related, tell an adult at school.
o Block the person if they are bullying you over chat or IM.
o Tell your internet service provider.
o If you are threatened with harm, call the police.
- Read the following TRUE/FALSE Quiz out loud to the group:
- It’s okay to be mean or sarcastic online, because everyone will know you were just kidding.
False
- It’s a good idea to avoid writing in ALL CAPS.
True (it’s considered yelling)
- Sometimes things in writing come off differently from what you intended. For example, you could write something as a joke, but people might not realize it.
True
- Sending an email or text to a friend you are in a fight with is a good way to get all of your angry feelings out.
False (better to communicate in person; you can’t take back angry words in writing)
- If you send a private email, text, or picture to only your very best friend or boyfriend/girlfriend, it’s possible that other people could end up seeing it as well.
True
- You should never reveal your password to anyone, except for your parents.
True
- If someone has been bullying you online or over the phone, you should just delete the messages.
False (don’t read the messages, but save them in a folder—they may be needed to take action. Tell an adult!)
- It’s okay to forward gossip or private information about someone else if the story is true.
False (always think: if this story were about you or something you did, would you want everyone to know about it? Show some compassion towards each other—we all make mistakes and do embarrassing things! If you don’t spread around other people’s embarrassing stories, they will be less likely to do it to you…)