What is cyberbullying and how should you handle it?

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Appropriate for all English Proficiency Levels | Stand-Alone | 7R9: (RI&RL), 7SL1, 7L6 | Jamboard, Google Slides

Content

I can make connections to other texts, ideas and personal experiences about cyberbullying, empathy, and being an upstander and an ally.

Procedure

• Students will start with the Do now: What is Cyberbullying? What is Empathy? What is an Upstander? What is an Ally? Students type their responses on a Jamboard presentation.

• Then the teacher will begin the lesson with a warm up of “Hurtful or Not?” and ask students if they have a nickname that their family uses with them. Teacher will ask if anyone is willing to share. If they do, the teacher says, "What if I put a negative word in front of your nickname and change it around. How would you feel? Is that ok to do?" Then the teacher says, "What if I take that nickname that I changed with a negative word in front of it and post it on every picture of you online including Snapchat, Instagram, and my own social media accounts. Would that be ok?"

• Teacher will share definitions of cyberbullying, empathy, an ally, and an upstander.

  • Cyberbullying: Using digital devices, sites, and apps to intimidate, harm, and upset someone

  • Empathy: To imagine the feelings that someone else is experiencing

  • Ally: Someone who responds to a bullying situation by supporting the person being bullied

  • Upstander: Someone who responds to a bullying situation by confronting the bully directly or by telling a trusted adult

• After students have an understanding of these terms, they will watch a short video in which 10 students who were accepted to Harvard University started their own social media page where they posted inappropriate memes and comments about the Holocaust and targeted other ethnic groups. The students had their admission to Harvard taken away.

• After the video students will share their reactions. Then the teacher will ask:

  • Have you ever seen someone do something inappropriate online?

  • Have you ever experienced cyberbullying? If you are willing to share please do. This will be an informal discussion.

• The teacher reminds students that empathy means: To imagine the feelings that someone else is experiencing. Then she/he asks: Why do you think it might be important to try to empathize with others?

• Students will take a moment to think silently about this question. Then, they will take turns and share their responses with a partner.

• The teacher will ask if students would be willing to share any cyberbullying they have seen. After students share, the class will read the passage on Jose and Kevin together (text provided to students).

• Students will fill out the chart with questions pertaining to the cyber bullying scenario. Ask students to share their answers to the José and Kevin chart and discuss.

• To culminate the lesson students will complete an Exit Ticket about the situation with Mia and social media (text provided via google docs).