Dealing With Cyberbullying

Download Student Activity Sheet(s) for printout.

Read a Letter to Educators about cyberbullying from NSBA's Technology Leadership Network.

Overview

Students reflect on the rewards of cyberspace, consider how to respond to cyberbullying scenarios, and learn how to take action when confronted with online situations that make them uncomfortable.

Objectives

Discuss the uncomfortable feelings that can result from some online experiences.
Recognize cyberbullying as bullying that takes place online.
Identify strategies for responsibly dealing with cyberbullying.

National Educational Technology Standards for Students © 2007

Source: International Society for Technology in Education

Communication and Collaboration
1. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
2. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
Digital Citizenship
1. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
2. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

Home Connection

Download the Grades 6-8 Home Connection page related to this lesson.

Site Preview

An optional strategy for using Web 2.0 tools with your students is recommended under Teach 4.

Materials

Activity Sheets (2)

Introduce

Discuss with students some positive aspects of going into cyberspace. (finding information quickly; meeting people with similar interests; communicating with people around the world; having fun)
Explain that to really enjoy the power of the Internet, it is important for students to learn how to responsibly handle any situation they might encounter online.

Teach 1: What's the Problem?

Distribute Activity Sheet 1.
Have students read each scenario and write their answers to the questions posed. Allow volunteers to share their responses. NOTE: Postpone discussion until students have read and applied the information on Activity Sheet 2.
Explain to students that good experiences in cyberspace are much more common than bad ones. However, just as in the face-to-face world, there are situations in which they could get upset. Point out that in this lesson they can learn how to manage some of the upsetting experiences.
Invite students to share their own stories of uncomfortable bullying situations online without using actual names. Ask: Have you ever witnessed kids' Web pages or messages that caused another student distress? What happened? Why? Remember, don't use real names.

Teach 2: Think About It

Distribute Activity Sheet 2.
After students read Feeling Uncomfortable, have them find all the words in this paragraph and on Activity Sheet 1 that are used to describe such emotions.
After students read Recognizing Cyberbullying, relate the formal definition of cyberbullying: intentional and repeated use of the Internet or cell phones by kids and teens to cause distress to other kids and teens.
Ask: Do you think the stories about Sondra and Andrew would be considered cyberbullying? Explain.
Ask: What do you think the people who are bullying Sondra and Andrew would say about their behavior? (They might say they were only kidding, they didn't mean any harm, or it was just a joke. Students publishing a Web site might also say that it is a matter of free speech. Point out that whether or not the First Amendment permits it, bullying with a Web site is unkind and hurtful. Moreover, it may be against school rules and grounds for disciplinary action.)

Teach 3: Find Solutions

Have students read and discuss Taking Action. Then have them revisit Activity Sheet 1 and discuss how their answers might be changed or enhanced. Guide students to consider the following in their discussion:
- The Web site about Sondra: The angry girls have created a cyberbullying situation because their behavior is intentional and harassing. Such bullying is wrong and should be reported to Sondra's parents and to her school. Sondra should save a copy of the Web page to provide to whomever she reports the incident to. How Sondra responds to this bullying behavior will affect the outcome. Point out that it was smart to talk to a friend about the problem. NOTE: Many middle school students join social networking sites, some meeting the minimum age requirements and others too young but joining anyway. So, some students may speak about bullying comments on social networking profiles and creating social networking groups with the intent to bully. Regardless of the platform, the consequences for the target are the same.
- Advice for Andrew: Andrew should save and print copies of all the e-mails and show them to a parent or another trusted adult. Again, how he responds to this incident will affect its outcome and keeping his anxiety to himself is not as effective as asking a friend or an adult for help.

Teach 4: Take Action

Have students, individually or in pairs, create their own cartoons or comic strips to remind others how to handle cyberbullying situations. You may wish to first conduct a brainstorming session with the entire class, listing the messages they want to convey.

Use Web 2.0 tools, such as a wiki, to allow students to brainstorm ideas and later upload their cartoons and comic strips to the wiki or a class blog.

Assess

The following items assess student mastery of the lesson objectives.

Ask: What are some words to describe uncomfortable feelings? (embarrassed, upset, depressed, afraid, hurt, powerless, frozen with fear)
Ask: How is cyberbullying the same and different than other bullying? (Both can make kids fell uncomfortable; cyberbullying takes place online and other bullying takes place offline; some kids may become bullies online but would not think of bullying face to face.)
Ask: What are some ways to handle a cyberbullying situation? (sign off, block the bully, save and print bullying messages, talk to a friend, tell a trusted adult)

Extend

Students will benefit by revisiting this lesson each year.
Remind students that they were once less adept at handling themselves online. Invite them to share some past personal experiences in which they felt uncomfortable in cyberspace. Allow them to role-play what advice they could give to younger students about how to handle similar situations, now that they are older and more mature.

Cyberbullying Prevention Activities for Your School, Families, and Community

Extend this classroom lesson with activities that will support a cyberbullying prevention campaign for your school, families, and community.

includes strategies for using interactive online Web 2.0 tools.

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