Letters to a Bullied Girl introduces readers to a fantastic young woman who has
struggled with epilepsy and being bullied. This book is the starting point for five
interdisciplinary lessons designed to:
1. put a face on bullying and dealing with human issues such as epilepsy through
Letters to a Bullied Girl and other sources;
2. raise awareness about how being different can lead to bullying;
3. understand what bullying is, why people bully others, the effects bullying has on
all involved, how to deal with or confront a bully, and how bullying can cause
major societal problems;
4. motivate students to plan and develop an anti-bullying project for their school
and/or community.
Lesson One introduces Olivia and the context in which her story develops. Students
chart what they know and want to know about bullying. Through a survey and a series
of comprehension and interpretation questions, students’ knowledge and awareness
about bullying can be evaluated.
Lesson Two develops the understanding of students about how differences in people
can cause uneasy reactions which may lead to bullying.
Lesson Three develops the students understanding of bullying. Students learn why
people bully, the different kinds of bullying, the effects bullying has on everybody
involved, and how to confront bullying. Students will create different sections of a fact
booklet about bullying.
Lesson Four allows students to read letters from bullies about why they bullied and how
they feel about it now. Students also read letters from the victims of bullying and how
they felt about being a bullying victim. Students also learn how to develop empathy and
sympathy for victims of bullying. Students begin to understand that there is no
acceptable reason for bullying. Students also begin to understand the potential
consequences for society as a whole if bullying is left unchecked.
Lesson Five puts all of the learning in lessons one through four into action. Students will
develop an all school anti-bullying campaign. The goal is that through this project and
other extension activities, bullying will disappear from schools throughout the world.
There are two reproducible handouts included in this guide. Both are in Lesson One.
LESSON ONE
Understanding Olivia Gardner
Language Arts, Geography, Health, Sociology
SUBJECT AREA:
TIMING: Two to three class periods
OBJECTIVES:
(1)
To introduce, read, and discuss Letters to a Bullied Girl
(2)
To explore students' knowledge, understanding, and
attitudes toward bullying
(3)
To use a response journal to record students' reactions to Olivia's story and
situation
GETTING STARTED - PREPARING
1.
Introduce Letters of a Bullied Girl to the students. Explain that they will be active
readers of the book as they will respond to it in writing, discuss it, and work to help other
students like Olivia.
2.
Ask students to use a response journal in which they will reflect on the book and
respond to writing prompts. The response journal may be assigned as homework and
evaluated in class.
3.
Allow students time to respond to this prompt: Olivia's story is true. What does
the title of the book suggest to you?
OPENING ACTIVITY- CHARTING
Tell students they will be taking an anonymous survey about bullying. Students will
complete the survey and turn it in without their name on it. The results will be compiled
and shared with the class. Give Handout One to the students.
Students will create a K-W-L chart. The chart will show what students currently know
about bullying, what they want to know about it, and what they learned about bullying.
Students will fill in the K and W portions of the chart now. The learn portion will be filled
in as they read through the book.
EXPLORATION 1 - WHO IS OLIVIA?
1. Tell students Olivia is a girl from northern California who was bullied, beginning in
middle school after she suffered a seizure in class with her classmates present.
The bullying occurred in many places, including in class, in the halls, and on the
Internet. Even when she changed schools, the bullying continued when students
found out about her experiences in previous schools. For younger students,
bring out a map to show the students where northern California is located.
2. Read the dedication and introduction sections of the book. Ask students to write
their thoughts about what they read in their response journals.
EXPLORATION 2 - RESPONDING
Give Handout Two to students. They should read it and then answer the
questions in their response journal.
WRAP UP
1. A picture has been painted of Olivia in these sections of the book. Have students
draw a picture representing Olivia's life while being bullied.
2. Have students draw a picture representing their life.
TEACHING TIPS
1. You may want to begin reading some of the chapters of the book, beginning with
Part One. Since the next lessons will cover the Foreword and Author’s Note
sections, you should skip those for now.
2. You may want to wait until day two of the lesson to share survey results. It will
take some time to compile the results.
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