Step-by-Step Literacy Assignment: Navigating Bullying Narratives

Step by Step Literacy Assignment Teaching Literacy in ELEM Education EDUC- 5271-01 December 26, 2023

This activity is structured for a Sixth grade Language Arts students. Objective: Theme Writing Topic: Have you ever encountered a bully? If so, what did you say to them? Getting Started: 1. Write the word “Bully “on the Board 2. Provide every student with a piece of composition paper. 3. Ask students to think about what that word means . 4. Split students into groups of two 5. Have pairs share their ideas of what a bully is. 6. Have students write what they believe a bully is in two sentences. 7. Have students count off by threes. 8. Put students into groups of three. 9. Ask students this question: Based on your idea of what a bully is, have you ever encountered a bully? If so ,what did you say to them? ( Building Narrative) 10. Have students share their experiences regarding bullying ( Building Narrative) 11. Have students write down their bullying experience in a paragraph. 12. Have students who are #1’s go to one group , two’s another group, threes another group 13. Group 1 should define cyberbullying and provide one example. 14. Group 2 should define verbal bullying and provide one example. 15. Group 3 should define physical bullying and provide an example. 16. A representative from each group should have space on the board to write their definition and example on the board.

17. Students are invited to choose which of the three types of bullying they would like to write about. This may trigger some students, so be sure to make the discussion a safe space. There may be some students who choose not to participate openly- and that should be okay, as students may feel more comfortable sharing their story in a less public manner. If your child is being bullied, it's important that you help them understand that bullying is never their fault. Bullying is always more about the person who is engaging in the behavior and not the person being targeted ( Broadwell and Colino , 2023) Building Narrative- Some narrative building foundation was established in the first step, as students were to determine what a bully is and if they have ever encountered a bully. (Steps 9 & 10) 1. Have students return to their regular seating. 2. Provide them with a piece of red , paper, large enough for them to write a word on 3. Read the book “’Swimmy” by Leo Lionni 4. Following the conclusion of the story, ask students the following questions 1. Who was being bullied? 2. How were they being bullied? 3. What methods were the other fish using to exclude Swimmy? 4. Why do you think the other fish did this? 5. Have students write one word that describes Swimmy on the shiny paper and collect the paper for future use.

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The reading of “Swimmy” guides students down the path of understanding the effects of bullying on one person and on those doing the bullying. The red paper is to create a swimmy fish from the “scales” on swimmy, as he was able to overcome the taunts from the bullies and stand out. Enriching the Narrative: Using Mentor Texts assist students in understanding context and placing events into context and order. Narrative writing is a style that allows the writer to tell a story. It can include actual events told in chronological order or it may include imagined events told in a timeline that the author creates. Narrative writing can sustain the reader’s attention and help them visualize a realistic experience from the words. By studying mentor texts, students can learn how to create a compelling narrative arc, develop characters, and use language to evoke emotion. They can also gain an understanding of how to use dialogue, pacing, and other elements to create a vivid and engaging story. When teaching students ,narrative writing it is important to engage them in the practice and for them to hear examples of narratives in text.

1. Read the a passage from the story “Blubber “ by Judy Blume After Donna finishes, the next girl to present is Linda. Linda is a little pudgier than the other kids in the class but not the heaviest fifth grader. Linda does her report on whales and focuses on the usefulness of whale blubber. Linda is the last to present for the day. Wendy passes a note to Caroline, who reads it, then passes it to Jill. The note reads, “ Blubber is a good name for her ” (5). Jill smiles, not because she believes it’s funny but because Wendy is watching. Jill crumples the note and puts it on the corner of her desk. (Blume, 1965) 2. Following the reading of the passage have students call out words that describe how they felt while listening to the passage. 3. Write those words on the board. 4. Have the students complete the Narrative Writing Performance Task- Base questions on theme topic of bullying:

5. Have students write their “popcorn” words on a piece of paper and collect with their names on them. Save for later. Story Grids: The use of a story grid, guides students in the navigation of constructing a strong, cohesive story. When writing about bullying, students are able to tell their story based on the topic and fill in the blanks. 1.Using information they gathered in the Getting Started phase, have them answer the questions in the story grid. 2.Have students use the words they thought of from Swimmy and the reading of Blubber to complete the Story Planner. 3. Have students use the Story to develop their theme by filling in each square. 4. Once the story grid is complete, students can begin seeking an introduction to their theme.

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Additional Activities: When students have completed their themes on bullying, each theme could be numbered ,and each student should draw a number to read the theme that corresponds with the numbered theme. A rubric for themes could be presented and student assessment could be a part of the students overall grade. Themes should be graded heavily on structure, as outlined in the rubric and content should not hold as much weight, as these are personal stories for students. We must remember that these accounts are based on feelings, and experiences. Though there is a great deal of preparation and consideration to be made when executing this lesson, I feel that it all of these steps are important in assisting students in strong theme writing via the organization of thoughts, feelings and content. Conclusion: I cannot stress the importance of allowing student modification to this exercise, due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter. Student reactions are not predictable. This exercise can be modified to include any themed question, as the steps are supported by activities allowing for students to interact with one another as well as to truly think about how they feel about topics posed to increase narrative and story structure.

References Blume, J. (1986 ) .Blubber. New York Bantam Double Day Narrative Writing Performance Task- TPT 2015. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse? gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkKqsBhC3ARIsAEEjuJjyUfITYsn3jyfzbKYg- MdcaYSQ65IPfXmQY1rWWXkZG8zyISVznKcaAhMzEALw_wcB&search=narrative%20writing %20worksheet Story Planner/Grid TPT- 2015 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse? gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkKqsBhC3ARIsAEEjuJjyUfITYsn3jyfzbKYg- MdcaYSQ65IPfXmQY1rWWXkZG8zyISVznKcaAhMzEALw_wcB&search=story %20planning%20worksheet Stacey Colino and Laura Broadwell, How to Deal with Bullying in Schools, Parents Magazine, 2023 Lionni, L. (1992). Swimmy. Random House Indeed- The importance of Narrative Writing, July 2023 https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/narrative-writing#:~:text=Narrative %20writing%20is%20a%20style,realistic% 20experience%20from%20the%20words.

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