Get Ready for Bullying Awareness Week!
from NCTE INBOX 11-15-11
Bullying Awareness Week was started in 2003 to raise awareness of the prevalence of bullying and to encourage grassroots actions to prevent it. During the 2011 campaign "Stand Up! (to bullying)," November 13-19, communities are urged to address the problem of bullying through media campaigns, classroom activities, workshops, and other special events. The following resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org show other ways to stand up to bullying.
Tune into the Text Messages podcast episode "Books about Bullying" (M-S) to hear insights on bullying from bullying expert CJ Bott, author of The Bully in the Book and the Classroom and More Bullies in More Books. You'll also hear about a variety of fiction and nonfiction books for teens that explore the problem of bullying. After listening to this episode, be sure to print out this list of recommended titles to take to your library or bookseller. Find more book suggestions in the English Journal column "Off the Shelves" (M-S).
Children move from personal to social narratives in writing workshop to create stories as tools for social action, addressing inequities in their school lives in the Language Arts article "Social Narrative Writing: (Re)Constructing Kid Culture in the Writer’s Workshop" (E).
"[T]wenty-five percent of today's teenagers have inordinate emotional baggage beyond the normal angst of adolescence." This burden can lead to unhealthy escapes, including substance abuse, sexual activity, violence, eating disorders, and suicide. One healthy escape, however, lies in books, where students can read about teenagers living in painful circumstances who make healthy choices. Read more in "Teachers Offering Healthy Escape Options for Teenagers in Pain" (M) from Voices from the Middle.
"Cultural and Political Vignettes in the English Classroom: Problem-Posing, Problem-Solving, and the Imagination," from English Journal (S), shares how we can empower students in the face of difficult social situations by having them respond to vignettes that require imagination and courage in real life.
The themed issue of English Leadership Quarterly "The Deadly Power of Mean Words" provides resources to help answer, "How can we best teach students about the power of words? What do we do when classroom talk becomes harmful? How do we stand up against negative language, and how do we teach that to students?"
The Council Chronicle article "Stories of Us: Students and Film Director Collaborate on The Problem of Bullying" (G) shares how an anti-bullying film project can captivate students and also gives a glimpse of 21st century literacies in the classroom. Learn how to promote positive peer relationships at the Stories of Us website.
Attending NCTE's 101st Annual Convention? Attend the session "Stop the Bullying" where the presenters will not only share information but will also help attendees find the determination and inspiration needed to stop the bullying (Session AB.01, Friday, 11/18, 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Chicago Hilton/Continental Ballroom, Salon C, lobby level).
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