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This non-fiction text from World Book educates readers on a whole other form of bullying. Read with the class the topics of Cyberbullying is Different, Instant Messaging, Texting, Mean Talk, Spreading it Around, Impersonation, Hijacked, False Identities, Effects of Cyberbullying, and Is it Cyberbullying. After reading, reflect on each of the topics read about. Share what we learned about cyberbullying, what we can do, how it occurs, why, how can we prevent it, how can we help, who can we seek help from.

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20336 - Anti-Bullying Basics | World Book

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Staying Bully-Free Online by Pamela Hall

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Staying Bully-Free Online by Pamela Hall

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This non-fiction text teaches readers what to do and say when they come in contact with a bully online. After reading, discuss what they learned on how to stay away from bullies online. Then, have the students create a glogster about how to stay "Bully Free" online.

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Cyberbullying is a serious issue in today's world. Today's generation is so high tech that cyber bullying is growing. Discuss cyberbullying, then read the article about what is being done now. Have the students share their thoughts on social media, instagram, twitter, and Facebook. Open the discussion up to sharing hurtful things they may have seen, is that okay? Should we be doing that?

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For 13-year-old Samantha Milan, the worst part about being bullied was the fact that it happened in front of a huge audience. "This kid started threatening me, and then it went online to Instagram," she said. "The caption said something like, 'Look who's hungry.' It made me feel like I just wanted to die."

A growing number of teenagers like Samantha say they've been bullied online. Almost 15 percent of students in grades 9 to 12 have experienced cyber-bullying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. And those kids are more than twice as likely to consider suicide, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"It feels horrible because everyone can see it," Samantha said. "And everything that goes online, never goes away. Even if you destroy the computer, it's still there."

Cyber-bullying can involve nasty text messages or offensive pictures posted on social media, and there's a whole range of technology available to fight it.

The social network We Heart It is designed to prevent an experience like Samantha's. It allows users to share photos but no one can post comments on them. It's very popular with teens, who make up most of its 25 million users.

Identity protection program Metlife Defender offers a service that monitors a child's online accounts for abusive content, then sends alerts to their parents.

And just last week, the U.S. Department of Education unveiled a new app called KnowBullying to help parents spot warning signs and talk to their kids about the problem.

Another recently-released cellphone app called StopIt takes a different approach. It enables children to take a screenshot of a harassing post, picture or text message, and anonymously send it to a trusted adult. This is the app's most popular feature among teenagers, who often want to help, but are worried about retaliation.

The StopIt app helped put an end to offensive tweets about a 14-year-old boy from Kenilworth, New Jersey, who has Asperger's syndrome. "It was a child who finally said 'Enough is enough,' and I'm so grateful to whoever that child was," said the boy's mother, Tina Lynaugh. "I'm glad that the children feel comfortable that they can actually say StopIt, and not feel intimidated themselves or feel that they'll be attacked next because they came forward."

David Brearley High School in Kenilworth is one of 14 schools that introduced the StopIt app to their students a few months ago. Principal Brian Luciani said he quickly saw a decrease in reports of harassment. "There's a little more accountability," Luciani told CBS News. "If you're going to bully someone, even if you're just quote unquote 'just joking around'... there will be consequences to those actions."

Kenilworth Superintendent Scott Taylor said many of his students felt empowered by the app. "Knowing that a teenager has something right there in the palm of his or her hands that could stop a bullying incident in its tracks makes them feel comfortable," he said. "It makes them feel confident that something can get done if they an incident of bullying or are a target of bullying."

These are high-tech solutions for a high-tech problem. But they may not be as effective if children don't feel comfortable telling their parents or friends that they're being targeted.

That's exactly what happened to one of Samantha Milan's classmates, Samantha Taska, who was also bullied. "I felt like I had no one to turn to," Taska said." But you shouldn't isolate yourself from people, because who are you gonna tell? Tell your best friend, tell your teacher, tell your aunt, tell your uncle, tell someone."

Some children, however, may feel that their parents just won't understand -- and in some ways they may be right. If parents are out of touch with the technology their kids are using, they may not realize how it can be abused. Samuel Lam was bullied on Facebook in middle school, but didn't think his parents could help. "My parents had absolutely no idea what was going on at the time," Lam recalled. "Facebook, they hadn't heard of it at the time, they didn't know what Twitter was, any of the social networks."

His fears were echoed by Kenilworth parent Tina Lynaugh, who said she struggles to keep up with the gamut of social media options available to kids. "Your children are going on technology that you don't know about. As a parent it's more frightening because I did not grow up with technology."

And it's not just Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Messaging apps Secret and Snapchat are both hugely popular with teens, and have come under fire for their potential for abuse.

Snapchat, whose messages and photos self-destruct as soon as they've been viewed, is frequently used for sexting and other inappropriate posts. And while teens may think the disappearing messages can't come back to haunt them, the company recently settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission for, among other things, not informing users that messages could be saved without their knowledge.

Some critics have argued that Secret, where users can post anonymously, enables cyber-bullying, but the company told CBS News that it has systems in place to counter that, including "automated efforts to flag and automatically block" inappropriate content. In addition, "every user can flag, block and report any post or comment," which is then sent to a real human for review and possible removal.

So what can parents and children do when faced with a cyber-bully? Experts offer these tips:

- Take a screenshot or save a text message.

- Block or unfriend the bully.

- Report the bully to the website.

- Tell a trusted adult, like a family member or teacher.

Samantha Milan and her classmates are starting an after-school club called "Fear to Fierce" to help other bullied teens. "If you're out there right now," she said, addressing the bully who taunted her about her weight, "I want you to know that I'm fierce, and you can't bring me down."

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Watch out, cyber-bullies: Kids have new tools to fight back

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For 13-year-old Samantha Milan, the worst part about being bullied was the fact that it happened in front of a huge audience. "This kid started threatening me, and then it went online to Instagram," she said. "The caption said something like, 'Look who's hungry.' It made me feel like I just wanted to die."

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Review some "hidden bully" situations we discussed thus far. Read the article on cyberbullying and compare and contrast cyberbullying to "face to face" bullying. Are they different? Is one better than the other?

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Back to student voices archive

What Can We Do About Cyberbullying?
While digital technology continues to serve as an important way to connect people and communities, sometimes those connections turn out to be more harmful than helpful. The rise of the Internet has also facilitated cyberbullying and cyber-harrassment, which can affect teens and adults alike. Josh, a 13-year-old student from Plainfield, Ill., wrote to NewsHour Extra about his family's experience with cyber-harrassment, and what he thinks can be done about the problem.
According to PBS Parents, one in three kids are cyber-bullied sometime in their adolescence. Bullying in person may seem bad enough, but when it's over the internet, everybody can see it. Bullies over the internet are "cowards" hiding behind a computer screen or a cell phone. Whether it is getting the police more involved, making consequences worse for cyberbullying and harassment, or educating kids on the problem, something has to change. People need to work together to stop cyberbullying.

I've had a personal experience with cyberbullying. Over the period of three months, my family was hacked and threatened. We had to change passwords, emails, phone numbers, and we came close to wiping out one of our computers. When the police were called they didn't do anything about it. They said there was "nothing" they could do. We had to deal with this over a long period of time, and at one point, the FBI got involved. Even then it took about a month to stop it. It really took a toll on my family, and I'm sure it does to other families too.

So for society to solve this issue we need to get the police involved. It needs to be so that once the police get the "call," they take action. They shouldn't be allowed to leave the family to fend for themselves.

Another thing that would decrease cyberbullying is to make the consequences worse. There aren't specific consequences for many cyberbullying tactics, which is why it has become so prevalent in our culture. Big fines would be one way to increase the consequences.

Unfortunately, a majority of the kids are cyber-bullied, don't tell anyone. That needs to change. Kids need to tell their parents or some sort of authority. If the kids don't tell, but the parent has a feeling that something is happening, they need to have a talk with the kid, or look in their computer or phone.

With cyberbullying as a growing problem, we need to take steps to tackle it. By upping fines and getting police involved, we can stop this. Cyberbullying is a horrible thing in our world today, and it is time it's stopped. One in three kids should not have to experience it.
Josh is 13-years-old and from Plainfield, Illinois. He enjoys acting and drawing.

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What Can We Do About Cyberbullying? | PBS NewsHour Extra

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Back to student voices archive While digital technology continues to serve as an important way to connect people and communities, sometimes those connections turn out to be more harmful than helpful. The rise of the Internet has also facilitated cyberbullying and cyber-harrassment, which can affect teens and adults alike.

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Ludwig's story is about a boy who teases and nags, but follows up his teasing with a "just kidding." After reading, discuss with the class the meaning of "just kidding." Brainstorm situations when "just kidding" crosses a line and becomes harmful or hurtful to others.

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Cuyler's story is about a girl who is constantly getting bullied but doesn't say anything until one day she is fed up and takes a stand. After reading, discuss some alternative routes the characters could have taken instead of keeping bullying to themselves.

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Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Amanda Dewdney

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Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Amanda Dewdney

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Dewdney's story reiterates the things you can do if you come in contact with a bully. After reading, brainstorm the different behaviors of bullies. As an extended activity, have the students create a "Five Ways to Handle a Bully."

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Many parents find themselves with the unfortunate reality that their child is a victim of bullying. With so many ways this can be done both through the World Wide Web and in the real physical world many parents find themselves asking my child is being bullied what do I do? There is plenty you can do both as a parent and an educator. In fact it is each of our responsibilities to ensure every child is safe and free of any harm. Here are some things you can do to ensure your child isn't being bullied. Here are some quick facts on bulling.

Here are some scary facts on bulling. 30% of the children in the United States of America are victims or bullies themselves in either a moderate or severe capacity. In addition to these horrifying facts is the link between kids being bullied and the high rate of suicide, violence in schools, and murder. Read your newspaper or listen to your local news and you can't go a day without hearing some poor child was murdered or hurt or a teen went ballistic and shot a bunch of his classmates in the school. Half of the time this has been documented to be related to violence in their own home life or a victim of severe bulling. 77% of pupils suffer being bullied mentally, physically, and verbally. These upsetting facts put out by the Ambassador 4 Kids Club an organization started in 2011 by organizer Lin Seahorn a victim of violence herself put together this informative piece. The organization strives to ensure every child has a safe educational and home environment. Check out this informative piece with the latest statistics below.
http://www.a4kclub.org/get-the-facts/bullying-statistics
First you want to watch out for any of the following signs of bulling.

Sudden Changes in Behavior. If you notice that suddenly your child is no longer as talkative or happy as they once were then this can sometimes mean a few things. It isn't always related to bullying however it is a good idea to keep an eye on these sudden changes in behavior. Another thing you want to take note of is if your child is suddenly having behavior issues in school. My experience as a former Paraprofessional is seeing Johnny Smith who is this happy go lucky kid suddenly turn into this kid who was getting into one fight after another. This is a drastic change in behavior and nine times out of ten there is a trigger that causes this. Many times I have found it could be he is doing things the bully wants him to do or demands to keep him off his hit list or to be cool with the in crowd. If you start noticing these drastic changes in your child or a student in your classroom over time this is definitely a red flag.

Change in Appetite. Kids being bullied will sometimes have a sudden change in appetite due to the stress of the harassment whether it is physical or mental that they are going through. Remember children are still developing and their young minds aren't normally equipped to deal with these traumatic forces that are out there. Teachers and parents if you have a child that has suddenly stopped eating or not eating hardly at all this is another red flag you might want to watch for.

Change in clothing and style. I used to see this a lot in several schools I worked at through the years. To be considered cool or with the in crowd as it is called bulling victims will change their style and clothes to try to fit in with the general population hoping to stay off the bully's radar. Now grant it many children especially as they get older will change their taste of clothing however if you see this in a drastic way say a matter of weeks or so this might be something else you might want to discuss with your child.

Restless nights. Many kids that are being bullied will not sleep well at all. The stress of what is going to happen in school the next day might be keeping them up for hours agonizing over the possible consequences of going to school. What will the bully do? Is he going to get me today? Am I safe? Will he be absent maybe? Can you imagine what is running through their head as these horrible attacks occur? One can only imagine.

Sudden lack of interest in school. This is a big one folks. If you have a child that is always eager to go to school has straight A's and no behaviors and then suddenly within a matter of weeks to months see his interest in school decline drastically then you know something is definitely up. This is a major red flag that you want to keep an eye out for as well.

Ok so I outlined some of the signs I used to see as a paraprofessional now the question is what do you do. The question my child is being bullied and what to do should be clear in your mind now if you see even one or two of these signs. Depending upon the age of your child you want to talk to them and ask them how are things going in school? Who are their friends? What did they do today? Did they play with anyone special today? Older children you might try saying hey Jean I notice you don't like staying afterschool for cheerleading anymore. May I ask why honey? Show them your love and concern which I know as a parent you have for them. Sometimes as adults we get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget to check in on our children. It happens unfortunately especially with all the demands that are out there in our society. That being said though it is always a good idea to check in on your child.

So you sat down and finally got it out of your youngster that they are indeed being bullied at school. They have been putting up with this for months and haven't told you a thing. First reaction is to be concerned and hurt as to why they couldn't trust you to tell you this was going on. However you want to keep in mind that the mentality of many bullies if not all of them is intimidation whether it be they threaten to expose and say humiliating things about their victims, attack them physically, or even do things that can get them into trouble at school. Some bullies are very astute and do well in school and use some of their charm to manipulate staff to think negatively about the victim they are attacking. You must break through this initial shock and hurt the true issue is the bulling itself and how to address it. I would recommend trying the following suggestions.

Meet with your child's teacher, counselor and administrator. All three of these individuals need to be present to address this issue. This affects your child's academics, their mental state and behavior. When you have this team together you can develop a plan that will best assist your child in getting the help and services they need. The bully should be brought in for an interview conducted by the administration and definitely there should be some form of discipline to handle this. Many schools have a zero tolerance for bullying. If after the investigation is done and it is truly a bullying incident rest assured they will be dealt with appropriately.

Request a meeting with the bully and the bully's parents. This is an important step in the process. This is a good way to resolve any differences both between the children and even the parents. I would recommend doing this at school where school staff can monitor the session and give tips on how to keep things going along in a positive manner.

Make follow up visits to your child's school. You want to periodically make visits to your child's school unannounced and check on them at different times of the day to make sure everything is going well and that the bully hasn't done anything else to harm or cause your child distress.

Here are some excellent suggestions you can try and even suggest to your administration if they don't have such policies and programs in place.

Anti-Bullying Committee. Every school should have an anti-bullying committee. Most of these are made up of a combination of parents, staff, and students. If your school doesn't have a program like this then you might want to recommend starting one and getting the word out to the parents in your school.

Peer Mediation Program. This is an excellent program that we had in the last school I worked at before I retired. Basically the concept behind this is a staff member runs the program and students enroll in the program as an extracurricular activity and become peer meditators. They run meetings between students who are having disagreements and other problems. Often these simple peer meditation meetings can alleviate a small problem from escalating into a bigger issue. You might want to ask if your school has one of these or volunteer to be on it.

School Safety Committee. This is another committed similar to the anti-bullying committee which consists of staff and parents typically. The basis for the committee is to ensure that safety protocols are followed, discipline policies are enforced and in many cases the parents volunteer to patrol the school buildings, hallways, and lunchroom and other areas of the school premises to ensure every child is safe.

While these are just a few things that should be in place in most schools there are many more you want to check out as well such as an active Home and School Association, Volunteer Committee, and anything the school might have where you can be a more active participant at your child's school. By being proactive many times these issues can be curtailed before they escalate. I love to see your comments below. Thanks so much for reading this.

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Many parents find themselves with the unfortunate reality that their child is a victim of bullying. With so many ways this can be done both through the World Wide Web and in the real physical world many parents find themselves asking my child is being bullied what do I do?

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Sometimes Jokes Aren't Funny by Amanda Doering

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Sometimes Jokes Aren't Funny by Amanda Doering

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Sometimes Jokes Aren't Funny is about a group of friends going to a camp every year. This year, there is a new friend that is joining, who is teasing and making fun of the others. After reading, discuss the things Taylor did to the other friends in the story. Compare and contrast how the way Taylor acted compared to the other bullies we encountered in the other stories.

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Ludwig's story is about two girls who have been friends since kindergarten. As their friendship grows, bullying starts to occur. After reading, discuss friendship and what it means to be a true friend. Have each student write on a key cut out what they think and then place it on the class bulletin board titled "The Key to Being a Good Friend."

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Trudy Ludwig (Author), Abigail Marble (Illustrator)

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My Secret Bully [Ludwig, Trudy, Marble, Abigail] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. My Secret Bully