A Bad Case of Bullying: Using Literature Response Groups

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

This lesson provides an opportunity for students to reflect upon and personally relate to a teacher read-aloud of a narrative story. The lesson could be used with other stories; however, A Bad Case of Stripes allows for a personal connection by having students reflect on similar situations or emotions in their own lives. Acceptable behaviors and ways to prevent bullying in the classroom and school are also discussed.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

• It's My Life: Beat the Bully: In this online interactive game, students answer a series of questions about dealing with bullying.
  
  
• It's My Life: Story Strips: In this online interactive activity, students choose a story strip situation that describes a school bully and fill in the character bubbles with how they think the scene would play out.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Spiegel, D.L. (1998). Silver bullets, babies, and bath water: Literature response groups in a balanced literacy program. The Reading Teacher, 52(2), 114-124.

• Literature response groups allow students to explore issues of common interest and relate what they have read to their own lives.
  
  
• Social interactions invite readers to extend their thinking and prolong their involvement with the text.
  
  
• Students may write their responses to literature first; the discussion with the group often leads to further clarification and readers return to their journals with expanded ideas.

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