Study Guide

In a unit on bullying prevention, one important learning goal for students in grades 5–8  5 to 8  is "Recognize cyberbullying, its consequences, and methods for handling cyberbullying situations effectively."

This is an appropriate goal to include in a unit on bullying prevention because many students in these grades use cell phones, social media, and other electronic and digital tools to communicate and socialize, and are therefore at risk of becoming either victims or perpetrators of cyberbullying. Students who are harassed and stigmatized through cyberbullying are at increased risk for physical and verbal bullying, anxiety, depression, absenteeism, alcohol and other drug use, and even suicide. Achieving this learning goal can help minimize these risks.

To promote students' achievement of the learning goal, I would implement the following strategy. First, I would use a class meeting or circle to discuss with students the features and consequences of cyberbullying. I would define bullying (e.g., for example  intentional, repeated hurtful acts, words, or other behaviors involving a power imbalance) and cyberbullying (e.g., such as using social media sites, text messages, images, instagrams, or blogs to harass, intimidate, humiliate, exclude, or threaten someone). Then I would engage students in brainstorming and listing effects of cyberbullying (e.g., for example  loneliness, poor sleep, anxiety), as well as what to do and not do (e.g., such as  be a responsible digital citizen, block cyberbullies, report to a trusted adult, stand by friends who are targets, save evidence of cyberbullying, do not just "take it," do not forward or add to hurtful posts or texts, avoid retaliating).

Second, I would have students pair up and role play a situation in which a friend is being cyberbullied. During the role play activity, students would be expected to describe the way in which the friend has been targeted, discuss how they could help the friend, and demonstrate appropriate skills for responding to cyberbullying.

Finally, students would form small groups to review and respond to the role plays. Group members would discuss two or more of the plays. Specifically, they would identify the features of the cyberbullying depicted, the potential consequences, the responsive actions taken, and the effectiveness of those actions.

One resource I would use would be StopBullying.gov, which includes webisodes, video clips of cyberbullying situations, antibullying instructional toolkits, and links to other resources.

This strategy would support the learning goal by providing students with specific information related to resisting and preventing cyberbullying and increasing their awareness of the serious consequences of cyberbullying. Role playing gives students the opportunity to apply the skills in realistic situations. Reviewing their peers? plays helps to reinforce the newly-learned skills and information.

As a formative assessment, I would walk around and informally observe the student pairs to evaluate whether their role plays demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and skills covered in class, and whether any focused reteaching is necessary.

Grade Level: 7–8

Learning Goal: Students will apply a healthful decision-making process to prevent and reduce risks related to prescription drugs.

This learning goal would be appropriate near the end of the unit because then students would be equipped with some prior understanding in order to apply decision-making skills involving prescription drugs. Rising statistics of addiction, serious health implications, and even deadly consequences are all factors leading health organizations to claim prescription drug abuse a significant growing drug problem in the U.S. Given existing evidence that accounts for youth who engage in the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, it is appropriate for students to learn how to utilize decision-making skills to determine the proper use of these drugs, and possess awareness of the dangers of misuse and abuse. Prescription drug misuse and abuse is preventable. A unit emphasizing decision making encourages students to make healthful choices involving prescription drugs.

A strategy to promote achievement of the learning goal would be a class discussion instructional model supported by simulation videos. I would view the videos in advance, predetermining which scenes would serve to engage students in effective discussions to achieve the learning goal. I would search for scenes that could be paused to depict characters confronted with a decision to make involving prescription drugs. In one example, a teenager asks a friend for some of their prescribed ADHD meds in order to focus on a test—the video pauses at the point where a decision has to be made by the teen's friend. Upon pausing a video, I would call on different students to state the decision-making steps we have used previously in class:

• Identify circumstances surrounding the decision to be made
• Brainstorm options
• Consider the pros and cons of each option
• Ask how influences (family, culture, media, personal beliefs) affect decisions
• Predict potential short-term and long-term outcomes
• Choose a healthful decision

Students would then be directed to analyze the video scene with peers seated at their table and use a flowchart structured by the decision-making steps listed above to document the group's decision-making process for the character in the video. I would stop in at each table to check for understanding and assist in discussions where needed. Before advancing to another video, I would facilitate a class discussion on how sound decision making is related to preventing and reducing risks related to prescription drug abuse, especially in the context of opioids. NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) is a resource I would use in connection with class discussions and the learning goal. NIDA supplies teachers with ideas and supplemental materials for lessons—in this case I may find templates for flowcharts and decision-making steps that would aid my instruction.

This approach supports the learning goal. The videos portray real-world situations involving prescription drugs for students to analyze and apply decision-making skills to. Multiple opportunities to analyze and discuss situations and influences related to prescription drug use will prompt students to use a step-by-step decision-making process to reduce health risks related to prescription drugs.

I would use several authentic assessment strategies to evaluate students' knowledge throughout instruction and during both small-group and whole-group discussions. I would use a simple skills rubric or checklist to evaluate individual students and groups as they work, ask individual students questions to check their understanding, and ask groups to summarize their thinking during the decision-making process. I would also collect and review the flowcharts from each group to further assess students' understanding.