presents
Crayon Box
Anti-Bullying: Holistic Wellness Program
Pre-Materials and Worksheets Grades 2-5 2022-2023 School Year
Table of Contents
Colorado Conservatory of Dance 3001 Industrial Lane, #12 Broomfield, CO 80020 303.466.5685 ccdance.org
A Note to Teachers
Page 3
How to Use These Materials
Page 3
Step 1: Learning the Story
Page 4
Step 2: Bullying Basics
Page 6
Step 3: Tools for Targets
Page 8
Step 4: Friends Help Friends
Page 10
Resources for Teachers
Page 12
Suggested Reading for the Classroom
Page 12
CCD is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our EIN is 46-2961115 About CCD: Inside the doors of this long standing, flagship cultural organization is a deeply caring and nurturing community of exceptional and knowledgeable dance teachers, learned body scientists and therapists, and a diverse collection of students—all committed to a process of learning and teaching ballet that is healthy for both the body and the mind.
Colorado Conservatory of Dance Julia Wilkinson Manley Founder & Artistic Director Leslie Castañuela Barnes Executive Director Janelle Ayón Director of Community Education Jameson Courville Venue & Conservatory Manager Chris Harris Community Education & Project Manager Kerry Healy Administrator and Social Media Rachel Long Communications Coordinator Rachel Long Communications Coordinator Reed Otto Production Manager Marnie Rundiks Conservatory Docent Sue Sakai Costume Supervisor
2
This workbook was created in collaboration with YouthSeen, a Colorado non-profit organization that envisions a society where young people are empowered as individuals to access non-judgmental and unbiased treatment in every aspect of their lives. YouthSeen encourages creative communities that celebrate everyone’s worth, diverse characteristics and dignity. Colorado Conservatory of Dance (CCD) has partnered with YouthSeen to provide professional social and emotional wellness services to support the developmental framework of CCD’s respected “Anti-Bullying Ballet” for youth. In collaboration, our objective is to provide an outlet that will support and advocate for critical needs that COVID continues to fuel in our age-appropriate production. CCD and YouthSeen will advance our production with deeper social and emotional wellness messaging and pre/ post-performance discussion curricula and resources that may resonate most beneficially for our youth audiences. In addition, students will be provided with an added layer of wellness referral services provided by YouthSeen. Tara Jae, PhD, MFA Founder & Executive Director YouthSeen tara@youthseen.org
Crayon Box Anti-Bullying: Holistic Wellness Program
A Note to Teachers Dear Teachers: These pre-materials are designed to help you plan lessons in preparation for the live or recorded school presentation of Crayon Box performed by Colorado Conservatory of Dance. The information in this packet emphasizes that children have the power to make an impact on the climate of their schools. Instead of having students make up the “silent majority,” the 85% of children who simply watch bullying and do nothing about it, the exercises in this book emphasize formation of a “caring majority,” a group of upstanders who stick up for one another when they are in need. Out of this main focus come both the vocabulary and strategies associated with anti-bullying curricula, and the tools to change your school into a caring community. Each exercise found in this workbook helps students lay a foundation for building their own positive social skills that in turn helps them interact with other children in a caring and compassionate way. These lessons are meant to be a springboard for you to customize your own lessons based on the needs of your classroom and your students. Additional comments from you, as well as from your students, are always welcome. Your feedback helps us assess our programs and develop new ideas and ways to benefit our community through the arts. Thank you, Colorado Conservatory of Dance
How to Use These Materials This workbook has been broken down into four (4) easy steps to help you easily create lessons to continually build on a student's previous knowledge of anti-bullying. Each step is separated into a whole section of information and activity ideas for you to incorporate into your classroom. Step 1: Learning the Story (Page 4) Students learn the story of My Secret Bully to prepare for what they will see performed by the dancers. Step 2: Bullying Basics (Page 6) Concepts in this section involve recognizing what actions are considered to be bullying behaviors, and identifying the main players in a bullying situation. Students will also learn to work together as a team to establish a “no bullying” policy in the classroom, and create classroom rules to support this. Step 3: Tools for Targets (Page 8) This section is filled with techniques for students to use when they find themselves as the target of a bullying situation. Step 4: Friends Help Friends (Page 10) Students learn ways to help others who are in need and learn the 5 basic strategies that make up the CARES technique. We encourage you to use as many “active” lessons as possible, integrating movement or role-play wherever possible in order to engage students effectively. The length of time spent on each activity is also up to you and the needs of your students. We recommend spending approximately 15 minutes working on anti-bullying concepts each week throughout the school year to find a full benefit from this program.
3
Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Step 1: Learning the Story Mission of Crayon Box Crayon Box is an educational performance intended to teach emotional coping and communication skills. Crayon Box follows the stories of six crayons, all based on the six primary and secondary colors. Each crayon symbolizes specific personality traits that both help and hinder their communicative process. As the crayons interact with one another, the audience will learn how to identify their emotions, communicate their needs, show empathy for others, and work together to create a safe, caring environment. Our Story A little girl we call The Creator is quite the artist. She loves to make art, and she can spend all day drawing and dreaming. She notices that her feelings change a bit as she uses different colors. She starts to daydream about meeting the colors and imagining how they might interact together. Some are happy, and some are sad. Some are anxious, and some are mad. Some crayons are always ready to play, and some just prefer to be by themselves. Each crayon is different, and each crayon has something to teach us. First up is poor, poor Blue. Blue is known for always being sad and can usually be found moping about or sleeping the day away. Blue may not be the best source for smiles, but they are a perfect shoulder to cry on. Next we have Green. Green has the best vision of the whole bunch! While their big eyes help them avoid danger, Green often finds themselves paralized by the fears that surround them. Yellow is the sweetest, friendliest and kindest crayon there ever was! They radiate sunshine and are constantly making everyone smile. One must wonder where Yellow gets all of this positive energy! Orange is a bundle of fun! They are constantly bouncing off the walls and always looking for a new friend or a new adventure. Just make sure you give Orange space when they come dancing by. Red has a tendency to be a little…. explosive. Red is very honest and always tells you exactly how they are feeling. While everyone loves red, sometimes the intensity can be a bit scary. Last but not least, we have Violet. Violet is so full of love! They just tend to keep it all for themselves. You can often find Violet sitting alone gazing into their hand mirror. Violet doesn’t share their mirror often, but if you’re lucky, you can sneak a little peak at what has got them so obsessed. Being as each crayon is unique, they each have a unique struggle. A struggle that they can’t overcome on their own.
4
Crayon Box Anti-Bullying: Holistic Wellness Program
Violet & Orange: Violet loves to spend time on their own, and can find all of the love they need within themselves. Orange, however, loves to be social and is constantly disturbing Violet and asking to play. Orange enthusiastically encourages Violet to dance with them. Violet learns it is sometimes really fun to dance with their friends and get away from their comfort zone. Blue & Violet: While looking in the mirror, violet notices a pile on the floor behind them. After closer inspection, they saw that it was just Blue taking a nap. Violet encourages Blue to get up and start their day, even though it’s sometimes hard. Violet says, “Maybe if you could see how incredible you are, you’d learn to love yourself too.” Blue fought hard and worked tirelessly, but eventually, when they looked in the mirror, they began to feel it. Blue finally felt love. Red & Yellow: Red slowly paced back and forth like a tiger ready to pounce. Yellow asked Red, ‘Why are you always so angry? Yellow offered to listen to all the things that made them angry. No one had ever offered that before. Yellow said, “I knew you weren’t scary! You just needed someone to talk to!” Green & Red: Green was scared. Of everything. Red asked, “Oh Green, what’s the matter this time?” Green replied, “I’m just so tired of being scared! I wish I could just have my own safe space.” Red replied, “Well, that’s easy! Just use your voice!” Red teaches Green how to set boundaries by using their voice. Orange & Green: Orange is vibrantly dancing about the whole space and is suddenly surprised by Green’s appearance. “You’re too busy dancing to see where you’re going,” Green said. Green gives Orange a little coaching on how to use their eyes to see those around them while their dancing. Orange uses their vision to circle around Green with expert precision, keeping everyone safe, while still having fun! Yellow & Blue: Oh Yellow! Happy Little Yellow. Nothing ever bothers them. And when they start to feel bad, they simply smile it away! Yellow dances gleefully around Blue, “Oh Blue, I wish you could just be happy like me. Then everyone will always like you!” “But Yellow,” Blue says, “don’t you see? Everyone has sadness within them. Even happy Crayons like you.” Yellow tried to bury their sadness beneath a huge smile, but it was no use. Yellow had broken, and emotion was seeping out of the cracks. Blue says, “We don’t love you because you are happy. We love you because you are YOU. No matter how you feel.” Finale: Each Crayon offered special wisdom that helped each other grow and learn. We may all be different, but when we work together, we can color the world!
5
Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Step 2: Bullying Basics What is Bullying?
Bullying is when one person uses their power deliberately to hurt another individual repeatedly. Bullying methods can range greatly in their severity and intentions. Physical Aggression – includes pushing, shoving, stealing, and inflicting bodily harm against someone. This can even include violence against a person’s family or friends. Verbal Aggression – includes mocking, taunting, name-calling, dirty looks or gestures, teasing about possessions or appearance, and even verbal threats of violence. Social Alienation – includes gossiping, embarrassing or spreading rumors about someone, using ethnic slurs, excluding someone from the group, and threatening someone with total isolation from a peer group. Intimidation – includes defacing someone’s property or clothing, threatening to embarrass or reveal personal information, sexual or racial taunting, threatening with a weapon, coercion, and extortion. Cyber – includes using the internet, cell phones, cameras, and text messaging to hurt others. Extension Activity: Have students make a drawing of a bullying situation with crayons, colored pencils, or markers. They could draw a picture from personal experience, or make a picture of what they think bullying might look like. Remind students to show the many different types of bullying including verbal - name-calling, physical - pushing or shoving, and social alienation - leaving someone out of an activity.
Key Roles in Bullying
There are three main participants in bullying situations. These participants, whether they react or are passive, all contribute to the outcomes of bullying. These participants include: The Bully or Bullies - a person or group of people who repeatedly use their power and influence over others to hurt another individual. A “bully” can learn to choose different behaviors. The Target - typically a person who is passive, insecure, or unable to defend themselves. These people are easily singled out because they won’t fight back. The Bystanders - the majority of people (approximately 80%) who watch bullying happen and stand silently watching, not knowing what to do. This group of people is also called the “silent majority.”
Upstanders vs. Bystanders
By teaching students in our schools that bullying is not allowed, and that they have the power to stand up for themselves and for others, we are able to create a fourth participant in a bullying situation. Students learn to stop being the silent majority (observing bullying and doing nothing), and move to being upstanders (preventing or stopping bullying from happening.)
Talk it Over
Begin a discussion with students about behavior that doesn’t keep friendships. Have them come up with examples of a time that a friend was not so nice to them. Students should only use names if they have something nice to share. Use this topic as a starting Have students brainstorm as a class about what they think bullying might be. Write down their ideas and add in ones they may have missed such as teasing someone or purposely leaving someone out of a game at recess.
6
Crayon Box Anti-Bullying: Holistic Wellness Program
Movement Activity
A valuable part of understanding the effects of bullying is understanding our emotions. Introduce to students the concept of feelings, and ask them: Has there ever been a time when you felt really scared, sad, or lonely? What made you feel this way? Share a time that you may have been sad or scared. Ask the students: Is it ok to be upset, sad, angry, or scared? Help students understand that all emotions are valid and important; it’s how we handle these emotions that makes all the difference. Now tell students that you are going to play a game and have them guess your feelings. Act out an expression of being happy, sad, angry, or scared and use your face, shoulders, body language, and gestures to reflect these emotions. When students guess the emotion, ask them: What clues did you use to tell how I was feeling? How did my facial expressions change with each emotion? Now have students take a turn acting out the emotions. Give them a prompt for each emotion such as “Your best friend is moving away,” or “Your parents just brought home a new puppy.” Instruct students to exaggerate each expression using their entire body including their face, head, shoulders, and even their walk. Come up with a variety of emotions and have children try each one. Extension Activity: Have students make a drawing of a bullying situation with crayons, colored pencils, or markers. They could draw a picture from personal experience, or make a picture of what they think bullying might look like. Remind students to show the many different types of bullying including verbal - name-calling, physical - pushing or shoving, and social alienation - leaving someone out of an activity.
Colorado Conservatory of Dance performs the Ugly Duckling Anti-Bullying Program for young audiences in Boulder County, 2020. Photo credit: Amanda Tipton
7
Step 3: Tools for Targets Techniques for Students to Use Against Bullying
Talk to students about tools they can use when other students are not being friendly. First, ask students to talk about a time that they were left out of an activity, or a time that someone used words that were not very kind. Ask students: How did it make you feel? How did you respond to the other person? What could you have done differently to change the situation? Begin teaching students some of the tools they can use in a situation when kids are not being so nice. The best tools for a student caught in a bullying situation are the HA, HA, SO strategies. H= Help - Find a nearby teacher or peer to help you. Use this strategy when help is available and willing. Ask for nearby peers to help by saying “Could you help me ask David to stop taking my lunch from me?” You can also use this strategy by anticipating a bullying situation, and asking friends to stay nearby or asking a teacher to watch out for you. A= Assert Yourself - This is the best strategy to try first in a bullying situation. Look the bully or bullies square in the eye and tell them assertively that you don’t like what they are doing. For example, “I don’t like it when you make fun of my clothing and try to keep me from making friends. It is mean, unfair, and it hurts my feelings.” This strategy should not be used if the target feels scared or afraid for any reason. H= Humor - This is a good way for students to de-escalate the conflict and bring reality to the situation. For example, if someone makes fun of you because of your appearance or because of something you’re wearing, you can use sarcasm and say “Oh, thanks for noticing my new (haircut, dress, shoes), I really like it too, it makes me look really cool and unique.” A= Avoid - This is the best strategy to use when the target is alone and no other help is available. There are two ways to use this strategy. One is to avoid a bully physically by walking a different route home from school, or by staying away from the “bully hangouts” on the playground. Another is to avoid situations that may provoke a bully by playing with a group of friends close to supervision or by walking away and not responding to a bully that is teasing or provoking you. S= Self Talk - This strategy is a way to keep your self-esteem up when someone else is calling you names or putting you down. By keeping positive thoughts in your head, it helps to block out the mean things a bully might say, and helps keep you from being targeted again. O= Own It - In this strategy, by agreeing with the bully, or by responding in the opposite way than they intended, it helps diffuse some of the power the bully has. Targets can use statements like, “I agree, these boots really are ugly!” or “Yes, my skin is darker than yours, but that’s because I have a very unique cultural heritage. Would you like me to tell you a little bit about the place where my parents were born?”
Draw a Picture
Have students draw a picture of what they might do if they got stuck in a bullying situation using crayons, markers, or colored pencils and construction paper. Remind students of the HA HA SO strategies for protecting against bullying. They could draw someone going to get an adult for help, walking away from the situation, or even confronting the bully. Have students write captions or use bubbles to show what people in the picture are saying. Find a place to hang artwork on the wall to remind children that they can protect themselves from being bullied. You can also make a poster with the HA HA SO strategies and make a display in the classroom for antibullying techniques.
8
Role-Play
Role-plays are very important opportunities for children to practice the skills that they are learning in the classroom. After identifying the HA HA SO strategies, act out a role-play to demonstrate ways that children can respond while in a bullying situation. First, ask for volunteers to act out the parts of the target and the bystanders. Have other students be an audience to help guide the target through their response to the bullying behaviors. Always have an adult act out the part of the bully. Try the skits once through with the “bullies” giving in after the first strategy is used. Then repeat the skit again and have the target try several different strategies before one really works. You can also act out these situations with puppets as well, to help children understand the actions without having to be the targets or bullies. Situation #1: Some kids from John’s class are playing tag at recess. John asks if he can join in, but one of the kids tells him no one else is allowed to join. John is very sad that he is not included. What should John do? Guide students through using different HA HA SO strategies to solve the situation. For example, John could use assert yourself by saying “It hurts my feelings when you don’t let me play too,” Situation #2: Students are working on art projects in class as Anna goes to get a paintbrush from the supply table. She reaches for the last one, but another student pushes her aside and takes the paintbrush from her. This same student is always rude to her, taking things that she wants to use, and it is frustrating to Anna. What should he do? Encourage students to think about some qualities of friendship Anna could use to work out a compromise, such as sharing, trading, or taking turns with the paintbrush. Anna could use the assert yourself technique by saying “I have an idea, why don’t we take turns using the paintbrush. Then we can both use it!” Anna could also use help by asking the teacher if there is another paintbrush that she could use.
Read a Story
Find a story that illustrates some of the concepts of bullying and either read it to your students, or have them read the story. Use the resources guide at the end of this workbook to find a book that addresses the topic you would like to work with. While reading the book, ask students to identify some of the concepts you have discussed with them. Have them identify characteristics of friendship, the techniques for defending against bullying – HA HA SO, and identifying key roles in bullying – Target, Bully, and Bystanders (both the Silent Majority and the Caring Majority.)
Creating Classroom Kindness Rules
After introducing the main concepts of bullying, tell students that they will be creating a safe environment in their classroom that is bully-free. Have students brainstorm rules that they would like to have in their classroom in order to make it a safe place to learn. Think about qualities of friendship they want to have in the classroom such as sharing, or being kind to one another. Start students off with the following rules, and encourage them to add on. • We will not bully other students • We will help others who are being bullied by speaking out and by getting adult help • We will use extra effort to include all students in activities at our school
9
Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Step 4: Friends Help Friends Ways to Get Help for Friends in Need
Explain to students that part of friendship is helping out those in need, whether they are your friends or not. The word “friend” should be used interchangeably with “other children,” and students are expected to help their peers and classmates when they are in trouble. If a student sees another child who is upset, mad, or worried, they can lend a helping hand. Use the CARES strategies as tools for helping out another student who is being bullied or left out. C= Creative Problem Solving - a bystander can use this strategy by helping two children talk to one another and find a solution to the problem. The bystander could witness the bully teasing the target and say “Sally, some of the things that you said to Jenny are mean and untrue. Maybe you should try giving her a compliment instead.” A= Adult Help - children should use this strategy only after trying to solve the problem themselves, if the target seems extremely afraid, or the situation is very dangerous. Students should find the nearest adult and tell them about the bullying situation, what techniques were tried already, and that adult help is needed. R= Relate and Join - the principal of this strategy is “strength in numbers”. By joining in on the target’s side and standing up for them, the bystander takes power away from the bully. The helper could say something like “I like the fact that Billy looks different from you or me. Could you imagine if we all looked alike? How boring would that be?” E= Empathy - this strategy involves sensing how a target feels during an observed bullying incident, and empathizing with them. A bystander can comfort the target after observing the incident, and say “I’m so sorry Joey did that to you. You must feel very sad and upset. I understand how you feel, because he made me feel that way too once.” S= Stand Up and Speak Out - This technique requires the most courage, but can also be the most effective. Bystanders should be expected to speak out against bully-ing and let others know that they will not tolerate bullying at their school. Bystanders can say things like “You need to stop saying things like that to Ann because she is our friend. We do not tolerate bullying at our school so you need to stop teasing her right now.” Extension Activity: Create a poster for displaying the protective strategies of CARES. Have students show examples of each situation by writing or drawing pictures by each word to demonstrate the steps.
Learning to Help Others
“Tour Guide” is an exercise that helps students learn to build trust and cooperation with one another. First ask for two volunteers to come forward. Pick one leader and one follower. The follower will stand with their arms out in front of them with their eyes closed. The leader will take both of their hands facing them. Now instruct the leader to begin slowly taking the follower through the room using verbal cues such as “walk straight forward,” or “now we’re going to turn.” After your volunteers are done demonstrating, pair students off and have them select a leader and a follower. Give students a few minutes to explore guiding and trusting one other and then switch roles. Give students some guidance as they perform this activity by saying things like “be sure to move extremely slowly with no sudden starts or stops,” or “Help guide your partner with your voice so they know what is coming next.”
10
Crayon Box Anti-Bullying: Holistic Wellness Program
After children are finished with the activity, involve them in a discussion about their experience. What was it like to be led around the room without using your eyes? Was it hard to trust your partner? How did you like being the leader? Did you do everything possible to help guide your partner?
Role-Play
After identifying the CARES strategies, act out a role-play to practice these techniques. First, ask for volunteers to act out the parts of the target and the bystanders. Have the rest of the students be audience members to help the target. Always have an adult be the bully. First, try acting out the situation with the bystanders doing nothing. After students act it out, ask them, Who had all of the power in that situation? Did anyone help out the target? Whose side were the bystanders on? Point out to students that since the bystanders did nothing, they were on the bully’s side. Now try again, but have bystanders become active and use some of the CARES strategies. Students could talk to the target, ask the target to join in with their group, or if the situation seems dangerous, go for help right away. Show students how standing up and helping others gives power to the target and takes it away from the bullies. You can even ask the “bullies” whose side they would rather be on and show how the power can shift so that everyone wins in the end! Situation #1: You and your friends are standing outside waiting for school to start when you notice that Lucy is standing by herself in her bright yellow galoshes. A group of older kids begin teasing Lucy because of her galoshes and Lucy becomes scared and embarrassed. What should you do? Guide students through how they can use empathy to observe Lucy’s emotions and comfort her by saying “Are you ok, Lucy? You look very upset. I know I would be scared if they were teasing me,” or they could relate and join by asking Lucy to join in with the group and stand somewhere else. This can be a good scenario to demonstrate needing adult help. If the older students continually tease Lucy, it is a good time to find an adult. Situation #2: At lunchtime you are sitting with a group of friends and you notice that the new boy in school, Jeremy, is looking for a place to sit. He comes over to your table and asks if he can sit with your group. One of your friends, Danny, tells him “No, you’re not allowed to sit here.” You feel very sorry for Jeremy and want to do something about it. What can you do? Help students realize that even if the “bully” is their friend, they can still stand up for the target while helping their friend understand that it’s ok to accept others. Students can use empathy by saying things like “Danny, that’s not very nice. How would you feel if you were the new kid in school? Jeremy seems really cool, and there’s plenty of room for him to sit here.” Or use creative problem solving by saying “Danny, you were just saying that it would be nice to have another player on our soccer team at recess. Why don’t we invite Jeremy to join?”
Movement Activity
“Mirroring” is a great exercise to get students working as a team. This activity shows how easily pow-er can shift from one person to another. First, pair up all of the students and have them spread out in the classroom. Have each couple pick person A and person B, and have them face each other as if there is a mirror in between. Person A will start out as the leader making very slow, smooth move-ments while person B is the mirror and follows person A’s movements. You may want to demon-strate this exercise first with a volunteer to show how movements need to be slow and smooth for the other person to follow. Turn on some gentle background music for atmosphere and have students practice moving arms and legs while staying in the same place. After students have practiced for a while, have them switch leaders. Try this for a couple of turns and then have students start switching leaders on and off by themselves. Encourage students to make transitions between leaders seamless so that no one knows who is leading and who is following. Discuss with students how it felt after completing the activity. What was it like? Was it harder to be the leader or the follower? Did you feel that you were able to work well with the other person? Was it hard or easy to decide who was leading and who was following?
11
Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Resources for Teachers All content for this workbook is developed in collaboration with YouthSeen. For additional information on postperformance wellness resources, please visit: https://youthseen.org/about-us/.
Websites
https://casel.org https://humaneeducation.org https://www.ihollaback.org/bystander-resources/ https://www.stopbullyingnow.com/ https://www.learningforjustice.org/ https://www.thebullyproject.com/tools_students https://diversebooks.org https://diversebooks.org/resources-old/post-4420/ https://wtpsite.com
Suggested Reading for the Classroom
The Invisible Boy By Trudy Ludwig, Patrice Barton (Illustrator) Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2013)
A gentle story that teaches how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish, from esteemed author and speaker Trudy Ludwig and acclaimed illustrator Patrice Barton.
Quiet Please, Owen McPhee! By Trudy Ludwig, Patrice Barton (Illustrator) Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2018)
Owen McPhee doesn’t just like to talk, he LOVES to talk. He spends every waking minute chattering away at his teachers, his classmates, his parents, his dog, and even himself. But all that talking can get in the way of listening. And when Owen wakes up with a bad case of laryngitis, it gives him a much-needed opportunity to hear what others have to say.
The Power of One By Trudy Ludwig, Mike Curato (Illustrator) Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2020)
When one child reaches out in friendship to a classmate who seems lonely, she begins a chain reaction of kindness that ripples throughout her school and her community. One kind act begets another, small good deeds make way for bigger ones, and eventually the whole neighborhood comes together to build something much greater than the sum of its parts.
Say Sorry And Mean It: Apologizing From The Heart By Trudy Ludwig, Maurie J. Manning (Illustrator) Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2006)
Jack’s friend, Charlie, knows how to get away with just about everything: “If you get caught, just say you’re sorry.” But does an apology count if you don’t really mean it? And what happens when the person you’ve hurt knows you don’t mean it? Jack’s about to find out there’s a whole lot more to a real apology than a simple “sorry!”
My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig, Abigail Marble (Illustrator) Publisher: Dragonfly Books, New York (2003)
Monica is a target of relational aggression, emotional bullying among friends who will use name-calling and manipulation to humiliate and exclude. But with a little help from a supportive adult—her mother—Monica learns to cope and thrive by facing her fears and reclaiming power from her bully.
12
Crayon Box Anti-Bullying: Holistic Wellness Program
Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig, Abigail Marble (Illustrator) Publisher: Dragonfly Books (2012) After Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate, she’s told to meet with Mrs. Petrowski, the school counselor, so she can make right her wrong and learn to be a better friend. Bothered at first, it doesn’t take long before Katie realizes that bullying has hurt not only the people around her, but her, too. Told from the unusual point of view of the bullier rather than the bullied, Confessions of a Former Bully provides kids with real life tools they can use to identify and stop relational aggression.
Other Titles Recommended by the Institute for Humane Education Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (realistic fiction)
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (realistic fiction)
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan (realistic fiction)
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith (realistic fiction)
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (fantasy)
Hope in the Holler by Lisa Lewis Tyre (realistic fiction)
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden (realistic fiction)
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake (realistic fiction)
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James (poetry/picture book)
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (realistic fiction/poetry)
A Different Pond by Bao Phi and Thi Bui (memoir/picture book)
Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds (fantasy/superhero)
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (memoir/picture book)
Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson (realistic fiction)
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry (realistic fiction/poetry)
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (realistic fiction/poetry)
Front Desk by Kelly Yang (realistic fiction)
Rebound by Kwame Alexander (sports fiction/poetry)
Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth (historical fiction)
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell (informational picture book)
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (realistic fiction)
“As a children’s bookstore, Second Star to the Right has programming for young minds down to a science, with themed storytime events and craft projects. More recently, the store branched out into adult-themed talks, hoping to build a space where parents and caregivers can have conversations and build community."
1545 South Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80210 303.733.3773 https://www.secondstartotherightbooks.com 13
Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Changing lives through dance for young audiences since 1992. ccdance.org Photo credit: Amanda Tipton
