Lesson 1. Countering Bulling
Step A. Prepare the Space
- Post the 3Rs Oath. Make space for students to sit in a circle. Set aside the 3Rs Ambassador Patch.
Step B. Introduce the 3Rs
- Activate: Read aloud the 3Rs Oath (either read it to them or select a volunteer to read aloud). Ask the students for their understanding of the terms rights, responsibility, and respect.
- Motivate: Show the 3Rs Ambassador Patch. Explain that an ambassador is a leader who promotes the ideas that everyone has rights, and everyone has the responsibility to protect the rights of others, and to do so respectfully. Explain that students who complete all five lessons will receive a Patch and become a 3Rs Ambassador.
- Reiterate: Together, read aloud the 3Rs Oath.
Step C. Explain the Problem
- Share: Drawing upon your own experience, share your concerns about how people are bullied because of their religious identity. Share a real or fictional story of a student who once bullied someone but then stopped.
- Empower: Explain that the purpose of this curriculum is to empower them to be leaders in the school and to help you prevent religious-based bullying.
Step D. Tell Me Four Stories
The purposes of this exercise are two-fold: (1) to draw upon students’ direct experience and ideas about religious-based bullying; and (2) cultivate empathy for people who are bullied.
- Narrate: Divide the class into four groups. Invite them to come up with a real or fictional story about someone who was bullied because of their religion. Distribute the four types-of-bullying cards. Explain that their story should be about someone who was bullied because they were religious or not religious. Invite each group to tell a story about someone who was either (1) verbally bullied, (2) physically bullied, (3) socially bullied, or (4) bullied online.
- Reflect: Facilitate a class discussion about religious-based bullying. Explain that bullying often arises from fears of difference. To prevent bullying, we will be learning about different religions, religious people, and religious places.
Step E. Recite the 3Rs Oath
- Affirm: End the lesson with an affirmation. Compliment them for sharing their stories and insights. They have taken the first of five steps in becoming a 3Rs Ambassador.
- Recite: Close the lesson by inviting all students to read aloud the 3Rs oath.
