By Adolescence, LGTBQ issues become much more apparent on a surface level because adolescence is a time many young people start exploring their sexuality and identity. Students may start seriously experimenting with different gender roles as well as sexual partners of various sexes. Bullying becomes an increasingly serious issue since many LGBTQ youth suicides occur during the period of adolescence. Teachers should focus on issues of sexual orientation, include LGBTQ issues in sexual education lessons, gender variance, family diversity, and above all else provide a safe space for all. Most LGBTQ homeless youth are teenagers who have been kicked out of their homes or have run away because of lack of support, you can become a protective factor for your students by being a solid support system and creating a safe, welcoming classroom for all students.
Social Justice: Anti-Bullying/Harrassment CampaignsAge/Grade: 14-18 (Grades 9-12)
Materials: will vary depending on each groups plans Objectives:
This lesson will need several weeks to prepare both in and out of class. Since this project is designed to be used as a school wide intervention, be sure to allow your students plenty of time in order to do the project justice. If you have the support of the school, as part of the final presentation, you can have your principal present to decide of the school is willing to implement any and all plans on a school wide basis. Providing an opportunity to take real action in the community/school can increase motivation and self efficacy.
Part 1: Planning for ChangeDivide students up so that each social justice topic has a group. The topics you chose will be personalized to your school's unique needs but we suggest focusing on the following things:
The goal of this project is for each group to plan, research, and implement, a campaign aimed to stop bullying and harassment around their specific topic. Be sure to provide the students plenty of freedom in choosing how they want to go about stopping bullying, but be sure that they have research to back up their chosen plan. This initial lesson should be spent discussing various ideas as well as establishing roles within the group so that every person has a responsibility. Part 2: ResearchStudents will need to spend time researching their topic both inside and outside of class. Be sure to provide your students time to meet with their group and plenty of resources during school hours for those students who don't have access to materials outside of class. Books, scholarly journals, articles, as well as curriculum plans from other schools can be excellent resources. Be sure to have a few resources of your own in case students struggle to find appropriate resources.
Part 3: Writing Assignment/ReflectionIn order to judge a student's individual understanding of the topic, apart from their group work, have your students individually prepare a one page reflection paper stating what they have learned about the negative effects of bullying on their topic. While practicing writing is important, the goal of the paper is for you to get a solid understanding of where each student is at. This should not be a formal writing assignment.
Part 4: Take ActionNow that each group has become experts on their topic, it is time for them to develop a plan to take action against bullying and harassment within the schools. The plan each group decides to take should be left open ended to help foster creative and new ideas on tackling the problem. You can provide a list of helpful ideas though, such as the following:
While the groups are planing this, they will need to put together a presentation explaining their plans, the costs, materials needed to implement, and clear explanations on why such a program is important and how it will be effective. Students need to keep in mind the budget limitations of the school when planning their events because they will want to create realistic plans that can actually be put to use. Part 4: Proposals/PresentationsIf you are able to get the support of your school, be sure to have the principal come in on your chosen presentation day so that each group can make a formal proposal asking the school to support and fund their given plan. Groups should be graded based on how well researched their campaign is, how effective it is, and how realistic the plan is to implement, as well as the quality of their presentation/proposal skills. An important part of giving a proposal is being able to sell good ideas and this is a skill students can use in the future!
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