Leave Me Alone! Harassment

Leave Me Alone! Harassment

GRADE 8 LESSON 6

Time Required:

AA.PSD.8.7.03 Analyze the expression of feelings.

AA.PSD.8.7.04 Incorporate appropriate behavior into daily living.

AA.PSD.8.7.06 Articulate the benefits of showing respect for alternative points of view.

AA.PSD.8.7.09 Analyze the most effective mode of communication including listening, verbal and non-verbal behavior.

AA.PSD.8.7.12 Recognize and understand the degrees of harassment.

AA.PSD.8.7.13 Demonstrate understanding of personal and global affects of stereotyping.

GOAL: Students will recognize and understand the degrees of harassment.

Activity Statements:

Students will learn the definition and types of harassment.

Students will identify the types of responses to harassment.

Students will apply the appropriate types of responses to harassment in role play situations.

Handout: Role Play

1. 
   Personal Space- Ask two random students to come to the front of the class. Have them go to opposite ends of the front of the room. Give them the following directions:
   

When the first person says top, ask him/her, “What happened? How did you feel?” After the student’s explanation, relate to the class that this is called personal space. Everyone has a right to maintain that personal space by inviting people in or keeping others out.

2. 
   Ask the students if they know the meanings of the following words (have a student put the meanings up so that everyone can copy them down):
   

1. 
   harassment: The dictionary defines harassment as "to disturb, torment, or pester on a persistent basis"
   

2. 
   sexual harassment: Unwanted and unwelcome sexual advances which interfere with your life. May include notes, bad words, and unwanted touching.
   
   1. 
      Quid pro quo and/or bribery- If you let me- I’ll let you.
      
   2. 
      Hostile environment and/or threats- If you don’t let me, I’ll beat you up… or whatever.
      
3. 
   Online harassment: Unwanted and unwelcome phone texting, cyber messages which make you uncomfortable. If any of the following occur, you are being harassed online:
   

• 
  you are repeatedly sent threatening or pornographic/obscene messages or pictures after you've asked the sender to stop;
  
• 
  you are sent messages disclosing private information about your life, sex life, family, hobbies, etc.;
  
• 
  someone pretends to be you online, using your user name to post at newsgroups, message boards, or chat rooms;
  
• 
  private information (whether true or not) about you is shared with others in an attempt to sabotage your reputation; or
  
• 
  you receive messages from someone who implies there is a relationship when there is none.
  

3. 
   How would you feel if you were being harassed because you were:
   

1. 
   Too short? F. Asian?
   
2. 
   Too tall? G. Mexican?
   
3. 
   Blonde? H. preppy?
   
4. 
   White? i. jock?
   
5. 
   Catholic? J. add more pertaining to your class
   

4. 
   Tell the students: “There are three ways to respond to people who are harassing us: Passive, assertive, and aggressive responses.
   

1. 
   The typical passive response looks like this: slumped shoulders, eyes down, low voice, feeling scared, powerless, and doing nothing.
   
2. 
   The aggressive response just threatens back- loud voice, angry, may hit, or push, yell and so on.
   
3. 
   The assertive response looks like this: stands straight, eye contact, medium voice, no smile, confident, calm, tell the harasser you want ___ to stop NOW!
   

Bullying and Harassment. Circles of Care, 2006.