While the distinction may appear nuanced, there are clear differences behind the meanings and purposes of tattling vs telling. Tattling is generally associated with reputation, such as when students attempt to get one another in trouble for minor incidents or try to gain favor by making themselves appear heroic while telling, on the other hand, is an effort to alert an adult to more serious incidents or safety concerns.
Helping students recognize the difference between tattling and telling is a complicated dance that requires direct instruction, practice, and ongoing support in the classroom. While it’s fairly simple for students to understand the necessity for rules and the expectations that they convey, it can be quite another task for children to determine when rule breaking is something that must be reported.
Most students know that bullying is bad, and yet bullying still happens in our schools every day.
When we say hurtful things to other people, we often can’t see the damage that we’re doing on the inside. Our classmates may appear fine, but they’re really hurting. On the other hand, our kind words can be used to build someone else up, and make them feel beautiful on the inside.
These bullying lessons use apples to provide a memorable, visual to show the damage that can be done with harsh, unkind words.
Anything someone does that makes someone else feel bad or unsafe is bullying. It can take many forms: name-calling, leaving someone out, or hurting them. Kids bully other kids for all sorts of reasons: for having lots of friends or very few friends, or for being different. Bullying is never okay. If you're getting bullied, you can ignore it, surround yourself with friends, try talking it out, or tell a trusted adult. If you're bullying other kids, please stop. It's way cooler to be nice to people!
This resource is a BrainPOP video.
This is a free interactive from PBS Kids that can be used to teach students about bullying. Explore the topic of bullying in this interactive comic, So Funny I Forgot to Laugh, based on the characters and storyline from the PBS children’s series ARTHUR. When Arthur takes his teasing too far, it upsets Sue Ellen. Can Arthur find a way to apologize for bullying Sue Ellen and save their friendship? The interactive pauses at important scenes for discussion questions and allows students to choose their own ending.
This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.
