Oskar and The Big Bully Battle Companion Guide by Alley Theatre

he Mission of the Alley Theatre’s Educa on and Community Engagement

programs is to apply theatre prac ce in a wide range of community contexts — to use the prac ce of theatre to strengthen and promote the interpersonal goals of our community partners; to provide a vehicle for meaningful community discourse; to create the most advanced training ground for emerging theatre ar sts; and to become a driving force for arts educa on within our schools.

Our Core Values:    

Empathy and collabora on through the prac ce of theatre Service to our community by teaching our art form in mul ple se ngs Innova on and quality in our prac ce Excellence in developing exemplary, replicable, na onally‐recognized programming

Yo u r P a r t n e r i n E d u c a t i o n

Why the ARTS Matter

he Alley Theatre is firmly commi ed to the idea that par cipa on in the arts and arts integra on in educa on is more than enriching — it is essen al! Studies have illustrated that students who study the arts are: 

More ac ve in community aﬀairs

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Assume leadership roles

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More likely to par cipate in math or science fairs

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Have increased self‐esteem and confidence

Addi onally, research has demonstrated that what students learn in the arts, helps them to succeed in other subjects and promotes skills that are vital to the future workforce. Developing a love for theatre is a progressive process that requires sustained exposure.

Wilson Montessori Elementary School being an audience for Staging STEM at their school. Photo by Cressandra Thibodeaux.

Learning to be a good audience Please discuss the “live” quali es of theatre with your students. THANK YOU!

ood theatre HABITS begin young. Being a great audience member requires some basic understandings — Here they are!

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A play takes a lot of group eﬀort which means the audience needs to respect a lot of things: the theatre space, the actors, your teacher, your fellow classmates and yourself.  Actors and Audience work together Having fun while watching a play is GREAT! Responding to the actors helps the actors. Reac on is good if it is focused on the ac on of the play and not what your neighbor is doing, or what you are going to have for lunch.  Listen! Think! Wonder! The audience is an important part of the show. Your reac ons and behavior aﬀects the performance either posi vely or nega vely. Together the actors and the audience are a team crea ng something together.  Laughter and Applause! Talking during the show is not appreciated BUT, laughter and applause at appropriate mes is encouraged! That is how you help create a suppor ve and focused atmosphere for the play.  Saying Thank You The curtain call is the final bow and the audience gets to thank them for a job well done. If you liked it, clap like you mean it.

RESPECT Actors and Audience work together Listen! Think! Wonder about the play! It’s OK to Laugh and Clap Clap to say thank you at the end

Respect

Above all, enjoy the performance!

WHAT TO BRING TO LIVE PERFORMANCE:     

RESPECT CURIOSITY QUESTIONS WONDER CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS

WHAT TO LEAVE BEHIND:     

CELL PHONES FOOD ATTITUDE JUDGEMENT DISRESPECT OF OTHERS

Make a list of what an audience does.

1)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 2)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 5)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 6)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 7)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 8)____________________________________________________________________________________________ 9)____________________________________________________________________________________________

ramatic conventions offer a safe harbor for trying out the situations for life; for experimenting with expression and communication; and for deepening human understanding.”

— James Catterall, Professor Emeritus, UCLA, Department of Education

The 4 sec ons in this guide 1 REFRESHER ON BULLYING BEHAVIORS & STATISTICS 2 3 4

AN OVERVIEW TO PREPARE FOR THE PLAY QUICK GRAB AND GOES FOR EASY ACTIVITIES MORE IN‐DEPTH ACTIVITIES AND CONNECTIONS

IN PREPARATION — SHARE THIS GUIDE School and community‐wide discussion that includes administrators, parents and other teachers before and a er the play will help bring the ideas and lessons alive. Above all, it will help students make changes to their own habits and behaviors.

Section 1 REFRESHER ON BULLYING BEHAVIORS & STATISTICS

BULLYING ‘behaviors’ IN BRIEF

WHAT IS BULLYING?

“When Friendship Is Used as a Weapon: Revealing the Hidden Nature of Rela onal Bullying,” 2012

“A person is a victim when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other person, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.” ̶ Dan Olweus, author

Dan Olweus, creator of the Olweus Bullying Preven on Program, provides us with this commonly accepted defini on for bullying in his book, “Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do” This defini on includes three important components:  Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted and nega ve ac ons.  Bullying involves a pa ern of behavior repeated over me.  Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

TYPES OF BULLYING BEHAVIORS

        

Verbal bullying, i.e. derogatory comments and bad names. Social exclusion or isola on. Hi ng, kicking, shoving, and spi ng. Spreading lies and false rumors. Taking money or other possessions or damaging possessions. Threatening or being forced to do things. All forms of racism Sexual harassment Cyber bullying (via cell phone or Internet)

WHY STUDENTS USE BULLYING BEHAVIORS Informa on about bullying suggests that there are three interrelated reasons why students bully, which are:  Students who employ bully b e h a v i o r s have strong needs for power and (nega ve) dominance.  Students who exhibit bullying behaviors find sa sfac on in causing injury and suffering to other students.  Students who employ bullying behaviors are o en rewarded in some way for their behavior with material or psychological rewards.

This excerpt is from the Violence Preven on Works web resource.

IMPACT OF BULLYING

single student who exhibits bullying behaviors can have a wide‐ranging impact on the students they vic mize, the bystanders, and the overall climate of the school and community. When students who are targeted experience repeated bullying behaviors, the following effects can last long into their future:  Depression  Low self‐esteem  Health problems  Poor grades  Suicidal thoughts Peers bullying or taking advantage of the younger students, WA Today According to the Na onal Educa on Associa on, students who are targets of repeated bullying behavior experience:  Fear of going to school  Fear of using the bathroom  Fear of the bus ride to and from school  Physical symptoms of illness  Diminished ability to learn Students who bully their peers are also more likely than those students who do not bully others to:  Get into frequent fights  Steal and vandalize property  Drink alcohol and smoke  Report poor grades  Perceive a nega ve climate at school  Carry a weapon Boys iden fied as bullies in grades six through nine:  Had one criminal convic on by age 24.  Forty percent of those iden fied had three or more arrests by age 30.  Bullies are at even greater risk of suicide than their targets.  Bullies o en grow up to perpetuate family violence. Students who see bullying happen o en feel unsafe and o en feel:  Fearful  Powerless to act ̶ Na onal Educa on Associa on  Guilty for not ac ng  Tempted to par cipate When bullying behaviors con nue and a school does not take ac on, the en re school climate can be affected in the following ways:  The school develops an environment of fear and disrespect.  Students have difficulty learning.  Students feel insecure.  Students dislike school.  Students perceive that teachers and staff have li le control and don't care about them.

“Aggressive behavior is learned early and becomes resistant to change if it persists beyond age eight.”

THE ASTONISHING STATISTICS

T Photo by: Zalouk Webdesign, July 19, 2007

“When we tolerate a culture that allows children to bully and harass each other because of race, color, national origin, gender stereotyping, or disability, we are failing to live up to principles of fairness and equity that are deeply rooted in our Constitution.”

— Arne Duncan, Secretary of Educa on

Stop Cyberbullying Day, March 31, 2007

here are many sta s cs found in na onal studies. Here are a few shocking figures:  Bullying aﬀects nearly one in three American school‐ children in grades 6 through 10.  6 out of 10 teenagers say they witness bullying in school once a day.  It is es mated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of a ack or in mida on by other students.  35% of kids have been threatened online.  Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orienta on.  Bullies o en go on to perpetrate violence later in life: 40% of boys iden fied as bullies in grades 6 through 9 had three or more arrests by age 30.  One of every 10 students who drop out of school do so because of repeated bullying.  75% of school shoo ng incidents have been linked to bullying and harassment.  Nearly 70% of students think schools respond poorly to bullying.

Sta s cs from the Na onal Educa on Associa on, PACER Center, and Make Beats Not Beatdowns. More research can be found in the resources listed at the end of this guide.

According to the Teen Online & Wireless Safety Survey of 2009 and the Pew Internet Research Center, social media is one of the leading places in which children today experience bullying:  About 53% of children have said something that was mean or hur ul to someone else while online.  34% of those who par cipated in cyber bullying did so both as a vic m and a bully.  95% of teenagers have witnessed cyber bullying while they have been using their social media sites.  More than 50% of children who have been bullied online do not report the behavior to their parents, leaving their parents with no idea regarding this behavior.  Nearly 60% indicated that they had been subjected to rumors.

THE VISUAL ASSAULT OF OUR CHILDREN: MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO

TELEVISION The American Academy of Pediatrics made the following observa ons:  Over 1,000 studies confirm the link between media violence and aggressive behavior in children.  Today's 18‐year‐olds will likely have viewed 200,000 acts of television violence within their life mes.  Saturday morning programming for children has more violent acts per hour than normal prime me ‐ up to 25 acts per hour on Saturday as compared to up to five acts per hour during prime me. Addi onally, a study done in Canada (where 80% of their violent programming originates from American television) reports that between 1993 and 2001, incidents of physical violence on television (excluding cartoons) increased by 37.8%.

The Child Study Center, 2011

VIDEO GAMES In February of 2013, the New York Times described the way young people are emo onally aﬀected by playing violent video games. Benedict Carey writes of the increasingly realis c and bloody nature of the games. In a study at Iowa State University, psychologist Craig A. Anderson found the following eﬀects of video games on young people:  “A dose of violent gaming makes people act a li le more rudely than they would otherwise, at least for a few minutes a er playing.”  “[Y]oungsters who develop a gaming habit can become slightly more aggressive — as measured by clashes with peers, for instance — at least over a period of a year or two.”  “Many psychologists argue that violent video games ‘socialize’ children over me, promp ng them to imitate the behavior of the game’s characters, the cartoonish machismo, the hair‐trigger rage, the dismissive brutality.” Dr. Anderson argues that parents should be aware of the content of their children’s video games. In thinking of it from a socializa on perspec ve, he asks, “what kind of values, behavioral skills, and social scripts is the child learning?”

“...Violent video games socialize children over time, prompting them to imitate the behavior of the game’s characters.”

— Dr. Craig A. Anderson, Iowa State University

TYPES OF BULLYING “According

to the National Education Association, bullying occurs once every seven minutes. That means that while you read this page, it is likely that at least one bullying incident will have occurred.” ̶ Na onal Educa on Asocia on

The Na onal Ins tutes of Health in Bethesda, MD 2009 Study suggests there are four types of bullying…  Verbal bullying (name calling, teasing, etc.) was by far the most prevalent with 53.6% of students repor ng some sort of involvement (either as bullies or as targets).  Rela onal bullying (social isola on, spreading rumors, etc.) was a close second with 51.4% of students repor ng some degree of involvement.  Physical bullying (being pushed, hit, kicked, etc.) was less likely to occur, with 20.8% of students repor ng involvement.  Finally, Cyber Bullying, was last on the list with only 13.6percent of students claiming involvement (more on this later).  Boys were much more likely to engage in physical bullying, whereas girls principle method was rela onal bullying.  Posi ve parental support was reported to decrease a student’s likelihood of developing bullying behavior or becoming a target.  Friendships were found to decrease the likelihood of becoming a target, while increasing the likelihood of engaging in bullying behaviors.  Online harassment, including cases of Cyber Bullying, has been on a rapid incline. In 2000, only 6% of students reported being harassed online. That number increased to 9% in 2005 and is holding steady at 13% in 2010 (findings similar to the bullying study above).

What’s A School To Do?

ccording to the Na onal Educa on Associa on (NEA), bullying occurs once every seven minutes. That means that while you read this page, it is likely that at least one bullying incident will have occurred. In schools across America, one in three students report being bullied weekly. The good news: educators want to do something about it. In 2010, NEA conducted the first na onwide survey to include the opinions of educa on support professionals as well as teachers on issues rela ng to bullying in public schools. According to NEA’s survey, 98% of school staﬀ believed it’s their job to intervene when they see bullying occur. According to the NEA survey, educators reported bullying based on —  Student’s weight (23%),  Gender (20%),  Perceived sexual orienta on (18%),  Disability (12%)

Section 2 AN OVERVIEW TO PREPARE FOR THE PLAY

Why Drama Helps Students Understand Bullying Behaviors

he primary goal of using drama in schools is to help students be er understand themselves and the world they live in. Teaching improvisa on and role‐ playing helps students:  Develop emo onal and cogni ve intelligence.  Gain nego a ng skills.  Learn to transfer ideas to a new situa on.

Drama is unique because it allows participants to imagine without having to live with the consequences of their imagina ve ac ons. Therefore, it provides a safe approach to learning, and "creates a distance between individuals and their real‐life situa ons through the characters and situa ons being enacted.” By the same token, as drama ac vi es unfold, the line between what is being symbolically represented and the so‐called real life experiences begins to blur. Fic onal situa ons and characters become more and more recognizable and rela onships begin to form between what is happening in the drama and what happens in the their world. Drama allows and encourages par cipants to shi posi ons, to represent mul ple perspec ves and points of view. Ul mately, drama c ac vi es enable par cipants to vicariously experience what others may be living through.

Drama Activities Help Students Unpack the Issues Around Bullying Beyond the content of drama c plays, pre‐ and post‐ ac vi es are crucial in helping students unpack the issues and discuss strategies to address, and hopefully diminish, bullying. These lesson plans that are related to our produc on will help teachers further explore the play’s issues with their students. It is also helpful for schools to enlist parents in the process, so that parents can play a significant role by debriefing the play with their children. Tapping into resources oﬀered by theatre companies and encouraging discussions in the classroom and at home are a vital part of generalizing the learning that the play sparks. Thus, there are three components to this process: the pre‐show ac vi es, the play itself, and the post‐show ac vi es:  The pre‐show is a mechanism to "hook" students, increasing their a ention and recognition.  The drama c play acts as an important stimulus for thinking about bullying and other topics.  The post‐show ac vi es became a site for applying their learning. Resource: Theatre and Bullying: a Useful Tool for Increasing Awareness About Bullying and Vic miza on. Read more at Educa on.com or www.educa on.com/reference/ar cle/using‐theatre‐to‐decrease‐bullying/.

Introducing the Roles in Oskar and the Big Bully Battle!

uring the course of the play, all of the actors, except Oskar, portray a variety of roles. In the play, Oskar travels from being a bully to a bystander to an upstander. Frank is always the target, while Beth moves from engaging in bullying behaviors to being an upstander.

The Character Roles

The other “roles” in the play

Oskar: is 10 and has lots of energy. He likes to play around and has a huge imagina on. Frank: is also 10 and also has a huge imagina on. He likes opera. Beth: is also 10 and likes sports and hangs out with Oskar * By the end of the play, all three children have become UPstanders. * The actors who play Frank and Beth also play a variety of other roles, such as a teacher, mother, game show host, “menacing kid,” and principal.

Bully BYstander Target UPstander · Define these roles for your students. Ask your students to give examples from situa ons in movies, TV, or from their imagina ons of each of the roles above. · Ask your students to keep the ac ons of Bullying, Bystander, Target, and UPstander in mind as they watch the play, and think about who is filling which roles throughout the course of the drama.

Students watching a Staging STEM Workshop at Wilson Montessori School. Photo by Cressandra Thibodeaux.

During the play think about the following questions:

• Did Frank ever demonstrate bullying behavior? • Do you think Frank was bullying when he stepped on Oskar’s shoe? • When was Oskar a BYstander? • Did Oskar become an UPstander? • What did Oskar finally do to stop the cycle of bullying? • Why did Beth bully Frank?

UPstander or Bystander?

Love ‐ addcover.com

n the board, write the word, “STAND.” Beside it, in capital le ers, write, “BY” and “UP.” Pair up your students and ask them to discuss how the meaning of the word “stand” changes when you add each prefix. • Which one is more ac ve? • Which one has more power/strength? • Which is less ac ve? • Which word is passive/limp/wimpy?

Instruct your students to act out the two terms while remaining at their desks (without using their voices). BYSTANDERS might look away, be slumped, hidden, etc. UPSTANDERS might be standing up, powerful‐looking, strong, etc. DISCUSS Discuss these ques ons as a class: What did you no ce when we were being bystanders? How did it feel? What about upstanders? What was diﬀerent? What was the same? LIST IT Make a list of situa ons (such as witnessing an accident or someone falling from a tree) when they might be an upstander and go for help. Then make a list of situa ons (such as seeing a friend steal someone else’s pencil or watching someone throw a ball through a window) when they might be a bystander and be afraid to speak up. GROUPS In small groups, have students create frozen pictures, also called “tableaux,” (statues with their bodies) of several of these situa ons. WHAT DO YOU SEE? Ask the audience what they see in these frozen pictures. What choices might the UPSTANDER and BYSTANDER make to have a posi ve outcome to the story? You may even recreate the frozen pictures incorpora ng these new choices. CHOICES Generate a classroom discussion on the diﬀerent choices that they made and why they made them. If you have a rambunc ous class, you might want to break them into smaller groups to discuss first.

How did this schoolyard mishap happen? IN THE BEGINNING: THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING Oskar really loves his sneakers. He even sings a rock song that he’s wri en in homage to them. In his mind they belong in a museum of GREATNESS. BUT… Frank accidentally steps on them. Wow, that’s big! So Oskar begins to plot his revenge on his Target. BUT… Oskar is visited by his “Good Guardian Angel” that looks like his Mom. She asks him to think about his ac ons. BUT… he doesn’t!

OSKAR’S BIG CHOICES: THE BULLYING BEGINS First, Oskar knocks Frank down on the playground. Frank scrapes his knee. In true Frank style, he creates a drama c scene which catches the a en on of a teacher, Mrs. Hooligan. To cover up his ac ons, Oskar lies. Once Frank is taken to the nurse’s oﬃce, Oskar con nues to plot more acts of bullying. [In the play, the various types of bullying: hi ng, taun ng, name‐calling, spreading rumors and cyber bullying, are symbolically demonstrated. They play does not act these out as characters.]

THE PLOT THICKENS: THINGS GET WORSE FOR OUR HEROES! A er the great playground incident, we find Frank and Oskar on a weekend play date at Frank’s house. Frank has been picking raspberries (which Oskar thinks is BORING) to save money to buy the special Super Duper Deluxe Special Magic Blue Box. While together, Frank picks enough raspberries to buy the toy. Now it’s Frank’s turn to en‐ tertain the audience with a song about his new toy. But … Beth, another student at the school, smashes Frank’s Super Duper Deluxe Special Magic Blue Box! Oskar watches in horror. He is now the bystander!

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE BYSTANDER: THE TABLES ARE TURNED And wham! The Good Guardian Angel Mom appears urging Oskar to confess. But Oskar STILL denies everything. However, the Good Guardian Angel Mom has her ways! Befi ng an imaginary character, she puts Oskar on a game show to learn his lesson.

OSKAR’S GOOD JUDGEMENT WINS OUT Oskar tries to get Beth to apologize. But she won’t. She says she learned everything about bullying from watching HIM! Oskar gets nowhere! Frank is found picking raspberries again to save up for a new Super Duper Deluxe Special Magic Blue Box to replace the one Beth smashed. Oskar is torn — he knows he should own up to what he’s done to Frank, but he’s scared of the consequences.

OSKAR DECIDES TO TELL THE TRUTH THE HAPPY END

Section 3 QUICK GRAB AND GOES FOR EASY ACTIVITIES

Grab and Go: RECOGNIZE

Before The Play

the difference between Bullying

and Conflict. Discuss with students that some mes people disagree. This is a conflict. It doesn’t happen all the me and usually both people are upset. Bullying is when one person tries to hurt someone else on purpose, and it usually happens more than once.

ASK: Is this bullying? Present diﬀerent scenarios and have students iden fy whether or not they are bullying situa ons. If they think it’s bullying, stand up. If they think it isn’t, sit down. Examples: 1. Michelle is calling Zach mean names again, just like she did yesterday and the day before that. Is this bullying? Yes, calling names is intended to hurt and it is happening more than once. 2. Mary and Tina are friends. Today they are having an argument. Mary called Tina a mean name and Tina called Mary a mean name. Is this bullying? No, they are having a conflict. Both are being mean and will probably be friends again. Follow this link Conflict is Inevitable, Bullying is Not for addi onal resources.

DEFINE the following terms:    

Public Justice, 2013

“When people hurt

you over and over, think of them like sand paper. They may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless.” — Chris Colfer, GLEE

BULLYING BEHAVIORS TARGET UPSTANDER BYSTANDER

Grab and Go: While Watching The Play

s your students watch the play, invite them to track which character is portraying which role in each bullying episode. There are three moments in this play that are I important to no ce.

1. When Frank steps on Oskar’s shoe — was it an accident or not?

Encourage your students to think about that first moment in the play that starts all of the other bullying in the play. How could Oskar have reacted diﬀerently?

2. When Oskar watches Beth destroy Oskar’s Super Duper Deluxe and Magic Blue Box — what is he feeling?

Alley Theatre Staging STEM Photo by: Cressandra Thibodeaux

What role is Oskar at that point. A Bully? An Upstander? A Bystander?

3. Oskar asks Frank why he doesn’t go to the teacher after Beth stomps on his new toy — Frank says no, Why?

Encourage your students to think about why Frank doesn’t go to the teacher and if they might make a diﬀerent choice.

Draw each of these moments and discuss

Grab and Go: After

H 



the Play

ere are some quick and effective exercises to start applying the lessons of the play to your students’ lives.

Discuss the moment in the play when Oskar watches Beth bully Frank. Ask your students if that has ever happened to them. For older students, have them do a quick write about this me in their life and how it felt, without using any names. If they aren't old enough to write, ask them to either draw or to make a list on the board of words that might describe how they felt being a BYstander. What would they do if they were in Oskar’s shoes?

At the beginning of the play, Oskar did the bullying. Later, Oskar was a BYstander. Eventually, Oskar became the UPstander. What happened in the play to make Oskar change his mind and tell Mrs. Hooligan what he and Beth had done to Frank?

All the students make choices in the play. List and then discuss the choices that each of the characters made. For example, an important choice is made when Frank says nothing when Oskar bullies him. Oskar says nothing when Frank steps on his shoe. Beth chooses to follow Oskar because she likes him and wants to fit in.

Discuss the choices that your students have made in their lives, now that they know the roles that take place in a bullying incident. Discuss what they would have done if they were in Oskar or Frank or Beth's shoes, now that they have seen the play.

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Discuss this quote in class. What did Oskar and Beth do to help smooth things over with Frank? Do you think saying, "I'm sorry," makes things be er? Do a quick write about the last me your students said they were sorry or received an, "I'm sorry." How did they feel about it? Was it easy to do? Did it make things be er?

“Stop Bullying Serbia”, January 5, 2012

“As parents, this issue really hits home for us. It breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, on the playground, or even online.” — Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States

“What if the kid you bullied at school, grew up, and turned out to be the only surgeon who could save your life?” – Lyne e Mather

THINK ABOUT IT!

“Oskar, you always have choices. Life is all about making choices. Everything you say, every thing you do, is a choice. ” ̶ Mom, Oskar and the Big Bully Ba le!

THINK, PAIR, SHARE! This quote from the play sums up one of the most important themes. In pairs, have your students think about this idea and share their thoughts. Do they know that their ac ons are choices that they make? Do they think that they have no choice in their ac ons? Have a class‐wide discussion of this idea.

Section 3 MORE IN-DEPTH ACTIVITIES AND CONNECTIONS

ACTIVITY: WHAT ARE MY FEELINGS?

ost children are born with empathy, but because some have certain life experiences they learn to moderate this important ability. Children who have experienced domes c violence or other forms of abuse are especially at risk for diminished empathy.

1. Write on the board the defini on of empathy: • The ability to feel what others are feeling. • To see the world through others eyes. • To understand another's emo ons or situa on. 2. Write on the board: • Happy? • Sad? • Mad?

Babayara Blog,

3. Individually or in small groups (depending on your age group), instruct your students to create tableaux (frozen pictures using their bodies) for each of the words wri en on the board. Present these tableaux to the class. Ask your students, “What do you see?” Make sure they are specific. (For example: “I see that Sally is slumped and she is frowning. She looks sad.”) For students with more advanced vocabularies, use addi onal words from the list below. 4. Ask the students to take their seats and hand out paper to each student. Have the students divide the paper into 3 columns and label the columns “Sad”, “Happy”, and “Mad”. For students who are ready for more advanced vocabulary, refer to words from the list below. 5. Ask students to write or draw a descrip on of each emo on in the designated column. 6. A er each set of words, ask for volunteers to share their answers. If a student says, "I get mad when I can't go to the swimming pool." Ask him/her to verbalize specific reasons. “I hate to sit around all day especially, if it's hot,” or “I want to become an Olympic swimmer and I need to prac ce.” 7, Discuss how your students emo ons make them act certain ways. Have a group discussion about how emo ons some mes make them act in angry ways towards their family or their friends. Discuss strategies on how to make diﬀerent choices that might help them make diﬀerent decisions.

Alone

Angry Awkward Bad Bored Blissful Confused Cranky Confused Defeated

Depressed Distant Empty Excited Fear Fair Friendly Gentle Greedy Hate

Hurt Inferior Joy Kind Lazy Le out Neglected Pleased Powerful Rejected

Respected

Silly Small Startled Tense Troubled Tired Unkind Zesty Zippy

ACTIVITY: Walking in “FRANK’s” Shoes

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“If bullies actually believe that somebody loves them and believes in them, they will love themselves, they will become better people, and many will even become saviors to the bullied.” ‐ Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

n this exercise, students will explore Frank’s reac ons to Oskar’s ac ons.

1. In the play, Oskar, Beth, and Frank do many things that are considered bullying behaviors. Can your class remember what they were? (i.e. cyber bullying, taun ng, physical bullying, etc.) Can they add more types to this list? 2. The bullying moments in the play are never really done on stage ̶ in fact, the actors don't even touch each other. However, you can always see the eﬀects clearly in the characters. With your students, talk about what Frank did when he experienced bullying episodes. Make a quick list of what they saw. (Did he shrink? Did he hide? Did he frown? Did he look sad?) Encourage your students to think of descrip ve phrases or metaphors, (i.e. He looked deflated. He looked like his heart hurt. He looked like a tree branch that was broken.) 3. Think back to the moment in the play when Frank finally gets the Magic Blue Box. Frank stands up on a cube and declares that he is finally somebody. Make sure each student has enough safe space around them and have them stand up and act out their best Magic Blue Box moment. Ex. Imagine a flower opening to the sun, or reaching to the sky, or being a superhero. 4. From this posi on, have students start to move downward using the list of terms they created in step 2. Instruct them to shrink, hide, frown, look sad, deflate, etc. 5. Repeat going from the open, happy posi on to the down, sad posi on a couple of mes. End on the superhero posi on, up and open and happy. 6. Discuss how this exercise made them feel. What posi ons felt good? What posi ons felt bad? Explain to your class that this is the beginning of "Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes." During this exercise, your students got to feel what it was like to be Frank. Discuss with the class why this exercise is important and why it is important to relate to others. 8. As a class, make a list of the kinds of bullying that your students have witnessed at school. See if your class can, "Walk in Someone Else's Shoes," by drawing a picture or wri ng a story or poem about it.

ACTIVITY: STEP INTO THEIR SHOES SOCIAL AWARENESS

alking with children about other’s emo ons can be diﬃcult. Here is a tool to help start the conversa on on the right foot.

It is important to understand your emo ons, but it is also just as important to understand the emo ons of others. Ask: Why do you think you should try to understand how others are feeling? It’s important to understand how others are feeling for many reasons. A few reasons are because this is how friendships form and because it allows you to have posi ve rela onships with other people. By understanding how others feel you are stepping into their shoes. When I say step in their shoes, we don’t meant that you will actually put their shoes on and walk or run around, we mean try to understand how the other person feels. Are they happy, sad, or angry? Why do they feel this way? Kind and caring friends try to understand how others feel. Here’s a helpful way to understand what people are feeling.

Sad Boy, 9images.blogspot.com

• S — Sound of their voice (loud, quite, fast, slow) • H — How they are ac ng (what they are doing with their arms, legs, hands, etc.) • O — Outer appearance (how they look on the outside: swea ng, blushing, etc.) • E — Expression on their face (mouth and eyes) • S — Surroundings (where they are and who they are with) Pay a en on to the whole person and watch for how they are ac ng. Just listening or paying a en on to one part of a person will not always tell you how they are feeling. For instance, a person with their arms crossed may not be mad, they may just be cold and trying to keep warm. You need to look at every part of someone’s SHOES. By using SHOES, you can tell if a friend is sad, lonely, or scared, or happy and joyous. The last step in SHOES is thinking about how you would feel if you were that person. Think about how you would want someone to treat you if you were feeling the same way. Ask your class to draw pictures or write le ers to express how they would feel in that other person’s shoes.

ACTIVITY: ROLES

BULLYING, TARGET, BYSTANDER, UPSTANDER

Photo by: myhre87 at Deveantart

skar and the Big Bully Ba le depicts four key roles that occur during a bullying scenario. However, other roles exist and it is important for your students to understand them as well.

Though your students didn’t see all of these roles onstage, they can explore these addi onal roles by crea ng a group tableau. Write the following roles on the board and explain the meanings. A. STUDENTS WHO WANT TO BULLY—these students start the bullying and take on a leadership role. B. FOLLOWERS/HENCHMEN—these students support their bullying peer by taking an ac ve part, but they don’t par cipate in the ac on. C. SUPPORTERS OR PASSIVE BULLYING—these students ac vely support the bully by doing such things as laughing and calling a en on, but they don’t ac vely bully. D. PASSIVE SUPPORTERS OR POSSIBLE BULLYING—these students like their bullying peer but don’t show outward signs of bullying. E. DISENGAGED ONLOOKERS—these students think it’s none of their business or say “let’s see what happens.” They don’t take a stand. F. POSSIBLE DEFENDERS/UPSTANDERS—These students dislike the bullying and think they should help but don’t. G. DEFENDERS/UPSTANDERS—these students don’t like the bullying and are willing to do something about it. Now have students sit in a circle. Ask for one volunteer to come to the center and make a statue that shows someone who wants to bully. Tell them to freeze in their posi on. Con nue to ask students to create statues of each role. You may have mul ple followers or supporters. Once all of the roles have been filled ask each student to say something that character might say.

Puppet Alterna ve: Have younger children create puppets to make their own bullying scenario and characters based on the diﬀerent roles listed above. SUPPLIES: For paper bag puppets: paper bags, construc on paper, glue, scissors, crayons or makers. You can create s ck puppets or use other pa erns as well. Click here for more ideas. This activity is based on an idea from Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center

ACTIVITY: A MILE IN MY SHOES

his game is for a larger group but can be adapted for a one‐on‐ one scenario. Students will learn to understand the emotional state of others by observing , facial expressions, tone and pitch of voice and physical gestures. 1. Have kids stand in a circle with the teacher in the middle. 2. The teacher points directly in front of her, closes her eyes, and spins around a few times.

3. When the teacher decides to stop she will be pointing at a child. 4. The teacher walks up to the child she is pointing to. That child (the one being pointed at), must shake the Teachers hand and ask, “How are you?” 5. The teacher must act out an emotion. She can use words or not, but cannot explain the motion she is feeling. They can only use words to show the tone and pitch of their voice. For example if the emotion is worried, the teacher can’t say, “I’m very nervous about my grandmother being sick”.

Etsy.com

6. 6. The adult can say (in a quivering, quiet voice), “I don’t know what to do.” 7. The selected child must guess the adult’s emotion by stating, “You are feeling ______________________.” 8. If they guess the correct emotion, they get one letter of the word SHOES. If he makes an incorrect guess, the teacher spins again and selects a new child to guess. 9. The children must keep track of the letters they have. 10. They continue playing until time is up or until someone spells SHOES. 11. Once time is up, discuss why it is important to recognize how others feel and step into their shoes.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.” __ Dr. Suess

ACTIVITY: SILENT DYNAMITE RESPONSIBLE DECISION MAKING

Circle Game Learning Objec ve: Kids will learn what the diﬀerent roles in a bullying situa on looks and feels like. This is also an excellent ac vity for listening and focus. MATERIALS NEEDED: A so ball is needed and the kids stand in a big circle. The teacher is the “Caller”. Before you can play the game, you must first create statues with the group to represent each term: Bullying, Target, Upstander, Bystander. Include a word or phrase that can be said within these posi ons. It is important to elicit the groups ideas for statues and phrases and not to make the decision for them. The caller will throw the so ball and can give a special command to the group and can change the command at any me. Examples of commands are: Catch with elbows, catch with thumbs, throw with your opposite hand, spin around 3 mes before throwing, etc. The kids spread out and stand in circle, then toss and catch the ball to one and another, silently (hence the name, Silent Dynamite.) When the caller yells “Boom” whoever has the ball must freeze. The adult calls out Bullying, Upstander, Bystander or Target. The child with the ball must “explode” into the appropriate statue and say the correct word or phrase. (If there is a statue that involves 2 or more students, the students closest to the child must quickly act to become part of the statue.) If the child doesn’t give a proper response, that child is out and must sit in a special designated area where others will join him If a child cannot complete the given command or drops the ball, he/she joins the other that are out. The kids in the middle try to swat down or catch the ball as it is tossed around the circle. If a child in the middle successfully catches the ball he/she gets back into the game. The game is over when there is only one person le standing from the original circle.

Reflections Writing on Reflection

A er watching the Alley Theatre’s ECE produc on of OsKar and the Big Bully Ba le, we encourage you and your students to record your expecta ons and reac ons to the play. Here are some ideas for wri en reflec ons:  What parts of the play did you enjoy and why? What are some specific lines you enjoyed and why?  How would you have performed one of the roles? Why do you like that character?  What did you learn about the diﬀerence between a conflict and a bullying situa on?  Did you like the costumes and set pieces of the show? What would you have done diﬀerently?

Walk a mile in my shoes is good advice. Our children will learn to respect others if they are used to imagining themselves in another's place. ̶ Neil Kurshan, Hun ngton Jewish Center

Drawing on Reflection

MATERIALS NEEDED: Crayons, markers, paper TIME NEEDED: 15 minutes Discuss with students the produc on Oskar and the Big Bully Ba le, how they felt about it and what they want to tell their parents or family members about their performance. Ask the students to draw a picture of something they liked from the produc on that they would like to tell their parents or family members about. On the opposite side of the page, have the students write (or dictate depending on level) a descrip on about their picture. Send these products home with the students to share with their family members.

Write a Review

Consider having students write reviews of Oskar and the Big Bully Ba le and what they learned from the play. Make sure to include technical aspects such as sound and costumes, as well as specific notes on ac ng, plot, and the overall experience of the produc on. Please email any theatre‐related reviews, poems, scenes and essays by your students to educa on@alleytheatre.org.

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Further Education Opportunities

Spring Break Camp March 17 ‐ 21 For grades K ‐ 12

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Visit alleytheatre.org/PlayMakers.

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Visit alleytheatre.org/StagingSTEM.

Giving high school students a voice through wri en and performed poetry.

Visit alleytheatre.org/SlamPoets.

For more informa on, contact Zachary Bryant at zacharyb@alleytheatre.org or 713.315.5424

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For more informa on about Alley Theatre Educa on and Community Engagement Programs, contact zacharyb@alleytheatre.org.