Empathy Buddy Session 3: Reflections

15–30

minutes

E MPAT h Y BIG B UDDY S ESSION 3: Reflections

To wrap up their exploration of the topic, students meet in their home classrooms to talk about the story and the buddy experience. You may want to ask one or two of these questions ask and then have students do the reflective journal writing activity below: • Which character seems the most like you? Why?

•Do you think you would have acted the same way that character did? Why or why not?

• What do you think you should do if someone teases you or your friend?

• Which ending did you like best? Why? • What did you learn from the story?

• How can we use what we’ve learned from the story to help us be better buddies and better friends?

Ask students to think about what they have learned about how to treat others with kindness and respect. Allow time for reflection through journal writing and drawing. Ask them to write about a time they (or someone they knew) were kind to someone who was being teased or hurt by another person. This meeting time is a good opportunity to check in with students about how things went with their buddies. Ask Big Buddies to reflect on how they worked with their Little Buddy. What did they enjoy about meeting with their buddy? What could have gone better? Brainstorm ideas for improvement. If students are hesitant about sharing their experiences, have them write their answers down. Follow up with individuals who did not have a good experience. Share the feedback when you meet with your teacher partner so you can provide unified support and suggestions to both sets of students. As an optional activity for this first Topic Buddy Session, students may enjoy watching the Arthur episode on which the interactive feature is based, also called So Funny I Forgot to Laugh.

Tip

What if a buddy is involved in a bullying incident?

If a student tells you that (s)he is (or her buddy is) the victim of bullying behaviors, or has seen another student being bullied, it is important to intervene appropriately so you can help the student feel safe and supported. Here are some ways you can help: •Support the child being bullied in a way that allows her to feel safe from retaliation.

•Let the student know that you are available to listen and help. Allow the student to vent feelings. Assure the student that the bullying is not his fault.

• Check in with the child periodically in private to see if he is upset and to assure the bullying has not continued. •Increase supervision to assure bullying behavior is not repeated.

•Discuss the incident with colleagues, administration, and parents.

• Conduct bullying prevention activities in class (or in all-school assemblies), such as: role playing of assertive behaviors with targets, role playing of nonaggressive behaviors with bullies, arts projects highlighting class rules or school values to reinforce the message that bullying is wrong.

© 2017 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. “Arthur” & the other Marc Brown Arthur characters and underlying materials (including artwork) TM and © Marc Brown. The Arthur Interactive Media Study was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.