Making Bullying Unacceptable

Transcription

Making Bullying Unacceptable
Making Bullying Unacceptable
Key Stage Target
Curriculum Links
✓ KS1
✓ KS2
✓KS3
✓KS4
✓KS5
✓PSHE ✓English ✓Citizenship
Introduction
This Guide is designed to highlight the effects of bullying and the importance of not standing
by and allowing someone to be a victim. The films and resources are differentiated by age
to encourage students to engage in discussions about the film and how the scenarios on
screen can be applied to real-life.
Up to a third of all young people in the UK suffer from some form of bullying – regularly being
picked on, harassed, assaulted or being mistreated in some other way. And the long-term
effects can be devastating, leading to depression, self-harm and, in the most extreme cases,
suicide – even in young children.
That’s why FILMCLUB (www.filmclub.org) is teaming up with BeatBullying. We’ve produced
this guide to films containing themes around or related to bullying, designed to provoke
discussion around the issue.
FILMCLUB is also very pleased to be supporting BeatBullying’s mission to make bullying
unacceptable. For Anti-Bullying Week 2012 (19-23 November) and beyond, BeatBullying has
developed a series of individual and school missions, in the form of FREE resources for you to
download, challenging young people to take positive action to tackle bullying head-on. The
charity is also once again making its iconic blue anti-bullying wristbands available. To get
wristbands, and download anti-bullying missions for your school, visit www.beatbullying.org/
ABW2012
“Film is a great way to engage young people and start a conversation about tough,
emotionally challenging issues such as bullying. Showing films featuring characters who have
been bullied and overcome it, either on their own or with the support of others, highlights to
young people who may be suffering similar issues that they are not alone, which is a critically
important message. That’s why BeatBullying is delighted to be working with FILMCLUB. Their
support is crucial to us in our mission to make bullying unacceptable - in the run-up to AntiBullying Week 2012 and beyond.” Tom Mclaren Webb, Director of Social Action, BeatBullying
Dumbo (1941, U) 5+, 64 mins Walt Disney’s classic film about a baby elephant that is ridiculed
for his big ears and has to make his own way in the world.
Back to the Future (1985, PG) 9+, 117 mins Time-travel classic about typical 80s teenager
Marty McFly who travels back in time to deal with with his father’s bully and 1950s life.
Scrooge (1951, U) 7+, 82 mins Scrooge is a mean boss but a visit from three ghosts on
Christmas Eve to show him his past, present and future.
Holes (2003, PG) 7+, 117 mins Stanley Yelnats was in the wrong place at the wrong time and
is sent to Camp Green Lake and is made to dig holes as therapy.
Let the Right One In (2008, 15) 14+, 115 mins A Swedish film about a bullied boy who is
befriended by a vampire who teaches him to stand up for himself.
Callum (2001, E) 12+, 14 mins / The Bully (2009, E) 11+, 23 mins These are two short films about
the importance and consequences of speaking out about bullying.
Gran Torino (2009, 15) 14+, 116 mins A retired army veteran has to challenge the
assumptions that he has made about his neighbours in order to deal with gang violence in
the neighbourhood.
About A Boy (2002, 12) 11+, 101 mins The tale of an unlikely bond between bachelor Will and
an odd young boy with a depressed mother.
Get access to all these films and more, plus download additional resources when you join
FILMCLUB:
FILMCLUB is an education charity which helps schools set up and run film clubs for pupils to
watch, review, discuss and learn through a curated catalogue of films from across the world
and from over 100 years of cinema.
Free to all state schools, FILMCLUB provides weekly screenings, online reviewing, monthly
webcasts, industry events and hands--on support to engage, challenge and open new
avenues for informal learning. Teachers receive the support they need to introduce pupils to
the world of film, creating a memorable experience with proven academic benefit/
Now even easier to join through online start up sessions! To join FILMCLUB please visit:
www.filmclub.org or call 0207 288 4520 for more information.
Follow us on Twitter @filmclubuk and on Facebook – www.facebook.com/filmclubuk
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Dumbo (1941, U) 5+ 64 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film resource is aimed at ages 7-11 but is also suitable for use with ages 5+.
Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying and its consequences.
What’s this film about?
Walt Disney’s classic film about a baby elephant that is ridiculed for his big ears and has
to make his own way in the world.
Why this film?
Baby elephant Dumbo is brought to his mother by a stork - but is soon made fun of by
the other circus animals due to his unusually large ears. After defending her child, Mrs
Jumbo is chained up away from him, leaving him all alone - at which point, loveable
loudmouth Timothy Mouse steps in encouraging Dumbo to embrace his differences and
even exploit them. After a fortunate meeting with some crows, Dumbo learns that his
ears do in fact enable him to fly! This animated classic still entrances audiences today
just as it did when first released back in 1941. What the critics think
“I loved this film and always cry no matter how many times I see it. It is absolutely
fabulous”
FILMCLUB Member Georgia, aged 13,
“Touching, comic, visually inventive and emotionally convincing, this remains a jewel in
Disney’s golden age”
Jon Fortgang, Film4 .
Starter Activity
1. Disney used hand-drawn animation for this
film. How are animations made nowadays?
2. Dumbo has to be very brave in this film.
Can you think about a time when you
have had to be brave?
3. If somebody that you knew was bullied
about their appearance, what would you
tell them to do?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. Why do the other animals make fun of
Dumbo? How do you think this makes
him feel?
2. Which characters help Dumbo? Do you
think they do a good job?
3. Do you think Dumbo is brave? What
helps him to be a brave character?
Teacher Notes
1. Students can discuss the reasons why Dumbo is
bullied (his big ears etc) and how he reacts in
the film to the taunts from the other elephants
and the crows. Can you think of a time when
someone called you names? How did it make
you feel? How did you solve this?
2. The characters that helped Dumbo are Timothy
and the crows. Ask students what each one did
to help Dumbo.
3. Ask the students to think what the word "brave"
means. Who can they think of who is brave?
Discuss whether Dumbo is brave and why.
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Back to the Future (1985, PG) 9+ 117 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film resource is aimed at ages 9-11. Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying
and its consequences.
What’s this film about?
Directed by Robert Zemekis, this time-travel classic follows typical 80s teenager Marty
McFly as he travels back in time to deal with with his father’s bully and 1950s life in
general.
Why this film?
As every science fiction fan knows, going back in time and altering the past can cause
all kinds of problems. It's just as well that Marty McFly, the teenager who drives a strange
car back from the 1980s to the 1950s, is quick-thinking enough to deal with the many
awkward situations that time travelling can create. Not only does he need to deal with
his father’s obnoxious bully, Marty has to make sure his mother and father fall in love to
guarantee that he has a future at all. Along the way he cheekily uses his knowledge of
what's going to happen to 'invent' skateboards and rock music.
What the critics think
“This film is a masterpiece blending the sci-fi, adventure and comedy genres…the only
flaw was that it finished!”
FILMCLUB Member Jack aged 16,
“Delightful and sophisticated to a degree beyond the dreams of today’s movies in
similar vein.”
David Gritten, The Daily Telegraph
Starter Activity
1. If you could travel back to any period in
history, when would it be? What would you
want to see and do when you are there?
2. What do you think your school will be like in
the future?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. We see George being bullied when he is
an adult and when he is at school, what
is different? What is the same?
2. Do you think Biff is a realistic bully? Is he
a stereotype?
3. Marty seems more able than George to
stand up to Biff, why do you think this is?
Why do you think George is finally able
to stand up to Biff?
Teacher Notes
1. Ask students to discuss the relationship between
George and Biff in the past and in the present.
Why do they think might have started the
bullying?
2. Ask students to explain what a stereotype is.
What are the names and characteristics of other
bullies that they are familiar with from books, TV
and other films. How does Biff compare to these
bullies?
3. Marty has more self-confidence than his father
as shown by him performing with his band while
his father refuses to share is science fiction
writing with anyone. George initially thinks that
Biff is Marty and then fights back when he
pushes Lorraine to protect her?
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Scrooge (1951, U) 7+ 82 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film resource is aimed at ages 7-11 but is also suitable for use with ages 5+.
Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying and its long-term consequences.
What’s this film about?
Scrooge is a mean boss but a visit from three ghosts on Christmas Eve shows him his past,
present and future.
Why this film?
There have been dozens of movie and TV versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
but none is better than this spooky, black-and-white 1951 film starring the great Scottish
actor Alastair Sim. Sim is perfect as Scrooge, and the film’s great strength is making sure
that the visions the tight-fisted company boss sees on Christmas Eve are scary enough to
make a bad man consider changing his ways. What the critics think
“This film was splendiferously funny, scary in some parts and some parts sad or heart
warming in the inside”
FILMCLUB Member Rabarb, aged 10
“What we have in this rendition of Dickens’ sometimes misunderstood “Carol” is an
accurate comprehension of the agony of a shabby soul”
Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
Starter Activity
1. What does it mean to call somebody a
scrooge?
2. What was life like for rich and poor people
in Victorian England?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. What do you think happened to Scrooge to
make him so mean?
2. Who or what do you think makes Scrooge
change?
3. Do you think one person can influence
another or do people need to work
together?
Teacher Notes
1. In Dickens’ time, the word ‘scrooge’ was
meaning ‘to squeeze’. Ask students how this
applies to Scrooge. How does Scrooge’s
relationship with his family affect him? (His
mother and sister both die during childbirth and
Scrooge’s father resented him because of his
mother’s death and Scrooge resents his
nephew.)
2. When Scrooge calls Christmas “a humbug” he is
saying that people only pretend to be kind to
one another during the season.
3. In the film, Scrooge was influenced by the Spirits
and the people that they showed him in the
visions. Ask your students which vision was the
most powerful in helping Scrooge to change?
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Holes (2003, PG) 7+ 117 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 7+. Suggested subjects for discussion are the different
types of bullying ranging from physical to psychological.
What’s this film about?
A kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time is sent to Camp Green Lake,
correctional facility for boys for a crime that he didn’t commit and is made to dig holes as
therapy.
Why this film?
Based on the popular children’s novel Holes by Louis Sachar, Shia LeBoeuf takes his first
lead role as Stanley Yelnats IV who is sent to Camp Green Lake in the desert after being
falsely accused of theft. Stanley is set to work digging holes with the rest of the kids, little
realising that this punishment will help resolve issues in his own family's strange past. With its
multiple flashbacks, bizarre characters and unusual subject matter, this is about as offbeat
as family movies get, and is guaranteed entertainment for all ages.
What the critics think
“i loved this film because it was very exciting and nerve-wracking.”
FILMCLUB Member Ava, aged 9
“One of the few recent movies I have seen that plunged me into that rare, giddy state of
pleasurable confusion, of not knowing what would happen next, which I associate with
the reading and moviegoing experiences of my own childhood.”
A.O. Scott, New York Times
Starter Activity
1. Ask students to define the term ‘bully’.
2. How important is fate in your life?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. Who do you think is the biggest bully in
this film? Mr Sir? Mr Pendanski? The
Warden? Trout Walker?
2. When do the boys in D-Tent finally
accept Stanley as their friend? why do
you think this is?
3. Did the film’s bullies get their
comeuppance? What is the moral of
the film?
Teacher Notes
1. Each of them demonstrates a different type of
bullying from verbal (Mr Pendanski), physical
(The Warden), intimidation (Trout Walker / Mr Sir).
Ask students if one type of bullying worse than
the others and to explain their ideas..
2. After Stanley accidentally stands up for himself
when a boy from a different tent bullies him.
What does this show the students about loyalty?
3. Ask students if the bullies are dealt with
correctly? The moral is what goes around,
comes around and that if you bully you will
receive your just desserts. What do they think will
happen to the Camp Green Lake staff?
Next Steps
1. Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
2. Try to rewrite and re-enact the scene where Walt confronts the gang using the conventions
of a Western movie. Does it change the mood of the scene? Does the audience feel differently
about Walt and his actions?
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Let The Right One In (2008, 15) 14+ 115 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film resource is aimed at ages 14+. Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying and
its consequences.
What’s this film about?
A Swedish film about a bullied boy who is befriended by a vampire who teaches him to
stand up for himself.
Why this film?
As beautiful and strange as its snow-covered landscapes, this brilliant Swedish horror
shatters the romantic gloss of recent vampire movies and paints a haunting yet oddly
touching picture of loneliness, dependence and desperation. A solitary, bullied child
called Oskar forges a friendship with Eli, his new neighbour, who appears to be the same
age - on the outside. Has Oskar found the strong, ruthless protector he has been praying
for, or will Eli’s hunger for humanity make him a victim yet again?
What the critics think
“This truly haunting film is a must watch. You’ll be rewarded for sitting bravely through the
gory bits, with a beautifully shot, classy film”
FILMCLUB Member Laurie, aged 13
“Beautiful to gaze at, achingly romantic, emotionally involving, unexpectedly
terrifying...worth skating over thin ice to see an fall in love with”
Sukhdev Sandhu, The Telegraph, 2009
Starter Activity
1. If somebody is being physically bullied,
should they hit back at their bullies? What
could be the possible repurcussions?
2. Who could somebody talk to if they are
being bullied?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. What do you think of the film’s title?
What do you think it could mean?
2. What do you think of Conny’s friends?
Are they bullies or victims?
3.
Oskar doesn’t talk to his parents about
the children at school but does talk to Eli,
why do you think this is?
Teacher Notes
1. The title of the film comes from the myth that
vampires must be invited into somebody’s
home.
2. Ask students to define the terms ‘bully’ and
‘victim. How does Conny treat his friends?
3. Both the children are outsiders so Oskar relates
to Eli. Ask students what advice did Eli give to
Oskar? How has Oskar changed?
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Callum (2001, E) 12+ 14 mins/ The Bully (2009, E) 11+ 23 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film resource is aimed at ages 11+. Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying and
its potential consequences.
What’s this film about?
These are two short films about the importance and consequences of speaking out
about bullying.
Why these films?
Callum:
Numb from the death of Joanna, a girl he was only just getting to know, Callum drifts
through school and home life but always returning to the train station platform where he
last saw her. As the police investigate Joanna’s death Callum is bullied into silence and
struggles to make a decision about what to do with his secret about her death. A
coming-of-age tale that carries a powerful message of how quickly reckless actions can
turn to tragedy.
The Bully:
Thirteen-year-old Jonathan Turner is overweight, has few friends and is constantly picked
upon by the school bully. His teachers seem to offer little support so as things escalate he
turns to his after but this advice makes the situation much worse. A simple but moving
drama that looks at the causes of bullying.
Starter Activity
1. Why do you think that some people
become bullies?
2. What role can technology play in bullying?
3. What stops people from reporting bullying?
What advice would you give to them?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
Callum
1. What do you think of Callum’s actions at
the train station? What could he have
done differently?
2. Callum eventually contacts the police.
What do you think stops him speaking
up earlier?
The Bully
3. What causes people to become bullies?
Do you think The Bully shows a realistic
depiction of this?
4. Even when Jonathan gets home he
receives messages on his phone and on
his computer? Do you think technology
has changed the way that people are
bullied?
Teacher Notes
1. Why do you think that Callum did nothing to
help his girlfriend? (too scared, he had been
threatened as well) What would you have done
if you were in his position?
2. The gang members intimidate him. Only the
gang leader pushed her onto the train tracks so
why are the other members of the gang
intimidating Callum as well? Where does Callum
get the courage from to speak up?
3. The inspiration for The Bully comes from a 1732
Jonathan Swift quotation:“Big fleas have little
fleas upon their backs to bite them, and little
fleas have lesser fleas and so on ad infinitum.”
Ask your students how this is reflected in the film
by Jonathan, his father and Billy.
Next Steps
1. Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
2. Imagine if Callum and Jonathan met and had a conversation about bullying, what would
they say to each other? What advice would they give? What would their opinions be about
bullies?
FILMCLUB Guide to...
Gran Torino (2009, 15) 14+ 116 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 15 but is also suitable for use with ages 14+
Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying, gang-culture and multi-culturalism.
What’s this film about?
A retired army veteran of the Korean War and recent widower has to challenge the
assumptions that he has made about his neighbours and help to clear up the gang
violence from his neighbourhood.
Why this film?
Clint Eastwod became one of the greatest movie stars of all time mostly by playing tough
guys who didn’t talk a lot, and weren’t people you wanted to argue with even when they
did. At age 77, he’s saying goodbye to all of that with this surprisingly sweet film he
directed and stars in as Walt - a stubborn old man feeling out of place in a
neighbourhood now full of South-East Asian immigrants, about who he makes aggressive
and sometimes racist comments. But it’s gradual realisation that he’s misjudged the kids
next door (and by extension the immigrant community and the modern world itself) that
shapes this film, in which the Hollywood vigilante movie tradition is thoughtfully taken
apart.
What the critics think
“Wow! This film is absolutely amazing. It’s extremely captivating and displays the
assumptions we have of people”
FILMCLUB Member Honor, aged 12
“Simply terrific, enormously watchable and an absolute must see for all Eastwood fans.
Gotta say it: this film will make your day.”
Angie Errigo, Empire Magazine
Starter Activity
1. Have you ever been proved wrong about
the assumptions that you have made
about somebody?
2. Clint Eastwood is well-known for acting in
Western movies. What are the conventions
of a Western movie?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. Is it surprising to see an older person
intervening in the way that Walt does?
Do you think this is realistic?
2. Do you think people should intervene
when they witness intimidation and
violence?
3.
How does your opinion of Walt change
during the film? What causes you to
change your mind?
4. What leads Thao to try to steal the car?
Do you think that he could have acted
differently?
Teacher Notes
1. Ask students to consider Walt’s background as a
veteran?
2. Discuss what the government says? What could
be the possible outcomes? Is there an
alternative to directly intervening?.
3. Ask students how their opinions of him
change(sympathy, irritation, anger etc) at key
points in the film. How do they feel about him at
the end? Why have their opinions change?
4. Who puts pressure on Thao to steal the car? Who
could he have approached to help him? Ask
students what they would have done in that
situation?
Next Steps
1. Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org
2. Try to rewrite and re-enact the scene where Walt confronts the gang using the conventions
of a Western movie. Does it change the mood of the scene? Does the audience feel differently
about Walt and his actions?
FILMCLUB Guide to...
About a Boy (2002, 12) 11+ 101 mins
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at ages 12 but is also suitable for use with ages 11+.
Suggested subjects for discussion are bullying
What’s this film about?
Hugely likeable London-set story that tells the tale of an unlikely bond between bachelor
Will and an odd young boy with a depressed mother.
Why this film?
Adapted from Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, About a Boy tells the tale of an unlikely
bond between free-and-easy, desperately hip bachelor Will, who lives off a large
inheritance and has no responsibilities, and Marcus - an odd, bullied young boy with a
depressed mother. Surprisingly for Will, his new friends begin to teach him more about life
and love than he allowed before - leading to a possible new romance with a single
mum in this hugely likeable London-set story.
What the critics think
“About A Boy is amazing. It shows us that the most unlikely of friendships can be right I
front of us”
FILMCLUB Member Jacob aged 13,
“Admirably lacking sentiment, this is a comedy-drama with a steady supply of laughs.”
Colin Kennedy, Empire Magazine
Starter Activity
1. Why could being different result in some
people being bullied?
2. What do you think your school would be like
if everybody was the same and there was
no individuality?
3. Can you think of a time when you have
witnessed somebody demonstrate courage
despite going against the norm?
Discussion Questions: Getting Ready To Review
1. What do you think of the advice that Will
gives to Marcus? Is it useful?
2. Marcus thinks there is nothing he can do
about the way he is treated so he tries
not to think about it, is this a good idea?
What could he do differently?
3. Ellie and Will both try to help Marcus with
the bullying that he encounters, whose
help do you think is more effective?
Teacher Notes
1. Will incorrectly credits Jon Bon Jovi for the quote
“no man is an island”, which was actually written
by Jon Donne in 1624. How does it relate to the
film? Ask students what they would have told
Marcus?
2. Does ignoring the problem help it to go away?
How does this relate to his mother’s approach to
her depression? Ask students who could help
him? (teacher, his mother’s friends)
3. Ask students to debate the pros and cons of the
advice that they offer:
- Will buys Marcus new shoes
- Ellie warns him not to sing at the school show
Do your students have any other suggestions?
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by joining FILMCLUB and writing reviews at www.filmclub.org