Message:
Build
self-esteem to resist peer pressure
Program:
"The Fight to Fit In," Nick
News Special Edition, Nickelodeon
ABOUT THE
PROGRAM
Psychologists tell us
there's nothing more important to kids than having friends, being a part
of a group, feeling like you belong—being popular. Yet most of us have
difficulty making friends at some point when we’re kids. Why do some
kids fit in and others don’t? Where do cliques and bullies figure in?
What does it feel like to be an "outsider"? Does it last forever? How
can an outsider turn into an "insider"? And how much should it really
matter? Nick News Special Edition, "The Fight to Fit In"
addresses these questions and provides kids with suggestions on how to
make friends, avoid bullies, overcome shyness, and find ways to put
popularity in perspective.
Set goals—"The
Fight to Fit In" ends with stories of well-known people who felt like
outsiders as adolescents. Some, such as actor
Steve Burns and Olympian Carl Lewis,
won their fight by discovering their unique talents. Steve Burns said
(time: 27:50): "I wasn’t really good at sports, so I was kind of
unpopular until I found my talents and stuff I was good at. I became cool for those
things." Carl Lewis said (time: 28:15): "I was considered a nerd. . . .
I was very shy. I was the smallest kid around. As I got older my parents
said, 'set your own goals, be the best you can be. . . .' As a result of
it, I was able to come out of it, and hey, look at me now." Help your
students find out what they are good at and set their own goals. Have
your students create a Me notebook. Divide the notebook into different
sections, such as what I like to do, what I’m good at, what I’d like to
learn, and what I'd like to be. Help students start their notebook by
putting something in each section (notes, essays, report cards, awards,
photos, and articles about people they admire). Periodically, set aside
time during class to work on the notebook.
Source:
http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/connected_teaching_booklet.pdf
Peers can exert considerable
pressure, particularly on impressionable children seeking to fit in.
When Nickelodeon teamed up with Time magazine last summer to conduct
their "State of the Kids" research, they discovered that 59% of children
worry about fitting in with other children at school. Why can it be so
hard for some children to make friends? Why do some fit in and others
don't? What makes a kid popular? Where do cliques and bullies figure in?
What does it feel like to be an "outsider"? Does it last forever? How
can an "outsider" turn into an "insider"? And how much should it really
matter?
At 6:00 a.m., November 29,
Nickelodeon will re-air its Nick News Special Edition "The Fight to Fit
In" as part of Cable in the Classroom. Hosted by news anchor Linda
Ellerbee, the program addresses these questions and offers children
suggestions on how to make friends, avoid bullies, overcome shyness and
find ways to put popularity in perspective. Ellerbee is joined by Dr.
Michael Rich, a pediatric instructor at Harvard Medical School. The
program reflects how fitting in impacts children at different ages. For
example, the "State of the Kids" research found younger children (6-8)
were more likely than older children (9-11) to say that being a good
friend and being good at sports makes them fit in. As children grow
older (12-14), they are more likely to say that fitting in involves
wearing the right clothes and being good looking.
Source:
www.agweb.okstate.edu/fourh/focus/991104.pdf
This program examines the need to belong, bullies, and the formation
of cliques. The program also offers suggestions on making friends,
overcoming shyness, and finding ways to gain some perspective on the
idea of popularity.
Airs January 5 and 21 at 6:00am ET. Nickelodeon (0:30)
Source:
http://www.projectview.org/TWEducationConnection/Issue39.January2004.htm
The Fight To Fit In
Health/Life Skills Activity for Grades 3 - 8
Students will explore the concept
of peer relationships, and be introduced to strategies which will enable
them to make friends, avoid bullies, and overcome shyness.
- McRel Health
Standard #4:
Knows how to maintain mental and emotional health.
- Upper
Elementary (Grades 3-5):
Understands how one responds to the behavior of others and how one's
behavior may evoke responses in others. Knows strategies for resisting
negative peer pressure.
- Middle
School/Jr. High (Grades 6-8):
Knows appropriate ways to build and maintain positive relationships
with peers, parents and other adults.
- Videotape:
Nick News Special Edition: The Fight To Fit
In
- TV and VCR for
classroom use
- Chalkboard and
chalk (or whiteboard and markers)
- Computer(s) with
Internet access for student use
- Research
materials, as in a library
Taking Action Against Bullies
Introduce this Nick News Special Edition by
telling the class that they will discuss friendships. Relate the
following quotation by writing it on the chalkboard:
"There were quite a few years there when I didn't have
any friends in the neighborhood."
Invite students to share their feelings about this
quotation by asking some of the following questions:
- How important is
it to have friends?
- This person felt
that he didn't have any friends. What do you think it was like for him
to live in this neighborhood?
- Have any of you
ever felt this way?
- If you had a
neighbor who didn't have a lot of friends, what could you do to make
this person feel more comfortable?
- Describe some
characteristics of a good friend.
- Is it always easy
to be a friend to someone? Explain using examples.
Tell the class that this Nick News
Special Edition is all about friendships and "fitting in," and that some
of many aspects of being and having friends will be discussed.
Segment #1
Prior to viewing the first segment, write the words
POPULAR and CLIQUE on the chalkboard. Tell the class that they will
discuss these words more thoroughly after they view the first segment.
View the segment in its entirety.Discuss the following
issues and ideas:
- In the segment, we
saw students from two different schools in our country who each
described the importance of being POPULAR. We wrote this word on the
chalkboard earlier. What does it mean to be popular? Write ideas down
under the word.
- Is everyone
popular? What does it take to be popular?
- Do you have to
belong to a group to be popular?
- Is it important to
be popular, or to fit in to a group? Why or why not?
- Is it more
important to have many friends, or just a few friends?
- What kinds of
groups are popular?
- Some kids belong
to groups called cliques. How do you feel about cliques, are they good
or bad?
- Do you feel
pressure to belong to a group or a clique?
- At what age does
it seem important to "fit in" to a group, or become popular?
- Without mentioning
names, have you ever met anyone who doesn't seem to fit in to a group?
Do you think this person should belong to a group?
- Suppose there was
a person who was a newcomer to the school. What could he/she do to fit
in and feel comfortable in his/her new school?
- What could you do
to make it easier for someone to make friends?
Segment #2:
Introduce this segment by saying that you're going to
put yourselves in the shoes of someone who does not seem to "fit in."
Write the following question on the board:
What does it feel like when you feel that you don't
fit in?
Tell the class that after watching the segment,
together you will try to find some answers to this question.
View the entire segment and discuss the following:
- How do you feel
about Noah? He says he doesn't feel that he has any friends. What
could he do to make new friends? What could other kids do to help him
to feel more comfortable and make new friends? He says he's jealous of
his older brother's popularity. Do you think there's anything that his
older brother could do to help Noah?
- Joanna and Ian
have been victims of teasing. What exactly is teasing? How has it hurt
these two kids? Why is teasing wrong? Suppose you heard someone
teasing kids like Joanna and Ian. What would you do?
- How can Joanna and
Ian (and other victims of teasing) learn to cope with the teasing and
name calling?
- What does it mean
to be a bully?
- Why do people
bully others? If you were a victim of a bully, how would you deal with
it? Describe some instances of bullying that have gone too far. Should
you tell a grownup if you're a victim? Should you tell a grownup if
you're a witness to bullying? Should a grownup be told at all? Should
you fight back?
Segment #3:
Introduce this segment by saying that the class will
now discover that kids are not alone in their feelings about belonging,
being popular and making friendships. Explain that peer pressure to
belong has always happened, and will probably always happen. Tell the
class that in the next segment they'll see how some very famous people
have survived and learned to overcome the crisis of fitting in.
View the entire segment and discuss the following:
- List some of the
people discussed in the segment, and discuss some of the ways they
learned to solve their problems of forming and maintaining
relationships.
- Do a role play
activity by dividing the class into groups of 3 or 4 and providing
each with a different situation to act out.
- Example: A new
student has just arrived in school, and is very shy. Act out ways to
make this person feel better.
OR
- A student is being
teased by a group because of his clothes. Act this scene out with some
group members as teasers, and other members as defenders of the
victim.
Using the web resources given and a variety of library
resources, choose one of the following issues:
- teasing
- bullying
- shyness
- fitting in
- popularity
- cliques
In the editorial, describe the
issue, explain why it is an issue for young people, give personal views
on the issue and offer justification for these views. These editorials
may be shared orally in class, and may possibly be compiled as a class
newspaper.
Points Outcome Measure:
- 4-5: The
student shows a great deal of interest in the subject and participates
actively in the class discussions on friendships and fitting in. The
student uses a variety of resources for background research, and
creates an editorial on one of the issues presented in the segment.
This editorial will describe the problem, telling why is an important
issue for young people, give personal views on the issue and offer at
least three reasons to justify these views. This editorial may be
shared orally in class, and may possibly be compiled as a class
newspaper.
- 2-3: The
student shows a marginal amount of interest in the subject and
participates actively in the class discussions on friendships and
fitting in. The student uses a variety of resources for background
research, and creates an editorial on one of the issues presented in
the segment. This editorial will describe the problem, telling why is
an important issue for young people, give personal views on the issue
and offer two or fewer reasons to justify these views. This editorial
may be shared orally in class, and may possibly be compiled as a class
newspaper.
- 0-1: The
student shows little or no interest in the subject and participates
reluctantly in the class discussions on friendships and fitting in.
The student uses a limited number of resources for background
research, but does not create an editorial. There is no editorial to
be shared orally or added to a possible class newspaper.
Source:
http://www.nickjr.com/teachers/lesson_plans/fight_to_fit_in.jhtml?_template=teachers
