A sixth-grader may not immediately recognize cyberbullying, even if he's a part of it. Beginning lessons should cover what cyberbullying is and provide examples of cyberbullying, including threatening or mean messages in email, on forums, discussion group pages and social media websites. Group dynamic is sometimes part of cyberbullying; a student may think a few insults won't really harm the person, but if others get involved, the bullying will severely impact the victim's life. Create examples of two types of online conversations that show cyberbullying. One set should show one bully attacking a victim, while the second set should cover a group of bullies ganging up on one victim.
A contributing factor in cyberbullying is the fact that children often forget a real person exists behind an online identity. Sixth-grade children benefit from lessons that reinforce the idea another person with feelings and emotions is behind an online name. For example, you may create possible online identifies on paper or using a computer program and ask the students what assumptions they would make about the person based on the information. Encourage students to discuss how easy it is to make assumptions based on a person's online information and explore why it's easy to forget a person is behind that screen. You should also go over the basic rules for online behavior, such as not typing all in capital letters or spreading online rumors.
Cyberbullying lessons at a sixth-grade level should cover the differences between talking to a person online and face-to-face. For example, role-playing a conversation is one possible activity. You ask two students, who have sentences printed on cards that reflect a basic conservation, read the same sentences more than once using different emotions. This demonstrates how conversation cues, such as facial expressions and voice inflections, express the speaker's intent. Miscommunication online often contributes to cyberbullying. By emphasizing the potential for misunderstandings during online conversations, students learn not to immediately react to a message without fully understanding the poster's intent.
A sixth-grade student might not know how to react to a cyberbullying situation. Concluding lessons should focus on what to do if a student is a victim of or witnesses cyberbullying behavior. Victims should be encouraged to report the problem to a responsible adult and document evidence. A student who enters a cyberbullying situation should leave the website immediately and report any concerns to an adult. In both cases, the student should not respond to the bully, as attention may encourage the behavior.