Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Fight, fight, fight! It’s a classic scene in the school yard. A couple boys have started circling around each other, fists raised, ready to throw a punch. But before the fight starts, the teacher runs over, pulls them apart, and keeps anyone from getting hurt.
It’s not always easy to stop bullying, though. Kids who are insecure feel like they need to go on a power trip, and they look for someone weaker who can be picked on. And bullying doesn’t always mean fists. Sometimes kids take it out on other kids with mean words. Whether the bullies are just starting to make fun of other kids or actually hurting them, they need to be stopped. It’s important to raise awareness about the issue, so everyone feels safe at school.
Complete today’s English lesson to learn who was a bully and who was bullied. You might be surprised!
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Marni: I just saw this kid being picked on by these other kids, and I had to say something because it’s bullying. It’s horrible, and it just reminded me when I was in high school of how I was bullied.
Gary: So it’s actually really strange when I watch kids like that now, and I realize that I was actually on a power trip when I was in high school. And I did the same thing to people.
Marni: You were a bully?
Gary: I was. I was so insecure, and I didn’t even realize it, so I would take it out on someone else. All these shy kids who couldn’t defend themselves. It was just this big old group of people. We called ourselves “The Entourage of Badness,” and we would just make fun of people.
Marni: That sounds terrible.
Gary: Yeah.
Marni: People that are so domineering, you know, they just don’t understand their power over people. And it’s just not OK.
Gary: And I felt that way, actually. I would just dominate the conversation. I would just push down on someone. I’d yell at them. I’d make them feel awful. It’s nice to know that you can move away from it and learn from your past.
Marni: I think it’s important that there’s more awareness about bullying.
Gary: I agree.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Relative Pronouns" from this lesson
Quizzes
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Discussion
Marni just saw some kids being bullied, and she felt like she needed to say something. She wants to defend the kids who are being picked on because she was also bullied in high school and understands what the shy kids are going through.
Gary says he was insecure in high school, too, but he was actually the bully. He took his insecurity and turned it into a power trip. He made other kids feel badly, so he would feel more in control.
Marni thinks that what bullies do, including what Gary did, is really bad. Gary agrees with Marni, and he’s happy that he was able to change and learn from his past. Marni wants to raise awareness about bullying so that it will stop.
Were you ever bullied? Or were you a bully? How can bullies change?
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