Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Please Stop Laughing At Me


Author:     Jodee Blanco
http://www.jodeeblanco.com/        
                                                                
About the Author:
Jodee Blanco lives in the suburbs of Chicago, but travels all over to spread the word of her purpose, which resulted from the pain she endured.  She created a anti-bullying program called, It's NOT Just Joking Around. 
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 7-12
Theme:
The theme of this book is bullying and ways to stop it.
Synopsis:
This story is about Jodee Blanco's life growing up and how she was cruelly treated in schools she attended.  Her parents try to help her by taking her to a psychiatrist and contacting the schools, but it seems they have no power to stop the abuse. 
Pre Reading Activity:
Questions:
What do we think bullying is?  What can be done to stop bullying? Can it be stopped?
Activity:
Together with the students, brainstorm a list of ways someone can be bullied and a list of things that can be done to stop the bullying.  Also discuss if they think the ways they listed to stop bullying will work or not.
Post Reading Activity:
Questions:
How does bullying affect someone? Do you think the ways we listed about stopping bullying would work?
Activity:
Have the students write a two page paper discussing what is considered bullying, how does bullying affect someone, and what are some ways that bullying can be stopped.

Reflection:
I think this book is a great resource for schools staff to use to identify what bullying can look like, and what signs they can look for from their students.  I think this book is very relevant for students today, and this topic needs to be addressed, not over looked.  I think children can relate to this story and maybe can think of things to help stop bullying.  I think it is great that she updated definitions of bullying to include cyber bullying and created a new release called, Please Stop Bulling Us.  I think it is important to change with the times. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Dayna -
    I enjoyed reading your blog on "Please Stop Laughing at Me" by Jodee Blanco. I was intrigued by this book after our class discussion last week, and your comments have piqued my interest even more. Thanks for sharing! Your blog is fantastic all around!
    Sandy

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  2. After hearing about this woman's story and how much your book club enjoyed it, I found some YouTube videos and showed them to the girls in my homeroom. This woman's story is amazing and its wonderful that she overcame her emotional and social abuse and became an advocate. This book should be on higher middle school and high school book lists to show children what an impact their snide comments and planned ignoring does.
    I wonder if a more "urban" version would be coming soon? An urban connection would hit so many more children on top of her original impact.

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  3. I remember hearing about this book from your book club. After your group mentioned it, I became interested in the topic. I think bullying is such a crucial topic for teacher's to discuss with their students even nowadays with younger children. I have put this book on my list of must reads. Thanks!

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