Olweus Class Meeting September 19, 2013 Grades 7 and 8

Class Meeting “Ground Rules” 1.) Only one student should be speaking at a time, so others can listen and appreciate what they are saying. Please raise your hand when you have something to contribute to the discussion. 2.) Everyone has the right to be heard. 3.) NO insults, put-downs, snickering, etc. How would YOU feel if someone snickered at something you shared with the class?

Class Meeting “Ground Rules” (continued) 4.) Everyone has the right to pass. 5.) When talking about bullying or other problems between students; we don’t mention names.

The Four Olweus Rules

Ice-Breaker Activity Time Attention interview teams: Please spend 5 minutes interviewing each other using the questions provided by your homeroom teacher(s).

Post-Interview Discussion Questions 1.) What interesting things did you learn about your interview partner? 2.) Were there things that surprised you or that you didn’t expect? 3.) Were there any funny stories in your interviews that can be shared with the group? 4.) What are advantages of getting to know more about each other? What are disadvantages about assuming things about someone before we get to know that person? 5.) How might questions like these help you to make friends with someone who is in a different circle of friends than you?

Wrap-Up Wrap-Up Closing thoughts: “ Sometimes we think we have someone figured out, but we are surprised to learn he or she is different than we thought. Others in class may have things in common with us that we didn’t know about, or they may have talents or interests that surprise us. As a class, we need to make an effort to get to know each other as individuals.”