Standing Up Against Bullying
Students learn to distinguish between a conflict and bullying, support a bullied peer using supportive language, report bullying safely without making things worse, explain why bystander silence enables bullying to continue, and list three upstander actions and explain when each is appropriate.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to distinguish bullying from conflict using three specific criteria, use supportive language with a target, report safely without escalating, and choose an upstander action that fits the situation.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conflict or Bullying? The Three Signs | RS-BUL-3-1 |
| 2 | Support and Report | RS-BUL-3-2 · RS-BUL-3-3 |
| 3 | From Bystander to Upstander | RS-BUL-3-4 · RS-BUL-3-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| SoA-EMP-3-1 | Students build empathy for targets as they analyze bullying scenarios and consider what the target experiences during bystander silence |
| RS-COM-3-1 | The supportive phrases practiced in Segment 2 require appropriate tone, word choice, and delivery — core communication skills |
| RS-ADV-3-2 | The three upstander actions in Segment 3 are the practical expression of speaking up for a peer in need |
Key Vocabulary
- Conflict — A disagreement between two people where both are involved and neither has more power over the other. Conflicts can be worked out.
- Bullying — When someone hurts another person on purpose, over and over again, and there is a power difference that makes it hard for the target to make it stop.
- Target — The person who is being bullied.
- Bystander — Someone who sees bullying happening but doesn’t do anything.
- Upstander — Someone who sees bullying happening and chooses to do something to help.
- Power difference — When one person has more social power — more friends, higher status, or a size or age advantage — so the other person can’t easily make the situation stop on their own.
Materials
- Whiteboard or chart paper + markers
- Three-Signs Chart — draw before Segment 1 begins: three columns labeled Repeated · One-sided · Power difference
- Upstander Action Menu — draw before Segment 3 begins: three rows labeled Step in with words · Walk with the target · Tell an adult
- Before the week begins: Post your unit anchor chart and I Can Statement where students can see them — you’ll reference both throughout the week.
How this lesson is structured: Each skill segment below has an I Do (teacher models the skill with a realistic scenario) and a We Do (class practices together with your guidance). Independent practice — the You Do — lives in the practice resources that go alongside this lesson.
What Students Need Before This Lesson
- What’s inside
- What students should already be able to do
- Helpful to have in place
- 3 quick set-ups before the I DoConflict vs. Bullying — They’re Not the Same Thing · Being an Upstander Doesn’t Mean Confronting Anyone · Reporting Is Not Tattling
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Introducing the Skill
- What’s inside
- Opening hook
- What we’re learning
- Why it matters
- Core sentence frameThe frame students use all week
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Conflict or Bullying? The Three Signs
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook conflict: what the three signs look like when they’re absent · Wrong version → fix: calling everything “bullying” · Textbook bullying: all three signs present · Non-conflict positive scenario: using the three-signs check in an ordinary moment
- We do: 4 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Support and Report
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsSupporting the target with words · Wrong version → fix: confronting the person doing the bullying instead · Reporting safely: the quiet, specific report · Non-conflict positive scenario: the check-in phrase in an ordinary moment
- We do: 4 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
From Bystander to Upstander
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsWhat bystander silence does: naming the mechanism · Wrong version → fix: “staying out of it” feels like the safe choice · The three upstander choices: which one fits the situation · Non-conflict positive scenario: upstander thinking in an ordinary moment
- We do: 4 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Round 1 — Conflict vs. bullying
- Round 2 — Supporting the target and reporting safely
- Round 3 — Upstander choices
- Land the key idea
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Practice for every skill segment
Each lesson comes with independent practice — the “you do” — for each of its 3 skill segments, in print and digital.
Printable practice
Ready-to-copy practice pages for each segment.
- View and print in your browser
- Answer keys for quick checking
Digital activities
Share one link — students open it on any device, and you see their answers.
- Works on Chromebooks, tablets and phones
- Students just type their name to start
While you wait: from the SEL Resource Library
Relationship Skills resources for Grade 3, ready to use today.
