Bullying, Upstanders, and Positive Climate
Students learn to model active upstander behavior and encourage peers to do the same, recognize subtle or relational bullying, explain how positive school climate is built by many individual choices, support targets over time while adapting support to their needs, and lead or contribute to class discussions about bullying prevention and upstander skills.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to recognize subtle and relational bullying and explain its specific harm, model active upstander behavior while encouraging peers to do the same, support a target immediately and over time while adapting to their needs, name two specific personal behaviors that build positive school climate, and lead or contribute to class discussions about bullying prevention and upstander skills.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seeing It and Stepping Up | RS-BUL-5-2 · RS-BUL-5-1 |
| 2 | The Long Game | RS-BUL-5-4 · RS-BUL-5-3 |
| 3 | Leading the Conversation | RS-BUL-5-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| RS-ADV-5-1 | Upstander behavior and peer encouragement in Segment 1 draw directly on the advocacy and allyship skills from RS-ADV — taking action for others and voicing support in a group context |
| SoA-INC-5-2 | The specific climate-building behaviors in Segment 2 parallel the inclusion moves in SoA-INC — recognizing who is on the margins and acting before exclusion solidifies |
| RS-COM-5-1 | The facilitation skill in Segment 3 requires the substantive communication and perspective-sharing work of RS-COM — students must contribute something real, not just invite others |
Key Vocabulary
- Upstander — a person who notices unfair or harmful behavior and does something about it, either in the moment or afterward
- Relational bullying — a pattern of harm carried out through social relationships — exclusion, reputation damage, or manipulation — rather than direct physical or verbal acts
- Subtle bullying — bullying that is not obvious or public; it may look to an outside observer like nothing happened, even though real harm occurred
- School climate — the overall atmosphere of a school, shaped by how students and adults treat each other every day
Materials
- Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
- 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.
- No additional printed materials required for the I Do and We Do
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 DoSubtle bullying is still bullying — even when nothing “happened” · Being an upstander doesn’t only mean confronting someone · Positive school climate is not a feeling — it’s specific behaviors adding up
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 5 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 5 launches.
Seeing It and Stepping Up
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: recognizing exclusion, naming specific harm, full upstander move · Wrong version → fix: naming the type without naming the specific harm · Wrong version → fix: upstander move without the peer conversation · Ordinary situation: upstander behavior in a low-stakes context
- 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 5 launches.
The Long Game
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: immediate support and genuine adaptation in follow-up · Wrong version → fix: one-and-done support · Climate-building: two specific behaviors and their connections · Ordinary situation: climate-building on an unremarkable day
- 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 5 launches.
Leading the Conversation
- What’s inside
- I do: 3 teacher modelsTextbook example: substantive contribution followed by genuine open question · Wrong version → fix: presenting instead of facilitating · Ordinary situation: facilitation in a moment that isn’t about a crisis
- We do: 3 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 5 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Round 1 — Segment 1
- Round 2 — Segment 2
- Round 3 — Segment 3
This section opens when Grade 5 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 5, ready to use today.
