Kids Helping Kids

and process what happens. As each child is added, the direction and strength of the
target/aggressor relationship change depending upon the actions of the kids in the
middle. Thus, students can realize how the kid in the middle can be very powerful in
preventing or stopping relational aggression.
Revisit the stories of relational aggression that were shared in the previous lesson and
identify the roles in each story. Discuss how the impact of aggression on each person,
the classroom, and even the school.
Break the class into groups of three or four. Use the story cards included in the lesson
or ask students to use their own examples of relational aggression. One student
might write down an incident to share with the rest of the class. Discuss the
examples as a whole class when all the groups have finished. Teachers can write
down story cards that relate to the incidents in their students’ lives.
Closure:
Ask students to give their responses to the essential question. Distribute a reflection
worksheet to each student to be completed anonymously, DO NOT USE NAMES,
and encourage honesty! The questions ask if students have ever been the target,
aggressor or kid in the middle and to list words to describe how they felt. The
teacher may wish to have each student place their reflection activities in a folder or
file to review during the final reflection lesson.
Emphasize that it is common for a person to be a target in one situation and an
aggressor or kid in the middle in another. The roles can change. Note that for
bystanders it really isn’t an option to remain neutral. They are either supporting the
aggressor or the target; when students “do nothing” they are inadvertently supporting
the aggressor.
Reflection Questions:
Describe a time when ...
• Someone said something that hurt your feelings
• Someone excluded you on purpose or said mean things behind your back
• You said or did something to hurt another person
• You saw or heard relational aggression and didn’t do anything about it
• You saw someone being hurt and did try to stop it
©2006 The Ophelia Project ®
Kids Helping Kids - 35