King of the Playground (Adaptable for Grades K-5)
Lesson Plan
Adapted from/Counselor Name: Karen Ward
Title of Lesson: King of the Playground
Quarter: 1st
Audience: Classroom Small Group
Level: Primary (K-2) Intermediate (3-5)
Target Grade: 2nd

COUNSELING STANDARDS
PERSONAL/SOCIAL
* Students will understand safety and survival skills.

COUNSELING COMPETENCY(IES)
Demonstrate skills in resolving conflicts with peers and adults.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES:
The book King Of The Playground by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
Venn diagram.

ACTIVITY:
Ask students: why they play; do they think it is fun to play with others; how does it feel when you have no one to play with you; how does it feel
when no one wants to play with you? Have a discussion about what happens on the playground at their school. Ask if anyone has ever been
bullied on the playground. What do they do about being bullied? Now read the book King of the Playground. Ask students: was Kevin bullied; how did Kevin feel; what did Kevin do when he was bullied; was it easy; did Sammy change right away; what finally happened to get Sammy and
Kevin to play together? What are some strategies for dealing with a bully? Teach students to walk away, tell an adult, or ask the bully to play.
The most important point to get across is that a lot of bullying situations do not get better unless an adult intervenes. Tell students the difference
between tattling and telling. Tattling is when you want to get someone in trouble. Telling is to keep yourself or someone safe. Put students with
a partner and pass out the Venn diagram. Partners should have a conversation about bullying. Have students make two lists: one for behaviors
they agree on as bullying behaviors and the other for behaviors they can’t agree on as bullying. In the section that says different, have them
write the things they don’t agree on. If time allows, talk about what bystanders can do when they see someone being bullied.

EVALUATION:
Pretest/Postest: What is a bully?
How did the student change as a result of this lesson? Students will develop the skills to deal with a bully.
Information/Comments/Follow-up: Try to make sure that students do not say a name out loud of someone they feel is a bully. Let them know that they can come talk to you in your office.