Don't Laugh at Me

Quarreling, teasing, and bullying stigmatize children and steal valuable learning time in the classroom. In this project, students create their own movie to address these issues using the words from the song "Don't Laugh at Me" to understand the impact of bullying.

The teacher first reads books to the class that relate to bullying or other disrespectful behavior (see "Tools and Resources" for book suggestions). Students journal their own experiences being on both the giving and receiving end of bullying or put-downs. Next, the class listens to the song "Don't Laugh at Me" (see "Tools and Resources") and learns the words from a printed version. Note: This song does contain some religious content. The students write down what they think each line means and discuss their conclusions in small groups. Each group shares their ideas with the whole class and the class brainstorms how they might act out each line from the song without using dialogue. Each group is assigned one or more lines from the song and writes a scene to act it out. They storyboard their scene, decide on a location, gather any needed props or costumes, and rehearse their scene. The groups are filmed acting out their scenes with a digital video camera.

The video clips are downloaded into one iMovie project. The "Don't Laugh at Me" song is imported into iTunes and then imported into the iMovie project. The movie project is edited so that the scenes match up with the appropriate lines in the song, and any titles, transitions, or other elements are added. The class can invite other classes to view the performance in an effort to reach a broader audience.

After completing this project, students will be able to:

• Understand the impact of bullying and disrespectful behaviors and attitudes.
• Have greater respect and empathy for others.
• Design, storyboard, and act out a short scene.
• Critique, analyze, and suggest appropriate changes to a movie scene.

After completing this project, students will be able to:

• Use a word-processing application to produce a storyboard.
• Use a digital video camera to film scenes.
• Import video clips into iMovie and edit the project.

• The teacher can review student journal entries and class discussions about their experiences with bullying and disrespectful behavior both before and after making the movie.
• Students in other classes can be shown the completed movie and asked about their reaction to the movie.

Books

• Taro Yashima, Crow Boy , 1955
• Katie Couric, The Brand New Kid , 2000
• Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish , 1992
• Kevin Henkes, Chrysanthemum , 1991
• Stephan Manes, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days , 1982

Internet

• Operation Respect; A copy of the audio CD and video of the song "Don't Laugh at Me" by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin, sung by Peter Yarrow, can be ordered at this site for free or the song can be downloaded. The site also includes additional curriculum materials.
• iLife How-To Guides

Tools
Macintosh computers, digital video camera, Internet connection, iMovie, iTunes, AppleWorks (or another word-processing application)

If the movie is to be shown on the Internet, teachers should obtain permission to use the song from the songwriters and performers. Also, students' parents should sign release forms to give permission for the movie to be shown publicly.