Navigating through the challenges of Middle School can be pretty tough. Everyone is trying to find her/his place and things don’t always go the way you planned. Just when you think you’ve solved a problem, there’s a new conflict to deal with. Sometimes the problem is with how we see ourselves and sometimes it has to do with how others see and treat us. In some cases, both are happening at the same time. When it is bad, these problems can result in real unkindness. How you deal with this depends on whether you are the victim, the perpetrator, the bystander or the ally.

The Task:

Choose two or more of the characters from below.

These character need to encounter a problem that will create some conflict. Your characters will have different responses to this conflict. Each will have something to gain or loose. Your characters may not be able to resolve the conflict successfully, but at least one character should try. Her/his efforts do not have to meet with success. In fact, depending on how s/he chooses to act, s/he could maybe even make things worse. In thinking about the situation you are going to develop, your characters should tackle a realistic problem (e.g., one that you could imagine happening at LREI). Try your best not to fall into the trap of exaggerating your characters actions. Keep it as real as you can. Briefly describe the conflict (i.e., what is the problem that confronts these characters?) below:

Telling the story:

You will tell the story of this conflict in the form of a dialog between two classmates (you and your partner). The dialog should:

  • Begin with the phrase, “Did you hear . . .”
  • Clearly explain the events that took place with the character(s)
  • Express the opinions that the two classmates have about what happened (i.e., Do they agree or disagree with each other about the situation?). These can be your own opinions
  • Dialogs should be about 2 minutes in length
  • Once you have the basic structure of your dialog, you will turn them into animations using a tool called GoAnimate.

Meet Maxwell: I dress a certain way that people like. I have at least one strength that people admire. I do something when I see other people being teased. I know I’m not cool and it doesn’t bother me.

Hi! I’m Maxwell. This is what I wear to school everyday: Brown leather boots (they used to be my dad’s), a grey t-shirt with a T-rex on it and beige khakis. I’m not the coolest kid in my school and no one thinks I am. Yesterday, I saw a kid get pushed against the lockers. I told the kid who did it to back off. But the next thing you know, I was the one pushed up against the lockers.

Meet Alison Dilorentes: I looks as if most things don’t bother me. I often tease others. I do a lot of risky things. I’ll do almost anything to make other people think I’m cool.

Alison is the most popular girl at school. Everybody worships her. She smokes and cheats on tests. She is from a rich family and can buy all the things that make her seem cool. She is 14. Everybody thinks that she is mean, but they don’t want to confront her about it. She has her own “clique” with Hanna , Aria, Spencer and Emily. She teases them too.

Meet Jimmy Falcon: I look really relaxed. I’m accepted by at least one group. I have at least one strength that people admire (like looks or athletic ability). I know I’m not cool and it doesn’t matter to me.

Jimmy is a very relaxed guy who is very good at soccer. he is accepted by the cool group, but he doesn’t make a big deal about it. Jimmy doesn’t believe that he is that cool, but he doesn’t really care. He is very nice, but sometimes he doesn’t keep secrets. He is in the 8th grade and one of the tallest kids in school at 6’ 8” and is sometimes called “Power Falcon.”

Meet Drake Carter: I am supernormal and not weird. I look really relaxed. I have at least one strength that people admire. I try not to be cool.

Drake Carter is a boy in the 8th grade. He is supernormal and super relaxed. Everyone always tries to copy what he does. He doesn’t really know if he is cool and he doesn’t really care what people think. he is his own person. The teachers never have to talk to him because he never fools around because he is so relaxed. He’s not always sure that that is a good thing.

Meet Nicky: I’m accepted by at least one group. I have at least one strength that people admire. I do some risky things. I want to be cool some of the time.

No description submitted.

Meet Shaniqua : No info on “How Do You Seem Cool?” or “The Importance of Seeming Cool”

Shaniqua is the smartest girl in school. She always walks around with her multiplication tables in one hand and a merriam webster pocket dictionary . She is considered to be nerdy and “un cool”. She gets and teased and her nickname is “Nerdy Nickel,” which rhymes with her last name, which is Pumpernickel. Sometimes she wishes that she could be part of the cool groups that everyone worships because they dress well, smoke and curse.

Meet Flo: I have at least one strength that people admire. I am likely to be teased by others. People think I am weird. I know I’m not cool and it doesn’t matter to me.

My name is Flo. Since my mom doesn’t buy me any clothes I have to use my dads’. And since my dad only has two outfits, I only wear the same outfit everyday. It kind of stinks(literally and mentally). My dad is a hairstylist and when he was practicing cutting he tested on me. So for a long time my hair was always a mess. You can imagine how that made things at school. I know I’m not cool, but I don’t care. Even though my hair is a fashion mess, I am great at basketball. I feel like everyone’s usually mean to me, but whenever we are gonna play basketball, they start to be really nice to me. Probably because they want me on their team.

Meet Katrina: I’m accepted by at least one group. I have at least one strength that people admire. I do something when I see other people being teased. I know I’m not cool and it doesn’t bother me.

I am 11 years old and in the 6th grade. I know I’m not cool and I’m fine with that. In fact, I don’t really want to be cool because of all of the attention and drama that comes with it. I am good at all types of crafts, and my favorite subject is art. The group of kids that I mostly hang out with are into arts and crafts as well.  My school has some bullies and they pick on the “nerds”. I really don’t like when they do that so I defend them when they are teased. Sometimes I get teased and bullied from defending them but I’m perfectly fine with that. I don’t dress a certain way to impress people, but normally I wear t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, and sneakers. I have brownish- blondish hair, in which I normally wear in a ponytail, but sometimes I let it down for a change. I’m not super athletic, but I’m not the worst athlete ever. I’m almost 5’ but not short, I’m 4’ 10”’. I’m not obese but not so skinny like a stick. Everything about me is average, I’m not tall or short, I’m the average weight, etc.

Meet Clay: I don’t look relaxed. I’m accepted by at least one group. I have a least one strength that people admire. I want to be cool some of the time.

Hi, I’m Clay Charleston and I’m 12  years old. I play lacrosse and soccer. My best friend is Johnny. I have dreadlocks and green eyes and I am really tall, (5’3). I am really fidgety and I’m always getting friend requests on instagram from people I don’t even know that well. I have 4 older sisters that are really bossy and are in college so I barely see them. My parents are from Indonesia and my grandparents live there.  My parents teach math and Spanish at Brooklyn Tech.

Meet Kenzie: I dress a certain way that other people like. I often tease others (that are not popular). I have at least one strength that people admire (like looks or athletic ability). I’ll do almost anything to make other people think I’m cool.

Kenzie is a popular girl who only cares about her social standing. She and her friends are very cliquey and go to the mall almost every day to shop for new clothes. She has a personal driver who drives her to school in a limo. She lives in a mansion with house maids, and her mom is a lawyer. She has four best friends, Samantha, Beca, Maddison, and Chelsea. They don’t let anyone else into their group of friends. They wear short mini skirts, collared shirts, high heels, and high pony tails. Nobody messes with them because they will make everyone go against them. They don’t try at all in school and spend their time texting.

Meet Peyton: I do something when I see others being teased. I’m accepted by at least one group. I have at least one strength that people admire. Importance of coolness is unclear

Peyton is very nice. She goes to soccer practice 3 times a week. She loves soccer! She is accepted by many types of people and groups. She knows how to do a lots of things but sometimes Peyton acts a little weird. When some of the meaner people at her school start to bully others, she stands up for them and then makes the victim laugh. Peyton sometimes gets mad at her siblings and starts to fight with them. She gets annoyed by a lot of the things that her siblings do. Peyton is in sixth grade and she has dark red hair. Peyton has braces, which she hates and she loves to hike. Peyton is 11 and a half, she is 4 feet and 11 inches. Peyton’s family has a fair amount of money and her dad drives her to school in his jeep. They save all of their money for Peyton and her 4 other siblings to go to college. Peyton loves her friends dearly. She loves everything and doesn’t ever want to kill animals. Peyton is a vegetarian.

Meet Brock: People think I am a bit weird. I have some strengths, but they don’t seem to be the ones that most people admire. I do a lot of risky things. I’ll do almost anything to make other people think that I’m cool.

Brock wants to be accepted into the “punk group” He doesn’t necessarily want to be part of the group but it’s the only one he is accepted into. He’s big, brawny, and kind of creepy looking, but inside, he secretly wants to be one of the brainy kids. He has good grades, but his looks restrict him to the “punk group.” He purposely fails so that no one in his group questions him. He doesn’t know if he should be apart of the “Nerdy group.” He has to do dares and pranks to stay in the group, and they keep getting more and more dangerous. Just last week he watched as his “friends” spray-painted the bridge. He is pretty popular in the group. There are 8 other people in his group. Jake, Jett, Eric, Greg, Mike, Lucas, Lexi, Raven and me. One of the pranks that he did was to one of the school’s biggest nerds (Angus). As Brock said, “I locked him in the bathroom and then gave him a HUGE wedgie. After that I pantsed him. I called it the Pedgie. Then to finish Angus off I hung him on the hanging hook and then left him there. But I felt a bit of guilt, knowing he would have to wait until another kid from his group helped him down. Even then it could take hours. He was about to go back and help when Jett, the most popular kid in the group laughed as he took a glance into the bathroom. I laughed nervously too.”

Meet Delaney: I do something when I see others being teased. I look really relaxed. I have at least one strength that people admire. I try not to be cool, but people think I am.

She is cool but she doesn’t try to be cool, she’s just friends with the people who are cool, which ultimately makes her cool. She is pretty and athletic and people admire this. She looks very relaxed even though she is looked at as popular. She is an ally (stands up for people if they are bullied.) She is in 6th grade. She is 5’2”. Has brown hair. She does have braces. She dresses nicely and a little sporty. She plays soccer for the Gotham Girls. She has an older brother, Beck. He is 16. She is lower upper class, but doesn’t really let it go to her head.

Meet Elmo Da Emo: I am accepted by at least one group. People think I am a bit weird. I’m a bystander when others are being teased. I try not to be cool even though people think I am.

Elmo Da Emo is the Class Clown. He spends most of his time trying to come up with good jokes. He is accepted into many groups and is kind of popular but he doesn’t really care. (That much). Some of his jokes are pretty weird so other people think he’s weird. Elmo has a giant red afro, likes to wear sunglasses and Reebok shoes. He is 5 foot 2 inches without his afro and 5 foot 7 inches with it. During Elmo’s free time he likes to read joke books and play basketball. His best friend is Cooki Munster, Cooki Munter is not popular, but Elmo has known him since they were just 4. Elmo Da Emo has a crush on a girl named Chelsea Haze, she plays soccer during her free time and Elmo goes to all of her games. Elmo is a B student and is a bystander when someone is bullying someone else. Elmo’s nemesis is a boy named Ome Ad Omle They are complete opposites (Omle’s best friend is named Retnum Ikcoc).

Meet Damien Peanut-Budder Combs: I look really relaxed. I dress a certain way that people like. I do a lot of risky things. I want to be cool some of the time.

Damien Combs is a 13 year old 5’ 3” African American boy. He is very social and cares about how he looks. He wears fancy sneakers and designer t-shirts. He wears a gold Rolex, 2 gold chains and a Gucci belt. He has a famous dad and lives in a penthouse apartment. He has a personal driver who takes him to school each day.Damien is really good at sports and his favorite sports are basketball and baseball. He listens to hip-hop and rap and always wears a snapback. He is strong and likes to ride dirt bikes, snowboard and skydive. If there’s a new piece of technology that has come out, Damien is always the first to have it.

Meet Chelsea Jackson: It looks like most things don’t bother me. I do something when I see others being teased. I’m accepted by at least one group. I try not to be cool and most people don’t think I’m cool.