facts of life€¦ · joking. draw additional circles around the center and have learners write...

Facts of LifeToll-Free: 1-888-680-6100 • www.ariselife-skills.org

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There is nothing worse than living a lifetime with the

burden of guilt for not having done what you knew had to be done.

—The Bensons

Only Joking?, Page 1

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I WAS SO ShOCkEd ThE FIRST TImE I hEARd ABOuT A ShOOTIng AT SChOOl.

IT SEEmS TO BE hAPPEnIng All ThE TImE nOW...


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But thE chAngES hAvEn’t AlwAyS BEEn ABlE TO PREvEnT SChOOl ShOOTIngS.

thERE’vE BEEn A lot of chAngES At SChOOl SInCE ThIS SORT OF ThIng START-Ed.


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todAy, I hEARd SomEthIng thAt REAlly mAdE mE nERvouS, But I juSt don’t know hOW TO hAndlE IT.

thAt’S why StudEntS nEEd to tAkE thE thIngS wE SEE And hEAR At School vERy SERIouSly.


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my fRIEnd StAn SAId thAt hE’S REAlly mAd ABOuT hIS BAd REPORT CARd. hE ThInkS ThE WhOlE WORld IS AgAInST hIm And no onE cARES. hE SAyS hIS pAREntS don’t EvER lIStEn to whAt hE thInkS oR SAyS.

whEn hE SAId, “I’ll Show thEm who’S ImpoRtAnt; I’ll mAkE thEm pAy,” I ASkEd whAt hE mEAnt By thAt. hE juSt lAughEd: “oh, don’t woRRy! I’m only jokIng!”


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WhAT IF I TEll SOmEOnE And IT TuRnS out thAt StAn REAlly IS juSt kIddIng? thAt wIll mEAn I’m RAttIng on hIm foR nO REASOn. BuT, WhAT IF hE IS SERIOuS ABout “mAkIng thEm pAy,” And I kEEp quIET? WhAT COuld hAPPEn ThEn?

only jokIng? mAyBE hE IS, But It’S REAllynot funny! thoSE “jokES” ARE SERIouS thREAtS. I thInk thIS could BE hIS wAy OF ASkIng FOR hElP BEFORE hIS RAgE gETS OuT OF COnTROl.


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moSt of thEm told mE not to woRRy ABout It BEcAuSE StAn wouldn’t do AnythIng REAlly cRAzy. hE wAS pRoBABly JuST JOkIng AROund.

I couldn’t StAnd thInkIng ABout It, So I told my othER fRIEndS ABout StAn.


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ThE ShOOTER hAd TOld OThER STudEnTS ThAT hE mIghT dO SOmEThIng lIkE ThIS.

I wEnt homE And tAlkEd to my mom. ShE REmIndEd mE ThAT In SOmE SChOOl TRAgEdIES...


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FROm WhAT WE knOW nOW, IF just one person hAd SAId SOmEThIng, thE ShootER’S plAnS could’vE BEEn STOPPEd And mAny lIvES would’vE BEEn SAvEd.

nonE of thE StudEntS SAId AnythIng to AnyonE BEcAuSE thEy EIthER thought thE kId wAS jokIng, oR thEy dIdn’t wAnt TO BE knOWn AS ThE ClASS RAT.


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I cAn’t hElp But thInk how mAny lIvES would not hAvE BEEn loSt If only SomEBody hAd SAId SomEthIng BEfoRE ThE ShOOTIng BEgAn.

ThOSE STudEnTS WOuld hAvE BEEn REAl hERoES, not RAtS!


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It’S not EASy REpoRtIng SomEonE, But I know thAt It’S got to BE donE!

If my clASSmAtES oR tEAchERS got huRt, I would hAvE to lIvE thE RESt of my lIfE knOWIng I COuld hAvE SAvEd ThEm.


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I hAvE TO REPORT ThIS ThREAT — JOkE OR no jokE!

I don’t thInk I’m huRtIng StAn. I juSt WAnT hIm TO gET hElP SO hE CAn gET hIS AngER undER COnTROl.

PRInCIPAl


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my mom SuggEStEd thAt I go to thE PRInCIPAl TO TEll hER ABOuT STAn.

ThIS IS A TOugh dECISIOn, BuT I knOW It’S thE RIght thIng to do. SomEonE ElSE COuld hAvE PREvEnTEd ThOSE AWFul tRAgEdIES At othER SchoolS By doIng whAt I’m ABout to do.


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STAn WIll nOW gET ThE hElP hE nEEdS. In tImE, I hopE hE’ll REAlIzE thAt I hAd to do thE RIght thIng. mAyBE othER kIdS wIll undERStAnd And do thIS If thEy’RE FACEd WITh ThE SAmE SITuATIOn.

All thE SEcuRIty guARdS, mEtAl dETECTORS, lOCkER SEARChES, And SEE-ThROugh BOOk BAgS In ThE WORld cAn’t pRotEct lIvES AS much AS A SmAll BIT OF InFORmATIOn CAn. WE hAvE TO do EvERythIng wE cAn to Stop A tRAgEdy BEFORE IT hAPPEnS.


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Group Activitieshere are some suggestions for your learners after they have read the book.

the MeAninG of JokinG

Brainstorm the meaning of “joking.” develop a concept map by drawing a circle in the middle of the board or a large piece of paper where all can see. Inside the circle, write the word joking. draw additional circles around the center and have learners write words and phrases about joking inside those circles. Some examples might be kidding, not telling the truth, being funny, or fooling around.

shArinG storieshave learners share an experience when someone else said he was only joking, but actually, was serious. Then, ask the following question in relation to the experiences theyshare (on next page) and have them write down their answers:


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Group Activities (cont.)

school shootinGsAsk learners to recall reports on school shootings they’ve seen on tv or the newspaper. have them respondto the following questions after the discussion: a. did the shooter tell anyone what he was planning to do? b. did classmates see signs before the shooting that indicated the person might have a problem?

shArinG stories (cont.) a. What have been some of the serious results that occurred because of someone saying, I’m not serious, I’m only joking?


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school shootinGs (cont.) c. If the shooter told others about his intentions to get even, did anyone report the information to police or school authorities? d. did the shooter say he was only joking? e. If you see a friend who is really angry and threatens to hurt someone, what would you do? f. If you were a parent and discovered that your child was planning to harm a teacher or schoolmate, how would you handle the situation?

one-sentence suMMAryAsk learners to write a one-sentence summary below on what they about thisbook.

Group Activities (cont.)


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Discussion points

1. Why do you think some kids wouldn’t tell a trusted adult if they heard another young person threaten to harm someone?

2. do you think it is wise to take a chance by not telling if you knew someone was planning an attack? Why or why not?

3. If you were a school principal, what would you do to keep students safe?

4. What would you do or say if you became aware of potential school violence? Would you tell? Why or why not?

5. If you did decide to tell, whom would you go to first? why?

ArIse Foundation offers over260 life-skill lessons designed to solve many of the problems

youth are facing today.


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postersThe following pages contain eleven miniaturized posters (all are available in full color 11x17) that provide great material for group discussion. here are some tips for presenting the posters.

WhAt Does it MeAn?display the poster. Ask the group what they think theposter means. Encourage everyone to express their thoughts.

in one sentencehave learners come up with one sentence that they think best describes the poster’s message.


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posters (cont.)AGree or DisAGreeAsk learners if they agree or disagree with the meaning of the poster. Set up a debate between learners who agree with the poster’s message and those who disagree.

rAphave learners form groups and create a rap on the theme of the poster. Once everyone is finished, ask each group to perform their rap for the others.

shArinG have a group of learners take each poster to another class or group and share the message in a creative way.


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Facts of Life BooksLife Isn’t Fair (80 pages)10-20-Life (58 pages)I Forgive You Because It’s Good for Me (46 pages)ARISE Worry Book (46 pages)The Bully Book (36 pages)ARISE Success Log (34 pages)A Day in the Life of a Dropout (34 pages)Your Ticket to Handling Grief (30 pages)A Day in the Life of a Teenage Mom (30 pages)Trapped: 67 Reasons to Wait for Sex (14 pages)Kids Need to Know (14 pages)Parents Need to Know (14 pages)A Day in a Life Behind Bars (14 pages)20 Ways to Tell if You’re Successful (14 pages)20 Tips for Conquering Fear (14 pages)20 Tips for Controlling Worry (14 pages)20 Tips for Avoiding Guilt (14 pages)20 More Ways to Tell if You’re Successful (14 pages)20 Tips for Dealing with Depression (14 pages)Temper, Temper! 20 Tips for Managing Anger (14 pages)If I Could Start My Life Over (14 pages)Mama Said (14 pages)My Biggest Mistake (14 pages)True Friends (14 pages)ARISE Secrets of Success Quotes (14 pages)Do What You Do Best (14 pages)Roots of Violence (14 pages)Excuse Me! (14 pages)Profanity (14 pages)ABCs of School Bus Safety (14 pages)

Toll-Free: 1-888-680-6100 • www.ariselife-skills.org

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In a day when even “minute rice” isn’t fast enough, Susan and Edmund Benson created the Facts of Life book series. Fast, easy-to-read, attention-

riveting information.

Toll-Free: 1-888-680-6100 • www.ariselife-skills.org

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facts of life€¦ · joking. draw additional circles around the center and have learners write...

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