Cyberbullying: Taking Control through Research-Based Letter Writingdents

According to a 2009 AP-MTV survey of 1,247 people ages 14–24, 50% of those surveyed have experienced cyberbullying (Gatti 1). Victims were twice as likely to need help from a mental health professional and were three times more likely to drop out of school than those surveyed who did not report being cyberbullied (5).Given this alarming social context and in light of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA/Literacy, we—Maureen (a high school English teacher) and Vicky (a teacher educa-tor)—decided to collaborate on a standards-based writing assignment that gives adolescent students strategies to use when they experience bullying in cyberspace and that helps prepare content-area teachers to address this issue. All teachers can use writing to help students examine their role in preventing bullying. This article describes our cyber-bullying lesson, which is discussed in more detail in our book, Getting to the Core of English Language Arts, Grades 6–12: How to Meet the Common Core State Standards with Lessons from the Classroom.