In our childhood, it was such a hobby to watch filmstrips. Many people at home had a slide projector on which you could view slide frames arranged in a certain order and with captions or captions for each picture. The film, which consisted of 25-50 frames, turned into an illustrated story. For filmstrips, artists specially drew drawings, and writers composed texts. This is a bit like a modern form of book art — a graphic novel. If you photograph a comic book or graphic novel from frame to frame and then transfer it to special film, it will be possible to show it on a slide projector. So, few people know that Vladimir Zheleznikov first became interested in child bullying back in 1976. He wrote the wonderful story “I am redhead” specially for the filmstrip, illustrated by artist Boris Ignatyev. The filmstrip was released at the Diafilm studio of the USSR State Film Agency. You can watch the film at on the RGDB website.
I love this story so much for its optimism. I have shown this film several times to children aged 5-7. The children invariably developed empathy (empathy/empathy) for the characters, and for all the characters — “positive” and “negative”. And I see this as an important educational goal of the film — to give children the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of each character — a “victim” of bullying, an “aggressor” and “observer” — and to understand the motives for their words and actions. Children are always vividly discussing characters, trying to find out who is right and which of them is wrong. I've had such discussions with the guys after watching the filmstrip, and I can say that they take away invaluable reading and life experience from this discussion. I offer you questions and assignments that can help kindergarten teachers in high groups, primary school teachers and parents have a preventive conversation about bullying and how children can help their friends overcome the situation of mobbing/bullying.
It is very important for children to expand their active vocabulary, including by using new words for feelings and emotions. It often happens that children are unable to put into words their feelings and feelings, so they close themselves. And if they can find words and relate them to their own feelings and those of other participants in the event, it is easier for them to ask adults for help or to overcome difficult situations. They can also relate what is happening to the characters in their favorite books and movies and decide how to deal with it from now on — deal with it themselves like their favorite characters, or turn to their parents for help. The poet Joseph Brodsky, speaking to American university students, told them to be able to use words, since “the unspoken gives rise to neuroses.” And this is true. Children who have never talked to anyone about any important situation for their child often find themselves alone with their problems and troubles. They don't know how to express them, how to complain or ask for help.
I believe that talking about characters' actions and emotions helps them identify their own words, actions, and emotions. They learn to define in words the actions of their friends and enemies, and eventually learn to differentiate them as “bad” and “good” that can offend or bring joy to another person. In this guideline, I attach great importance to the meaning of words that we learn to identify our own and others' feelings and emotions. We are watching the filmstrip “I am redhead”. First, the teacher reads the text. In elementary school, after the first screening, we watch again and read the text by role, but so far indiscriminately. After the second viewing/reading, the teacher starts showing the filmstrip for the third time and asks the children the following questions at each shot:
1. What do you think this story is about? (The teacher writes down all answers on a blackboard or on a sheet of Whatman paper. It is not for children to answer this question. They may have different versions, especially since at the end of the review you will come back to this issue again)
2. She shows the first slide, in which the heroine talks about what they have “new”. Who is telling us this story? (The kids will say “girl talks”, but we don't know her name yet, so we'll call her “girl” or “heroine”). Guys, what does the word “new” mean? (Writes words and meanings on the board that
the guys give).
3. Were any of you new to a kindergarten group, class, or sports team? Remember how you felt when you were supposed to meet the guys from the group/team for the first time? (The teacher records the feelings that the newcomer feels: excitement, joy, fear, the desire to get to know the children as soon as possible. At this stage, the teacher does not give any grades, but simply helps the children name their feelings and emotions).
4. Shows the second slide. When a new person joins your group, how do you feel? (Children may have difficulty with appropriate words. The teacher helps children find the right words: surprise, joy, curiosity, interest. He writes words in blocks to return to them at the end of the review.
5. What is the first thing you look for when you meet a person? (You can suggest answers: clothes, glasses, backpack, hair color, face, or something else).
6. What surprised our heroine so much? What was the first thing she did when she came to meet her? Are you the first to meet a new child, or are you waiting for them to come up to you and speak first? What is the first thing you do when you come to meet? What is the first thing you want to know about a person? What do you say about yourself when you meet? Why didn't our heroine do it? What happened to her when she saw someone new?
7. The third frame. What is she asking me to do? Is it appropriate to ask for permission to touch another person, even if you are very surprised by their hair color or unusual appearance? How did the other guys respond to her request? How do you think the new guy felt at that moment? How would you feel if you were in his place? How would you react to the children's words? Would you be funny, offended, curious (different answer)? (Children's answers can be written on a blackboard or on a sheet).
8. The fourth frame. Why wasn't dad surprised when the heroine said that the new one was red? Do you think adults attach importance to people's appearance — hair and skin color? It would be important to explain here that children learn about the world and are surprised at everything new. Adults are already surprised at completely different things. And the color of another person's hair and skin does not matter to most well-mannered people for acquaintance, communication, friendship, or love.9. The fifth frame. How does the girl feel about the new one? What did she learn about him? How does she feel about him — with delight, with horror, with admiration? (We write down the words that indicate the heroine's emotions). What story does the red-haired boy tell the children?
10. The sixth frame, in which the older brother Vladik appears.
11. The seventh frame. What are we going to learn about the new one? Why did he fascinate our heroine so much?
12. Eighth frame. Why is it important for dad to know the boy's name, but it's enough for a girl that he's “red”? Why is it so important to know and remember our friends' names? (It's worth talking to the guys that calling by name is a sign of respect for a person. People love the sound of their own name; it makes them feel good about the person saying the name). Who remembers our heroine's name? (Katya).
13. Ninth frame. Why was Dad outraged? Why is the girl convinced that calling a red-haired man “redhead” doesn't mean teasing him? What do you think? Who's right, dad or girl? (Let the kids try to prove their point).
14. The tenth frame. Why did the girl get upset with her dad? Why did the girl, offended by her dad, suddenly remember that the new girl had pulled his head into her shoulders when she called him “redhead”?
15. Shots 11-15. We are discussing the girl's dream. What does it have to do with the story of a new guy about a giant? Why does a little boy become a giant in the heroine's dream and triumphs over everyone? Does this boy look like a “redhead”?
16. Shots 16-17. Why did the new guy come up with such a superhero? (We can talk to the kids here about how the boy wants to be as strong and brave as he is. Apparently, his children often offended him because he was not like everyone else). Who do we call “superheroes”? (Those who come to the rescue in difficult times and save everyone, defeat villains, save the world). What kind of rescue heroes do you know — have you read about them, watched movies or cartoons? Which superhero would you like to look like? (Kids might remember Ivan Tsarevich, Spiderman, Superman, Harry Potter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What do you love about them? What qualities should a superhero have? How do you imagine the giant boy from Misha's stories? How does he look like a superhero? (We write down words denoting the qualities of a superhero on a blackboard/sheet of Whatman paper).
17. Shots 18-20. Can Dimka be called the leader of this group of guys? How do you understand the word leader? What words in the text confirm that Dimka is a leader. Does Dimka have authority among the guys? How do you understand the word “authority”? What do they do with an “authority”? They earn it, get it, win it. What is the difference between the meanings of these words? How did Dimka earn his reputation among the guys? How else can you earn money or gain credibility in the team? (Here you can think with the guys about how you can gain/gain credibility in the team. Children sometimes become team leaders because of their good studies, outstanding abilities and skills, their kindness and generosity, and some children can become leaders because of the strength they demonstrate to everyone, because of some things that make them different from other children (cell phones, beautiful backpacks or fashionable sneakers). How would you like to gain credibility and become a leader? Do all people/children want to be leaders? Does everyone need to gain authority in the group/classroom, or is it possible to live without it? Do we need to gain credibility, or can we just gain it?
18. Frame 21. How did Dimka behave towards Misha? (The teacher writes down the words: unfriendly, aggressive, belligerent, spiteful. What's the difference between these words? The power of negative emotion). Was Misha offended? How did we know he was offended? Why did Misha pull his head into his shoulders? (We can assume that Misha
and used to be ridiculed for his fiery hair color). What emotions accompany such an involuntary movement? (It would be nice to talk to the guys here about “body language”, what our body signals about. For example, drooping eyes, drooping shoulders, hunched back, tears in your eyes — all this signals to the offender that he has achieved his goal — he has hurt us. Seeing such a reaction, he will continue to harass and insult us, so don't show that you're offended or upset. You need to keep your back straight and look your offenders in the eye. You should never cry and be the first to throw your fists at them! You don't have to calculate your strength — the offender may be stronger. And you can't be provocative at all. You have to be reserved and take any unpleasant words coldly. Don't pretend you're offended. You could say, “And I don't care what you think about me, it's your opinion. My friends and I have a different opinion.” Or, “You'd better look at yourself.” You can move away from the offender without finishing the conversation, or switch to another topic. The main thing is not to be afraid and look the aggressor in the eye without lowering your head or pressing your head into your shoulders).
19. Frame 22. What did our heroine do? Why did she do this? What character traits did she show Dimka? (Courage, justice).
20. Frame 23. Why did the girl spit her tooth at Dimka's feet? What did she want to say to Dima with this act? (She wanted to show that she is no worse than Dimka, that she, although a little younger, can also “spit her baby teeth”. She showed that he was not in charge here, as he was the only one who knew how to twist his teeth before. And she did all this to protect Misha).
21. Frame 24. The children went to listen to Mishka's stories about the giant, and Dima was left alone. How does a boy feel when he is left alone in the yard? (Resentment, anger, vindictiveness) Do you feel sorry for him? Did the children do the right thing by leaving their friend, the leader, alone? Did Dimka lose his credibility? Is it possible to lose credibility? Can we say that the guys betrayed Dimka and their friendship? Can we say that Misha has gained or won prestige among the guys? How did he gain this authority?
22. Shots 25-29. What happened next? What did Dima do to Misha? Why did Dimka do this to Misha? How did Misha react? (Let us recall “body language” and what it signals to us). Why did the children start laughing and chasing Misha away? Why did he lose his credibility? How do you assess what the guys did? Why you can't poison a person (You can work with the meanings of the words “chase and poison”. We should recall scenes from hunting life when dogs poison wild animals. You can show pictures on this topic. And lead us to a conversation about how animals and humans feel when they are bullied and driven away. Working with words: wild fear, horror, helplessness, aggression. It is necessary to talk to the children that it is unacceptable to poison a person or animal. Express your attitude towards bullying very clearly. The teacher can talk about their childhood grievances or experiences, and choose words to define their childhood experiences — resentment, anger, confusion).
23. Frame 30. Why did Misha lose his credibility with the guys? How does our heroine explain why she and the other children changed their attitude towards Misha? How did the children start to feel about Misha? What would you do if you were children? (It is important to say that one of the children could not have poisoned Misha, but held his hand and said: “Don't be afraid! I'm with you!” You can talk to the children about different scenarios of the “observer”'s behavior in a situation of bullying: protect them, take their side, tell the teacher, call adults for help, tell their parents and ask for help). What is the reason for the loss of authority to the loss of authority - why did he become “red” for them again and not Misha? Is it easy to lose credibility?
24. Frame 31-32. Who did Misha become for the guys? Why did he agree to this? Can such a relationship be called friendship? (No, they used the boy as a servant who must obey them in everything against his will). Why did our heroine stop calling the new girl by name and, like the rest of the children, began to dispose of him? Can I control another person? Why didn't Mishka resist and refuse to run after toys? How did he feel? Put yourself in Misha's shoes. What would you do? (Misha has come to terms with his position as a victim of bullying. He was afraid the kids would come up with something else bad. He didn't have the strength and will to resist a group of guys. He may have submitted to the will of the strong, aggressive, or the majority before, so he is used to obeying).
25. Shots 33-35. Why did Mishka cut his red hair? What did he want to say to these guys? Can this change the way children feel about him? Does this act show his strength or his weakness? How would you react to Mishka's action?
26. Shots 36-41. What did our heroine come up with? Why did she come up with this? How did her brother Vladik and her parents react to her act? Why did her dad support her?
27. Shots 42-46. How did the guys react to the fact that the girl also became redhead? How did Dima react? Why did he call her “durra”? How did Misha react? How do you think he felt? (Joy, thanks/appreciation). How do you assess Katya's action? (You can tell the guys an unmade story that happened in the US. One of the schools was attended by a 12-year-old boy who became seriously ill and lost all his hair. He was very shy about going back to school after the hospital, thinking that the kids would tease him. Then his friend asked his parents for permission and also shaved his head, followed by the other boys shaved their heads. And when their classmate entered the classroom, he saw eleven bald boys. His surprise and happiness knew no bounds and he recovered very quickly. And all the guys quickly grew their hair).
28. Did the guys like the story “I'm redhead”? What is it about friendship, betrayal, cruelty? (You can work with the written words. Go back to the groups of words written on the blackboard and ask the children, showing them the words, in what situations people experience these feelings and emotions).
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