Introduction: Bullies are in every school. Ask the children if they have ever
encountered the meanness of a bully and how they handled the experience. Lead the children into a discussion on the
right and wrong ways to handle a bully. To add a humorus spin on the topic, share Douglas Florian's "The Bully."
"The Bully"
There's a bully in our class--
He pushed Polly in the grass.
He kicked Kevin in the shin.
And poked Peter with a pin.
On the arm he pinched Louise.
How Lucille he loved to tease.
He stole all of Johnny's money
And thought tripping Todd was funny.
Poor Marie, he pulled her hair.
Harold's homework he did tear.
He gave Alistair a punch
And ate Marguerita's lunch.
Then one day he hit Clarisse--
May his poor soul rest in peace.
Taken from:
Florian, Douglas. 1994. BING BANG BOING. San Diego: Harcourt
Brace and Company. ISBN: 0152337709.
Extension: Begin by brainstorming a list of possible topics on which the students
could write a poem. List their ideas on the board. The topics can be funny or serious. Select a topic and
brainstorm a list of words related to the topic. Next, think of rhyming words for each of the words related to the topic.
To demonstrate how poems can be fuuny or just plain silly, read several of Florian's poems from BING BANG BOING. Then
using the prepared list, allow the students to pair up, use their imaginations, and allow the students to create their
own poems. Have the students illustrate their poems and compile them into a class anthology to share with each
other and visitors in the classroom.
This poem also lends itself to line-around reading. The children could be placed in a couple of different
groups and assigned a line from the poem to read. They could also act their line out as they read it.