Im Telling!A Tattlers Tale

K-2 2609-06

Producer: Carolyn Vanderslice

Executive Producer: Jean Robbins

Writer: Robin Bossert

Video Production: Bossert and CompanyNew York, N.Y.

Teachers Guide: Barbara Christesen

Print Material Design: Linda Mallon

Copyright 1999SUNBURST COMMUNICATIONS

Pleasantville, N.Y. 10570

ISBN 0-7805-4250-9

Program Overview ......................................................................................... 4

Guidelines for Discussion .............................................................................. 5

Viewing the Video .......................................................................................... 6

Suggested Activities....................................................................................... 11

Bulletin Board Starters ................................................................................. 13

Think Pages ................................................................................................... 15

Game .............................................................................................................. 35

Resources / Book List..................................................................................... 40

Send Home Section ........................................................................................ 41Send Home Page ................................................................................. 42Spanish Translation of Send Home Page .......................................... 43Take Home Books ................................................................................ 44Spanish Translation of Take Home Books ......................................... 46

Script ............................................................................................................. 49

Program Time......................................................... 15 minutes

Table of Contents

4

Program Overview

Why Should Children View Im Telling: A Tattlers Tale?

Children in the primary grades are just starting to be ableto tell the difference between right and wrong. Therefore,tattling is, in a way, a sign that children are maturing, thatthey know whats right and they want to be sure everyoneknows they know. Jealous feelings or the desire to get backat other children can also lead to tattling. Children needto learn that tattling usually doesnt help solve the problem,and that it can affect their relationship with other children.Viewing this video will help young children learn alternativesto tattling.

Learning Objectives

Children will:

understand that tattling does not solveproblems, and often causes greater problems.

learn alternative methods of dealing with a problem,rather than tattling.

understand that there are certain situations wheretelling is the right thing to do.

Video Content

a 12-year-old narrator and his friend Tad, a friendly animatedcreature, introduces and discusses vignettes about tattling

each vignette ends with a child learning an alternativeto tattling

music videos reinforce the points that are made

Preview Questions

Have you ever tattled on someone and wished afterwardthat you hadnt? What happened? Was the problemsolved by tattling?

How do you feel about tattle-tales? Do you think they arepopular with the other kids in school?

Has anyone ever tattled on you? How did it make you feel?

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Guidelines for Discussion

Create a Climate of Openness and Acceptance

Encourage children to show respect for the opinionsof others.

Model this behavior yourself.

Establish Ground Rules

Avoid put-downs, ridicule and sarcasm.

Dont allow anyone to interrupt a speaker.

Give students the option to pass if they dont feellike speaking.

Guard Against Inappropriate Self-Disclosure

Be prepared to handle discussions without allowing students to exposetoo much personal information.

Have strategies for moving the conversation along or for steering thediscussion in a different direction.

Probe Beyond the Neat and Tidy Answers

Children know how to tell adults what they think they want to hear.To find out what children really think, try prolonging a discussion tosearch for even greater depth.

Remind children that there is no right or wrong feeling for any givensituation.

Pause for Discussion

Some children may benefit from pausing for discussion after eachsegment of the video. This gives them the opportunity to moreimmediately reflect on the content as well as their own experiences.

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Viewing the Video

Introduction

The young narrator, Tom admits that heisnt always sure what tattling is, but saysthat he has a special box that might help.He opens the box, and a character namedTad pops out. Tom tells Tad that he needshis help to decide what tattling is; he thenintroduces the first scene.

Scene One

Henry and Curtis are each buildingwith blocks. Their teacher, Ms. Blossomannounces that it is writing time. Henryputs his blocks away, according to therules, but Curtis leaves without doing it.Henry runs to Ms. Blossom and tattlesthat Curtis didnt put away his blocks.

Tom asks Tad for his opinion: Is Henrytelling on Curtis? Tad says yes, and ex-plains that one way to know is to askyourself if someone is being hurt, or ifsomething dangerous is happening. Ifthe answer is no, then telling is tattling.

Back in the classroom, Ms Blossom com-mends Henry for knowing the rules, buttells him its not up to him to tell on Curtis,as long as Curtis is not doing anythingdangerous or hurting anyone. She suggeststhat, instead of tattling, Henry could helpCurtis to remember the rules. Henry asksCurtis if he remembers the rule aboutputting things away and Curtis says no.Henry offers to help Curtis, and the twoboys run off to put away Curtis blocks.

Discussion Questions

Why do you thinkHenry wanted totell on Curtis? WasCurtis hurtinganyone?

What are someof the ways thattattling can makethings worse?

How do you thinkCurtis felt whenHenry helped him?Do you think thetwo boys will stillbe friends?

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Tom reiterates the point that instead oftattling on rule-breakers, its better to helpeach other understand the rules. Tad agrees:Tattling doesnt help... helping helps!

A music video emphasizes the points madein this scene.

Scene Two

Melissa really wants to be friends withShawna and Jennifer, who are workingtogether on an art project. Melissa comesalong and tries to help by adding a pencildrawing to their poster. She proudly tellsthe girls that it is a drawing of a princesswho lives in the forest. Shawna complainsthat there are no princesses in a rain forest,and starts erasing Melissas drawing. Mel-issa threatens to tell. Shawna says shedoesnt care because Melissa is the one whois messing up. Melissa runs to Ms. Blossomto tattle.

The narrator, Tom, points out that no one isbeing hurt and nothing dangerous is happen-ing; therefore, is Melissa tattling? Tad saysyes, and tells us that another questionshould be asked: Am I telling to get someonein trouble? Melissa does want to get thegirls in trouble, but Tad points out that itwont get her what she really wantsto befriends with them. Tom shows another ex-ample that shows how Melissa has a lot oftrouble making friends, and introduces thenext part of the scene.

Discussion Questions

Why did Shawnaerase Melissasdrawing? Did Mel-issa ask first if shecould help?

Have you ever triedto be friends withsomeone who didntwant to be friendswith you?

What do you thinkis the best way tomake friends withsomeone?

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On the playground, Melissa is trying to getinto a ball game with Charley and someothers. Charley explains that theyve alreadystarted playing. Melissa says hes notbeing fair, and runs to tell Ms. Blossom.The teacher reminds Melissa that, beforecoming to her, she should ask herself, IfI tell someone, will this help, or do I wantto get someone in trouble? Melissa repliesthat she is trying to helpherself; she wantsthe other kids to be friends with her. Ms.Blossom says that tattling wont make themfeel friendly, and that maybe Melissa cansolve the problem herself by acting friendlytoward the other kids, possibly asking theirhelp with something.

The scene shifts to the playground again,where Melissa offers to play the winner ofthe game being played. Max tells her thatthis is their last game. Melissa remindsherself to be friendly instead of tattling,and asks if she can play with the othersafter the game is over. Charley and hisfriends readily agree.

Tom tells viewers that Melissa has finallylearned that its better to solve her ownproblems than to tattle, and as a result sheis getting along better with everybody, evenShawna and Jennifer.

We then see Melissa watching Shawna andJennifer walking home. She goes to walkwith them. Shawna is unfriendly at first,calling Melissa Miss Tattle Tale. ThenMelissa decides she will try Ms. Blossomssuggestion to be friendly and ask someoneto help her. She tells the girls that she hadtrouble understanding Ms. Blossoms lessonon quarts and pints, and asks if they can

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help her. Shawna immediately thaws towardMelissa, and invites her and Jennifer over toher house to explain it to them.

Tom sums up the scene by saying, Tattlingdoesnt make friendsbeing friendly makesfriends. A music video reiterates this point.

Scene Three

Tad says that another question to ask your-self before you tattle on someone is, Do Ineed to tell or can I help myself? The sceneshifts to the lunchroom, where Kelly