Christine Hurst, L.C.P.C., C.C.P.S.

In schools today, aggression among peers has become the norm. Not surprisingly, lessons that teach friendship building are a rarity in most curricula. When aggression occurs, it not only impacts children’s social and emotional well-being; it also makes it difficult for children to focus on academic learning.

As adults who work with children, we can appreciate the importance of nurturing, caring friendships that act as excellent support systems in our lives. We therefore understand how important friendships are in the lives of the children we teach.

Elementary school is a crucial time in a child’s life, and it is imperative that students learn normative beliefs that foster cooperation, respect and effective conflict resolution. The great need for this kind of education is a key motivating factor of The Ophelia Project®, and the force behind the creation of this curriculum, which promotes awareness of peer aggression among parents, educators, administrators and most importantly, children.

This curriculum targets elementary grades four and/or five. The focus is to:

• Define peer aggression with a special emphasis on relational aggression

• Help students share personal experiences, when appropriate

• Identify the three major roles in peer aggression: aggressor, target and

bystander or kid in the middle

• Create a safe social climate by teaching children pro-social behaviors

The goal in implementing this curriculum is that children will begin to deal with aggression and feel empowered to create the safe environement that they need in order to grow into socially responsible adults.

Here's what your children will be learning:

Lesson 1 - Classmates and Friends

Lesson 2 - How Do We Treat our Classmates and Friends?

Lesson 3 - Stop, Look and Listen: What is it? Who does it hurt?

Lesson 4 - Relational Aggression Hurts: Each of Us Plays a Role

Lesson 5 - Look Inside: What’s Really Going On?

Lesson 6 - Resist RA: What can you do to be part of the solution?

Lesson 7 - Just Do It, The Right Thing - What are your options?

Lesson 8 - Make a Difference - What do they really feel?

Lesson 9 - Change the School Culture

Lesson 10 - Reflecting on Relational Aggression

Parents are invited to join at the end of each group to see what there children have been working on and learning.

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