Film Clips for Character Education
Use these questions or create your
own. Incorporate the theme and
the 5 Character Traits in each
discussion.
Safe
 Respectful
 Responsible

Scapegoating
Say No to Bullying
When Lucas is tormented by bullies bigger than he is, he takes
out his anger on ants.
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/video-resources/theant-bully
Ant Bully
When a young boy is bullied, he finds it easier to blame the ants in the
anthill below him than to face up to the bully.
Questions:
- In this film clip, why does Lucas turn on the ants
instead of the bully?
- How could he have reacted differently?
- Have you ever blamed someone else for something that
person did not do? Why?
- What were you afraid of?
Standing up to power
Say No to Bullying
At the soda shop, a young man has difficulty understanding why
his father won't stand up to a bully.
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/videoresources/back-to-the-future
Back to
the
Future
“Marty McFly is a kid who is never on time for anything. Then, thanks
to his scientist friend, Marty gets shot back in time to the days when his
parents were in high school. In the local soda shop where the future
mayor sweeps up, Marty meets the teenage version of his dad, who is
about to have one of many run-ins with Biff, the local bully.”
Questions:
How can you define bullying?
What is the difference (if any!) between “bullying” and
“being mean and cruel”?
How would you react to the bully if you were George who
was being bullied in this clip?
What do you think can happen if George stands up to the
bully in this case?
What do you think can happen if George ignores the bully
and walk away in this case?
How can you support someone who is being bullied?
When is it better to walk away from a tense situation?
When is it not?
Making a Stand
Charlie's sister intervenes when he is provoked by bullies.
Say No to Bullying
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/videoresources/cheaper-by-the-dozen
Cheaper
by the
Dozen
This older brother did not want to move to a new city and a new
school. He did not ask to be laughed at by the bullies at school.
He is sick and tired of being on the receiving end of the taunting.
What will keep him from making a very big mistake?
Questions:
- When is it better to walk away from a tense situation?
- When is it not?
- Why do bullies say hurtful things or try to pick a
fight?
What are they afraid of?
Communication
A boy teaches a girl who has been bullying him a better way to
communicate.
Say No to Bullying
http://www.bullybust.org/upstander/video-resources/hoot
Hoot
When a new student arrives at his Florida school, he finds himself
embroiled in a battle to save the environment from the plans of a
greedy developer. But before he embarks on this quest, he first has to
face the girl who has been bullying him from the moment he arrived.
Questions:
In this film clip, do you agree with the way he
confronted Beatrice? Why? - Why not?
- What happens when we stand up to a bully?
- What is the role of witnesses to this? In other
words, what happens if
there are bystanders listening to
everything we are discussing?
- When is it best to “talk things out”? When is it wise to
just walk away?
Say No to Bullying
Cliques as Bullies
A new girl gets the run-down on the do's and dont's of the the
school's most popular clique.
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/videoresources/mean-girls
When a girl who has always been home-schooled suddenly enters a
public high school, she learns that it can be pretty hard to fit in. So,
when some popular girls invite her to join their clique, it seems like a
great idea…or is it?
Mean
Girls
Questions:
- What is a clique?
- How can a clique be harmful?
- How can cliques control you?
- What are some methods to make sure we are
being true to ourselves and not following
someone else’s ideas of how we should act or
what we should say?
Say No to Bullying
Sensitivity to Others
A young man with a disability is shunned by everyone on the
school bus except for a girl who isn't afraid of doing the right thing.
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/videoresources/forest-gump-pg-13
Mama says stupid is as stupid does.” He knows he is different from
everyone else. He looks different, he walks different, he talks different.
All the other kids remind him that he is different, and they exclude him
because of it. All the kids, that is, but one…
Forest
Gump
Questions:
- Have you ever done kind act to someone who no one likes?
What did you do? - - How did it make you feel?
- Have you even been in the situation where you are
different from most of people or no one talks to you? How did you
feel?
- Being empathic or putting our selves in the other person’s
shoes provides the foundation for understanding social
connections. What is an example of someone who is “different”
who you have had an easy time understanding and empathizing
with? What is an example of a time when this was very
challenging to do? What can you learn from these two very
different experiences?
- Why is it easier to be nice to someone who is different
when you meet him or her alone than when you are with your
friends?
- Have you ever tried to hide your difference because of fear of
exclusion?
Empathy/understanding that bullies may also be victims.
Jess learns that the biggest bully in school is abused herself.
Say No to Bullying
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/videoresources/bridge-to-terabitia
Bridge to
Terabithi
a
“A new girl at school teaches a boy who is a loner what it means to tap
into his imagination and experience adventures beyond the ordinary.”
Questions:
- Can bullies be victims of bullying, abuse, or
harassment?
- In this clip, what’s the story behind the bully?
- How was Jess an agent of courteous goodwill to
the wounded bully?
- Have you ever reached out to an outcast or bully?
Why? Why not?
Including Others
Say No to Bullying
Against the wishes of his team mates, a young man insists a new
kid without much talent be given a chance to join the team.
http://www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/upstander/videoresources/the-sandlot
Sandlot
“He has moved to a new town and doesn’t know anyone. He tries to
join the neighborhood boys who play sandlot baseball, but he doesn’t
know how to play the game. He is an outcast before he is even given a
chance. But he has one new friend, the team’s best player and most
popular kid, who chooses to stand up for this newcomer against the
ridicule of the team.”
Questions:
- Why are “the new kids” so often teased or picked
on?
- Have you ever been “the new kid” and tried to join
a
group? What did you do and happened?
- How would you feel when you are a stranger when
everyone seems to be very close to one another?
- How do you want to be treated if you are a new kid in a
class or club?