Activity

Watch the extract through as a class. Ask students to imagine what has happened between the two boys before this confrontation, discussing their ideas in pairs before feeding back to the class.

After sharing their ideas, ask students to brainstorm:

• the various reasons why young people might be bullied
• the various reasons why young people might bully others

This should lay the groundwork for a class agreement on definitions for:

• bullying
• a bully

Now, ask them to think about the reaction of 'Tucker'. Was he wrong to retaliate when the taller boy pushed him? What other options were open to him?

Finally, the extract is called 'A Double Bullying'. Why do students think this is? How has schooling changed between the time that the film was made in the 1970s and today, in terms of the rights and responsibilities of both teachers and students?

Some more ideas

• Encourage students to think about their responsibilities when they see someone being bullied. Ask them to imagine themselves as an unseen character in the scene - perhaps the camera even represents their point-of-view. How would they react if they saw the confrontation between the two boys before the arrival of a member of staff? How should they react? You might want to link this discussion into a wider exercise on your school's bullying policy.