Video Description: Author Arlene Freeman reads her book “Cool Kids,” a story about a young man named Michael and his journey to be a friend and not a bully. In addition to reading the story, Arlene shares information on how and why she wrote the book and provides questions for student discussion.

From the Author:
Like most kids, Michael and his friends are so excited for their first day at a new school. They have a lot of questions about what to expect, but most of all, they wonder if they’ll get to join the football team. That would be the perfect way to start the year! However, Michael soon finds out that its not as easy as he thinks. The team is filled with bullies, and to join, he has to become one of them. In order to be cool enough to get a spot on the football team, Michael has to start changing his behavior for the worse! Suddenly, terrible things start happening to him. Finally, he begins to wonder: Was it all worth it?

Learn more about the book and the author at her website.

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Quick Ideas for Using the Video in the Classroom:

• After viewing the video, engage students in the discussion questions Vickie provides at the end: Have you ever met a bully? How did it make you feel to meet a bully? Did you talk to someone about it afterward?
• As part of your character education/SEL study, have students offer their reactions to the book and discuss its themes in class discussion, think/pair/share duos, and/or in journal entries.
• As part of your language arts study, discuss the characters and plot of the book and have students create a drawing of their favorite moment from the story.

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