Reading comprehension activity for advanced esl students.

1. Reading comprehension. Advanced level.
Is your child being bullied?
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me", is a brave claim, but
for most children it simply isn't true.
Physical abuse is rife, but verbal abuse can cause just as much pain as physical violence, and
where cuts and bruises often heal quickly, cruel words have the potential to cause lasting
psychological damage.
Under no circumstances should children have to endure either being hurt physically, or suffer
name-calling, an orchestrated rumour campaign, racial taunts, sexual harassment, abusive
text-messaging or being 'sent to Coventry'.
Bullying tactics
The bad news is that bullying in its various forms is still rife in our schools. The statistics make
grim reading, with thousands of children suffering each year.
The good news is that teachers and the Government are becoming increasingly aware of the
extent of the problem. All schools are now obliged by law to implement an anti-bullying
strategy and the DfES's 'Don't Suffer in Silence' is packed with practical advice for parents.
Don't assume your child isn't the sort who gets bullied. There's no typical victim - and sadly,
you can't assume that your child will confide in you if they are being bullied. It's just as likely
that they'll feel too ashamed, blaming themselves for their plight, too embarrassed or too
worried to bring the subject up.
What are the tell-tale signs for parents to look out for? If you do find out your child is being
bullied, what action should you take to solve the problem?
How much bullying goes on?
Of the thousands of cases of bullying reported to Bullying Online, 49%
were against girls and 51% against boys. 40% involved physical violence,
and 59% related to psychological abuse of one form or another.
Bullying is affecting children's health and education. The statistics show
3% of victims were school refusers; 6% had been removed from school;
and 1% of parents saw no solution to the problem other than to move home.
The consequences can be tragic - as many as 16 children a year in the UK are driven to
suicide (if you want to read more about this, the subject is dealt with sensitively by Tim Field
and Neil Marr's Bullycide - Death at Playtime).
Who gets bullied?
Bullies will pick on anyone who in some way differs from the rest of the crowd. So it could be
something as simple as:
• having the wrong accent, too posh or not posh enough
• being from an ethnic minority
• being an academic high achiever or an obvious underachiever
• being different in appearance, for example, the wrong trainers or a naff haircut
• a distinctive, physical characteristic, for example, being overweight or having freckles
Task by Mª Jesús García San Martín. Text from 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/schoolgate/aboutschool/content/2discipline.shtml

2. Reading comprehension. Advanced level.
One BBC report featured a girl in North Wales who was bullied for no better reason than she
liked fantasy novels!
Experts sometimes talk of 'provocative victims' - children who over-react so dramatically to
the day-to-day rough and tumble of playground life that they become an attractive target for
bullies. If you think your child falls into this category, you might want to help them develop
their social skills, but however 'provocative' their behaviour is, you, and the school, should
never tolerate any form of bullying.
Signs of bullying
Changes in your child's behaviour might include:
• frequent mystery illnesses and other ploys to have time off school
• truancy
• changing their usual route to school for no apparent reason
• deterioration in school work
• unexplained loss of pocket money - used to pay off tormentors
• loss of appetite
• anxiety, nightmares and other symptoms of depression.
What should you do?
• A child who has been bullied and kept it secret feels a terrible sense of isolation. So
once your child has confided in you, the first thing you must do is reassure them that
from now on they will not be alone - you and the school will be on their side.
• Your child may find it helpful to read about other children's experience of bullying.
They will find information at Bullies Out, Bullying Online and Antibullying. They could
also read a BBC Report in which pupils have their say on the subject. Stories and
novels which feature characters who are being bullied can be a great help to a child
struggling to come to terms with the emotional trauma that they are enduring.
'Children's Books about Bullying', edited by Rosemary Stones, offers an excellent
introduction to the literature that's available.
• Inform the school immediately. If you're worried about being labelled a 'fussy
parent', keep reminding yourself that you are acting not only for your own child's
sake, but also for all the other children who might have to suffer in the same way.
The school is obliged to have strategies to tackle bullying. Make sure that they are
being implemented. But don't be too disappointed if you discover that the bullies are
not being punished. Many schools adopt a 'no blame' approach: rather than hold
bullies to account for particular actions, teachers try to help them, through
counselling, to alter their behaviour. For information on the school's responsibilities
towards the bullied child, what parents should do before contacting the school and
how to prepare for the meeting, log on to the Advisory Centre for Education.
Reading comprehension questions
1. Choose an example of bullying out of the ones below:
a. Social networking fun
b. Insult
c. Libelling your private life
Task by Mª Jesús García San Martín. Text from 2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/schoolgate/aboutschool/content/2discipline.shtml

3. Reading comprehension. Advanced level.
2. Nowadays bullying is
a. Dying out
b. Increasing
c. Being watched
3. Bullied children
a. Do not usually trust anybody
b. Are socially accepted
c. Hate school
4. Most bullied kids
a. Are shy
b. Think they are guilty
c. Sue their harassers
5. A gifted child
a. Will never be bullied
b. Could be bullied at high school
c. Is just another candidate to be bullied
6. If a provocative victim had …, they might put bullies off
a. Better social abilities
b. A playground for themselves
c. A shorter school shift
7. If a child suddenly starts …, they might be suffering bullying
a. Lying
b. Asking for large sums of money
c. Making cunning plans
8. Victims of bullying usually feel
a. secluded
b. confined
c. fine
9. Parents shouldn’t care about being regarded as … when informing the school
a. Fastidious
b. Dull
c. Over protective
10. Sometimes, bullies are not punished, but … so that they alter their behaviour
a. Scolded
b. Warned
c. advised
Task by Mª Jesús García San Martín. Text from 3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/schoolgate/aboutschool/content/2discipline.shtml