(noun) The improper use of something; cruel and violent treatment of a person or animal. (verb) To use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose; misuse; treat (a person) with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly.The older boys continued to tease the younger boy, even when the abuse cause the younger boy to scream.

(verb) Achieve or complete successfully. Jalissa was able to attend the concert when she accomplished her goal of finishing her homework assignments early.

(noun) Being held responsible. The executive faced accountability for the company’s fraud.

(adjective) Responsible, answerable. The young man asked that he be held accountable for folding laundry in order to help his mother.

(verb) To manage an event or an organization. Public schools administer standardized tests every year.

(noun) A hormone, secreted by the adrenal glands, that increases rates of blood circulation, breathing, and metabolism in a condition of stress. Adrenaline helps us to react quickly when we are scared.

(verb) Have an effect on; make a difference to; touch the feelings (of): move emotionally. A simple act of unnecessary kindness can affect an entire community in a huge way.

(adjective) Pursuing one’s aims and interests forcefully; ready or likely to attack or confront. Fighting is an aggressive way to try to solve problems.

(noun) Detailed examination of the elements (parts) or structure of something. Our analysis of the movie included thinking about the main character and the problem he tried to solve.

(adjective) Of unknown name; whose name is withheld. She couldn’t respond to the anonymous text because she didn’t know who sent it.

(noun) The state of waiting for or expecting something to happen. The students were full of anticipation for summer vacation.

(adjective) Unwilling or unable to associate in a normal or friendly way with other people. After a bullying incident, Chris became antisocial and no longer wanted to hang out with his friends after school.

(noun) A feeling of worry, nervousness or unease. Final exams often cause anxiety in students.

(adjective) Clearly visible or understood. It was apparent that the teacher cared about her students when she bought extra supplies with her own money.

(verb) Evaluate the nature, quality, or safety of an option or circumstance. We use our past experiences to assess new situations.

(noun) The action of achieving a goal. Good grades can help with attainment of college scholarships.

(noun) A feeling of being in sync or in harmony with another person. Practicing empathy can lead to better attunement with the emotions of others.

(noun) Substances produced by chemical reactions in living organisms. Types of biochemical compounds include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

(noun) One who repeatedly uses force or threat to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others with an imbalance of social or physical power. For many months the fourth grade bully threatened the younger boy by taking his lunch.

(verb) Repeated, aggressive behavior in which there is a real or perceived imbalance of power. Alicia was bullying one of the younger students in her class, calling him names and constantly drawing attention to his insecurities.

(noun) They're witnesses to the bullying or know it is occurring. During school lunchtime, many bystanders watched when a new girl was teased.

(noun) Someone who records images that entertain or inform an audience. The camera operator decided on an interesting angle to shoot the video.

(noun) A catalyst for change, a person who can make changes happen by inspiring and influencing others. Greg became a change agent for racial justice in his school by starting a letter writing campaign and organizing 50 students to write their PTA and local school board describing the inequities students of color experience in the education system.

(noun) Defining features, qualities that makes somebody or something recognizable. The characteristics I value most in my friends are honesty and kindness.

(noun) A fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action. The circumstances of the hurricane made it difficult for the town to go about their normal activity.

(noun) The usual or most widespread mood or conditions of a place. The sports games created a climate of excitement and school spirit.

(noun) The action of working with someone to create a product or result. Collaboration helps develop skills in team building, conflict resolution, and critical thinking.

(noun) An expression of opinions about an event or situation. After the game, the journalist gave his commentary of why he thought the home team lost.

(noun) A feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry, in trouble, etc. Her compassion moved her to send a card to her sick aunt.

1. (adjective) Attracting interest or attention. Reya found the book compelling and couldn’t put it down. 2. (adjective) Bringing interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way. The politician’s compelling speech caused many people to vote for him.

(verb) Assemble a list or report of information collected from different sources. Jason compiled a list of resources that he had used in writing his paper.

(adjective) Weakened or at risk. Infections are more likely in people with compromised immune systems.

(adjective) Relating to a system, as opposed to a particular part. (verb) To think about. He continued to contemplate the meaning of the poem.

(noun) An act of considering with attention. After much contemplation, the teacher finally made the decision to let students edit their final papers.

(adjective) Frequently happening; recurring. There were continual arguments because they both needed to be right.

(noun) A set of beliefs or aims that guide someone’s actions. A good soldier is loyal to his or her country’s beliefs and will sacrifice his or her life willingly for that creed.

(verb) Turn a person into a criminal by making their activities illegal. Many people believe that if drugs were not criminalized, drug users would be more likely to ask for help and rehabilitation.

(adjective) Intentionally causing pain to others without feeling regret. Testing beauty products on animals is considered cruel.

(noun) The belief, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. Over the past twenty years, Hip Hop became a part of American popular culture.

(noun) Repeated sequence of events. Bullying is a cycle we need to break.

(verb) Deprive of positive human qualities. Punitive justice systems focus on punishing and often dehumanizing criminals, rather than on rehabilitation.

(adjective) Intentional, on purpose. She deliberately pushed the tray into Rebecca’s chest in the cafeteria, it was not an accident

(adjective) An act or behavior that lowers one’s character, status, or reputation. To gossip about and exclude people is an attempt to demean their character.

(noun) Government by the people. In a democracy, every citizen can vote to elect the people who will make the laws.

(noun) Lack of desire to take part in usual activities; feeling sad or down without knowing why. When Anna’s son no longer wanted to go to school or see his friends, she became worried that he was suffering from depression.

(noun) Feeling or hopelessness; misery. Targets of bullies often are filled with great sadness and despair.

(adjective) Tending to cause harm. Releasing the documents would be detrimental to national security.

(verb) Identify the nature of an illness or problem by looking at the symptoms. Nina’s dad was diagnosed with cancer after going through a series of medical tests.

(adjective) Using or characterized by computer technology. There are digital stores that sell merchandise from websites not storefronts.

(noun) A person who directs a play, movie, or production. The director helped the actors understand the story.

(verb) Interrupt by causing a disturbance or problem. The student confessed that he disrupts the class by talking when he feels that something is unfair.

(adjective) Suffering from anxiety, sorrow, or pain. It is very difficult to succeed in school or at work when one is distressed by external circumstances.

(noun) An interactive system or process. Group dynamic are important to consider when choosing teams.

(adjective) Successful in producing a desired or intended result. The plan to use a strong foundation was effective in building a lasting structure.

(noun) The ability to understand and share the feelings of others. The phrase ‘Put yourself in someone else’s shoes’ refers to the use of empathy to understand what someone else is going through.

(verb) To improve or add features to. The computer program was enhanced with new graphics.

(noun) The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. An environment will start to feel unsafe when people are bullied.

(adjective) Of or relating to large groups of people who have the same customs, religions, origin. Polynesian is an ethnic group that shares customs and languages.

(noun) Available information indicating whether a belief or theory is true or accurate. The evidence in the case proved that the suspect had committed the crime.

(verb) To keep somebody or something out. If you exclude someone from a group, it is a form of social bullying.

(noun) A process related to managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. Because the brain is still developing during puberty, it can be difficult for teenagers to control their executive functions.

(verb) To leave without covering or protection. On the cold day, they played basketball on the court that was exposed to the sun.

(adjective) The outward features of something. External appearances are not always a good indication of character or quality.

(noun) A person who makes an action or process easier. A true educator acts as a facilitator of learning.

(noun) A general rule, principle, or piece of advice. On the first day of school, the teacher gave his students guidelines so they would know what behavior would increase the learning for all.

(verb) To annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way. The constant phone calls harassed the neighbor.

(noun) Threatening or annoying behavior that is repeated over and over again. Encouraging workers to do their best is one thing, but telling them everyday that they are failures is harassment.

(verb) To educate a child at home instead of sending them to school. Nico’s parents move a lot for work, so they homeschool him instead of sending him to different schools every year.

(verb) To hurt someone’s pride or cause them to feel very embarrassed. My brother humiliates me when he puts me down in front of my friends.

(adjective) Extremely destructive to one’s self-respect or dignity. The insults and name calling during lunchtime were humiliating.

(noun) Establish or indicate who or what someone or something is. If we can identify the cause of our anger, it becomes easier to find a way to calm down

(verb) Refuse to take notice of, disregard intentionally. He heard his voice but ignored the call for help and walked away.

(noun) Lack of proportion between corresponding things. The students felt an imbalance of attention in class when one student continued to talk out of turn.

(verb) Influence; affect. Her kind words could impact the way a group of students were treating each other

(noun) Possible future effect or result. Leaving bullying behavior unchecked has farreaching implications on those who are involved.

(adjective) Doing things suddenly and without careful thought. Her impulsive spending left her broke and with many things she didn’t need.

(adjective) A sense of belonging to a group of people or an environment. On her first day at a new school, Sasha felt included when a group of girls asked her to join them at lunch.

(noun) A lack of interest in something. In the music video, Standing Together, there is a lot of indifference among bystanders; it is as if these students do not even notice the bullying that is occurring right in front of them.

(verb) Allow oneself to enjoy a particular pleasure or activity, typically one that is disapproved of. Many people indulge in foods around the holidays that they wouldn’t usually eat.

(noun) Lack of fairness or justice; lack of accessibility. Students from poor neighborhoods often face educational inequities, making it difficult to graduate or go to college.

(verb) To have an effect on the character, development, or nature of a person or event. Images in the media can have a negative influence on a young person’s body image.

1. (verb) To hinder or prevent an action. Alcohol use can inhibit our ability to make good decisions. 2. To keep from doing what he or she wants to do. He felt inhibited by shyness.

(noun) Lack of fairness or justice. Emily felt that the school’s rules about hairstyles and dress code were an injustice.

(noun) The ability to gain an accurate and deep understanding of a person or circumstance. When we learn more about a friend’s past experiences, we gain insight into the ways they act today.

(noun) An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in response to a certain event. Our instincts tell us to duck when something is flying toward us.

(noun) To speak to or treat with disrespect or abuse. A conflict that started out as two boys insulting each other turned into a physical fight involving multiple people.

(noun) The part and function of the brain cells that understand sensory input (the information that the senses are taking in) and decide what should be done at each moment. Meditation makes the integrative fibers in the brain grow.

(noun) The aim or plan behind a certain action. Even though she had good intentions, Emily’s comment hurt Sergio’s feelings.

(verb) To act upon one another. Some chemicals interact with each other to create new chemical compounds.

(adjective) Relating to relationships or communication between people. It is important to teach young children interpersonal skills, so that they know how to make friends and respect the opinions of others.

(verb) Come between so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events. The principal intervened in the fight to keep more students from getting involved.

(verb) To scare others by filling them with fear. Derek can intimidate his targets by getting up close and in their faces.

(verb) Perform research to discover and examine the facts of a specific occurrence. The history class investigated the circumstances of Lincoln’s assassination.

(adjective) Not having or showing maturity or good judgment. The irresponsible politician called groups of people derogatory names.

(noun) Keeping written documentation of one’s feelings and reactions in response to personal circumstances. Kevin enjoys journaling to keep track of personal stories and events.

(noun) The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Elisa showed great kindness when she shared her lunch with a hungry friend.

(noun) A type of cancer that affects bone marrow and other organs that produce blood in the body. Jose took several medications while he was being treated for leukemia.

(adjective) Having or showing a desire to cause harm to another person. The malicious text was cruel and hateful.

(verb) Treat another person, or group of people, as insignificant or outside of consideration. Racism can lead to racial minority groups being marginalized in society.

(noun) The state of being conscious or aware of something. A combination of meditation and thinking logically through problems can help increase our mindfulness.

(noun) A view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. Topics such as mental health are often surrounded by misconception.

(verb) Stimulate interest in or enthusiasm for a certain activity. Teachers try to motivate their students by assigning projects that are not only educational but also exciting.

(noun) An idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true. Myths can be stories that are told over and over again and believed by many without proof.

(adjective) Relating to the nervous system. There are certain tests that can show patterns of neural activity in the brain.

(noun) The study of the structure and function of the nervous system and brain. Jenny wanted to study neuroscience to learn more about how the brain worked.

(verb) Degrade another person to the status of an object. Sexism can lead to women being objectified in popular culture and media.

(noun) One of a selection of choices. Alex had the option of taking the exam early for extra credit or having more time to study.

(adjective) Not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce signs of emotion or feeling; not participating readily or actively. The boy watched the fight passively, worried that the older boy would turn on him if he stood up for the target.

(noun) Freedom from disturbance or conflict. To achieve peace, we need non-violent conflict resolution.

(verb) Become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand. I perceived a strong feeling in the movie, but someone else may not see it that way.

(verb) to become aware or conscious of something. The message was perceived as a threat.

(noun) A mental impression, or a way something is interpreted. Perceptions of individual races, ethnicities, or genders can sometimes lead to prejudice.

(noun) A magazine or newspaper published at regular intervals. Looking at a collection of old periodicals can help us determine trends of the past.

(noun) The state or quality of lasting or remaining unchanged forever. Because Nate had attended five different elementary schools, his childhood did not have the comfort of permanence.

(adjective) Causing harm or ruin. A pernicious lie can seriously harm a reputation.

(noun) A person who commits a harmful, illegal, or immoral act. The perpetrator had stolen a car.

1. (verb) To cause a situation to continue. If bystanders don’t intervene in bullying incidents, they can perpetuate the problem. 2. (verb) To make something last or continue. When bystanders intervene, they can stop bullying, but when they do nothing, they perpetuate the cycle of bullying.

(adjective) Spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people; usually negative. The principal found out about pervasive cheating within his school, and worked with the teachers to solve the problem.

(noun) A fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable; something that is impressive or extraordinary. A tsunami is tidal wave phenomenon that can move hundreds of miles per hour in the open ocean.

(noun) When someone hits, pushes, or attacks another's body in some way causing physical pain. It also includes damaging or taking away personal belongings. After the older boy pushed the younger boy into a locker, the younger boy reported the physical bullying to his teacher.

(noun) A system of principles (rules of conduct) to guide decisions; a definite course of action. The manager decided a policy that “the customer is always right” would help his business.

a mental disorder, occurring after a traumatic event outside the range of usual human experience, and characterized by symptoms such as reliving the event, reduced involvement with others, and manifestations of autonomic arousal such as hyperalertness and exaggerated startle response.

(noun) The section of the brain behind the forehead that regulates complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functions. The prefrontal cortex helps us regulate our executive functions.

(noun) An opinion based on stereotypes. Bullying is often based on prejudice against a group or groups of people.

(adjective) Needing urgent attention. There was a pressing need for new textbooks in the school, which currently had half as many as required.

(adjective) Common or widespread. Socializing, creating projects, and getting information on line is more prevalent today than it was ten years ago.

(verb) Keep (something) from happening or arising. An umbrella prevents the woman’s hair from getting wet.

(noun) An artifact, document, manuscript, or other body of information created during the time being studied. The Diary of Anne Frank is a primary source of the Holocaust.

(noun) A right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others. With sure confidence of White privilege, Glenda refused to pay for her meal because she was not satisfied with the service she received.

(noun) The person responsible for the physical overall look of a filmed event. The production designer set up the props that helped tell the story of the scene.

(verb) Placing the blame for one’s own emotions onto another person. Projecting anger about family or personal life onto one’s peers can lead to bullying.

(noun) A question or topic provided as an essay or writing assignment. The teacher was careful to create essay prompts that his students could easily relate to.

(noun) Acknowledgement of the success or validity of a person or an idea. Khaleel’s exceptional work on his science project received recognition.

(noun) A source of information used to check a fact. A thesaurus is a reference used to find words that have similar meanings.

(verb) Think deeply or carefully about. She reflected on her feelings after witnessing the fight at school.

Relating to deep thought and understanding. When Elmer becomes overwhelmed in class, he takes a few breaths to create a reflective moment and think through his emotions.

(noun) The use of the brain to reflect calmly on problems rather than react angrily. Meditation can help us use our reflective brain during problem-solving exercises.

(verb) Control or maintain the rate or speed of a process so that it operates properly. The brain regulates release of hormones to make sure the body uses energy efficiently.

(verb) To put old ideas or materials into a new form, without significant change. Superhero movies often rehash old plots to stay true to storylines and excite audiences

(verb) Strengthen or support an object or an idea. Aparna reinforced her thesis statement with evidence from primary sources.

(noun) The activity of getting information about a subject. The students used the search engine to research animals for their reports.

(noun) A firm decision to do, or not to do, something. Mateo made the resolution to study harder

(verb) To have a particular meaning or importance for someone. To affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way. The music they played at the event resonated with me because it reminded me of the music my parents listened to when I was a kid.

(noun) The action of returning something to a former condition. Art restoration is a field that returns historical works of art to their original condition.

(noun) A justice system that focuses on rehabilitation of offenders, rather than punishment. Unlike punitive justice systems, restorative justice systems help people who have committed crimes change their behavior and reenter society.

(noun) A story that spreads around quickly and has no identifiable source or evidence of truth. Daniel tried to put a stop to the rumor that Anya had gotten drunk at the party, because he knew it wasn’t true.

(noun) A grant or loan that helps support a student’s education. Kayla won a college scholarship for her research in psychology

(noun) The written text of a stage play, screenplay, or broadcast. The actors read from the script to rehearse the play.

(noun) Each of the parts into which something is divided. Tina cut the orange into segments to share with her friends

(noun) Not playing an active role in an event or activity. The coach put me on the sideline during the opening game because I wasn’t the firststring quarterback

(noun) When a person or a group of people leave someone else out, spreads rumors, or embarrasses someone in front of other people. A few of the girls on Mila's bus started a rumor about her, a sure sign of social bullying.

(noun) A just society with rights to equitable treatment, support for human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources. We challenge injustice and value diversity in order to achieve social justice.

(noun) One who is involved in or affected by a course of action. A company’s stakeholders have invested money and hope to see profit.

1. Plural (noun) A collection of facts or information used to analyze something. She counted how many people felt bullied in her school to come up with statistics that could help change school policies. 2. Singular (noun) A numerical fact. He found his own basketball statistic for making baskets by shooting one hundred shots and recording how many went in.

(noun) The desire to maintain something in its current state. Because the teacher lived by the classroom rules and wanted to maintain the status quo, she decided against the idea of letting her students chew gum in class.

(adjective) Showing signs of tension or stress. Hannah’s face was strained as she crossed the marathon finish line.

(noun) A state of mental or emotionalstrain resulting from difficult or demanding circumstances. Trying to juggle family life withschool responsibilities can often cause stress forteens.

(adjective) Relating to the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of a whole. There have been many structural changes in our school this past year.

(noun) A general view, examination, or description of a set of people or circumstances. The statistics class conducted a survey of the rest of the school to use the techniques they had learned.

(verb) To provide what is needed to exist,continue, etc. Her belief in herself sustained her throughout the years.

(adjective) Relating to or affecting a system as a whole, as opposed to a particular part. We must address the racial inequities and systemic racism that exist within our criminal justice system.

(noun) A person, object, or place selected as the aim of an attack. The student was afraid she would be a target to bullies because she had no friends around

(noun) A system of ideas that explains certain occurrences or practices. Pavlov’s theory of conditioning shows that if a dog’s owner rings a bell every time they feed their dog, the dog will expect food every time it hears a bell ring.

(noun) Treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. Joseph received physical therapy for his knee injury.

(adjective) Having an intentionally frightening quality. Using a threatening persona can help us when we feel intimidated.

(verb) Grow or develop well. We can help students thrive by providing emotional support in schools

(adjective) Refers to the impact of violent experiences and damaging relationships affects not only the suvivor's physical, mental, emotional, and economic well-being, but the spiritual as well.

(noun) A small device that releases a spring or catch and so sets off a mechanism, especially in order to fire a gun. He pulled the trigger of the shotgun. (verb) Cause (an event or situation) to happen or exist. An allergy can be triggered by stress or overwork.

(adjective) Not having a legal document or license. There has been a recent increase in the deportation of undocumented American citizens.

(noun) The largest region of the brain in humans, which plays a key role in memory, attention, thought, and perception. We use our cerebral cortex in critical thinking tasks.

(noun) A recent term coined by antibullying campaigns to name people who are aware of or observe bullying and take positive, helpful action to end it. The entire class decided to become upstanders and helped to end bullying in their school.

(noun) Proving the accuracy or legitimacy of a theory, belief, or feeling. We feel validation when our friends agree with our ideas.

(noun) Those qualities that are held most important. When compassion is a value, we want to treat others with kindness.

(noun) When someone uses words to bully another person, like name-calling, teasing, or harassing. Tanya verbally bullied her younger brother, calling him an idiot after he didn't put away the dishes.

(noun) The action of violating someone or something. Weapons of any kind are a violation of the school’s rules.

(noun) Health or wellness of a person or other living creature. Getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and having a supportive personal life are all things that improve a person’s well-being.