About the lesson
🏫 They said they were joking. Some classmates were afraid to come to school.
In this story, a group of fifteen-year-olds insulted other students. They mocked their bodies, clothes, accents, and countries of origin. They showed no respect for their cultures or religions.
The boys called it humour. The students they targeted experienced something different.
One day, several students asked a teacher for help. The school leadership contacted the boys’ parents. Eventually, the bullies were permanently expelled.
Join Teacher Miguel from Spanish Super Tutor to explore a story about words, responsibility, discrimination, and asking for help.
Designed for IGCSE Spanish and IB Spanish Ab Initio learners, this programme combines reading, vocabulary, grammar, and supported discussion.
🔥 Warm-up
Explore the difference between laughing together and making someone the target of a joke.
📖 Story
Identify the repeated behaviour, its effects, and the events that followed.
🃏 Flashcards
Practise expressions such as burlarse de, hacer daño, tener miedo, and pedir ayuda.
🤔 Why Is It False?
Correct inaccurate statements using evidence from the text.
🏋️ Grammar
Compare repeated past actions with specific events through the imperfect and preterite.
❓ Ask Me
Form questions about the students’ actions, feelings, and choices.
🗣️ Debate
Discuss how classmates and adults could respond, and what a respectful school community should look like.
Understand the story. Question the excuse. Explain your response—in Spanish.
Students can discuss the fictional account without sharing personal experiences. The expulsion is examined as the story’s outcome, not presented as the only possible response to bullying.
Key Vocabulary
El acoso escolar — School bullying.
Un acosador / una acosadora — A bully.
Insultar a alguien — To insult someone.
Molestar a alguien — To bother someone.
Burlarse de alguien — To make fun of someone.
El acento — Accent.
El país de origen — Country of origin.
Hacer daño — To hurt / cause harm.
Tener miedo — To be afraid.
Pedir ayuda — To ask for help.
La dirección del instituto — The school leadership / administration.
Expulsar a alguien — To expel someone.
Language in Context
“Decían que eran bromas, pero hacían daño.”
They said they were jokes, but they caused harm.
Students explore the difference between how the boys described their behaviour and how that behaviour affected others.
The text also distinguishes between different targets of the bullying: appearance, clothing, accent, nationality, culture, and religion.
Grammar Focus
Repeated behaviour and background — imperfect
“Los chicos insultaban a otros alumnos.”
“Se burlaban de su acento.”
“Decían que eran bromas.”
“Algunos alumnos tenían miedo.”
Key events — preterite
“Varios alumnos pidieron ayuda.”
“La dirección llamó a los padres.”
“Los acosadores fueron expulsados.”
Language note: In “fueron expulsados”, the preterite of ser combines with a past participle to describe what happened to the boys.
Student Challenge
Complete an account using:
“Al principio…” → “Todos los días…” → “Un día…” → “Al final…”
Do not invent what happened after the expulsion: the text does not tell us.
Main Debate Question
¿Cómo puede un instituto proteger a los alumnos y evitar que el acoso se repita?
Supporting Questions
¿Por qué algunos alumnos tenían miedo?
¿Decir “es una broma” justifica lo que hicieron?
¿Cómo podían ayudar los compañeros?
¿Qué responsabilidades tenían los adultos?
¿Qué sabemos del final y qué información nos falta?
Speaking Support
Supported response
“Yo pediría ayuda a una profesora porque…”
Extended response
“Si viera que alguien se burla del acento de un compañero, buscaría ayuda y…”
Evaluation
“En la historia, los acosadores fueron expulsados. Sin embargo, el texto no explica si…”
Give an opinion, explain your reason, and add an example.
Learning Objectives
Students will practise how to:
Identify repeated behaviour, effects, and turning points.
Describe past actions using the imperfect and preterite.
Discuss respect for cultural and personal differences.
Distinguish a character’s excuse from evidence in the story.
Suggest ways to support a classmate.
Evaluate an ending without inventing an outcome.
Your Instructor
Teacher Miguel
