5.04 Captain America

Gossip

Do you ever gossip idle talk or rumor Have you ever been the victim of a cruel rumor? The saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is not true; words do hurt!

→ »

Pop Rocks

Have you ever heard the rumor about the candy Pop Rocks?

Don't eat Pop Rocks and drink a carbonated beverage at the same time. There is a dangerous chemical reaction that will make your stomach explode!

Strawberry pop rocks

This rumor began in the late 70s. The company took out full-page ads in magazines, and they also sent letters to school principals across the country trying to rid the fear that the rumor caused, which almost ruined the candy brand. In fact, they discontinued production in the mid-80s, and they still have a blurb about the rumor on their site today.

« »

Rumors

You can't change the fact that people will gossip; however, you can change your actions when you hear a rumor.

• Decide if the rumor is hurtful or harmless.
• If the rumor is hurtful, don't pass it on, but, rather, make a stand.
• If people don't have an audience, there is no one to listen to the gossip.

On the contrary, some rumors have validity in them. Sometimes people need to intervene before something terrible happens.

In the lesson, you will read a story that has a plural first person point of view to show what the community thinks of the main character of the story. You decide if the community should have sat idle or taken action.

« ←