Children with dyslexia can feel "different," or feel embarrassed because of their weaknesses in reading, writing and oral communication. When teachers foster an environment of tolerance, students often follow suit, learning to appreciate differences and including all students in activities. Younger students write a sentence to describe themselves and older students create a well-developed paragraph or paragraphs to include in the book. All students can add pictures to enhance their writing.
Lesson Plan Title: Appreciating Differences
Student Level: 1st Grade through 8th Grade
Objective: At the end of this lesson students will be able to write a cohesive sentence or paragraph, according to their own grade level and by reading the book together will see that each child is different and unique.
Standards: The Common Core Standards for Writing Standards includes the following for Grade 6 thru Grade 8: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
Materials: Lined paper, Plain white paper or construction paper, pens, pictures, markers, crayons, 3-hole punch, ribbon or string or a binding machine
Optional Materials: Laminating sheets, key rings
Set Up: Find books that highlight the differences in different people or cultures and use this as a reading assignment or for younger children, read the book aloud, to help set up the concept of accepting others as valuable members of a group because of their diversity and differences. Ask students to bring in a picture of themselves from home or use a digital camera and print out pictures.
Procedure:
- Provide each student with lined paper and explain that you are going to create a classroom book with a short narrative to help students learn and appreciate one another. Have students begin by brainstorming and writing down ten words to describe themselves, younger students might write down only two or three words.
- Have students create anywhere from a sentence to several paragraphs depending on their grade level on the lined paper.
- Work with students to edit and revise their work.
- Have students complete a final draft on the plain white or construction paper. For younger students and those who do not feel comfortable writing without lines, have them write their revised sentence or paragraph on lined paper and cut around the writing and paste on the plain paper.
- Have students use pictures, crayons or markers to complete their page.
- Have students choose a name for the book. You might want to have students vote based on several suggestions.
- Create a cover for your book, using digital pictures of the class or having each student sign their name on the cover.
- Compile all pages into a book by using a binding machine or using a three hole punch and tying pages together. To make the book more durable, laminate each page.
- Read the book to the class, highlighting how each person is different but still is a valuable part of the class.
Extras:
When reading the book, read the sentence or paragraph and have the class guess who it is describing. See how well your students know each other. It might be interesting to see how often they guess correctly.
Create new class books each week or month about different topics. Some suggestions are below, choose those that suit your student’s grade level:
- My family (showing that families come in many shapes and sizes)
- My favorite place
- What I want to do when I grow up
- A poetry book
- If I were in charge of the world, the first thing I would do is:
- If I were President, I would:
- My favorite animal is:
- If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to:
- I am thankful for:
- I wish my parents would:
- If I could change something about my life, I would change…
- If I had wings, I would:
- An ABC book
- If I was principal of our school I would:
- When I am not in school I like to:
- Use colors and create a book for each color
- If I could meet anyone in the world, I would want to meet:
Allow students to take the book home to show family members for one night. Or but the book on your classroom book shelf and allow students to read it during free time or reading time.
Some teachers make enough class books throughout the school year for each student to bring one book home at the end of the year.