http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/okay-different-teaching-diversity-890.html
Contribute to ReadWriteThink / RSS / FAQs / Site Demonstrations / Contact Us
- About IRA
- About NCTE
- About Verizon Thinkfinity
- Standards
- Our Advisors
- Our Authors
- Community Stories
- Promotional Materials
- News
ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.
Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.
Teacher Resources by Grade
| Kindergarten | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st - 2nd | 3rd - 4th | |
| 5th - 6th | 7th - 8th | |
| 9th - 10th | 11th - 12th | |
Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan
It's Okay to Be Different: Teaching Diversity With Todd Parr
E-mail
/
Share
/
Print This Page
/
Print All Materials (Note: Handouts must be printed separately)
| Grades | 1 – 2 |
| Lesson Plan Type | Standard Lesson |
| Estimated Time | Four 50- to 60-minute sessions |
| Lesson Author |
Boone, North Carolina |
| Publisher |
|
OVERVIEW
It is important to teach students about diversity to help them develop empathy for others. This lesson, for first and second graders, uses Todd Parr’s picture book It’s Okay to Be Different to help students understand what diversity means and how it applies to them. After a shared reading of the text, students work in small groups to discuss and write down what makes them diverse. They then visit Todd Parr’s website and create pages for their own books about diversity. Students share their completed books with another class.
FEATURED RESOURCES
Flip Book: Publishing a book is a breeze with this handy tool that provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a flipbook.
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
Miller, H.M. (2000). Teaching and learning about cultural diversity: A dose of empathy. The Reading Teacher, 54(4), 380–381.
- An important goal of teaching students the literature of diversity is showing them how to become empathetic human beings.
- Balance is a part of teaching empathy. Students should not become overwhelmed by negative feelings, but they should recognize-and take seriously-stories about oppression.
- Picture books are beneficial in helping students to become knowledgeable about cultural and diversity issues and in allowing them to make the personal connections that lead to empathetic behavior.
Miller, H.M. (2000). Teaching and learning about cultural diversity: All of us together have a story to tell. The Reading Teacher, 53, 666-667.