January Classroom Guidance Lessons: Respecting Differences

"Respecting Differences" was the topic for our first and second grade guidance lessons in January. In first grade classrooms we read the book What I Like About Me! by Allia Zobel Nolan. What I Like About Me! is about respecting and appreciating the many differences we may have, from interests, to abilities, to hair color, to size, to the food we like, and more. Each first grader then created a stick puppet of him/herself. We all admired the uniqueness of all the different puppets. After completing their puppets, students played in groups of two or three, using their puppets to practice respectful friend behavior.

For our second grade guidance lesson, students viewed a video called Respecting Differences (A Sunburst video), which is also about respecting and appreciating the many differences we have, including different abilities, different interests, and different cultures. Students then did an activity with the other classmates at their table in order to find out what likes, dislikes, abilities and interests they have in common, and which are differences. Emphasis was put on respecting the differences we might discover among classmates, as well as learning something new about each other, whether it's a similarity or a difference.

As a follow-up resource for parents, here's a great article to check out: Precious Children: Teaching Young Children to Resist Bias.