When I am teaching respect, I like to begin with teaching a student to respect themselves. If we don't respect ourselves, how can we truly learn to respect anyone else?
To teach this concept toK-2nd grade students, I used a book called It's Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr. If you haven't seen this book, you need to order it ASAP. I got the idea of this lesson when my two year old daughter brought me the book to read during her night time routine. I sat there afterwards asking myself how I never noticed this book before....
Needless to say this book is now sitting on my bookshelf in my office to use during lessons. Can someone please tell me that I am not the only teacher-mommy that does that? hahaha
Before reading the book, I had students verbally tell me what the word respect means to them. I had varies answers, I have to respect my mom, using my manners to someone older, sharing with others, etc. Before long I had the response loving yourself. That was out of a mouth of a first grader. Respect is loving yourself. I froze in that moment because she had just stolen my whole lesson. I applauded her and continued with the rest.
We read the story and then discussed ways that each students ways different by using the stem: It's okay to... (Students responded with: eat ice-cream for dinner, have curly hair, have holes in my shoes, like T-Rex, etc)
The students were then asked to write "It's okay to.." on their paper and then draw a picture to match. You better believe that once the students were finished we created our very own class book for their teacher to keep.. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going back and reading their class books to them throughout the year!
Have fun creating this project in your class!
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