Lesson Plan: Accepting Differences

Standards
Missouri Learning Standards for Social Studies:
2-6.B: Knowledge of relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural
traditions. Describe how needs are met by families and friends.

Missouri Learning Standards ELA:

RI.2.6: Identify the main purpose of a text., including what the author wants to answer,
explain or describe

National Learning Standards Social Studies:

NSS-C.K-4.2: What are the benefits of diversity in the United States?

Common Core Standards ELA:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6: Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the
author wants to answer, explain, and describe
Lesson Objectives/ Goals
Students will be able to interpret the central message of the text
Students will be able to explain why its okay to be different
Students will develop acceptance for all people regardless of their differences
Assessment

Before:
The teacher will formatively assess students knowledge of differences through listening to
conversations during the turn-and-talk and through the graffiti board.

During:
The teacher will formatively assess students ability to interpret the message of the text
through the whole-class discussion. The teacher will also be assessing students ability to
understand that differences are okay!
The teacher will also formatively assess students drawing and writing about differences in
the classroom book

After:
The teacher will summatively assess students understanding of differences through their
reflection on the Seesaw application. The teacher will be looking for students to identify a
difference unique to them and talk about why differences are okay and important! This
reflection can be shared with students families as they have access to students work on the
Seesaw application.
 Lesson Structure/ Procedures
1. Have students turn-and-talk to a neighbor about what it means to be different and a time
they felt different.
2. Bring it back as a whole-group. Record students responses on an anchor chart graffiti
board. Have each student share something.
3. Read Its Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr. Stop every once awhile, allowing students to
make personal connections.
4. As a class discuss, why differences are important. Talk about the differences in our
classroom community and how that makes us stronger. Have students imagine what it
would be like if everyone was the same in the class how boring!
5. Pass out construction paper to each student. Tell students to draw and write a few sentences
about what makes them different and unique!
6. Later, the teacher will bind these pages together to make their own classroom community
book! This will be an Its Okay to Be Different in Ms. or Mr. class
7. Tell students that we will be learning about other communities in the next couple weeks!
Instruct students to keep an open mind when learning about these communities as your
peers or friends might belong to them. Further, tell students to keep with the theme of the
book and remind them that it is okay to be different!
8. Students will reflect on Seesaw app through a voice recording telling how they are different
and why it is okay to be different!
Materials Needed
Its Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
Construction paper
Markers/crayons
Anchor chart unlined paper
Laminator and binding machine for the classroom book
iPads for students to record their reflections
Seesaw application
Additional Information
This is an introductory lesson for this topic! I highly suggest completing this lesson first because
students will realize that we are all different and that is ok! Also, this is a great lesson for the
beginning of the year as you are building your classroom community. The other lessons on this
page will be great extensions for this lesson. After you complete this lesson, begin reading books
about other communities such as: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, Whoever You Are by Mem
Fox, Wonder by RJ Palacio, and more!

I found the classroom book activity from https://www.tolerance.org