Teacher's Guide

I work with children with special needs. When I am teaching, I am always looking for literature-based lesson plans, and I love it when authors include teacher's guides on their sites. So I am going to include some activities here. Keep checking back for more! 

LESSON PLAN

Everyone Is Different!

Accepting and celebrating differences in ourselves and others. 

Grade Levels: Pre-K, K, 1, 2, Special Ed

Subject: Life skills, social skills

 

Anticipatory Set: Ask students if they've ever seen a princess, in a book, in a movie, or even in real life. Ask students to describe a princess to you. You may want to make a list of their suggestions. (Long hair, beautiful dresses, a crown, etc.) 

                      Tell the students that you are going to read a story about a princess who may be different from the princesses they have seen in the past. 

 

Input: Read The Princess's New Hair. 

 

Check for understanding: How was Princess Annalisa different from other princesses, or other children? The students will most likely point out that she had no hair. Ask for other examples from the story. Allow students to look through the pages of the story to jog their memory. Was she different because she was always kind? Because she loved to sing? Because of her interesting taste in clothing? Because she could hang upside down on the monkey bars? 

                                              Why do you think Princess Annalisa decided not to have any hair?

                                              Is it important to look, and act, like everyone else? Or is it better for everyone to be different and special in their own ways? 

 

                                         

Guided Practice: How am I different and special? Have students brainstorm, in a whole group or in small groups, about what makes each one of them different and special. They could think of things such as, "I have lots of freckles" or "I am good at soccer," or "I use a wheelchair to get around."

 

Independent Practice; I Am Different worksheet. 

 

Closure: Teachers may choose to allow children to share their "I Am Different" worksheets with the group,, or bind them together in a class book. Talk about all of the ways that people can be different and special.

 

 

 T hinking And Writing actiity, for use with older students who are able to write out their answers, and a multiple choice worksheet (coming soon) as well. Teachers may choose to simply ask these questions in a group discussion. 

                                               

 

Extra: Children can draw themseles with some wild new hair on this worksheet.