We Don't Eat Our Classmates: a lesson on individuality

What makes a good classmate?  All students have opinions on this topic so that is what makes this  kindergarten and first grade lesson work well at the start or end of the school year.  Our students love dinosaurs but would they want one as a classmate?  

I taught them the ASL sign for dinosaur and we practiced several times:

Then I introduced them to the dinosaur in the book, Penelope.  Just by looking at the cover what do they think is her challenge as a classmate?

Next, we watched the book trailer narrated by author, Ryan T. Higgins:

I read the story aloud then students brainstormed tips that they can give Penelope and each other for being a good classmate.

 

Lastly, students used the PicCollageEdu APP to take a selfie, add a background, and type their name and a tip on how to be a good classmate. 

 I modeled this first, then students worked on their own.  We talked about changing fonts and colors to make it more readable for your audience.