Counseling Connections: individiuality

Showing posts with label individiuality. Show all posts

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Elmer the Elephant

The school year is in full swing and I am excited to share some more fun lessons that I have been using. I started the year reading Elmer to all of my k-2 students. This book was a big hit!

Elmer is a cute story about an elephant who feels badly about his appearance. He is the only elephant who isn't gray and he feels like the other elephants are laughing at him. Elmer goes through great lengths to change his appearance but ends up discovering that his uniqueness is a good thing. Elmer's friends decide to celebrate Elmer's uniqueness with an Elmer's Day parade.

You can purchase Elmer HERE. There are a ton of follow up books to Elmer and I just ordered Elmer's Special Day as a follow up story.

How I used this book: I read Elmer to students. I asked students the following questions: Did Elmer like himself in the beginning of story? Why or Why not? Did the other elephants like Elmer? Why or Why not? Why did Elmer want to look like the other elephants? Did Elmer like himself better once he looked like the other elephants? Did the other elephants like Elmer better? I then had each student share a few things that make him or her unique. Each student was given an elephant (I printed from google images) to decorate in their own unique way. I gave them the option of using dot markers, regular markers or scraps of paper. I then displayed the elephants on a bulletin board. Here is my board halfway completed:

(I found this bulletin board idea on Pinterest and couldn't find the original source. If you know who credit belongs to please let me know.)

Lesson Connections:
Celebrating Diversity with Elmer
Elmer Lesson Pack (With outlines of Elmer)

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Being Yourself (Self-Acceptance)

I wasn't kidding when I said I was focused on self-acceptance this week! If you missed my other posts about self-acceptance you can check them out HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Today I am showcasing several books that I use to teach lessons on self-acceptance.

The Colors of the Rainbow:

Just like the colors of a rainbow, each of us is unique! Kids are encouraged to celebrate their differences. This is also a great book to teach diversity! You can purchase it HERE.

Lesson Connection:

Rainbow Of Friends: Celebrate Differences

Carla's Sandwich

This book encourages children to embrace their individuality, no matter what others think.You can Purchase Carla's Sandwich HERE.

Carla's Sandwich Connections:

I host a "Weird Sandwich Party" each year. The kids love it! You can get ideas HERE.

Strategy Sandwiches

Sandwich Self-Esteem Notebook

Odd Velvet

Velvet's classmates think she is odd but by the end of the story they find out that her differences are what make her so much fun! You can purchase this book HERE.

Odd Velvet Connections:

Odd Velvet Back to School Social Skill Activities and Discussion Questions :($1.75)

Lesson Idea

Discussion Questions

Promoting Character with Pride

Bulletin Board Idea (found on Pinterest...source unknown)

Zoe The Misfit

Zoe is a green triangle stuck in a world of red circles. Zoe has a hard time fitting in with the others because she is different. This is a great book for teaching students to be themselves even if they are different than others. It is a great reminder that everyone has something unique about them. You can purchase Zoe The Misfit HERE.

Hey, You're Great!
This book is great for students in grades 4-8. The story is fun and talks about the silliness that comes from trying to be just like others.

You can Purchase Hey, You're Great HERE.
Product Details

Lesson Connection:

whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com created an awesome lesson to go along with this book and it's FREE!

You can find another lesson idea HERE.
"Painted"-Social Skills poem and questions - self esteem, self respect

Social Skills poem and questions - self esteem, self respect

Monday, October 5, 2015

A Bad Case of Stripes

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon, is a story about a girl who is embarrassed to let her friends know that she likes lima beans. She doesn't want to stand out as being different. This is a great story about self-acceptance and uniqueness. The story teaches several lessons: it is okay to be different; you should be proud of yourself; stay true to who you are; don't worry about what other people may think. There are hundreds of blog posts, lesson plans and ideas out there for this book. I am proving "connections" to the ones that are most relevant to school counseling. You can purchase this book HERE.

Reader's Guide and Activities

How I use this book: I take a photo of each child and upload it to ipiccy.com. I then use the "pencil sketch effect" to turn each picture into a coloring page. I have students give themselves a "bad case of the stripes". They can also do polka dots or any other design. They then complete an "i'm unique" activity found on TPT. Here is a picture of my daughter with a bad case of stripes using ipiccy.com. These picture would also make a great bulletin board display.

I use these discussion questions:
Why wouldn't Camilla eat lima beans?
How can we tell that Camilla was worried about fitting in?
Why was Camilla relieved that she didn't have to go to school?
How does Camilla feel when the students laugh at her?
Would you consider this bullying? Why or Why not?
Why did the old lady give Camilla lima beans?
Did Camilla continue to care what the other kids thought of her? Why or Why not?
Have you ever been afraid that people will laugh at you?
Are there things that you like that your friends don't like?
What is more embarrassing, having stripes or admitting that you like lima beans?
What makes you unique?

A discussion on feelings, a freebie and an adorable bulletin board can be found at http://theimaginationnook.blogspot.com