Teaching students to take turns: Me First!
Around October or November, the kinder and first grade teachers and parents usually ask for a lesson or two about taking turns. I bring in my Folkmanis pig puppet and introduce him as Pinkerton, the main character of the book, Me First! by Helen Lester. After reading the story (which has a super cute play on words that some students really catch onto), I have Pinkerton ask students what he can do instead of the more selfish behaviors from the start of the story. Students are eager to provide examples of kind behaviors, and if there is time, Pinkerton acts out a few for the class!
Book review: Hot Issues, Cool Choices
I discovered Sandra McLeod Humphrey's Hot Issues, Cool Choices while an intern in graduate school. At the time I used the book for individual and small group counseling with fifth graders. This year, I have been using it for classroom lessons with the same age group. Students seem to connect and remain engaged with the content, which is rare in my experience!
The book is actually a series of short stories from the perspective of 5th -7th grade students. Topics include bullying, put downs, peer pressure, relational aggression, rumors, and popularity. The language or "voice" of the speaker is modern; students have commented that the book seems like it could actually be written by kids their age. There is no resolution to the stories, but instead ask readers to engage with the material and decide what they would do in the same situation. The cartoons included further draw students into the stories (not a surprise with the current obsession with all things graphic novel!)
As I stated earlier, I have used these stories to help individual students who are feeling helpless or pressured to open up and then problem solve their own experiences. I have had small groups discuss a story and determine ways to prevent or stop such choices from happening in their friendship circles. Recently, I taught a lesson about empathy and perspective taking. After reading a story aloud, students got into heated discussion about what they would do. Eventually, it became clear that these issues are real and pervasive in my students' lives and they were finally discussing it openly and freely! Therefore, I can recommend this book highly. Check out the Amazon reviews, as well!
The book is actually a series of short stories from the perspective of 5th -7th grade students. Topics include bullying, put downs, peer pressure, relational aggression, rumors, and popularity. The language or "voice" of the speaker is modern; students have commented that the book seems like it could actually be written by kids their age. There is no resolution to the stories, but instead ask readers to engage with the material and decide what they would do in the same situation. The cartoons included further draw students into the stories (not a surprise with the current obsession with all things graphic novel!)
As I stated earlier, I have used these stories to help individual students who are feeling helpless or pressured to open up and then problem solve their own experiences. I have had small groups discuss a story and determine ways to prevent or stop such choices from happening in their friendship circles. Recently, I taught a lesson about empathy and perspective taking. After reading a story aloud, students got into heated discussion about what they would do. Eventually, it became clear that these issues are real and pervasive in my students' lives and they were finally discussing it openly and freely! Therefore, I can recommend this book highly. Check out the Amazon reviews, as well!
