Introduce young learners to the idea of disabilities and making friends with children who are different than they are. Using Don't Call Me Special - A First Look at Disability by Pat Thomas, learners are guided through the new vocabulary they will learn, as well as discussion questions related to the stories.

Concepts

disabilities, reading comprehension, empathy, accepting others, friendship, kindness

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the bonus activities as a homework activity, or for small groups in a literacy center
• Incorporate the lesson into a unit about acceptance and overcoming obstacles
• Periodically, take one of the papers out of the jar (from the closure activity) and have kids reflect on that particular way of being kind to their peers

Classroom Considerations

• The lesson is about people with disabilities, so be sure that your class can discuss the topic with sensitivity
• Consider adding questions with more depth and opportunities for synthesis

Pros

• Provides pre-reading suggestions, as well as closure and bonus activities
• Promotes open-mindedness and acceptance in your classroom environment

Cons

• Discussion questions are based on the comprehension level only

Common Core

RL.K.1 RL.K.3 RL.1.1 RL.1.3 RL.2.1 RL.2.3 RL.3.1 RL.3.3