Social Justice for Little Learners

Grade Level: PS 4

Topic: God’s Plan for Unique You

Book Title: “When God Made You”

Author: Matthew Paul Turner

Link to Purchase: https://a.co/d/5JvCB6y

Link for Online Read-Aloud : https://youtu.be/ih83AfGRwfs?si=mL90D_29EkvaSm3-

Discussion Prompts/Questions:

• “What are some things that you like?”
• “What are some things that you need to be happy?”
• “What are some things that you need to be safe?”
• “God created each of us to be ‘just-right’…and we all have a ‘just-right’ that is not the same as anyone else!”
• “What did you see in this book that made you smile, or say ‘that’s like me!’?”

Follow-Up Activity:

• Using playdough, kinetic sand, or other similar materials, have students create a “world” for a small figurine that resembles them (or of their choosing). Discuss how God knew what each of them would need and what each of them would like. Have them share their creations with each other, and take pictures to share with their families!

BC Core Competency Connections:

Personal and Social

• Personal Awareness & Responsibility
  • I can show a sense of accomplishment and joy, and express some wants, needs, and preferences. I can sometimes recognize my emotions.
• Positive Personal and Cultural Identity
  • I am aware of myself as different from others.
• Social Awareness and Responsibility
  • I am aware that other people can be different from me.
  • I can help and be kind.

Thinking

• Creative Thinking
  • I get ideas when I play.
• Critical Thinking
  • I can explore materials and actions.

Communication

• Communicating
  • In a safe and supported environment, I respond meaningfully to communication from peers and adults.
  • I can understand and share basic information about topics that are important to me.
• Collaborating
  • In familiar situations, I can participate with others.

BC Curricular Connections:

• Understand (Big Ideas):
  • Everyone has a unique story to share. (ELA K)
  • Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us. (ELA K)
  • Our communities are diverse and made of individuals who have a lot in common. (SS K)
  • Stories and traditions about ourselves and our families reflect who we are and where we are from. (SS K)
  • Confidence develops through the process of self-discovery. (Career Education K)
  • Learning about ourselves and others helps us develop a positive attitude and caring behaviours, which helps us build healthy relationships. (Physical and Health Education K)
  • Engagement in the arts creates opportunities for inquiry through purposeful play. (Arts Education K)

• Know (Content):
  • Ways in which individuals and families differ and are the same. (SS K)
  • Rights, roles, and responsibilities of individuals and groups. (SS K)
  • Cultural and social awareness, achieved by exploring self-identity, acknowledging cultural differences, honouring indigenous traditions. (Career Education K)
  • Caring behaviours in groups and families. (Physical and Health Education K)
• Do (Curricular Competency):
  • Comprehend and connect (reading, listening, viewing)
    • Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community. (ELA K)
    • Recognize the importance of story in personal, family, and community identity. (ELA K)
  • Create and communicate (writing, speaking, representing)
    • Use language to identify, create, and share ideas, feelings, opinions, and preferences. (ELA K)
  • Acknowledge different perspectives on people, places, issues, or events in their lives. (SS K)
  • Identify fair and unfair aspects of events, decisions, or actions in their lives and consider appropriate courses of action. (SS K)
  • Identify and appreciate their personal attributes, skills, interests, and accomplishments. (Career Education K)
  • Share ideas, information, personal feelings, and knowledge with others. (Career Education K)
  • Identify personal skills, interests, and preferences. (Physical and Health Education K)
  • Develop and demonstrate respectful behaviours when participating in activities with others. (Physical and Health Education K)

FPPL Link:

• Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.
• Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).
• Learning involves patience and time.
• Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.
• Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.

BC ELF Link:

• Children are strong, capable in their uniqueness, and full of potential.
• Early years spaces are inclusive.
• Play is integral to well-being and learning.
• Relationships are the context for well-being and learning.

TFT Through-line Link:

• Community Building