Social Justice for Little Learners

Grade Level: Grade Two

Topic: Inclusive and Kind Community

Book Title: “All Are Neighbors”

Author: Alexandra Penfold

Link to Purchase: https://a.co/d/gHKg7da

Link for Online Read-Aloud : https://youtu.be/QbgCBr-534A?si=s5fcVk4ElQXcgCw-

Discussion Prompts/Questions:

• “What is a community?”
• “When you look at the community on pages 5-6, what do you notice about the different families and groups in the pictures? Describe how different families are starting their day.”
• “What are some clues on pages 9-10 that tell you that people from different parts of the world live here?”
• “How is your community similar to the one in the book? How is it different?”
• “Why is it important to have a community where everyone is welcome?”

Follow-Up Activity:

• Brainstorm phrases and words that fit with the theme of “all are neighbours”, and use these to create a large collaborative mural on paper (with paint, markers, etc), a collage using magazine cuttings, or chalk on sidewalks outside. Encourage students to discuss their ideas and to work together to create one cohesive project, with the goal of showing that all are neighbours and all are welcome.

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 different aspects of myself. I can describe my family, home, and/or community (people and/or place).
• Social Awareness and Responsibility
  • I can be aware of others and my surroundings.
  • I can help and be kind.
  • I am aware that other people can be different from me.

Thinking

• Creative Thinking
  • I get ideas when I play.
• Critical Thinking
  • I can explore with a purpose in mind and use what I learn.

Communication

• Communicating
  • In familiar settings, I communicate with peers and adults.
• Collaborating
  • In familiar situations, I cooperate with others for specific purposes.
  • I contribute during group activities, cooperate with others, and listen respectfully to their ideas.

BC Curricular Connections:

• Understand (Big Ideas):
  • Stories and other texts help us to learn about ourselves and our families. (ELA 2)
  • Everyone has a unique story to share. (ELA 2)
  • Local actions have global consequences, and global actions have local consequences. (SS 2)
  • Strong communities are the results of being connected to family and community and working together toward common goals. (Career Education 2)
  • People connect to the hearts and minds of others in a variety of places and times through the arts. (Arts Education 2)
• Know (Content):
  • Diverse characteristics of communities and cultures in Canada and around the world. (SS 2)
  • Cultural and social awareness, achieved by exploring self-identity, acknowledging cultural differences, honouring indigenous traditions. (Career Education 2)
  • Personal and collective responsibility associated with creating, experiencing, or sharing in a safe learning environment. (Arts Education 2)
• 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 2)
    • Demonstrate awareness of the role that story plays in personal, family, and community identity. (ELA 2)
  • Create and Communicate (writing, speaking, representing)
    • Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding. (ELA 2)
  • Explain why people’s beliefs, values, worldviews, experiences, and roles give them different perspectives on people, places, issues, or events. (SS 2)
  • Share ideas, information, personal feelings, and knowledge with others. (Career Education 2)
  • Work respectfully and constructively with others to achieve common goals. (Career Education 2)
  • Create artistic works collaboratively and as an individual using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play. (Arts Education 2)
  • Explore personal experience, community, and culture through arts activities. (Arts Education 2)

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 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:

• Justice Seeking
• Community Building