Social Justice for Little Learners

Grade Level: PS 4

Topic: Inclusive and Kind Community

Book Title: “Be Kind”

Author: Pat Zietlow Miller

Link to Purchase: https://a.co/d/i1cqHcj

Link for Online Read-Aloud : https://youtu.be/kAo4-2UzgPo?si=m7ZivPBdm9kFRP2y

Discussion Prompts/Questions:

• “What do you see?”
• “There are lots of feelings in this story. What are some of the feelings you noticed? Are they good feelings, or not so good feelings?”
• “What are ways that we can show kindness at school? Who should we show kindness at school?”

Follow-Up Activity:

• Parachute time! If you have access to a parachute, find a place where the class can play together. Along with all of the other fun that you’ll have, see how many children can fit under the parachute together. Discuss the fact that everyone underneath the umbrella is unique and is important to the group, regardless of ways that they are the same or different.
• Have children use stuffed animals, dolls, or other small characters to demonstrate ways to show kindness at home and at school.

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 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 materials and actions.

Communication

• Communicating
  • In a safe and supported environment, I respond meaningfully to communication from peers and adults.
• Collaborating
  • In familiar situations, I can participate with others.

BC Curricular Connections:

• Understand (Big Ideas):
  • Stories and other texts help us to learn about ourselves and our families. (ELA K)
  • Everyone has a unique story to share. (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)
  • Strong communities are the results of being connected to family and community and working together toward common goals. (Career Education K)

• Know (Content):
  • Ways in which individuals and families differ and are the same. (SS K)
  • Cultural and social awareness, achieved by exploring self-identity, acknowledging cultural differences, honouring indigenous traditions. (Career 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)
    • Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding. (ELA K)
    • Use language to identify, create, and share ideas, feelings, opinions, and preferences. (ELA K)
  • Acknowledge different perspectives on people, places, or events in their lives. (SS K)
  • Share ideas, information, personal feelings, and knowledge with others. (Career 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 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