Tag Archives: diversity

Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds – Reader’s Response

Sky Color

This week, Divisions 2 and 3 will be reading the newest Peter H. Reynolds book, Sky Color. We will be doing a follow-up activity using visualization and “picture words”. Students will listen to the story (no pictures will be shown), and create pictures in their minds. Then, students will draw one of the pictures in their mind, and use picture words to describe the image. To complete the activity, students will answer 2 questions: “Why did you choose to draw this picture?” and “What is the message in the story and how can you apply it to your everyday life?”

Here is an excellent example from Division 2:

Why did you choose to draw this picture?
I chose to draw this picture because it was the image that stood out the most to me during the story. Also, because it was one of the most important scenes in the whole story. The third and last reason I drew this picture is because I thought that the message of the story was mostly revealed in this scene.

What is the message in this story and how can you apply it to your everyday life?
I think that the message is that everyone thinks differently. The sky doesn’t always have to be the colour blue. It can be any kind of colour you want it to be. The message applies to everyday life in a situation where at school, a classmate has an idea but everyone disagrees with it, when they should actually be open to new ideas and not what everyone else says.

Oct. 1 – 5, 2012 Read-a-Louds

This week we have 2 brand new books to read.

      Olivia and the Fairy Princesses

The Kindergarteners and Grade 1’s will be reading the new Llama Llama book, Llama Llama Time To Share, by Anna Dewdney. The beginning of the school year, when new friends are made, is a good time to review sharing. Llama Llama meets his new neighbour, Nelly Gnu, and she comes over for a visit. At first Llama Llama doesn’t want to share, but both characters learn a valuable lesson. Visit Llama Llama’s website for fun educational games and activities.

Grade 2’s and grade 3’s will be reading the latest installment of Olivia the Pig, in Olivia and the Fairy Princesses, by Ian Falconer. Olivia is a different pig, and she likes to stand out amongst the crowd. All the other girls want to be fairy princesses when they grow up, but not Olivia. This is a story about individuality. Visit Olivia’s website for more fun.

Feb. 27 – Mar. 2, 2012 Read-a-Louds

This week is all about friendship and preventing bullying. Wednesday, Feb. 29th is Pink Shirt Day, when people will be wearing pink to support the message of “Bullying Stops Here!” To go along with anti-bullying week, all classes will be reading a story about friendship. The Kindergarteners will be reading The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf, a story about working together and accepting differences.

The primary classes will be reading One of Us by Peggy Moss. Roberta goes to her first day at a new school and tries to fit in with many different groups of children. 

 

 

Finally, the intermediate classes will be reading Bird Child by Nan Forler. This is a story about being a bystander and watching someone get bullied.

Feb. 20 – 24, 2012 Read-a-Louds

Continuing with the theme of Black History Month, and tolerance, all Primary classes with be reading Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs. In this story, an African-American little boy is teased about the colour of his skin and his hair. He feels like he doesn’t belong, and the other boys say rude things to him. But when he realizes that his skin colour is “like velvet fudge frosting” and his hair is like “cotton candy…soft to the touch”, he begins to accept his appearance.

Still looking at historical fiction, Ms. Hull’s class will be reading 2 books about African-Americans: Underground and We March, both by Shane W. Evans. Underground is about the infamous Underground Railway that helped many slaves escape to freedom, and We March is set in the 1960’s during the Civil Rights Movement in America. It is set during the time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Listen and watch here.

May 2 – May 6 Read-a-Louds

This week, all primary students will be reading Rukhsana Khan’s Big Red Lollipop, a story about birthday parties and including family. The characters in the story came from Pakistan, and their mother is not familiar with North American birthday celebrations and customs, such as inviting classmates to a party. This book is based on a true story that happened when the author was younger. Big Red Lollipop is also an example of a “circular” story that ends in the same way that it started.

The intermediate classes will be listening to and discussing Janet Wilson’s nonfiction book, One Peace: True Stories of Young Activists. This book has been nominated for a Red Cedar Award.

Mar 7 – Mar 11 Read-a-Louds

For this week, all classes will be reading The Sandwich Swap by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan. This is a story about 2 girls who both eat the same sandwich for lunch every day – Lily eats peanut butter and jam sandwiches, and Salma eats hummus sandwiches. One day, Lily decides to tell Salma that her sandwich looks “yucky”, and thus begins a tale of tolerance and celebrating diversity.

Have you ever tried hummus? It’s a very tasty dip/spread made of chickpeas. Many middle eastern countries, such as Israel, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria eat it regularly. For a kid-friendly recipe to make hummus, click here.