Appreciation and Awe
Year 1: Everyone is unique and special.
Core Story:
Something Else by Kathryn Cave. Something Else wants to play with the others but is excluded for being different. Then he meets another creature, also different from him. At first he thinks it strange but then he learns that difference is good and embraces this new friendship.
Drawing out the virtue
How do you think Something Else felt when the others wouldn’t let him join in?
How did Something Else react to meeting a new creature, unlike any he had ever seen before?
How did that make the creature feel?
What was it that Something Else remembered that made him change his mind?
Activity 1: Celebrating diversity
Using the cultural diversity of your classroom as a starting point, discuss the ways in which are different but the same. For example, most cultures have special days and celebrations, they might have special foods or clothes or words they use.
Invite a parent to talk to the class about their family’s culture. This could be about the language or alphabet they use; the religion they follow; or the country they are from.
At the end of the visit children thank the visitor saying ‘thank you for your visit, we really appreciate learning about your culture’.
Activity 2: Movers and Shakers
In this game the teacher leads children by saying a statement accompanied by a gesture. Explain to the class that if the statement is true for them, they copy the gesture. If the statement is not true for them they keep still – their job is to look around and notice who is moving. Encourage pupils to see what they have in common and where they are different. You could ask pupils follow up questions eg. what country do your family live in, have you ever visited them?
You have been on a boat
You like dogs
You speak another language at home
You have ever been to a place of worship like a church or a mosque
You have family in another country
You have seen your grandparents this week
You have been to a wedding
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Classroom language
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Sayings
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I like the way X is showing his appreciation of …
Remember to stop and appreciate things.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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Library books
This is a lovely silent short video about a dog and a dolphin who manage to be friends despite their differences.
Augustus and His Smile by Catherine Rayner
Wow! Said the Owl – by Tim Hopgood – Nursery
Leah’s Christmas Story by Margaret Bateson-Hill
Dear Greenpeace, There’s a Whale in Emily’s Pond by Simon James
The Big Big Sea by Martin Waddell
When I Was Born by Isabel Minhos Martins and Madalena Matoso
Listen Listen by Phillis Gershator
Rainforest Romp by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker