Appreciation and Awe
Year 2: I can appreciate other people's interests and differences.
Core Story
Stone Girl, Bone Girl by Laurence Arnholt. This story is based on the real life story of Mary Anning. It is about a girl who was fascinated by fossils. Despite being teased by her peers she pursued her hobby and met some scientists who helped her discover the treasures to be found all around her.
Before reading the story use the information on the PowerPoint Y2 Appreciation and Awe to show the children some pictures of fossils.
Drawing out the virtue
Explain briefly that some fossils are the hard remains of living things like teeth or bones, and some fossils are traces of living things - like footprints. Explain that they show us that creatures living in prehistoric times were different to the creatures that live now and fossils help us to understand what creatures were like millions of years ago. Further optional information is available on the PowerPoint if you wish to go into more detail with your class after reading the story.
The focus in this unit is on appreciating other people’s interests and differences. The story explains that Mary’s interest in fossils was considered very unusual, especially for a girl in this period.
Read the story together. Stop at the point when the children chant ‘Stone Girl, Bone Girl, Out on Your Own Girl!’
Why do you think the children taunt Mary?They are afraid of things/ people who are different. Perhaps they don’t understand what fossils are or why they are special. Rather than appreciating that her interests are just different they feel insecure.
Finish reading the story and then at the end, ask the children: So in the end, who had appreciated Mary, and how did they each show their appreciation of her?
Her mother said she was clever.
Her father taught her things about Curiosities and helped her to look for them.
The Philpot sisters invited her to see their collection of Curiosities.
The customers on the beach bought her Curiosities and said how beautiful they thought they were.
The quarrymen helped her to carry the fossil home.
The scientists came a long way to see the Fish Lizard.
Even the other children appreciate her in the end when they came to see what she had discovered.
Activity 1: She sells sea shells
Teach the children this tongue twister which is about Mary Anning:
She sells sea shells on the sea shore.
The shells that she sells are sea shells I’m sure.
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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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Each to their own.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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Library books
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