Don't judge a book...

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Archive : 2004 : January : 19

Don't judge a book...
By deb

I start the day with 2 wrapped packages laid out at morning meeting. The first package is beautifully wrapped, but has garbage inside. The other has ripped, dirty paper, but contains a special treat (lollipops, stickers
or pencils) for each child. I tell the children that they may keep what is inside the package they choose. Of course, most pick the beautiful package. We discuss reasons for their choices. It is really interesting to hear their responses and reactions to what is inside the packages. This leads to a discussion of appearances and how deceiving they can be. (Don't judge a book...) We

talk about pre-judging people based on looks and that in order to get to know the person, you need to "open them up" by talking and spending time with them. (Oh, everyone gets a "good" treat at the end of the lesson!) We also do scratchboard art, based on the pictures of Jean Marzolla's book Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King! The class colors a patchwork of bright crayon colors, pressing hard and covering the entire paper. We cover over the colors with black acrylic paint. When the paint dries, the kids can scratch out a picture, uncovering the beautiful colors underneath, using a paper clip or toothpick. Finally, I put sticker dots on half the class's forehead when they arrive. I let the stickered children sit in the front at morning meeting, get drinks and snacks first, and line up first. The children without stickers understandably become very indignant and there are many cries of "that's not fair!" After lunch, I tell the class that I made a mistake and that the wrong children received the stickers. I repeat the favoritism with the other half of the class. At the end of the day, we discuss feelings that the children had during the morning and afternoon, and how/why these feelings changed. The Sneetches is a great book/video to read/watch after the discussion.