Fun Stuff To Download
Games To Play In The Classroom
1. Can you add to the story? Can you come up with a place where you would be doing the same thing as someone else? Draw a picture showing where you would be and what you and the other people/person would be doing, then write about it. It should end in “just like me”.
2. The Same and Different game. Start by looking at all the small illustrations under the words in the book. Ask the class to name all the things that make them the same and all the things that make them different.
Example: The Fish.
Same...All fish, all have fins, all have eyes, all can swim...
Different. All different colors, different shapes...
3. Can you think of some things that can be the same and different at the same time? (Like the fish, fruit, chairs, cups, flowers, etc.) Draw a picture of what you came up with and show how they are the same and different. Show your neighbor. See if they can name one thing that's the same and one thing that's different.
4. How are you like April? How are you different from April? Make a list with two columns. List all similarities and differences in the proper column. Do some overlap? (For example: you both have hair but it may be a different color). Or pick someone else in the book (Mary, Jeannie, Bob, etc.). Did everyone have more in the same or different column?
5. Before the next exercise you may want to talk about how our feelings are so much alike. Ask who likes to be called bad names and who wants to be left out.
Have the children line up in a row. Start by saying one thing abou yourself that makes YOU different from the person on your right. Go down the row and have each child say something that makes them different from the person on their right. When you get to the end, have them say one thing that makes them the same as the person on their right. Remind them before you start that you want to come up with as many different ideas as possible and try not to have any repeats. Make sure that when they are saying what’s different or the same that they say “I” not “YOU", as in “I am different because I have blue eyes and yours are brown”.
Note: If you have a large group you may want to break them into groups of 10 or fewer.
6. Try to pair up students that seem very different from one another. Have them interview each other to see what they have in common and what is different from one another. Have them come up with their own questions, or as a group the class can come up with questions. Then they can pair off to interview one another. You could also hand out your own list of questions.
7. Take a plain brown bag, crumple it up and fill it with lollipops then tie it with some old rope. Now fill a beautiful gift bag with toilet paper and tie it with ribbons and bows. Ask the students to pick a bag. Once the bags are opened, ask them how they think this relates to people.
8. Find Mary Thompson in the book. (She’s the woman in the wheelchair.) Ask the students what they KNOW about Mary. Make two columns, but don’t label them yet. Put FACTS in one column and ASSUMPTIONS in the other. Once you’re done, ask the students if they can label the columns. Ask what the difference is and if it is ever good to assume anything about anyone.
Now you can tell them about Mary. She was in a car accident in 1990. She has been in over 100 marathons all over the world and she has even won many of them. She trains every day at the beach by her house. She got married in 1999. She can get into her van all by herself and even lifts her wheelchair into the back with one arm. She can drive her own van. She’s a generous, friendly woman and she works with special needs kids every year at summer camp.
Now check to see if anyone's assumptions were right.
To expand on this idea you could bring in a picture of a close friend, family member or a famous person (For example: Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Vicente Fox, or even Slobodan Milosevic) that the kids might not know.
Coloring Book Activity
There are 3 different fun Coloring Page pdf's. These are actual copies of the illustrations that are in the book that I copied before painting them. Look for Additional Information and listed there you will find print and color activities pages 1, 2 and 3.
Five Day Lesson Plan
(Download A Ready-To-Use Plan-A-Day PDF below)
Introduction
You may want to look over the plan and adapt it to the particular needs in your class. You can make them more challenging or more simplified depending on your needs.
Here’s a quick overview. Go to "Download" at the bottom to download the complete worksheets:
Day 1: Vocabulary/Journal
Objective: Increase vocabulary skills.
Materials: Print out worksheet, and a dictionary. Define words from the book and new words. Write about something that makes you different from the other students in class.
Day 2: Reading
Objective: Read “DIFFERENT JUST LIKE ME” and discuss.
Materials: The book“DIFFERENT JUST LIKE ME” and the outline of the story.
Day 3: Play/Readers Theater
Objective: Reinforce reading and comprehension.
Materials: Copies of the story-one per student.
Day 4: Write, Draw and Edit
Objective: Have students think, write and draw about a day they felt left out.
Materials: Copies of cartoon set up. One per student.
Day 5: Writing/ Structure
Objective: Work in groups of four to write about real-life problems that children experience in social situations
A. Write about the problem and the solution.
B. Create a class library for reference to all students.
Materials: The worksheet. One piece of 8 1/2” by 11” construction paper for the cover and two pieces of blank white 8 1/2” by 11” paper. Fold them all in half and you will have four pages for the story. Have them use the front of the page so there's no bleed through.