Friends Diversity

1
Friends(Diversity)

• Resource Unit
• By Barb Holmgren
• Preschool

2
Table of Contents

• Introduction
• State Content Standards Objectives
• Content
• Lesson Objectives Activities
• Vocabulary
• Evaluation
• Instructional Resources

3
Introduction

• This resource unit is designed to help young
  children explore the similarities and differences
  between people. It will provide experiences for
  the children to learn about specific disabilities
  such as autism. Hopefully it will foster
  positive interactions between differently abled
  peers.

4
ObjectivesState Content Standards

• Develop a sense of belonging to different groups
  (e.g., family, groups of friends, preschool
  class, boys or girls).
• Gain information through participation in
  experiences with objects, media, books and
  engaging in conversations with peers.
• Represent ideas through multiple forms of
  language and expression (e.g., drawing, dramatic
  play, conversation, art media, music, movement,
  emergent writing).

5
Content

• Objective To become aware of differences and
  similarities between people and begin to develop
  positive attitudes about people with differing
  abilities.
• During circle times the children will have
  various
• opportunities to learn about themselves and
• others. They will participate in music, art, and
• drama activities to support their learning.
• Through supported play interactions, the children
  
• will have opportunities to interact with children
  of
• varying abilities. Accurate and developmentally
• appropriate information about disabilities will
  be
• presented.

6
Lesson 1

• Objective To learn about similarities and
  differences of eye color.
• Sing Do You Know This Friend of Mine?
• (Tune Muffin Man)
• Have the children look at their eye color in a
  mirror. Make a simple graph showing the eye
  color of everyone in the classroom. Talk about
  whose eyes are the same color and whose eyes are
  different.
• Read a simple friend book such as Titch and Daisy
  by Pat Hutchins.
• During playtime, carefully structure play groups
  with differently abled peers and provide support
  for successful interactions. Make it Fun!
• (Continue this strategy everyday)

7
Lesson 2

• Objective To learn about similarities and
  differences of hair, including color, length and
  texture.
• Sing Be My Friend
• Have the children look at their hair in a mirror.
  Make a simple graph showing the hair color,
  length, and texture of everyone in the classroom.
  Talk about the things children have in common.
• Read a simple friend book such as My Friend Bear
  by Jez Alborough
• Prepare a PowerPoint game where the children
  count pictures of their peers. The children will
  move the mouse over a number and the
  corresponding number of childrens pictures
  appear for them to count.

8
Lesson 3

• Objective To learn about similarities and
  differences
• of skin color.
• Sing Glad to Have a Friend Like You
• Get paint chips from a local store. Help the
  children
• identify which one is closest to their skin
  color.
• In the art area, work with each child and help
  them mix their own unique color.
• Make paper plate puppets. Have each child paint
  a paper plate with their own special color.
  Using various art materials such as yarn, raffia,
  ribbon, fuzzy pipe cleaners, beads, etc., help
  each child create a puppet that looks just like
  them. During this process use the graphs and
  mirror again. Extend the lesson, matching lip
  color. Some of the children may want to paint
  teeth white-out works good for this. For nappy
  hair, it works well to wrap fuzzy pipe cleaners
  around a pencil. Beads and bows may be added
  according to what the children see in the mirror.
  (This project may take several weeks.)

9
Lesson 3

• Objective To celebrate our similarities and
  differences through music and drama.
• Sing Be My Friend and Glad to have a Friend
  Like You. Add motions with the puppets the
  children have made. Practice and share with
  others.

10
Lesson 4

• Sing We Have a Friend using each childs name.
• At circle time, talk about what each child is
  good at. Make a class list.
• Read Will You Be My Friend?
• Make a Friends book. Take each child's picture
  with a digital camera. Using the computer put one
  childs picture on each page with a simple
  description of what they look like and what they
  are good at. Ex This is John. He has short
  brown hair and brown eyes. John is good at
  knocking down block towers. Laminate the book
  and place in the library area. Read it often,
  both to individual children and at group times.

11
Lesson 5

• Objective To provide specific information about
  a disability.
• Read Andy and his Yellow Frisbee. This book
  tells the story of what happens when a new girl
  tries to befriend Andy, a boy with autism. Adapt
  as needed for your classroom. Depending on your
  situation, you may want to read this book to
  small groups of children.
• Always model ways to interact.
• Use dolls or puppets to provide information about
  a disability.
• Provide experiences that help teach about
  disabilities as appropriate for your class. Ex
  Young children may need supervised opportunities
  to try out specific communication devices and
  adaptive equipment.

12
Vocabulary

• friend
• same
• different
• short
• long
• autism or other correct terminology as needed for
  your classroom.

13
Evaluation

• Teacher observation and anecdotal logs should
• be used to document progress. Use the camera
• to help document play interactions. Related art
• projects may be kept in a portfolio or
• photographed. All children should be able to
• participate in classroom activities in some way.
• Just sitting in the classroom is not good enough.
• Positive attitudes are fostered through positive
• experiences.

14
Teacher resources

• Carpenter, E. S., Diamond, K.E., Hestenes, L.
  L.,
• Innes, F. K. (1997). Relationships between
  enrollment in
• an inclusive class and preschool childrens ideas
  about
• people with disabilities. Topics in Early
  Childhood Special
• Education, 17, Retrieved January 29, 2005, from
• Academic Search Premier database.
• Cross, A. F., Hutter-Pishgahi, L., Shelton, G.,
  Traub,
• E. K. (2004). Elements of successful inclusion
  for
• children with significant disabilities. Topics
  in Early
• Childhood Special Education, 24, Retrieved
  January 29,
• 2005, from Academic Search Premier database.
• Derman-Sparks, L. (2001 chap. 5). Anti-bias
  curriculum
• tools for empowering young children. Washington
  DC
• National Association for the Education of Young
• Children.

15
Teacher Resources cont.

• Diamond, K.E. Stacey, S. (2003). The other
  children at
• Preschool. Experiences of typically developing
  children in
• inclusive programs. In C. Copple (Ed.), A world
  of difference
• (pp.135-139). Washington DC National
  Association for the
• Education of Young Children.
• Diamond, K. E. (2001). Relationships among
  young childrens
• ideas, emotional understanding, and social
  contact with
• classmates with disabilities. Topics in Early
  Childhood Special
• Education, 21, Retrieved January 29, 2005, from
  Academic
• Search Premier database.
• Garfinkle, A.N., Schwartz, I. S. (2002). Peer
  imitation
• increasing social interactions in children with
  autism and other
• developmental disabilities in inclusive preschool
  classrooms.
• Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 22,
  Retrieved
• January 29, 2005, from Academic Search Premier
  database.

16
Books about Autism

• Russell Is Extra Special by Amenta III, M.D
• This book describes the daily life, likes and
  dislikes,
• And habits of a boy with autism. It could be
  used by
• parents or teachers to help children learn about
• autism. The pictures are all natural photos.
• Looking after Louis. By L. Ely
• This book would be very helpful for a
  kindergarten
• or first grade classroom. It describes what
  happens
• when a new boy with autism joins a classroom, and
  
• the children try to understand his world and
  include
• him in theirs.
• Ians walk by L. Lears
• This book was written for siblings of children
  with autism. It
• tells the story of when a young girl realizes how
  much she cares
• about her brother with autism when he gets lost
  in the park.

17
More Books About Autism

• Andy and his Yellow Frisbee by M. Thompson
• This book tells the story of what happens when
  the
• new girl at school tries to befriend Andy, a boy
  with
• autism, who spends every recess by himself,
  spinning
• a yellow Frisbee. The text can be simplified and
  
• used with preschool children.
• Talking to Angels by E. Watson
• The narrator of this book is the sister of a girl
  with
• autism. It is written as a tribute to her
  sister. The
• text is very simple and moving.

18
Books about other Disabilities

• A-B-C-ing An Action Alphabet by Bellet
• This is a great alphabet book showing children
  with
• various disabilities being active.
• Like Me by Brightman
• This book is about a developmentally delayed
  child.
• It is written from the childs viewpoint.
• Our Brother has Downs Syndrome by Cairo
• This book does a nice job of talking about a
  child with Downs
• Syndrome.
• My Friend Jacob by Clifton
• In this book, a child tells about his best friend
  who is
• developmentally delayed.

19
More Books About Disabilities

• Jo, Flo, and Yolanda by DePoix
• This book helps children explore the similarities
  and
• differences between friends.
• Grandmas Wheelchair by Henriod
• This is a nice book showing an active grandma in
  a
• wheelchair.
• Catching by Jensen
• This book has pictures to feel. Great for both
  blind and
• sighted children.
• Dont Forget Tom by Larson
• This story is about a child with developmental
  delays

20
More Books About Disabilities

• I Have a Sister, My Sister Is Deaf by Peterson
• This is a nice book that explores both sibling
• relationships and being deaf.
• About Handicaps by Stein
• A typically developing child faces his fears
  about a friend
• with a disability. This book covers a very
  important topic
• that is not usually addressed in childrens
  literature.
• All About Me/Lets Be Friends by Weissman
• This book is appropriate for very young children.
  It
• shows children from various races and children
  with
• disabilities.

21
Books About Friends for Young Children

• My Friend Bear by Alborough
• This is one of my favorite childrens books. A
  young boy
• and a bear are initially afraid of each other and
  then
• find out that they have many things in common.
• Titch and Daisy by Hutchins
• This book is about facing fears and joining in to
  make new
• friends.
• One Duck Stuck by Root
• This is a wonderful counting and rhyming book
  about
• cooperation.
• Will You Be My Friend? by Tafuri
• A gentle story about a bunny and a bird helping
  each other.