Kids love the bird video that is used in this lesson as it’s super silly, and yet it also has a deep lesson embedded within – the importance of respecting those who are different from us. This lesson can also support the general education curriculum use of comparing/contrasting, writing and the use of poems.
Lesson Title: Respect – It’s for the Birds
Grade(s): K-5
ASCA Standards:
- PS:A1.2 Identify values, attitudes and beliefs
- PS:B1.7 Demonstrate a respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences
Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to define respect and provide examples for how they may show respect for things, places, and people
Materials:
- Printout of the following worksheet:
- Technology to present the following videos:
Lesson:
Begin by sharing the following video with students:
Discussion questions:
- Were
the small birds respectful to the big bird or disrespectful?
- Disrespectful
- How
were the small birds disrespectful to the big bird?
- By not letting him sit with them and laughing at him/making fun of him
- How
do you think that made the big bird feel?
- Sad, hurt, frustrated, left out
- Why
do you think the little birds treated the big bird this way?
- Because he looked/was different from them, trying to be funny, to seem cool, maybe they didn’t know how it would make the big bird feel or haven’t learned the importance of respect
Share the following: Today we are going to talk about respect. Does anyone know what respect means? [Call on students] Respect is a way that you think or treat something or someone. Respecting others means that you think well of them, behave in a positive way around them, and that you treat them the way you want to be treated.
We can respect Places, Things, and People! Draw two lines to create three different spaces on a white board. Label one spot Places, one Things, and the last People. Ask students to share different ways we can be respectful in each category and provide examples. The following video shows a counselor doing a good job of providing examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmqRNu_Wzbc&list=PLAP-GCgBucFnuYfJ4z-EDunmM65NkMfdG&index=3
Closing Discussion:
- How can we make the world a better place by respecting people, places, and things?
- How can we show respect to people who look/act different or believe different things from us?
- Is it ever difficult to be respectful?
- Why is it important that we show respect?
The following worksheet allows students to explore respect. This first link (optional) can be used to help students to reference examples of respect or to hang up in your classroom. The second link is a worksheet you may provide to each student. I printed page 6: This is Me Showing Respect for K-1, page 7: Acrostic Poem about Respect for grades 4-5, and page 5: What It Means To Me for grades 2-3. If time allows, students may color/decorate or present their papers to the class.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ways-to-Show-Respect-314359
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Character-Education-Respect-Activity-Pack-1476820
End the activity by allowing students K-2 to watch the following segment on Respect from Sesame Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOzrAK4gOSo
Love for the Elementary Counselor 