Grades 1 to 2

Developing Empathy: Lesson

In this lesson, students will gain a better understanding of what it means to be empathetic and be able to identify behaviors that show empathy toward others. Framework When ...
Treating People With Dignity: Lesson

In this lesson, students will explore the ways people with a critical health condition or disease might feel, as well as various ways they can support and show compassion toward those who are living with an ...
Talking About Our Families: Lesson

These lessons provide a framework that will help students talk about their own and others’ families in safe, caring ways. Framework For elementary school children, talking ...
The Only Boy in the Ballet Class: Activity Exchange

To teach about the importance of kindness, I first choose a story in which children are putting down others— for example, The Only Boy in the Ballet Class , by Denise Gruska, or Oliver Button is a Sissy ...
What’s Fair?: Lesson

This lesson explores the concept of fairness through questions such as: What is fair? Should all people be treated the same? What would you do if you saw someone treated unfairly? Students are encouraged to ...
Wants Versus Needs: Lesson

The lessons that follow will start a conversation about material consumption. Framework It happens in almost every classroom community: Someone has something someone else ...
Understanding Disabilities: Lesson

In this lesson, students will first learn about disabilities. Then they will learn tips for communicating respectfully with people with disabilities. Framework People ...
Everyone’s a Helper: Lesson

This lesson helps children identify their own strengths and struggles. Students will work on ways to bring all their strengths together to build a classroom community. Building a ...
What’s Your Name? (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity

Based on Crossing Borders/Border Crossings and What's In a Name?" Have students go around their table and introduce themselves, and tell people about their name. ...
It’s About Me (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity

Loosely based on "What Are You?" Students bring a photograph to school with them that shows someone or something important to them. It might be a picture of them at an ...
Buddies (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity

Based on Musical Chairs Students sit at cafeteria tables with people they don’t usually sit with. (You can use a technique such as distributing playing cards, or “Life Savers in ...
Mix It Up With a Deck of Cards (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity

Based on Mixing It Up with Purpose As students enter the cafeteria, give each student a playing card. Tell them to sit at a table where everyone has a card of the same suit or at ...
Human Scavenger Hunt (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity

Based on Mixing It Up with Purpose Before students leave their classroom for lunch, give each student a Popsicle stick with a word on it. Within each class, each student ...
That’s Teamwork (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity

Based on Mix It Up: Score One for Humanity Give students lollipops and have them sit at a table with people who have the same color lollipop. Have each group solve a ...
Who We REALLY Are: Activity Exchange

Sometimes students get stuck on superficial notions of identity, both in understanding themselves and in looking at their classmates. This activity uses literature to challenge stereotypes and help children ...
Compliment Tag! (Lunch Day Mixer): Activity Exchange

As an elementary school counselor, I am continually amazed at the number of students who do not know how to give and receive a compliment. Students seem to have no trouble, however, with the occasional teasing ...
It’s Okay to Feel Different: Lesson

The beginning of the school year is such an exciting time. Students and teachers arrive full of dreams, goals and enthusiasm. There are the prospects of new friends, interesting learning and becoming part of ...
Reading for Social Justice: Lesson

It is often said that reading opens up new worlds. It also opens up the opportunity to ask deep questions about the world that we—and the literature we read—exist in. Book clubs or literature circles are one ...
The Gift of Community: Activity

Building on the common early grades theme of “neighborhood and community,” this lesson uses a free, downloadable children’s book, “The Gift,” to drive home the idea that people—and their diverse interests—are ...
A Song for Anti-Bullying: Activity Exchange

This activity involves a simple song that can help younger students deal with the issue of bullying and bullies. When students are bullied, they are often reluctant to let teachers ...
School Lunches: Cultural Relevancy in the Cafeteria: Lesson

This lesson seeks to open students’ eyes to the variety of experiences that they and their classmates have at lunchtime. By thinking about diverse students’ needs and experiences, students who complete this ...
Reducing Gender Stereotyping and Homophobia in Sports: Lesson

Recently, professional football players Brendon Ayanbadejo and Scott Fujita spoke out to support marriage equality. Their advocacy brings to the surface a discussion that has been going on for a long time ...
Celebrate Each Other: Activity Exchange

On the first day of each school year, my students and I form a circle and I ask them these questions: Do we all have the same hair color? Do we all have the same eyes? ...
Happy Faces: Lesson

Everyone has a bad day once in a while. This activity helps students be sensitive to schoolmates who might be having a bad day and gives them a way to cross boundaries and bring cheer to others. ...
Common questions about youth and prejudice: Publication

Expert Q&A: Ages 6-12 Kevin Swick, a professor of early childhood education at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and Roni Leiderman, associate dean of the Mailman ...
Cooperation: Toolkit

Activities for The Fighting Mynahs Materials " The Fighting Mynahs " Objectives Explore cooperation as a basic life skill that helps us ...
Bullies Act Out: Activity

This activity will remind students that no one deserves to be bullied and that everyone has a responsibility to report unkind acts. Materials Classroom table bulletin ...
Highlighting Gender: Activity

Early grades activity designed to confront gender stereotypes. This is a part of Gender Doesn't Limit You! , also available as a PDF . Note: Substitute your ...
Biased Judgments: Activity

Early grades activity to confront gender stereotypes. This is a part of Gender Doesn't Limit You! , also available as a PDF . Note: Substitute your school's name ...
Teasing About Gendered Activities, Traits Or Possessions: Activity

Early grades activity to confront gender stereotypes. This is a part of Gender Doesn't Limit You! , also available as a PDF . Note: Substitute your school's name ...

Teaching Tolerance

Results for Grades 1 to 2

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