Teaching Resources
In this space we list resources useful for understanding meaning-based teaching as well as practical ideas for lesson plans and activities. We have posted several Activity Packets taken from our theme-based resource books: Traditional Tales: 30 Activities for Differentiated Instruction; INTERCONNECTEDNESS: Connecting to Self, Others, Nature, and Society; and 36 Sets of Classroom Activities Using SOCIAL JUSTICE Literature for Differentiated Instruction. We have chosen samples from different developmental phases and perspectives. We will change these from time-to-time.
The Helpful Links for Teachers lists websites we feel will be useful in supporting literacy development. We will add to this, but we welcome suggestions from you, as well.
We have included a section here where you may send in your own favorite activities and websites to share with others. Also, feel free to use the space to ask questions.
Social Justice Packet No. 20
Social Justice Packet No. 20: Needs, Wants, and Gratitude
This packet is designed to help students explore the concepts of needs vs. wants and the value of gratitude through two stories on grandmothers and their grandsons. In Last Stop on Market Street, a grandmother teaches her grandson to find beauty in the people and places in his environment and to feel gratitude for what he has rather than longing for what he hasn’t. In Those Shoes a boy struggles with the dilemma of needs vs. wants when he wants the latest fashion footwear. He ultimately experiences gratitude for his boots and happiness when he is generous to a friend whose needs are greater than his. Although culturally generic in many respects, both books will enable children living in urban and culturally diverse settings to connect to the characters and environment and will open windows in understanding for readers who live in suburban or rural settings.