Author(s): Cheryl Kilodavis and Suzanne DeSimone

Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eAxdxD
Indigo: https://bit.ly/2uxjRwe

Social Justice focus: LGBTQ+

Synopsis: My Princess Boy is a nonfiction picture book about acceptance and kindness. Cheryl Kilodavis’s son loves to wear dresses so she wrote this book to promote compassion and unconditional friendship. This book explores how everyone is unique, and it is our responsibility to respect everyone for who they are!

Lesson Plan: Natasha Lundy

Primary/Junior/Intermediate Lesson Plan (Abbreviated Template)

Consecutive and Concurrent Programs

Unit/Topic: Social Justice Unit – Friendship and Kindness

Grade: 4

Lesson: My Princess Boy – A lesson on unconditional friendship and acceptance

Curriculum Areas: Language Arts (reading and oral communication) and Dramatic Arts

Curriculum Expectations:

Language Arts:

B1 Oral and Non-Verbal Communication

B1.3 Speaking purposes and strategies

B1.4 Oral and non-verbal communication strategies

C1 Knowledge about Texts

C1.1 Using foundational knowledge and skills to comprehend texts

Learning Goal(s):

We are learning to:

• make connections between My Princess Boy and our own personal experiences
• communicate our ideas and opinions in a clear and coherent manner
• be mindful of our pace and volume while presenting our skit
• plan and create our own skit by working collaboratively with our group
• understand how to be kind to others and what kindness looks like

Success Criteria:

• I can make connections between myself and the reading
• I can clearly share my ideas with my classmates
• I can speak loud enough for everyone to hear when I am presenting my skit to the class
• I can speak at the right pace when I am presenting my skit to the class
• I can be kind and work well with my group members
• I can understand what it means to be a kind person

MODIFICATIONS / ACCOMMODATIONS:

• Provide students with a list that gives various examples for how to be kind to others (pictures included)
• Conference one-on-one with groups
• Complimentary group pairings
• Give prompts or examples to students needing some help with their skit
• Give students a checklist for the different tasks they need to accomplish throughout the lesson
• Instead of presenting in front of the class, students can present in small groups or just in front of the teacher

Minds-on:

Minutes: 10 minutes

Task:

Have a class discussion with the students with the following prompts:

• When is one time that you got made fun of or teased?
• How does it make you feel when someone laughs at you?

Engage in a class discussion with the students. Students will have time to think/pair/share their ideas with their elbow partners.

After students are given enough time to talk with their elbow partner, the class will engage in a whole class discussion.

The teacher will record the different answers on the white board or chart paper for students to see.

Assessment:

• Using anecdotal notes, students will be assessed on their participation in the class discussion
• The teacher will ensure that students are communicating their opinions in a clear and coherent manner to their peers.

Action:

Minutes: 30 minutes

Task:

Read The Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis to the entire class.

During the reading, make sure to pause and ask students:

• how do you think the princess boy is feeling?
• what are the pictures showing you?

Review with students what kindness means. Ask students to give their own definitions of kindness and write these on the board. Make sure to ask students how they believe they can show kindness to others.

Separate students into groups of 3 or 4 depending on the class size. Taking the examples that students gave during the Minds On in regards to times they had been made fun of or laughed at, students will brainstorm in their group how they could change that situation and show kindness to the individual who was teased.

Make a co-created success criteria with students regarding their drama presentation. (ie: tone, pace, etc.).

Students will have some time to brainstorm how they would act out the scene they were given, changing the scenario from a negative situation to a positive situation.

Have students act out in their groups how they would ensure that their friend was shown kindness instead of being laughed at or teased.

Students will present the skits they have created in front of the class. Students will be asked to tell the rest of the class what their initial situation was. After that, students will present their skit to the class.

Assessment:

• Anecdotal notes based on whether students are able to make connections with themselves and the reading.
• The teacher will co-create the success criteria with the students and make this into a rating scale rubric for the skits.
• On this rating scale rubric, students will be assessed on their ability to work in their group and their presentation skills (tone and pace).

Consolidation

Minutes: 5-8 minutes

Task:

Exit Ticket:

After students finish their presentation, students will be given an exit ticket to complete to ensure they understand what it means to be kind.

Write the following question on the board:

“What is one thing you learned from reading this book today?”

Assessment:

• The teacher will use a checklist to ensure that students understand the theme of the book and are able to communicate their ideas in a clear and coherent manner

MATERIALS:

• My Princess Boy – picture book
• Co-created success criteria
• Whiteboard + whiteboard markers
• An open space (in your classroom works as well)
• Anecdotal notes sheet
• Rating scale rubric for the presentations
• Sticky notes for the exit ticket
• Checklist for the exit ticket