Build a Strong Online or Socially-Distanced Classroom Community: Diverse Books with Meaningful Extension Activities

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all. of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Leo F. Buscaglia

It's so important that we, as teachers, create an environment, whether we are online or face-to-face, in which students feel valued as individuals, and connected to their teachers and each other. Students need to have confidence in their need to belong, be competent, experience independence and see how we can and will have fun in our community.

These books are perfect to read at the beginning of the year, create anchor charts with, and to revisit throughout the year when you want to reinforce messages of kindness, friendship, and acceptance.

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie is about a boy who wants a normal name...one that's all his own. Dad is known as big Thunder, but little thunder doesn't want to share a name. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he's done like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.

But just when Little Thunder thinks all hope is lost, dad picks the best name...Lightning! Their love will be loud and bright, and together they will light up the sky.

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: This is the perfect book for celebrating everyone’s unique name, and a great way to do that is through a special project called Radial Name Art Symmetry, which Pam Quevedo shared in our Educate the Heart Collective Group. You can find the direct link to the project here on this link.

Another project idea, called Animate A Name, involves coding and creativity can be found here.

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A.E. Ali follows a group of children from different backgrounds throughout the school year as they become the best of friends.

Musa’s feeling nervous about his first day of school. He’s not used to being away from home and he doesn’t know any of the other kids in his class. And when he meets classmates Moisés, Mo, and Kevin, Musa isn’t sure they’ll have much in common. But over the course of the year, the four boys learn more about each other, the holidays they celebrate, their favorite foods, and what they like about school. The more they share with each other, the closer they become, until Musa can’t imagine any better friends.

I love how kids discover that entering a new friendship with an open mind and sharing parts of yourself brings people together. The calendar of holidays at the end of the book is awesome for getting kids excited as they identify special events they might celebrate with friends throughout the year.

Activity: Ask students to talk about their favorite days of the year by asking them to respond on Flipgrid or by having them prepare a short presentation (essay/poster/video) the whole class can watch together.

Peanut Butter & Cupcake by Terry Border is about a little piece of bread who becomes lonely and tries to find a friend. However, Peanut Butter runs into problems when Hamburger has to walk his (hot) dogs, Cupcake is too busy building castles in her sprinkle box, and Egg laughs so hard he starts to crack up! Will Peanut Butter ever find a friend? Your students will know the answer long before Peanut Butter does and laugh along with each mismatched pairing.

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: Create a venn diagram to record Peanut Butter and Cupcake’s differences and similarities. Next, pair students up and have them get to know other by discussing their likes and dislikes. Ask them to then write a story together about how they are alike and how they are similar.

Imani’s Moon by Janay Brown-Wood is about a young Masssai girl who is called ‘Imani the Tiny.’ but has great determination to touch the moon. Her mother shares stories of others who have overcome challenges and managed great accomplishments always reminding Imani that “it is only you who must believe.”

Find a great Youtube version here.

Activity: Have the students write a story about achieving something that might seem impossible, like touching the moon. They should have a beginning which explains what they want to accomplish, a middle which discusses the steps they will take to achieve it, and an ending that shows the final accomplishment. You could have them share their stories with the class and even compile them into a class book, titled, “How We Will Touch the Moon.”

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah is about two girls who are best friends. Lily and Salma like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together. Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus-but what's that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: Discuss and chart the behaviors involved in being a bystander and standing up for others. Also, create a list of ways we can have the courage to be kind to others in difficult situations. Students can explain why Selma and Lily got into a fight and then write a letter to both of them, giving advice on how to solve their problem. They can work together on a shared google document or work individually, and then compare their ideas, and have thoughtful discussions about the best ways to solve the problem peacefully.

Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn is all about Lola and her mommy’s special visits to the library. Lola loves meets her friends there and they get to share books and don't have to be quiet all the time. The nice librarian tells stories. There is a big machine that buzzes Lola's books in and out, and she can take any books she wants home with her. Lola and her mommy always stop for a treat on the way home. No wonder Lola loves the library!

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: Lola goes to the library every Tuesday. Ask kids to recall their favorite library memories and have them work on one or more of the following projects:

Design a new library card for your state
Design a special bookmark, highlighting the many wonderful things about the library.
Create a newsletter that would come from a library, including book reviews of your favorite books.

These projects can be done with a buddy or within a small group electronically or individually and then shared discussed as a group.

Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio tells the story of Grace, a girl who learns that the United States has never had a female president. Grace decides she wants to be the nation's first and immediately jumpstarts her political career by running in her school's mock election! The race is tougher than she expected: her popular opponent declares that he's the "best man for the job" and seems to have captured the votes of all of the class's boys. But Grace is more determined than ever. Even if she can't be the best man for the job, she can certainly try to be the best person!

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: Create an anchor chart together to analyze Grace’s character. Have the students come up with words to describe what she sees, does, thinks, and feels. Have them create a Venn diagram to compare Grace and Thomas. Discuss what ‘good citizens’ do and then have them think about three things they would do if they were President. They should be able to explain their choices and prepare either a poster or slide presentation to convince the class that they would be the best choice.

Princess Arabella Goes to School by Mylo Freeman is part of an awesome series and Princess Arabella wants nothing more than to go to school. She excitedly gets up in the morning and packs her bag with all the things she will need. As it turns out, going to Royal School is no fun. They teach the princesses how to curtsey and walk gracefully. Arabella wants to read and play and do arts and crafts. It isn't until the children get to bring their favorite animal to school that Arabella enjoys herself.

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: Ask each student to decide what his/her favorite pet is and to write an opinion piece persuading the class that it is the best. They should be include an introductory sentence, three reasons why the pet they choose is the best, and a closing statement. This could be done as a slide show, a video, or on paper. Allow the students to be creative, and of course, allow lots of time for everyone to share their projects so they will all get to know each other better. This would be a great topic for a Padlet discussion. If you are not familiar with Padlet, this is an awesome tutorial.

Lailah’s Lunchbox by Reem Faruqi is about a girl named Lailah, who is in a new school in a new country, thousands of miles from her old home, and missing her old friends. When Ramadan begins, she is excited that she is finally old enough to participate in the fasting but worried that her classmates won’t understand why she doesn’t join them in the lunchroom.

Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs.

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: After reading the book, ask students why Lailah was fasting (going without eating for a period of time) during Ramadan? Help them to understand that Lailah and her family are Muslim and during Ramadan, which is a month long period of prayer, fasting and charity-giving for Muslims, people fast between sunrise and sunset. Ask them about holidays and traditions their family celebrates and explain that these traditions can come from their religion, race, nationality or another aspect of their culture. Ask them to share something about their culture by either creating a culture flag, developing an acrostic poem or a poem inspired by Lailah’s poem, or interviewing each other about aspects of their identity and culture.

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry highlights the relationship between a Black father and daughter. Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her -- and her hair -- happy.

Find a great YouTube version here.

Activity: Ask students to tell why they believe it is important to embrace their own uniqueness, and them have them design a map of their heart. They should draw a heart and inside make small sketches that represent all the things that they feel are special and important to them. When they are done, they should share them with the class so they can see the many similarities and also differences within the class community. This can be done on just a regular piece of paper or digitally.

Thank you so much for visiting the blog today. I hope you found this post worthwhile. I truly appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to connect further, please feel free to leave me a comment, message, or email and I will get back to you in a timely fashion.

Yours truly,

Jennifer