*This lesson coincides with Chapter 7, Don’t be foolish, from A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech.
| Suggested Books (paid link) |
|---|
Lesson written by: Nicole Medeiros and Mary Wertjes
Grade level range: 3-5
Length of time to teach lesson: 60 minutes
Overview of lesson: This lesson covers exploring outside the box, not worrying if you’re different than everyone else, and reversing your thinking. It encourages students to be themselves and have an open mind to new and DIFFERENT ideas.
Objectives (Learning targets) of this lesson: Students can analyze the character’s inner struggle and suggest resolutions. Students can compare/contrast their individual differences with the main character’s.
Resources/supplies/handouts: Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon or Storyline.com, post-it notes, index cards, paper dolls or clipart of human form and colored pencils/markers, rubric
Step-by-step teaching instructions.
1. Read or show (online) Bad Case of Strips.
2. Students write one very unusual, out-of-the-norm, crazy, bizarre, or surprising fact about themselves that few people would know (on a post-it note or index card). They must be willing to share this with one person.
3. Share in partners with brief discussion.
4. Individually, students compare/contrast their traits with Camilla’s on a Venn Diagram. They take this information and write a brief summary with an introduction, similarities, differences and a concluding statement.
5. Class discussion and laugh-at-yourself opportunity.
6. Discuss change and its difficulties.
7. Dress or design paper dolls differently than the norm, like Camilla in the book.
8. On index cards, write 3 changes they could make to a daily routine, for example: getting ready for school, after school routine, getting ready for bed, how they brush their teeth, etc.
9. Groups discuss and decide on a Theme or Moral to this story – should be something along the lines of not worrying about being different, originality is a good thing!
10. Share out.
11. Draw a picture or make a model of their brain with at least one unusual idea being represented.
12. Display!
Assessment: Rubric – have students self-assess or work to assess a partner in order to revise their work.
