Autism Awareness
Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to:
explore their own unique attributes.
understand differences other people might have.
celebrate differences among their class.
Introductory Activity
This lesson focuses on “Differences.” Use the following books and videos to help children
explore their own unique attributes, as well as differences other people might have.
Discussion Frame:
Review the chart together and lead a short discussion about the things each of them has
in common with the other kids in the class. Students can also use the circle to point out the things that are unique about each of them. Encourage a “class share” about what they think is unique about themselves.
Materials:
Resources:
I Am Me Poem
Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis
It's Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr
Puzzle Piece Project
Open the puzzle pieces Google Slide provided in the materials section. Create a copy per student. Have the students draw something they like, their favorite color or food. The fact that every puzzle piece is different furthers the lesson theme.
Discussion Frame:
Explain how each puzzle piece is different, but they all come together to make something beautiful. Just like each student is unique, but together make a wonderful class and a fantastic school. Every puzzle piece (and student) has something special to add that no other piece has. If you want to take this conversation further, you can talk about how some things are hard for one person, but easy for another. In a puzzle, it is easy for a corner piece to fit a corner, but a middle piece could never do that job. Someone might be really good at naming all of the different kinds of dinosaurs or solving really hard math problems, but that same person might not know how to play kickball.
Materials:
Extension Activities
Differences Chart:
Some Monsters are Different by David Milgrim
Similarities: What do we have in common?
My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson
Activity:
“Find someone who…” Teacher creates prompts for students to find students who share a similarity.
Some Monsters are Different by David Milgrim
My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson