The Invisible Boy

Blurb from Amazon

A simple act of kindness can transform an invisible boy into a friend...

Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.

Identities

How will your teaching help students to learn something about themselves and/or others?

Students will learn

to be inclusive
to see everyone has value
to be kind
to take the lead when someone is feeling excluded

Skills

What skills and content learning are you teaching?

Students will learn

to make predictions
to back up predictions with evidence from the text
to retell the story using sequential words, first, then, next, after that, finally
to infer how someone might be feeling and to empathize
to make connections to self, text, and the world

Intellect

What will students become smarter about?

Students will become smarter about

noticing intentional and unintentional exclusion
making better choices
reading body language and emotions
being compassionate

Criticality

How will you engage your thinking about power, equity, anti-oppression in the text, in society, and in the world?

We will

discuss bias in books and in the media
notice how bias leads to exclusion
understand that being different is okay
choose to be inclusive

Learning Activities

Brainstorm words that come to mind when you hear 'inclusive' or 'inclusion'. Use Mentimeter , EdWordle, Poll Everywhere, or Abcya.com to create a word cloud.
Build class community
- - "Find Someone Who ..." card. Use the Canva bingo generator to customize the card for the class.
  - Each person writes something nice for everyone in the class.
  - Create a group mural.
  - Write a story together in groups of 3-4.
  - Go on a group scavenger hunt.
  - Play cooperative games. Find game suggestions on Playworks in the Game Library.
Try the strategy Cultural Representation Reflection from Teaching Books to compare, contrast, and make connections between cultures. There are three samples
- - "Students consider cultural representation in the text by comparing and contrasting their own experiences with elements of the story using drawing and guided reflection."
  - "Students consider cultural representation in the text with Venn diagrams and guided reflection prompts that encourage them to consider the familiar and unfamiliar from their reading."
  - "Students consider cultural representation with guided reflection on what they see in their world and the experiences they notice in the text. Power, privilege, and bias are among the themes that are examined."
Brainstorm reasons why someone might feel excluded or why someone might be excluded.
Think who might feel excluded. Consider ways to include this person. Write about it. Make it happen.
Mediate on Friendly Wishes by Cosmic Kids Yoga
Role play situations that teach inclusion, compassion, and kindness.
Write to the Troops or Postcards for Peace
Visit a seniors home.