Teachers' Corner
Project Cornerstone Teachers' Corner
Welcome Teachers! Many of you asked for extension activities and more information on the lessons. We will post the specifics for each book shortly after the Reader training on the first Wednesday of each month.
If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact the Project Cornerstone Co-Leads:
Monica Teicher, Jessica Lemieux, Vinita Alwyn, and Katie Hoffman at pcbubb@gmail.com.
Ruby Bridges Goes to School (K-2) / This is Your Time (3-5): February Lesson
Theme: Tolerance for all and acceptance of differences.
Goal: Guide students toward actions that build a more caring, just, inclusive, tolerant and safe school community. Promote a sense of belonging in school by using student’s personal power as UPstanders to include all students.
Asset Focus: Social Competencies, Positive Identity
SEL Core Competencies: Relationship Skills
PBIS: Be Respectful
Be an UPstander.
Identify the caring adults in your web of support.
Respect your classmates.
Accept others.
Understand that everyone belongs.
It takes one to make a difference.
Stand up for each other.
Digital Citizenship: Screen Out the Mean
Complementary Book List:
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
Coming On Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
Mr. Lincoln’s Way by Patricia Polacco
Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tommie dePaola
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
Remember The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison
Resist by Veronica Chambers
Separate is Never Equal; Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for
Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney
The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
White Socks Only by Evelyn Coleman
The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson
Chapter Books:
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson
Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia
Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
*Available in Spanish
When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really, Angry: December/January
Theme: Stop, think, and choose how to react to strong emotion.
Goal: Identify, acknowledge, and express feelings in safe, positive, healthy ways. Be in charge of your feelings.
Asset Focus: Support Social Competencies
SEL Core Competencies: Self Management, Self-Awareness
PBIS: Be Safe
Be the director of your emotions.
Stop, think, and choose how to react when emotions are out of control.
Take 5 to calm down.
Be able to switch directions and make positive choices.
De-escalate conversations. Use peaceful conflict resolution. Make genuine apologies.
Avoid bucket dipping.
Digital Citizenship: Power of Words
Complementary Book List:
*Cool Down and Work Through Anger by Cheri J. Meiners, M.Ed.
Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean
Sometimes I’m Bambaloo by Rachel Vail
What is a Thought? (A Thought is a Lot) by Jack Pransky and Amy Kahofer
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth
Chapter Books:
Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff
*Available in Spanish
Big: November
Asset Focus: Empowerment, Social Competencies
SEL Core Competencies: Social Awareness
PBIS: Be Respectful
Take small steps to be big; Be big for the environment; Be big and fill buckets of others; Be Inspired to be Great; Let someone line up in front of you; Write notes of encouragement; Be nice to everyone; Introduce yourself to new students; Give second chances.
Digital Citizenship: N/A
Complementary Book List:
Come with me by Holly McGhee
Do Onto Otters by Lorrie Keller
Fly Free! by Roseanne Thong
The Goat Lady by Jane Bregoli
June Peters, You Will Change the World by Alika Turner
Kindness Quilt by Nancy Wallace
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña
Lessons From A Street Kid by Craig Kielburger
A Little Peace by Barbara Kerley
One Hen: How one small loan can make a big difference by Katie Smith Milway
One Smile by Cindy McKinley
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson
Reach Out and Give by Cheri Meiners (K-2)
Rhino In the House by Daniel Kirk
Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa that Brought Them Together by Herb Shoveller
Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn
*Save the Planet/Slava el Planeta by Lorenzo Liberto
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
Twenty-two Cents by Paula Yoo
When Life Gives you lemons, Change the world! Make a Stand by Vivienne Harr
Chapter Books:
Mother West Wind’s Children by Thornton W. Burgess
Giraffe's Can't Dance: October
Asset Focus: Empowerment, Positive Identity
SEL Core Competencies: Self-Awareness
PBIS: Be Responsible
Choose how to react; Focus on the positive; Turn "I can’t" into an "I can" attitude; Be responsible for your own behavior and
feelings; Use positive self-talk.
Digital Citizenship: Show respect online
Complementary Book List:
Blue Ribbon Day by Katie Couric
The Brand New Kid by Katie Couric
A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson
The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog by Gloria Estefan
Not Yet by Lisa Cox and Lori Hockema
Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Traveling the Twisting Troubling Tanglelows’ Trail by Greg McGoon
Chapter Books:
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
The Invisible Boy: September
Asset Focus: Positive Values, Social Competencies
SEL Core Competencies: Relationship Skills
PBIS: Use Respect
Smile; Say “Hi” first; Introduce yourself; Get to know your classmates; Invite and include classmates to play; Don’t dip into
other’s buckets; Use your lid; Stop, think, and understand; Give second chances; Treat others kindly.
Digital Citizenship: Talking Safety Online, and Cyberbullying
Complementary Book List:
Being Friends by Karen Beaumont
Best Friends for Francis by Russell Hoban
Better than You by Trudy Ludwig
The Blue Ribbon Day by Katie Couric
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed
Friends to the End by Bradley Trevor Greive
The Friendship Bench by Whitney Dineen
How Alex Learned to Choose his Friends/Como Alex aprendió a escoger sus amigos by Mayra Ottati Stern
How to Lose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson
The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco
Making Friends is an Art by Julia Cook
Since We’re Friends: An Autism Picture Book by Celeste Shally and David Harrington
Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld
Strickly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
Chapter Books:
Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern
A Long Pitch Home by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks