Pride

Book Title:  Pride

Book Author:  Rob Sanders

Book Illustrator:  Steven Salerno

This book addresses:  LGBTQ+ rights

The topic of LGBTQ+ rights can be a controversial topic. However, this doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t learn about it. It means that, depending on the age of the student and the comfort of the tutor, some questions and parts of this lesson plan may be left off or modified by the tutor.

**This story deals with death and interpersonal violence, please be advised and prepared to deal with this prior to sharing the story with your student. 

Potentially Tricky Vocabulary:  

Extraordinary: exceptional, incredible

Inequality: something that is unequal or unfair

Unfurled: opened

Boulevard: a type of street

Hoisted: lifted or raised

Questions to ask the student before reading: 

• Have you ever seen the rainbow flag before?

• Do you know what the rainbow flag means?

• What does it mean if someone is gay? 

Historical context to give before reading:  

Just like a man and a woman might fall in love, a man might fall in love with another man or a woman might fall in love with another woman. Until recently, only men and women could get married in the US. Now, however, gay marriage has been legalized and a man can marry another man and a woman can marry another woman! These people are members of the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ+ community includes those who may love differently than others or whose gender may be different than what some people would expect. The people in the LGBTQ+ community are just that - people. Unfortunately, some others believe that members of the LGBTQ+ community are inferior. These people are wrong. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are normal, wonderful people that deserve equal rights just like the rest of us.

The rainbow flag is a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to design it. Although Harvey was killed, the rainbow flag is still used as a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community today.

(The questions to ask the student and historical content above are interconnected. The historical context is typically going to be a supplement to what your student might not know. Some students may already be knowledgeable about a subject, others may not know much yet. Pay attention to what your student already knows and share the historical context accordingly.)

While reading: 

Make sure to look at the details in the illustrations, such as signs, other flags, and buttons. Talk about what they mean.

After reading: 

• What impact do you think the rainbow flag has had?

• How did Harvey make a difference in the world?

Follow up activity (time permitting):  

Have your student choose a cause that they care about and design a flag (or redesign an old one!) for that cause. 

All definitions were adapted by Karina Connolly from the Merriam Webster online dictionary.