For the last couple of weeks we have been exploring similarities and differences among people around the world, particularly focusing on children.  I have read several books to the whole class, including This is How We Do It:  One Day in the lives of Seven Kids from around the World, by Matt lamothe,  and The Barefoot Book of Children, by Tessa Strickland and Kate DePalma. We have discussed similarities we notice between ourselves and the children portrayed as we read about their daily lives. 

Students also had an opportunity to look at books individually and in pairs, marking pages that they could connect to in some way with sticky notes (connections could be found on almost all of the pages!).  Most of these connections  are quite simple (I have a dog, I like to swim, I like to draw, etc.), but help create a genuine awareness of commonalities that we might share with people no matter where they live. 

Most recently, we read To Be A Kid, by Maya Almara and John D. Ivanko. This book carries the message that children all over the world have much in common with the repeating phrase "To be a kid means..."  No matter where they live, most kids in the world spend time with family, go to school, and have fun playing. Next week we will do a project with Eric illustrating our own ideas of what it means to be a kid.