While it would be nice for life to go smoothly, this is just not the case. People make mistakes, which often leads to feelings getting hurt or people becoming upset. While teachers never want this to happen, the reality is that it does. So, teachers work hard to develop ways to help students understand that everyone makes mistakes.
One of the most important parts is handling our behavior and emotions after a mistake happens. Ultimately, the hope is that one experience allows people to grow and learn when making similar choices. Thankfully, learning that making mistakes is okay with Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse brings this Social Emotional Learning alive in the classroom!
The story and Read Aloud Activities will provide steps students can apply when making mistakes!
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Author and illustrator Kevin Henkes created the perfect way to show students that everyone makes mistakes.
Lily loves everything! She loves school, playing dress up, and being the best big sister.
One of the items she loves most is her special purple plastic purse and movie star sunglasses. So, when her class has sharing time, she knows exactly what to bring! Sadly, the excitement results in some issues in the classroom. Lilly has a hard time listening, waiting until it is time to share, and being respectful to others. This causes the teacher to take away her favorite items to help her focus on learning.
When Lilly loses her items, she is not happy about it and has a hard time handling her emotions. This causes her to draw a mean picture of her favorite teacher. However, when her teacher gives back her items with a caring note and special snacks, Lilly realizes she has made several mistakes.
The best part of making mistakes is being able to make corrections! So, Lilly admits her mistakes and apologizes to her teacher.
This is a fantastic story to help students understand that everyone makes mistakes! The critical part is understanding what went wrong and how to make it right.
Read Aloud Activities
Honestly, students of all ages make mistakes. While they often do not mean to, their excitement or behavior can cause something negative to happen. Thankfully, learning that making mistakes is okay with Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse helps students handle their behavior when one happens!
Since teachers have so much to prepare, there is a teacher guide to outline the entire unit. Specifically, this contains all of the lesson plans needed. Additionally, it includes an introduction to help prepare students and sets the purpose for the story. Likewise, it has essential vocabulary words!
When talking about behavior after making mistakes, it is crucial to have a discussion. Therefore, there are higher-level thinking questions and talking points to guide students. Each question includes a page number, so teachers know exactly where to stop. This is a great way to deepen student understanding of this social emotional skill and respond meaningfully!
While discussion is essential to include in lessons, personal reflection is also critical. Thankfully, learning that making mistakes is okay with Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse has both aspects! There is a written response and activity sheet to help students respond in positive ways after making mistakes. There are even differentiated options to ensure every student knows the importance of this social skill.
Furthermore, there is hands-on craftivity! Students will love how the craft connects the story to their lives.
Application
Teachers work hard to ensure students understand how the material taught in the classroom relates to life outside of school. Therefore, there are task cards that provide scenarios or thought-provoking questions. This helps students see different ways to respond when we make mistakes!
There are different ways to use the task cards. Honestly, they work great for whole class or small group discussions. They even work perfectly for individual work time.
No Prep Resource
Teachers have to handle so much. Thankfully, the Read Aloud Activities are all no prep! Teachers just need to print the resources.
Making mistakes happens to everyone. This is a part of life. However, everyone handles making mistakes in different ways. For example, some get angry and make more mistakes, while others shut down and stop talking. This is exactly why learning that making mistakes is okay with Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse is crucial for every classroom! Ultimately, students will learn that mistakes are part of the learning process, and it is never too late to change our actions!
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Save this Read Aloud
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