Are you often reminding students to be nice to each other? Or, to treat others with respect and compassion? Honestly, these reminders are something all teachers say to students regardless of grade level.
For a variety of reasons, students sometimes forget about being kind. They also forget they are in a room full of students with different backgrounds and beliefs. Thus, teachers must find creative ways to add these reminders to build a positive classroom community. Thankfully, developing empathy through The Invisible Boy Activities is the perfect way to combine life skills and learning standards.
The Invisible Boy Book
Author Trudy Ludwig and illustrator Patrice Barton show readers the importance of taking time to understand feelings of other people.
Sadly, Brian feels like he is invisible. He is never included in group projects, asked to play games with friends, or invited to birthday parties. Luckily, everything changes one day when a new student named Justin arrives!
Brian knows what it feels like to feel left out. Therefore, he is eager to introduce himself to Justin. They quickly start working on class work together and take time to get to know each other. While Brian welcomes Justin with open arms, Justin transforms Brian from an invisible boy to a friend. This inspiring story will remind students to treat others with respect, understanding, and compassion.
The Invisible Boy Activities
Teachers know that when students show engagement in a lesson, they remember the information better. For instance, if students are actively engaged over social awareness components, they are more likely to remember the importance. Luckily, students will work on developing empathy through The Invisible Boy Activities!
Students will not just listen to this story once and put the book away. Instead, they will truly understand how lonely Brian was. Specifically, this product has several components to ensure a simple yet effective way to introduce Social-Emotional learning into lessons.
First, a teacher guide outlines the lesson and key vocabulary words. Then, there are talking points with higher-level thinking questions to prompt student discussion. This is such an important aspect when helping students build empathy. Each question even includes a page number to help know where to stop in the story.
Additionally, students need time to reflect individually through written responses. There are plenty of activity sheets to ensure students connect with the text and understand what it means to show empathy to classmates. Best of all, there are multiple options for differentiation!
Furthermore, task cards work great in small groups or a whole class. Each card provides scenarios to help students see how empathy is a huge component of being a positive community member. Lastly, there is a craftivity for a hands-on component to build a deeper connection between the book and students’ lives.
Social-Emotional Classroom Application
Teachers are so busy planning lessons for content standards. Thus, this product is low prep and easy to implement. Teachers simply print and teach! All the activities are meaningful and engaging to ensure students understand the importance of understanding how others feel.
Honestly, a school year goes much smoother when students get along. A huge part of this involves students understanding the emotions and feelings of each other. Thankfully, developing empathy through The Invisible Boy Activities will be low prep yet highly powerful! While the unit will take a short amount of time, students will remember the importance throughout their lives.
Keep scrolling for information about a free read aloud lesson that you can use in your classroom.
Free Read Aloud Lesson
Would you like to try out an interactive read aloud lesson? You can grab this free lesson plan for Jabari Jumps to share with your students. This free download focuses on helping students overcome challenges. Each lesson includes discussion questions and activities to do with the book. Just fill out the form below and it will be delivered straight to your inbox!
Save This Read Aloud Lesson
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to this lesson plan when you are ready to read it aloud with your students.