Imagine going through an entire day, unable to understand what anyone is saying. You have no idea how to ask to use the restroom or how to find your way around. Sadly, this happens to students worldwide as they move to an area with a new language. Additionally, there are students with different cultures and beliefs than most classmates. Since no teachers want a student to feel left out, they work hard to ensure classmates know the importance of including others. Thankfully, focusing on including others with Gibberish is a fantastic way to teach this essential social skill!
Gibberish by Young Vo
Author and illustrator Young Vo created the perfect book to ensure students know the importance of including others.
Dat enters his first day of school in a new country. However, he doesn’t know what anyone is saying. It sounds like the school bus driver and his new classmates all speak gibberish. Sadly, the language barrier makes Dat worried about making friends.
Thankfully, a girl in Dat’s class knows communication does not only occur through words. So, she sets out to help him make sense of the gibberish.
Honestly, this is a powerful book that is perfect for all classrooms.
Read Aloud Activities
It is heartbreaking to see a student left out. Whether this is at recess or during partner work, no teacher wants to see a student all alone. This is exactly why students need to understand how much it hurts not to feel part of a group. Honestly, if they have never experienced it, they will not realize how painful it feels to be alone. Thankfully, explaining the importance of including others with Gibberish teaches students a skill they will use their entire lives!
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!
Students often need to share their thoughts when understanding the importance of including others. So, there is an anchor chart to create an interactive way to discuss this social skill as a whole class!
Since discussion is imperative when focusing on including others with Gibberish, there are talking points. This consists of higher-level thinking questions and topics to help students analyze the importance. There are even page numbers to help teachers know where to stop and discuss!
While discussion is essential to include in lessons, personal reflection is also critical. Thankfully, this social skill has both aspects! There is a written response and activity sheet to help students understand why it is important to include others. There are even differentiated options to ensure every student knows this social skill!
Furthermore, there is a 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 understand why no one wants to feel alone or left out.
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.
Teachers care about their students so much. So, they worry about them after school and are so excited to see them each morning. Part of this worry is students not having someone there for them or being uncomfortable in new situations. This is exactly why it is so important to focus on including others with Gibberish! By teaching this essential life skill, teachers know their students will always be there for others!
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Grab this Free Read Aloud
If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive a FREE Book List for Social Emotional Learning for blog exclusive subscribers!
Save this Read Aloud
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.
