Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to respecting personal space. For instance, some students love hugs. However, others do not. This is because hugs can be so comforting to one person while they are incredibly awkward to others. Likewise, some people do not mind being physically close while others need more space. Thankfully, teaching personal space with Don’t Hug Doug and the Read Aloud Activities creates the perfect way to learn such an important life skill.
Don’t Hug Doug and the Read Aloud Activities are essential to understanding the Social Emotional Learning skill.
Don’t Hug Doug
Author Carrie Finison and illustrator Daniel Wiseman wrote a fun story about an essential aspect to understand!
Doug does not like hugs. Ever. No matter what happens, a hug is not how he wants comfort. He doesn’t like being squeezed and pulled close to someone else. However, he is fine with a high five, a low five, and a side five. Really, any kind of high five!
This book provides a great way to show students how important it is to ask someone if they want a hug or not! Asking this question is essential when learning about making choices and developing relationships. Students will love learning how everybody gets to decide whether they want a hug or not.
Read Aloud Activities
When students develop relationships, they may not realize the different characteristics people have. For instance, some like to learn through hands-on activities. However, others want to learn by reading materials and writing. Likewise, some students like to ride bikes while others prefer to run. Since students are still learning about each other, it can be confusing that only some people like the same things. This is exactly why teaching personal space with Don’t Hug Doug is so important! Students need to understand that some people need more space than others, and there is nothing wrong with that!
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 learning the importance of respecting personal space, it is crucial for students to share their preferences. This allows students to understand that everyone has their comfort level with personal space. Therefore, there are higher-level thinking questions and talking points to guide student discussion. Each question includes a page number, so teachers know exactly where to stop.
While discussion is essential to include in lessons, personal reflection is also critical. Thankfully, teaching personal space with Don’t Hug Doug has both aspects! There is a written response and activity sheet to help students learn ways to ensure every classmate feels included. There are even differentiated options to ensure every student knows this SEL 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. Each task card will help students understand the importance of respecting personal space with Don’t Hug Doug.
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.
Most times, students never intentionally want to make someone uncomfortable. Often, students do something and do not realize that everyone is unique and has different comfort levels. This is exactly why teaching personal space with Don’t Hug Doug is crucial! Students need to understand what personal space is and the importance of respecting each person’s comfort level.
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Free Read-Aloud Lesson
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.
