1. It’s a Small World After All
A Kindergarten Multicultural Friendship Unit
by Kristy Gnandt & Laura Lucas

2. Grade Level: Kindergarten
Theme: How to Be a Friend
Subject Areas: Language Arts &
Social Studies
Time Frame: 2 weeks (9 days)
30-45 minutes each day

3. Language Arts Goals Multicultural Goals
Follow Simple Directions
Communicate own thoughts, ideas and experiences
Visualize information in texts
Demonstrate understanding by drawing pictures
Communication
Relate to diverse cultures
Learn how to be friendly, socialize, and problem-solve own situations
Appreciate differences

5. Fictional Literature The Rainbow Fish The Name Jar Chrysanthemum
by Marcus Pfister
The Name Jar
by Yang Sook Choi
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
Jamaica’s Find
by Juanita Havill
Jamaica’s Tag Along
by Juanita Havill
Cleversticks
by Bernard Ashley

6. Non-Fiction Poetry You and Me: Poems of Friendship by Salley Mavor
Children Just Like Me
by Anabel Kindersley
Celebrations
by Anabel Kindersley
How to Be a Friend
by Laurie Krasny Brown
I Like Me!
by Nancy Carlson

7. Technology www.theteachersroom.com

8. Community Resources

9. Plans for Diverse Students
Use different teaching strategies
Use children’s personal experiences to connect with lessons
Cooperative groups
Hands-on activities
Scaffolded-Reading Experiences
Celebrate differences

10. The More We Get Together
Together together,
The happier we’ll be!
For your friends
Are my friends,
And my friends
Are your friends.
The more we get together

11. Activities Ways to be a Friend Read the book The Rainbow Fish
Discuss sharing and being kind
Children come up to felt board one at a
time with a felt scale
Place the scale on the board and tell one
way to be a good friend

12. Activities Friendship Quilt Read chapter from book
Compare ways to be a friend chart & ways not to be a friend chart
Students write ways to be a friend on one colored square paper
Students write ways not to be a friend on a different colored square
Put squares together to make a quilt
Present & display in classroom

13. Activities Arguing and Making Up Read Jamaica’s Tag-Along
Divide class into small groups
Each group has a different problem/dilemma to solve
Find ways to handle situation
Report to class by acting out the situation and solution

14. Activities Alike and Different Read the book Cleversticks
Make handprints with paint
Paste picture in left handprint
Write name and meaning in right handprint
Create Rainbow of Friends
Sing It’s a Small World After All

15. Final Evaluation Friendship Book Numerous Assessments
Journal compositions
Group discussions
Problem-solving
situations
Artwork
comparison charts
Role playing
Friendship Book
Friendship Book
Each student draws a picture that sums up
their idea of what a good friend is or what a
good friend might do (past, present, future).
Teacher writes (in child’s own words) a
description of their picture underneath
Bound into a Friendship Book-Great Resource!

16. Pictures taken from google images www.google.com