I wanted to help the students better understand why we should celebrate differences, especially since many students are celebrating different festivities this winter break. Inspired by The Crayon Box That Talked, I used a drawing exercise to help students discover the value of diversity.
I provided each student with two sheets of drawing paper, then allowed each student to pick out one crayon from a box. Students were then asked to draw a picture with only the single crayon. Later I asked students to draw another picture on the second sheet of paper; they could use as many different colours as they wished. When they finished, I asked the following questions:
Which picture do you like best? Why? Which picture would you like to display in your classroom, the hallway, at home?
Invariably, all of the students preferred the pictures drawn with the whole box of crayons. They were asked to make inferences by putting "themselves in the shoes of the crayons". They declared that it would be a boring world if we were all alike- like the picture drawn with one crayon. The diversity in the world makes it like a wonderful box of crayons with endless colours.
Each crayon had something special to offer to the picture- green for the grass, blue for the sky, yellow for the sun. The students agreed, and I asked them to brainstorm all of the unique and special things we have to offer to our groups or the class as a whole.
Later we made connections by reading the book entitled "Je suis différent" about a girl in a wheel chair, a boy who could not hear, and a girl who could not see, amongst other special needs. We learned about sign language and tried to empathize by putting our shoes in the life of a student who could not speak but rather use sign language. It was quite the hard task! So, we are very much appreciative to have working body parts!
"We could learn a lot from crayons ... (They) all are different colours, but they all exist very nicely in the same box."
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