"The Sneetches," Diversity, and Cooperation

"The Sneetches got really quite smart on that day.
That day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day all the Sneetches forgot about stars
and whether they had one, or not, upon thars."
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

First Graders listening to The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

I taught a lesson for first-grade classes on respect, diversity, cooperation, and including others. First, I read The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss to the students. The students seemed to really enjoy the book. While we read The Sneetches we talked about how the plain-bellied Sneetches felt when the star-bellied Sneetches would not include them in activities. Some comments the students made were that the Sneetches without stars felt sad, angry, lonely, left out, depressed, etc. We also discussed "okay" and "not okay" behavior. Students commented that the star-bellied Sneetches were showing "not okay" behavior when they would not let the plain-bellied Sneetches play games and eat food with them. At the end of the book the Sneetches were displaying "okay" behavior when they all played together.

Students playing Sneetch Ball

After reading The Sneetches, we played "Sneetch Ball" as a group. I brought stars cut out from construction paper so that students could put them in their shirt. I gave every other student a star. To play the game, students with "a star upon thars" had to throw a beach ball to a student "with no star upon thars." In our game of "Sneetch Ball" everyone was included. In the future I will use this activity for slightly older students. The first-graders I worked with had difficulty throwing the ball to each other.

I love using classic books and adding a school counseling twist to them! Check out other Dr. Seuss books I have used for lessons.

What Dr. Seuss books to you use to facilitate lessons or activities with students? Comment below, email me, tweet, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.