Transgender awarenessin KS1: Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton and Dougal MacPherson

Transgender awareness     KS1        Andrew Moffat / No Outsiders                                        

Text: Introducing Teddy: Jessica Walton and Dougal MacPherson

LO: To have different friends

Starter: Show an image of children on a playground. Who looks happy, unhappy, lonely, angry etc How can you tell if someone feels unhappy? What does empathy mean? Write a list of feelings demonstrated in the image.

Main: Read and discuss the story. At the beginning of the story what games do Errol and Thomas play together? One day Thomas doesn’t feel like playing; what does Errol do? Why doesn’t Thomas tell Errol what the worry is? Why does Thomas think Errol won’t want to be friends? What does Errol say to reassure Thomas?

Role play: Are we all the same in our class or are we different? Let’s work out how different we are in our class. Stand in a circle and play the hoop game: place a hoop in the middle of the circle and count down 5,4,3,2,1; when you get to one there must be two children in the hoop. The two children have to identify one way they are different, but emphasise we aren’t using gender as an example. So maybe the two children have different faith, or have different skin or hair or like different foods or are wearing different clothes. Repeat and every time you count down, two different children need to be in the hoop. A child cannot be in the hoop twice. The game is better when children enter the hoop in random order; emphasise sometimes a child may have to step back and allow another to be in the hoop. Can we work as a team and let everyone have a turn?

Activity: Design a poster with the title “We can be different”. Children draw a picture of themselves in the centre and around the outside list ways in which they are special and different.

Plenary: What was Thomas worried about? What does Errol say when Tilly says she knows in her heart that she is a girl teddy? (Errol says, “I don’t care if you’re a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters to me is that you are my friend!”) Does this change their friendship? What can we learn from Errol?

Suggested AFL questions: Today I have learned / It’s ok to be different because…

For more equality and diversity plans see “No Outsiders In Our School: Teaching the Equality Act in Primary Schools” by Andrew Moffat www.speechmark.net

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