No Outsiders: Big Bob, Little Bob - James Howe

A small number of the picture books used in the No Outsiders scheme are now out of print so I have replaced them with new books that fit the No Outsiders ethos.

All picture books used in No Outsiders can be ordered from letterboxlibrary

Year 3

Text: Big Bob, little Bob by James Howe lesson plan by Andrew Moffat / equalitiesprimary

Learning intention: To use my pupil voice

Success criteria: I know what pupil voice is, I know when to use my pupil voice, I know what a bystander is, I know what to do if I see someone being unkind

Starter: What does pupil Voice mean? (speaking up, having an opinion and telling people) What does bystander mean? (when someone sees something they know is wrong but chooses not to say anything or do anything) Tell the children, there is one part of the story where someone could be a bystander but they choose not to be. At the end of the lesson you will ask for children to identify that part.

Main: Read “Big Bob, little Bob”. How does Little Bob feel when Big Bob fist arrives? What does Big Bob think about dolls? What does Little Bob think about trucks? In what ways are Big Bob and Little Bob similar? In what ways are they different? Big Bob tells Little Bob that boys don’t play with dolls and also that he is wearing girls’ clothes; how does Little Bob reply? How does Big Bob respond when Blossom says boys do not play with dolls? Why do you think Big Bob has changed his mind? Why do you think Little Bob asks Blossom to play? What have Big Bob and Blossom learned in this story?

Role play: We are going to practice using our pupil voice and choosing not to be bystanders. We know that in our school boys can play whatever games they like and so can girls; we don’t make children behave according to their gender because we have no outsiders. Big Bob doesn’t understand this at the start, and Blossom also doesn’t understand so let’s practice telling them. If someone new came to our school and didn’t understand about No Outsiders they might say, “Boys can’t do this,” or, “Girls can’t do that,” so someone would have to speak up and tell them. Put a truck in the middle of the floor and ask a girl to pick it up. Ask a child to act as Big Bob and say to the girl, “Girls don’t play with trucks; trucks are for boys!” Now ask someone to step forward and use their pupil voice to explain to that person what we say at our school. Repeat with a boy playing with a doll. What other games or activities do some people say are for boys or for girls? Repeat the exercise with other examples. Praise the class for not being bystanders and using their pupil voice.

Activity: Children draw No Outsiders posters with the title, “Girls can do whatever they want” or, “Boys can do whatever they want,” showing different activities that boys or girls can do at our school.

Plenary: In what part of the story does someone use pupil voice? (Little Bob all the way through when responding to Big Bob) Why doesn’t Little Bob keep quiet and follow what Big Bob says? In what part of the story does someone choose not to be a bystander? (Big Bob when he tells Blossom  that boys can do whatever they want) What is the consequence? Big Bob could have chosen to be a bystander and not say anything to Blossom; how would the ending have changed?

Afl questions: Why might some boys or girls feel like outsiders on our playground? What can we do in our school to make sure no one feels like an outsider?

"No Outsiders in our school: teaching the Equality Act in primary schools" by Andrew Moffat

equalities primary