Discussion Guide

Grade: K-4

Concepts: Conflict Management Skills, Affirmation

Why did the man and his grandson have to sell their donkey?
Because that was all that they had left and they needed the money.

How did the man react, or what did he do, when strangers put him down
and made him feel shameful for the way he traveled across the desert?
He thought to himself that they must be right.

Do you think that the man and his grandson care a lot about what others think?
Seems like it.

What did the "wise" man tell the two to do?
Carry the donkey.

What was the result, or what happened in the end, when the man and boy kept
taking everyone else's advice?
They were left with nothing.

Did the boy or the man ever stop to think that they, themselves, might have the
best solution?
No.

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Enemy Pie
By Derek Munson

Grade: K-4th

Concepts: Cooperation, Communication, and (in effect) Conflict Management

What is an enemy?
Someone who isn't your friend and that you don't really like.

How was the boy's dad going to help him get rid of the enemy?
With "Enemy Pie".

What was the one thing that the boy had to do to make enemy pie work?
He had to spend the day with Jeremy.

Do you think that was easy?
How do you think he felt?
Scared and nervous.

Why did the boy take down his enemy list before Jeremy visited his tree house?
Because he was having fun and Jeremy seemed nice.

Would you be willing to talk and be nice to someone that hasn't always been nice to you?

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Swimmy
By Leo Lionni

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-4

Concepts: Cooperation, Creative Conflict Management, Communication, Appreciation of Differences

What happened to the school of red fish?
A tuna fish ate them all.

How did Swimmy escape?
He was faster than all the other fish.

Was Swimmy happy that he was able to escape?
No. He was scared, lonely and very sad.

When Swimmy met a new school of red fish, what did he want to do?
Show them all the wonderful things in the ocean like the lobster, sea anemones, the eel, the jellyfish, etc.

Why didn't the school of little red fish want to join him?
They were afraid the big fish would eat them.

What creative solution did the fish come up with to solve their problem?
Swam together to look like the biggest fish in the sea. They cooperated and came up with a peaceful solution!

Did the red fish care that Swimmy looked different? Nope. Why did Swimmy want to show the red fish all the other things in the sea?
Because they looked very different and Swimmy thought they were beautiful.

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When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry…
By Molly Bang

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-2

Concepts: Conflict Management, Peace

What happened when Sophie was playing with her gorilla?
Her sister took it! Has this ever happened to you?

How did this make her feel?
Angry!

What does it feel like when you're angry?
Like you're a volcano about to explode.

What did Sophie do to cool off?
She ran and ran into the forest until she couldn't run anymore.

Did she cry? Do you ever cry when you're angry?
Yes.

How did Sophie feel after she climbed the big tree and watch the
waves?
She felt better.

Feeling better is like being at peace with yourself after you've been
angry. Was is easier for Sophie to be around her sister after she came
back?
Yes.

What sort of things do you do when you are angry?

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To Be A Kid
By Maya Ajmera & John D. Ivanko

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-2

Concepts: Affirmation & Appreciation of Differences

What kinds of things do kids do around the world?
Play ball, eat cool deserts in the hot sun, race each other, play games, etc.

Have you ever marched in a parade before?

Do you like to dance?

Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?

What is your favorite sport to play?

Do you ever laugh until your stomach hurts?

Do you think that kids from other cultures like to do the same kinds of things you do?
Sure they do.

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Hoops
By Robert Burleigh

Discussion Guide

Grade: 4-6

Concepts: Affirmation, Communication, Cooperation

There are only men pictured playing basketball in this story. Are there any girls here who like to play ball? (Guys and girls) Where do you guys play ball?
Maybe rec center, playground, neighborhood courts, school, at house…

Have you ever written a poem about doing something you love? Why do you think the author wrote this story?

How do you communicate on the court?
Using teammates' names, looking at who you're going to pass to, calling out a play, holding up a fist or sign to indicate a play if you're the point, holding up a hand to let the person with the ball know you're open, clapping, high-five after a sweet move, a smile, maybe bad language after you mess up, etc.

How do you deal with conflict on the court like someone talking trash or playing too rough or a call you don't agree with from the ref? Can you think of some ways to solve problems like these on the court instead of making them worse?
Show good sportsmanship by respecting the other players as opponents instead of enemies. Ignore trash talk, smile when you don't agree with a call, tell the person playing rough that it's only a game.

Use as many feeling words as you can to tell me how you feel when you lose a close game. Really give them some time to think of a lot of words. May even write them on the board.
Angry, frustrated, disappointed, determined (to win next time), hurt, sad, embarrassed, indifferent (you may not care), irritated, annoyed, agitated, vengeful, etc.

Use as many feeling words as you can to tell me how you feel when you win a close game.
Relieved, elated, happy, excited, indifferent, satisfied, proud, triumphant, good, great, jubilant, marvelous, etc.

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The White Raven and the Black Sheep
By Eugen Sopko

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-4

Concepts: Bias Awareness, Appreciation of Differences, Cooperation, Creative Conflict Management, Affirmation,
Communication

Why were the birds angry at the white raven?
Because they said it was his fault the hunters were shooting at them.

Why did the other sheep make the black sheep leave the flock?
They felt that it was his fault the wolf had found them.

Why do you think the others treated the white raven and the black
sheep poorly and were mean to them?
Because they looked different.

Do birds and sheep usually hang out together? No. Why do you
think these two do? Because they were lonely and knew that by
working together or cooperating, they could solve their problems.

Even though painting each other was a creative solution or a good idea at first, why wasn't it the best idea?
Because it rained and because you shouldn't have to change yourself to get others to like you.

Why did the others want the sheep and the raven to come back?
Because they knew that even though someone is different, they are the same in a lot of ways, too.

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Tuesday
By David Wiesner

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-6

Concepts: Creative Conflict Management, Cooperation

*Everyone must pay close attention to the pictures in the book because there are few words!

What happened Tuesday evening around 8:00 in this book?
Frogs took flight on their lily pads and left the ponds and headed for the city.

What did the frogs think of their ability to fly?
They were having a good ol' time and having the ride of their life.

What did the man whom was eating a midnight snack think when he saw the flying frogs?
He was amazed, shocked, and probably couldn't believe his own eyes.

Do you think the frogs wanted to cause trouble? Probably not. Did they mean to tear down the sheets that were on someone's clothesline?
No. They probably just didn't know how to steer their lily pads.

What would you do if those were your clothes?

What happened when the dog started chasing one of the frogs?
It put his lily pad in reverse and then all the frogs teamed up to scare the dog away.

Do you think that was a good solution?
Maybe. It was peaceful. No one got hurt.

What happened when the lily pads lost their magic?
The frogs hopped back to their ponds.

What did the police think of what happened?
They were confused and suspicious.

What would you do if you saw frogs flying on their lily pads?

What happened the next Tuesday around 8:00 p.m.?
Pigs started flying!

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Listen to the City
By Rachel Isadora

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-1

Concepts: Affirmation, Creative Conflict Management

What time does the alarm go off?
7:00 a.m.

What's for breakfast?
Eggs, bacon and toast.

Why do people beep and honk at each other in the city?
They are all in a big hurry.

Do you like to go to the park?

Have you ever heard what a barge sounds like on a river?

How do you think the garbage men felt when that person shouted "QUIET!" out the window?
Maybe they felt bad but couldn't help it because they were just doing their job.

If someone was making a bunch of noise while you were trying to sleep what could you do instead of shouting "QUIET!" at them?
Go out and talk to them. Say you are having trouble sleeping and try to come up with solutions. You might listen to music, sleep on the couch in another room, get ear plugs, etc.

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Let The Games Begin!
By Maya Ajmera & Michael J. Regan

Discussion Guide

Grade: 3rd-5th

Concepts: Conflict Management, Cooperation, and Communication

Can anyone tell me how learning a new sport is like solving a problem?
To learn a sport, your friends, family and coaches can give advice but you have to jump into the action. You will make the best decision for yourself.

How do people get better at sports?
Hard work, practice and self-discipline.
This is the same way people get better at solving problems.

Do you like to play sports where you are on a team, like basketball? Or do you like sports like track where you are more by yourself?

What is an "obstacle"? What do you feel like doing when you run into one? What do you think you should do when you run into one?
An obstacle is a challenge or something that makes things hard. You might feel frustrated or nervous and want to give up (defeated). Don't give up!

What sort of things makes you a good teammate?
Good cooperation and communication.

How do you feel when you lose a game?
Upset and maybe angry.

After you lose a game, what will help you the next time?
Understanding what went wrong. This will actually help you to solve other problems in your life.

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Happy To Be Nappy
By bell hooks
Discussion Guide

Grade: K-2nd

Concepts: Affirmation and Appreciation of Differences

What does hair smell like?
Clean and sweet!

What does it feel like?
It's soft like cotton and soft.

What can you do with it?
It can be smoothed, patted down, pulled tight, twisted, plaited (sounds like plat-ed), or just let go…

Ask the boys if they've ever had their hair braided before.

Ask the boys if they have ever braided their mom's or sister's or cousin's hair before?

What does "happy to be nappy" mean?
It means liking yourself and your hair.

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The Rainbow Fish
By Marcus Pfister

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-3

Concepts: Bias Awareness, Affirmation, Cooperation

Why wouldn't the Rainbow Fish play with the others?
Because he wanted to be admired more than he wanted friends.
What does "admired" mean? Looked up to; well-liked.

Why do you think the Rainbow Fish told the other fish to get away when he asked for one of his special scales?
He felt that he was better than the others and he wanted to stay that way.

What advice did the octopus give the Rainbow fish?
Give a glittering scale to each of the other fish.

Do you think that looking like everyone else was what made the Rainbow Fish happy? Probably not. What did? The act of giving and making the others happy.

Have you ever not wanted to be friends with someone because of what they wear or what they look like?

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Possum Stew
By Doug Cushman

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-4

Concepts: Conflict, Communication

Why did Possum play a joke on Gator and Bear?
Because he wanted to take their fish and make them feel dumb.

Do you think that, if Possum just asked to share the fish with him the Gator and Bear would have?
Maybe.

What happened when Possum played a trick on Gator and Bear?
They were very angry and wanted to teach him a lesson.

Do you think that Gator and Bear could have solved the problem by talking it out with Possum?
Maybe.

Why didn't Gator beat Possom up or stomp on him?
Because even though he made him angry, they didn't want to hurt Possum.

When Possum thought Bear was sick, what did he do?
He went to his garden to get vegetables to put in his soup to help make him feel better.

Bear and Gator acted like they were going to eat Possum but they didn't because they didn't want to hurt him. This was a creative solution, but do you think it was a good idea?

What else could Bear and Gator have done to solve their problem?
Talked it out. They could have come up with a fair/fair solution so that Bear, Gator and Possum could walk away and be okay with what happened.

The author seems to think that Possum will never change. Do you think you should give up on telling someone that they have done something to make you angry or frustrated?
Probably not. It is important to communicate your feelings and talk your problems out or there is no chance that the person causing the problem or instigating will stop.

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The Paper Bag Princess
By Robert Munsch

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-4

Concepts: Affirmation, Creative Conflict Management

What happened to Elizabeth's castle and clothes?
The dragon smashed the castle and burned her clothes.

What did the princess decide to do after this happened?
Find the dragon and get her prince back.

How did the Elizabeth save the prince?
She tricked the dragon into tiring himself out by using all of his fire and energy.

When she got to Prince Ronald, was he happy that she saved him?
No. What was his problem? He didn't like the way she looked so he put her down.

What did Elizabeth do when the prince disrespected her?
She decided that she didn't want to be with someone that treated her bad.

Do you let people put you down? If you put someone down, how likely are they to be your friend?
Not likely.

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Elmer and the Dragon
By Ruth Stiles Gannett

Grade: 4-6th

Concepts: Cooperation, Communication, Affirmation , and
Appreciation of Differences

Chapter 3 (pg. 28): How did Elmer affirm or make the baby
dragon feel better after the storm when he was so sore he couldn't move?
He reassured him that it was a terrible storm and that the water was extremely cold and that he just wasn't used to flying long distances.

Chapter 5 (pg. 40): Why did Flute say that he almost didn't talk to the dragon?
Because he and the other canaries were afraid that he would eat them. Do you think this happens with people sometimes? (That they don't like others that are different because they are either afraid of them or have never really spoken to them?)

Chapter 6 (pg. 48): How did Elmer solve the canary King Can XI's curiosity problem?
He began by having him tell him exactly what was bothering him.

Chapter 7 (pg. 52): Why did the King say that he did not like the baby dragon?
Because he was feeling so nervous about telling the secret, he felt very small and helpless compared to the dragon.

Chapter 8 (pg. 59): How did the canaries cooperate with Elmer and the dragon to get the treasure?
Elmer dug the hole and the dragon put his tail through the ring and pulled up the chest. Without the canaries, they would've never known where it was.

Chapter 9 (pg. 73): When Elmer was thanking the canaries, what promise did he make?
That he would never tell their secret to anyone.

Do you think that keeping a secret is sometimes an important part of good communication?

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A Pig Is Moving In!
By Claudia Fries

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-3

Concept: Communication, Conflict Management, Cooperation,
Appreciation of Differences

What type of neighboor did Henrietta Hen and Nick Hare
hope was moving in?
Someone that was quiet, clean, and orderly.

How did Nick Hare, Doctor Fox and Henrietta Hen feel about the pig that was moving in?
They were shocked (mouths agape pg. 3) that someone messy, dirty and sloppy was moving in. They didn't like him because he was different.

Did anyone say "hello" to the pig or try to help him?
No.

Do you think he would have made those messes if the others had tried to help him?
Probably not.

How did the neighbors finally meet the pig? (pg. 18)
They angrily stormed over to his apartment, ready to threaten and yell at him.

How could this conflict have been avoided? or What could have changed so hare, fox and hen wouldn't have got so mad?
Communication. Talking to the pig. Asking each other who cleaned up the messes rather than assuming.

Was the pig a little bit different?
Yes.

Were they able to be friends with him anyway?
Yes.

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Different Just Like Me
By Lori Mitchell

Discussion Guide

Grade: K-3

Concepts: Appreciation of Differences, Affirmation

What was going to happen on Friday?
April was going to visit her Grammie.

If someone cannot hear, how do they talk with other people?
They use sign language, which means using your fingers and hands to form letters, words, sentences and feelings.

How do people that cannot see read?
By feeling bumps called Braille that form letters. *Encourage students (3 or 4 at a time) to touch this page (pg.7), specifically above the numbers.

How is the woman in the wheelchair just like April?
Because she had to dry her hands the same way as April.

How is the African-American boy with the pirate hat just like April?
He was going to take the #5 train just like her.

Who ran faster, Mrs. Wong's grandson or April?
Neither; they were both very quick.

What made the people April saw so great?
That they were all different.

Are people who are different than you also the same as you? If so, how?
YES!

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