Acceptance: See Me, Value Me! Script

Introduction & Hook (2 minutes)

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Let's get started today with a quick thought. Look at our first slide, titled, 'Acceptance: See Me, Value Me!'"

(Display Acceptance Slide Deck - Slide 1)

Teacher: "The slide asks: What does it mean to accept someone? I want you to turn to a partner next to you and share your ideas for about 30 seconds. What comes to mind when you hear the word 'acceptance'?"

(Allow 30 seconds for partner discussion. Circulate and listen in.)

Teacher: "Alright, let's bring it back together. Who would like to share one idea their partner had about acceptance?"

(Call on 1-2 students to briefly share.)

Teacher: "Those are some great thoughts! Today, we're going to explore acceptance – what it means to truly see and value ourselves and others, even when we are different. This will help us build a stronger, kinder community."

Defining Acceptance (3 minutes)

Teacher: "Let's look at the next slide."

(Display Acceptance Slide Deck - Slide 2)

Teacher: "As you can see, acceptance means understanding and respecting that everyone is unique and different. It's about welcoming people for who they are, without judgment, even if their ideas, backgrounds, or looks are different from yours."

Teacher: "Think about it this way: maybe someone loves a different sport than you, like basketball instead of soccer. Accepting them means respecting their choice and still being friendly. Or perhaps a new student joins our class and has different traditions or speaks another language at home. Acceptance means making them feel welcome and included, helping them feel like they belong."

Teacher: "Why do you think acceptance is so important? Let's see on our next slide."

(Display Acceptance Slide Deck - Slide 3)

Teacher: "Acceptance helps us to make everyone feel valued and included. It builds stronger friendships, allows us to learn new things from different perspectives, and most importantly, it creates a kind and safe classroom for all of us! When we accept each other, everyone feels safe to be themselves."

Reading: The Uniqueness Tree (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Now, to help us understand acceptance even better, I'm going to read you a short story called 'The Uniqueness Tree Reading.'

Teacher: "As I read, I want you to think about how the characters show or don't show acceptance, and what happens because of it."

(Read The Uniqueness Tree Reading aloud to the class, clearly and expressively.)

Teacher: "Thank you for listening so carefully."

Guided Discussion (4 minutes)

Teacher: "Now that we've heard the story, let's talk about it and connect it to our understanding of acceptance. Look at our next slide for some discussion prompts."

(Display Acceptance Slide Deck - Slide 4)

Teacher: "We'll be discussing some questions from our Acceptance Discussion Questions sheet. Remember to listen respectfully to your classmates as they share their thoughts."

(Facilitate a discussion using questions from Acceptance Discussion Questions. Encourage participation and guide students to make connections to their own experiences and the classroom.)

Wrap-up & Challenge (1 minute)

Teacher: "Wonderful discussion, everyone! To wrap up, let's look at our last slide."

(Display Acceptance Slide Deck - Slide 5)

Teacher: "Remember, acceptance is about celebrating what makes each of us special and creating a place where everyone feels they belong. It makes our classroom, our school, and our community much richer and happier."

Teacher: "Here's a challenge for you today: Try to notice one way you can show acceptance to someone in our class or even to yourself. It could be listening to a different opinion, including someone who looks different, or trying to understand someone's feelings. Let's make our classroom a true garden of uniqueness!"

The Uniqueness Tree

In the heart of Willow Creek Elementary stood an old, wise oak tree known as the Uniqueness Tree. Every leaf on the Uniqueness Tree was a different shade of green, some bright and new, others deep and old. Some leaves were smooth, some were jagged, and some had tiny holes from a playful caterpillar.

Lily, a new student with bright red glasses and a talent for telling funny jokes, often sat under the Uniqueness Tree during recess. She loved to draw the different leaves in her sketchbook. One day, a group of her classmates, led by a boy named Sam, walked by. Sam pointed at Lily's glasses and whispered, "Why does she wear those big red glasses? No one else does."

Lily heard him and felt a little blush creep up her neck. She quickly closed her sketchbook. Her friend, Maya, who had a wild curly ponytail and a love for science, noticed. Maya walked over to Sam and his friends. "Her glasses are cool!" Maya said. "They help her see all the amazing details in nature, like the patterns on these leaves." Maya then turned to Lily and asked, "What are you drawing today, Lily?"

Lily hesitated, then slowly opened her sketchbook to show a drawing of the Uniqueness Tree, with each leaf beautifully different. "See?" Maya said, pointing to the drawing. "Just like these leaves, we all have things that make us unique. Lily's jokes make us laugh, and her glasses help her see things in a special way. If everyone was exactly the same, life would be pretty boring, wouldn't it?"

Sam and his friends looked at the drawing, then at the Uniqueness Tree, and then back at Lily. They started to notice the different colors of the leaves, the varying textures. They realized Maya was right. They had been so focused on what was different about Lily that they hadn't accepted what made her special.

From that day on, Sam and his friends started to see Lily not just as the girl with red glasses, but as Lily, the funny, talented artist. They invited her to play, and Lily shared her jokes and her unique observations about the world. The Uniqueness Tree continued to shed its diverse leaves each fall, a yearly reminder to the students of Willow Creek Elementary that true beauty and strength come from accepting and celebrating everyone's individual uniqueness.

Acceptance Discussion Questions

1. In the story, how did Sam first react to Lily? What was he focused on?
   
   
   
2. How did Maya show acceptance towards Lily? What did she help Sam and his friends understand?
   
   
   
3. The story mentions the "Uniqueness Tree." What does the tree teach us about being unique and accepting others?
   
   
   
4. Can you think of a time when someone showed acceptance to you? How did it make you feel?
   
   
   
5. What are some ways we can make sure everyone in our classroom feels accepted and valued, just like the students learned from the Uniqueness Tree? Provide at least two ideas.