Sneetches: Diversity in the Stars
Purpose:
Today is a lesson about diversity and how it is okay to be different from everyone.
The specific focus of today is that even if others have something that you don’t it
shouldn’t bother you because every individual is unique in their own way. The lesson
should empower children to be themselves regardless of their ethnicity, looks,
traits, etc.
VA SOLsCivics
3.12
Writing
3.9
The student will recognize that Americans are a people of diverse ethnic
origins, customs, and traditions, who are united by the basic principles of a
republican form of government and respect for individual rights and
freedoms.
The student will write for a variety of purposes.
c) Write a clear topic sentence focusing on the main idea.
d) Write a paragraph on the same topic.
Objectives:
The student will be able to demonstrate through class held discussion that there
are many diverse people in our class with 75% accuracy.
Given a writing prompt, the student will be able to recognize that people have their
own similarities and differences by writing two sentences about how they are
unique with 90% accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction


Have the students come to the carpet
Give each student a star sticker upon arrival to the carpet

Ask- What does it mean to be similar to someone? What does it mean to be
different than someone? Why are people different?(auditory)


Call on several different students to share their answers with the class
After a little discussion have the students group up by their colors- there
will be one group of 2 students while the other are 9 or 10 students
(kinesthetic)
o Ask the 2 students how they feel being left out

o Ask the group of blue if they would want to switch with a person to be
in the red group and same with the blue group to the red group
Segway into saying that today we are going to be reading about Plain-Belly
and Star-Belly sneetches who might just feel the same way some of you did
in groups

Today we will be talking about how everyone is different and unique in their
own special way
Development

The book The Sneetches will be read aloud to the class (visual and auditory)

After the book is read aloud there will be a class discussion about it
(auditory)
Discussion Questions
1. How are the Star-Belly sneetches and Plain-Belly sneetches
different?
2. How do these differences influence the way Star-Belly sneetches and
Plain-Belly sneetches treat each other?
3. Have you ever felt like a Star-Belly or Plain-Belly sneetch? How so?


Make sure every student answers a question
If many students have felt like a Star-Belly or Plain-Belly sneetch have the
student’s pair and share. While they are sharing walk around the room and
note where students are in their development of diversity discussion
GOT IT! 

Almost There
Lacking 
After the Discussion send the students back to their desks for a writing
activity (kinesthetic)

The writing activity is for the students to write about why they like
themselves

For advanced students:
o For the writing activity have them write a paragraph about why they

like themselves and not just a few sentences
For struggling students:
o For the writing activity they can draw a picture if they cannot write
more than a sentence or two.
Summary

After giving sufficient time for the writing activity to take place see if any
students would like to share what they wrote

Sum it up by asking the question What’s more important proving that we’re
all the same or gaining respect for our individual differences?
Materials
o The Sneetches book
o Writing Prompt handout
Evaluation Part A


It will be an informal evaluation
The students will be evaluated by their verbal responses to the discussion
questions and how they answer their writing prompt.
Evaluation Part B

What were the strengths of your lesson?

What were the weaknesses?

How would you change the lesson if you could teach it again?

Did the lesson accommodate everyone?