BIG Ideas from The Other Side

I read The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson at the beginning of each year. It's perfect for introducing sophisticated topics such as exclusion and racial tension to young children and it's a great way to start conversations about kindness in an effort to build healthy relationships and communities.

The author explains how she hopes the story of Clover and Annie will inspire young people to change the world each day through the seemingly simple act of invitation and seeking to understand. 

If you're using this picture book with children in grades K-2, try these questions to get your conversation going ... although in my experience, young kids are eager to talk about issues of separation and unfairness with very little prompting. I think our role as teachers during this time is more about listening deeply and creating safe spaces for their voices to be heard.

Sample Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think the author wrote this book? 

• How does this story make you feel? 

• Why do you think the fence is pictured on almost every page?

• Does this story remind you of anything from your own life?

• What words would you use to describe Clover? Annie? 

• What gives Clover the courage to finally talk to Annie? 

• At the end, all of the girls are sitting together on the fence. What message do you think the author is trying to send? 

• How can we use the lessons from this story in our classroom this year? 

If you're interested in diving deeper, I highly recommend the blog post linked below. It provides a practical example of how one teacher in CA is addressing the topic of privilege with the children in his first grade classroom: 

Talking with First Graders About Privilege & Power

Happy teaching!