Carol P. Boynton
Young children often have a natural curiosity about people around them. They are fascinated to learn about what “grown-ups” do! In this six-week curriculum unit, primary students will explore the lives of men and women who, through the course of history, have accomplished similar goals amid a variety of obstacles. Essential questions for focus include: What makes a good leader? How do members of a community help each other? What can we learn from each other that that helps make ours and others’ lives better?
Vashti Harrison’s picture book, Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Little Leaders: Exceptional Men in Black History serve as anchor texts for this unit. They highlight the life histories and achievements of curious and resourceful women and men. The parallel accomplishments of the women and men we study encourage students to view the world as a place that both men and women are equally capable of leadership roles.
Students will use the lives of these figures to consider ideas and goals for themselves. The culminating project is for students to use the biographical format of the Little Dreamers texts as a model their own plan which becomes a class book, Future Little Leaders: Kindergarteners at Edgewood.
(Developed for Literacy and Social Studies, grade K; recommended for Literacy and Social Studies, grades K-2)
