The Making Friends Program: Supporting Acceptance in Your K-2 Classroom

by Paddy C. Favazza, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, and Chryso Mouzourou

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Book cover for The Making Friends Program

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Bullying prevention starts with helping young children understand and accept diversity-the earlier the better. That's why your school team needs this ready-to-use resource, a simple, fun, and effective way to promote social acceptance in the critical early years of attitude development.

Perfect for K-2 classrooms, this book presents the field-tested, research-based Making Friends program, a toolbox of adaptable, practical strategies that fit right into your regular school day. You'll help students respect and accept each other's differences through three methods: 1) reading diversity-themed stories and conducting brief whole-class discussions; 2) forming small learning groups that encourage children from diverse backgrounds to play and interact; and 3) sharing the storybooks you read with families so they can continue discussions at home. Aligned with DEC/NAEYC recommended practices and the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, this proven program will boost students' social and academic skills as you create a welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive classroom.

Use this Program to:
  • enrich your existing classroom activities-circle time, class discussion, cooperative play-with important lessons on social acceptance
  • strengthen students' literacy skills while they learn to accept and celebrate differences
  • support friendships among children of diverse abilities, backgrounds, and family structures
  • lay the groundwork for bully-free school environments
  • choose books, toys, and other materials that reflect our diverse world and give young children a sense of belonging
  • implement a universal design for learning (UDL) approach to address the needs of diverse learners
  • "think on your feet" to work lessons on acceptance into small teachable moments and everyday conversations
  • increase the home-school connection with strategies parents can use with their children
  • strengthen understanding of how acceptance is developed through reflective activities for teachers and school-wide teams

Practical Materials: The book includes a complete package of reproducible, adaptable materials for implementing the Making Friends program, including a sample activity schedule, discussion guides, and forms to send home with families. You'll also get step-by-step directions on working the activities into your school day, extensive lists of diversity resources, vignettes that model positive interactions, and more.
  • ISBN13 9781598579215
  • Publish Date 11 September 2015
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Brookes Publishing Co
  • Format Paperback
  • Pages 200
  • Language English