A guide for using our resources

Children will meet Melody Day, a girl who helped build an inclusive playground at her school.

SEL Focus: social awareness

CCSS (and states that have similar standards): RI.1.1, W.1.2, RF.1.1.A, RL.1.1

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

• This story is about the wonderful bond between a girl and her dog. The main character just happens to use a wheelchair.

• Work together to find and circle each exclamation point in the issue.
• Then use a different color marker to fi nd and circle each question mark.

Skill: engineering design

Materials: paper and pencil, modeling clay, cardboard, and/or recyclable materials, We Can All Play! skill sheet

• Have each child choose a traditional playground structure (such as a slide, a swing, or a jungle gym) and redesign it to make it inclusive! They can also come up with a playground structure or game of their own. You might visit a local playground to spark ideas for children’s designs.
• Next, have each child draw plans to show how friends like Melody who are in wheelchairs can enjoy their new structure on the We Can All Play! skill sheet. If they’d like, children can use play dough, cardboard, or recyclable materials to create their redesigned structure.
• When they’re done, have children present their design to the class. Why would they like this structure on their playground?