Focus on friendship by writing and singing songs, talking about friendship skills, and creating textured art images about the joy of having friends.

• 1.

  Read a book or watch a video about friendship with your classmates. Think of people you call your friends. How do friendships start? What are the characteristics of a good friend? How do friends keep a relationship going?

• 2.

  Work in groups of 2 or 3. Choose a common tune such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "This Land is Your Land." Sing the song together, and notice the musical phrases. Come up with your own lyrics, matching the tune of the original song, but focusing on ideas about friendship. Write the words with Crayola® Crayons on construction paper. Share your song with the group.

• 3.

  Create a textured image with your own unique designs. Carefully cut imaginative Friendship Shapes from sandpaper with Crayola Scissors. Arrange the shapes in a pleasing manner on oaktag or poster board, and attach them with Crayola School Glue. Dry.

• 4.

  Remove the wrapper from a favorite crayon color. Ask a friend to hold a sheet of construction paper over the shape arrangement for you. Rub the side of the crayon over the surface of the paper to reveal your image.

• 5.

  Slightly reposition the paper on top of the shape arrangement. Choose a second crayon color and repeat to create a shadow effect. Create several rubbings, experimenting with different color combinations and degrees of pressure when rubbing crayon over surface.

Standards

• LA: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
• LA: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting or plot.
• LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
• LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects.
• SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.
• VA: Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resources include: Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Williams; Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer Holland; Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships by Catherine Thimmesh; Queen-a-Bella Finds a Best Friend by Lisl Fair
• Working in small groups, students write original lyrics to a friendship song. Allow students practice their song in preparation for presentation to an audience. If possible, hand student friendship designs as a backdrop to their performance area.
• What is it like to be the new student in a class? Who wants to be your friend? In small groups, students discuss any personal experiences they may have with this topic. Students brainstorm what they could do to help a new student become comfortable with his new class and classmates. Organize ideas and create a chart of reminders to display in the classroom.