Unit 7 Skills Building: Chocolate Milk, Por Favor!

Skills Building: Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! (PK-5)

Written by Maria Dismondy and illustrated by Donna Farrell

Pre Reading Questions

What does being empathetic mean to you?
Have you ever been a new student in a new country or in a new school? How did it feel to be new?
Have you ever reached out to a new student? How do you think a new student might feel when people reach out to them?
Look at the cover of this book, what do you think this book might be about?

Post Reading Questions

Johnny was unkind toward Gabe in the beginning of the book. Why do you think he acted that way toward Gabe?
“Compassion is empathy in action!” This means that compassion is when you do something to express your empathy and your ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s situation. What is an example of compassion shown in the book? How have you shown compassion?
Think about your best friend. What do you have in common and what makes you different? How do you think it would be if everyone looked and acted the same?
At the end of the book, Gabe taught Johnny a difficult soccer trick. What is something that you have learned from someone who is different from you?

Creative Enrichment Activity: Partner Venn Diagram (Pre-K-2)

Overview: In Chocolate Milk, Por Favor!, Johnny was unkind to Gabe at first because he saw that he was different and did not know how to empathize with Gabe. By the end of the book, Johnny learned that he had some things in common with Gabe and he began to understand how Gabe might be feeling as a new student in a place where he does not understand the language. Gabe was able to teach Johnny a soccer trick he was working on and Johnny was able to help Gabe feel included in his new school.

Materials

● Template printed on printer paper. Download template.
● Color pencils
● Tape or glue sticks
● Scissors

Duration: 45-55 minutes (for staff: 5 pre-activity set up and 15-20 minute prep)

● 10 minutes: Introduce the activity using the book and examples, split students into partners
● 5-10 minutes: Students cut their templates
● 10 minutes: Each partner decorates their individual head, one arm, and leg templates.
● 5-10 minutes: Partners work together to draw or write on the body template
● 5 minutes: Glue individual student head/leg/arm templates to the body
● 5 minutes: Clean up activity
● 5 minutes: Reflect

Instructions

Before the activity, the staff should print out the templates. Each student needs one copy of the template that includes that head, two legs, and an arm. Each pair of students needs the template with the Venn diagram body. Pre-cut the body templates for all students. For the youngest group of students (Pre-K – K), pre-cut the head/arm/leg templates to reduce craft time. Most first and second graders should be able to cut the head/arm/leg template on their own.
Introduce the activity, use the book to have students start to think about how they are similar to their classmates, and how they are different. Explain a Venn diagram to students. Show them where they draw/write what is the same and what is different.
Split students into pairs. Students can be allowed with friends up to staff discretion.
Students who can, cut their own head/legs/one arm templates
Each partner decorates their individual head, one arm, and leg templates.
Partners work together to draw or write on the body template, a few things that they have in common, and a few things that are different. If drawing instead of writing, have them draw one thing for each category. Students may have to learn more about each other to figure out how they are the same and how they are different.
Glue individual student head/leg/arm templates to the body
Clean up activity
Reflect and share.

Reflection Questions

How were you and your partner the same? How were you different?
What was the point of this activity? What was the lesson?
What would the world feel like if we were all the same?
How do our differences help the world?

Creative Enrichment Activity: Partner Venn Diagram (3-5)