Learning from Others Session 2: Read and Talk Together

Introduce and discuss: learning from others

Before introducing the topic, display a world map in the classroom. Students can reference the map as you talk about Arthur's pen pal in Turkey. You may want to also display images of people and lands of different cultures for use in your discussion of people and traditions and cultures.

Dear Adil introduces students to Adil, a character who lives in Turkey. Students follow interactions between Arthur and Adil helps to help them understand why it’s important not to make assumptions about others and to be sure that our information about others is accurate. It's also helpful to be curious about the world around us and to be eager to learn new things. You might say: When we are curious about something, we usually want to learn more about it. What do you do when you want to learn about someone or something? <pause for responses> You can look something up in a book or online (you just have to make sure it's true!), or you can talk to someone who knows more about the subject than you do. You can ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. We need to be careful not to assume <define word if needed> we know everything, especially about a country or culture or person, just because of something we heard or read.

Then ask students:

•Is it sometimes hard to admit you don’t know something? Why or why not?

•How do you think it would feel if someone assumes they know something about you or your family or culture? What can you do to make sure they have the right information?

•What can you do when you find out you are wrong about someone? What can happen when we make assumptions about others?

• Do you know someone from a different country? How can you find out about their culture?

Explore vocabulary

You may want to define the vocabulary words students could find challenging (see Appendix, Vocabulary Lists). Remind them that they can always ask their Big Buddy about words they aren’t familiar with.

Review communication skills

Discuss any communication or other problems that came up during the previous sessions. Review solutions and strategies as needed. Ask students to share how their Big Buddies helped them keep the conversation going during the previous buddy sessions.