2nd Grade Identity Lessons

Katherine Scholes begins this informative piece by describing the multi-facted nature of the word "peace" and what it can mean to different people at different times. Then she provides concrete ways that each of us can be a peacemaker.

Toby and Clemmie love each other very much. Sometimes Clemmie has to go to the hospital though, and it can be scary. Luckily, Toby and Clemmie know how to make the best out of every situation—even ones that involve a trip to the hospital.

This excerpt explains that families are defined by love, caring and sharing, not the number or gender of its members.

Who says girls can't be superheroes? Sheila and her classmates learn that both girls and boys can be superheroes, thanks to their teacher, Mrs. Miller.

“Connected to Everything” is a story written by Jennifer Greene and published in the Fall 2009 issue of Teaching Tolerance. This story is adapted from a traditional tale of the Bitterroot Salish, a Native American tribe in Montana.

Tamera Bryant relays the story of Jerrie Mock and her dream to fly an airplane around the world. In spite of naysayers, including her family, who tried to remind her that girls grow up to be wives and mothers, Jerrie followed her dream and became the first woman to fly an airplane around the world.

“Every brain is a little bit different...”

“My father went to work in a chocolate factory. When he'd come home, his hair was all full of chocolate; his pillows were all brown.”

In this story, Hani faces the decision of removing her hijab in order to play in a basketball tournament or sitting on the bench and watching the game. With the support of her teammates, she stands up to injustice and makes an important decision.

With her husband away fighting in World War II, Amy's mother gets a job playing baseball in the first professional women's league.

Every night Bailey dreams about dresses, but each day his mother, father, and brother remind him that he is a boy and dresses aren't for him. Finally, he finds a friend who embraces both his love for dresses and the individual he feels he is inside.

In this story, the parents of three children decide not to tell people the gender of the third child in an effort to avoid promoting stereotypes. Instead, they allow the child to be a person rather than a pretty girl who wears pink or a strong boy who wears blue.

Sean McCollum gives an account of writer Julia Alvarez's move to the United States from the Dominican Republic as a young girl. Although Alvarez struggled to fit in in this unfamiliar place, she finally found a comfortable niche in her writing.