🌈 Classroom
Lesson Plan: Celebrating Differences
A KS1 lesson using The Brave Little Pixel and the Poppy the Dragon Who Sneezed Glitter sneak peek: discussion, a collaborative class picture, and assessment.
Sparkle TreePRESS
Lesson PlanCelebrating Differences
Using The Brave Little Pixel (free to read in the Dream Machine) and the free sneak peek of Poppy the Dragon Who Sneezed Glitter. Pip looks like a mistake up close, but she's exactly what the picture needed; Poppy's glitter sneezes are the thing she most wants to hide.
Learning objectives
- To understand that everyone is different, and that differences can be strengths.
- To recognise feelings about standing out or fitting in.
- To work together to make something no one could make alone.
Curriculum links
- PSHE / Relationships Education: respecting differences; self-respect.
- Art & design: using colour; working collaboratively.
- English, writing: composing sentences orally before writing.
You will need
- A screen for the Dream Machine: sparkletreepress.com/dream-machine.html
- Squares of paper (about 8 × 8 cm), one per child, plus crayons or felt tips
- A large sheet with a simple grid drawn on it (one square per child), for the class picture
Lesson outline
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| Starter 5 min | Open the Poppy sneak peek in the Dream Machine. "Poppy sneezes glitter, and she wants to hide it. Why might someone want to hide something about themselves?" |
| Story 10 min | Read The Brave Little Pixel. Pause when the pixels say "that's not our part of the picture": "Do you agree?" Pause on page 6: "How does Pip feel being the wrong colour in the wrong place?" |
| Discussion 10 min | "Up close Pip looked like a mistake. From far away she was a bird. What does that tell us?" Talk about how we only see someone properly when we see the whole picture. |
| Activity 25 min | Our class picture. Each child colours their square in any way they like: patterns, a favourite colour, something about them. Place every square on the grid. Step back together: the picture only works because every square is different. |
| Plenary 10 min | Oral sentences: "My square is special because…", "Something that makes me different is…". Children who want to can write theirs on a sticky note for the display. |
Poppy the Dragon · sparkletreepress.comFree to print and share · Page 1 of 2
Sparkle TreePRESS
Lesson PlanDifferentiation
Support
- Model your own square first and talk about it.
- Sentence starters on the board.
- Pair children for the plenary.
Challenge
- Write a short piece: "If I were a pixel, I would be… because…"
- Compare Pip with Poppy: what is each one worried about, and what changes?
Assessment
| Look for | Working towards | Expected | Greater depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talks about difference positively | Names one thing that is different about them | Says why a difference can be good | Gives an example from the story and from life |
| Understands the story's message | Retells what Pip did | Explains why Pip mattered to the picture | Explains "seeing the whole picture" in their own words |
| Collaborates | Adds their square | Talks about how the squares work together | Notices how others' squares change the whole |
Talking about feelings sensitively
Some children may feel different for reasons that are hard to talk about. Keep sharing optional, focus on strengths and choices ("what makes your square special") rather than on visible differences, and follow up privately if a child raises a worry.
Extend it: make a glitter display: each child adds a dab of glitter glue to the class picture for one kind thing they noticed about a classmate this week. Poppy would approve.
Poppy the Dragon · sparkletreepress.comFree to print and share · Page 2 of 2