Should the ant go free?
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose is a wonderful story for discussing diversity, tolerance, and respect. (To view the book please click on the picture to link to amazon.com)
A kid spies a little ant in a crack in a sidewalk. He begins a conversation with the little ant about squishing him. Of course the ant begs the kid not to step on him.Their conversation continues with the discussion of large verses small, comparing the ant's life to the kid's life, and then looking at the situation from the ant's point of view. The kid also cites peer pressure for squishing the ant.
The beauty of this book is that there is no ending to the story. The last page simply asks the question…What do you think that kid should do? (To squish or not to squish?)
This lends for a great class discussion about what is the right or wrong thing to do. Not everyone agrees on what that is. That's why asking your students to defend their answers is quite an eye opener for everyone.
Extending the Reading Experience:
To help children understand and connect to this book, I have added a new product to my
Teachers Pay Teacher's Store called Hey, Little Ant Comprehension Question & Answer Sticks & Craft.
Children need to think and talk about what they have read or what has been read to them. These question and answer sticks are one way to support literacy and stretch student understanding and appreciation of the story, Hey, Little Ant. This product also contains an ant art craft with speech bubble that students can make. Please click on the picture to view my TPT product. Thank you.
Enjoy your day!
Kathy
