Elementary Lesson Plans
Produced by the
HRC Foundation
Welcoming Schools teacher-friendly lesson plans are designed to help educators create classrooms and schools that are affirming of all students and their families. A key focus of Welcoming Schools is to provide comprehensive resources for educators to teach about LGBTQ+ people and topics to foster equity and belonging in schools.
Lesson Plans to Create LGBTQ+ Inclusive Classrooms and Schools
| Title | Summary | Link to Resource |
|---|---|---|
| Be Who You Are with the book by Todd Parr | Be Who You Are by Todd Parr reminds kids that their unique traits are what make them so special. After reading, students will create a detailed drawing of themselves. This book and activity can provide an opportunity to discuss unique identities and gender expression with students. [K - 2] | Download Now |
| Making Decisions: Ally or Bystander | Help your students think through what they can do if they see bullying and how they can respond to LGBTQ+, racial or religious slurs. This lesson is featured in the Welcoming Schools video, What Can We Do? Bias, Bullying, & Bystanders. [4 – 8] | Download Now |
| Red: A Crayon's Story –There's More To Me Than You Can See | Red: A Crayon's Story provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss stereotypes based on appearance (gender, race, ability). Each student will create a self crayon that explores their inner identities. [K - 2] | Download Now |
| Words That Hurt And Words That Heal | Using the book, One, talk with students about bullying and standing up for each other. (Other books can be used with this lesson as well.) This lesson is featured in the Welcoming Schools video, What Can We Do? Bias, Bullying, & Bystanders. [K – 4] | Download Now |
| I Am Jazz: Understanding Transgender Children | The picture book, I Am Jazz, based on the life of Jazz Jennings, can help start a conversation with students on what it means to be transgender. Discussion ideas for a range of grade levels. Listen to Jazz Jennings read I Am Jazz. [K – 5] | Download Now |
| A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo: For Every Bunny Who Ever Felt Different | Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lived with his Grampa, Mike Pence—the former Vice President of the United States. Marlon's life was about to change forever when this very special boy bunny fell in love with another boy bunny. With its message of acceptance, this book explores topics of love is love, same gender marriage and democracy. [K – 5] | Download Now |
| Creating Community in Your Classroom: I Am Me Poems | After reading Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers, students write short poems, modeled after the ideas in the book. This is a great activity to help educators and students to get to know each other better. [3 - 5] | Download Now |
Lesson Plans to Welcome All Families in Your School Community
| Title | Summary | Link to Resource |
|---|---|---|
| Love Makes a Family | Create a Love Makes A Family classroom or schoolwide display with unique family drawings from each student. This activity helps students see that the common bond that holds all kinds of families and caring communities together is love. [K – 5] | Download Now |
| What Is A Family? | This introductory lesson uses children’s own experiences and questions. You can use the lesson with any number of books featuring diverse families. [K – 2] | Download Now |
| Tree of Caring: Roots and Wings | Find great alternatives to the traditional family tree. Welcome all students and their families. Be inclusive of LGBTQ+, adoptive, foster, step, and multi-generational families. [1 – 3] | Download Now |
| Embracing Family Diversity: Draw Your Family Todd Parr | After reading The Family Book by Todd Parr as a class, each student will create a drawing of their family. This lesson offers an opportunity to build classroom community by giving students a chance to share and learn about each other’s families. [K – 2] | Download Now |
| Where I'm From: Family, Community and Poetry | Here's a back-to-school activity to get to know your students and their families. This makes a welcoming display for a back-to-school night. [4 - 6] | Download Now |
| Personal Narratives to Explore Family | Students have great stories to tell. Help them find pride in their own story while developing writing skills. [3 - 6] | Download Now |
| Circles of Caring Community:"Family Tree" Activity Showing Support for Children in All Families | This activity helps children to define their families or caring communities for themselves and share it with their peers, if they choose to, in an environment supported by a caring educator. The lesson also offers an opportunity to build classroom community. [1 – 2] | Download Now |
| Diverse Families on Mother's and Father's Days | Develop more inclusive practices around celebrating Mother’s and Father’s Days and help children from diverse family structures feel affirmed in the classroom. [K – 2] | Download Now |
| And Tango Makes Three: Looking At Family & Story Structure | Use this cute story of two male penguins and their baby to discuss family diversity and story structure. [1 – 2] | Download Now |
| Family Diversity Scavenger Hunt | Take a look at your classroom or school library. What do you find? Is there diversity or not? [4 - 5] | Download Now |
| Media Literacy: Analyzing Advertising – How Are Families Portrayed? | Students will look at ads to examine if they are inclusive of all types of families, if they contain biases or stereotypes, or if some kinds of families are left out. [3 – 5] | Download Now |
| Using Book Groups to Look at Family Diversity | Find ideas for great books that can get your students discussing the many ways families are alike and different. [4 - 6] | Download Now |
| Family Story Quilts Inspired by Faith Ringgold, Author, Artist, Illustrator | Help students feel pride in their experience and their family background with an art project to help them tell their story. [3 - 5] | Download Now |
| How Are Stereotypes About Families Reinforced? | Take a look at assumptions and stereotypes about families. Where do they come from? Good discussions for older elementary. [4 - 6] | Download Now |
LGBTQ+ History & Pride: Engaging Lessons
| Title | Summary | Link to Resource |
|---|---|---|
| A Look at LGBTQ+ History and Prominent LGBTQ+ People | A flexible lesson plan to help students learn about LGBTQ+ history and to see a diverse range of LGBTQ+ people. [3 - 6] | Download Now |
| Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Women of Color: The Stonewall Inn and the Modern LGBTQ+ Movement | This lesson highlights four transgender and gender non-conforming women of color – Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major and Stormé DeLarverie and their role in transgender and LGBTQ+ history. [5 - 8] | Download Now |
| Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag with Symbols of Us: Identity Capes and Flags | The book, PRIDE: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders looks at the hopes that Milk had for LGBTQ+ people and the Pride flag. Afterwards, students will create an original flag or cape design representing their own identities. [3 - 5] | Download Now |
| Welcoming Schools Lesson Plan: What is Pride? | In this lesson, students will understand and relate to the many ways that we can feel pride and be proud of ourselves. They will have the opportunity to explore why June is called “Pride Month'' and why it is important to the LGBTQ+ community. | Download Now |
The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission
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