The Circles All Around Us

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In this post, I will walk you through a detailed lesson plan that includes thoughtful questions for pre, during, and post-reading, as well as a free activity. This is a gorgeous book. I opened by saying it is a meditation and I’ll close on that sentiment. The message of connection, regardless of time, space, or matter, is beautiful. In an end note, the author, Xelena Gonzalex, of Native American and Spanish descent, writes that the text is specific to her culture, but also recognizes “more people are seeing themselves as part of a greater circle.” This is certainly the case, depending on where you look, if you are looking in the right places. Ask:The author dedicated the book “For all the kids making the world better right where they are.” What do you think Brad Montague means by that?

The story opens up with a child drawing a circle. The child sits alone inside the shape. When family members want in on the space, a bigger circle includes everyone. Larger circles follow to accommodate more family members, friends and neighbors. Make paper or cardboard cut-outs of circles and hide them in the garden, house or classroom. Let kids search for them. Hide enough shapes so that everyone has a chance to find a few. Connect:Simple acts of caring ripple out into the world and impact more than just one person. Give an example of an act of kindness that someone did for you that made a difference to you and others. Give an example of an act of kindness that you did that impacted more than just one person. Activities Connect:We are all a part of different “circles” in our lives. As you read the book, think about your different circles (your families, your classes, your teams, your friends) and how it feels to be a part of a circle. During ReadingConnect: Describe a time when you felt “outside” a circle. How did that make you feel? What can you do to invite other people so they don’t feel left out? After Reading Cut them into any shapes and get kids to build them. Store each circle puzzle in a separate plastic bag. Cuter as a child-narrated video, but the message is worthy enough to justify this less-evanescent medium.

If you love Social Emotional Learning and want to implement it throughout the school year, grab a FREE 1 month of SEL Daily Morning Meeting here. Save It For Later This book invites discussion: What do the pictures and words mean about themes of universal importance: acceptance, understanding, sharing, and helping to make the world a better place for everyone? Brad Montague believes “the world is better when kids and adults dream, create, and read together.” Hand-lettered text by the author is enhanced by carefree illustrations using analog and digital elements. In the circles all around us, everywhere that we all go, there’s a difference we can make and a love we can all show. Lay the shapes across a room, making sure to place the circles close enough together – but not in a straight line – with the other shapes in between them. If a service project is too big right now, think about starting simple acts of kindness. Watch The Circles Showon YouTube for some ideas. Invite learners to brainstorm simple things they can do to make the world a better place. Direct learners to commit to one activity and develop a plan to make it happen. The Hope for Families CenterBeing new to a community can feel uncomfortable. Think about how you might help someone new feel welcome using ideas in this Learning to Give lesson on “Creating a Welcoming Classroom All Year.” Though directed at sons, the guidance presented is sensible for kids of all genders navigating life. When the music stops, each child must run and stand on/in a circle. A child who doesn’t get to a circle in time is out. In each round, one circle is removed until there is one winner left. Ask:Pause and think about the story. What stood out to you the most? How did the story make you feel?

Create a work of ripple art by marbling oil and food coloring. The colors ripple together to create something unique and beautiful. All Around Us, written by Xelena Gonzalez and illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, is a meditation. Garcia’s images are digitally generated and seem to straddle the line between spiritual and material, curving into a circle under the weight of Gonzalez’s poetic prose. This is fitting since the text explores time as neither linear nor marked by the progression of an individual, but instead cyclical and communal. For this circle activity, instead of searching for hidden paper shapes, challenge kids to find items in their environment – the living room, classroom or garden – that have circular shapes. Another way to play this game is to lay out large circles on the ground, one per person. Hula hoops work well for this activity.

Skills

It begins: “Grandpa says circles are all around us. We just have to look for them.” The girl’s grandfather shows her the world as he sees it, and she looks. He is teaching her to perceive connections and apprehend, even if only vaguely, the unseen conditions that enable the seeable – the ancestors that precede you as well as the progeny that reach beyond you. Sitting under the tree, where they bury their ancestors, the grandfather appears sad. They both hold their hands to the earth, part of something beyond themselves. Draw your circles either on paper or outside with sidewalk chalk.Begin with yourself. Next add a circle for your immediate family. Add their names to your family circle. Then continue drawing circles to represent all the groups you belong to in your life. Consider who might be outside your circle. What can you do to invite them in? A young girl learns about the circular nature of all life in this lovely picture-book from first time author/illustrator team Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia. Through her time with her grandfather, who talks about the circles all around them - the rainbow in the sky, their use of the earth for gardening, the cycles of life and death in their own family, the cultivation of the apple tree planted when she was born - the girl gains a better understanding of the world around her, and of her place in it...