Vocabulary
disability [dis-uh-bil-i-tee]
(noun)
- A physical, emotional or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses or activities, usually because of an illness or injury or from a condition present from birth
- People who live with a disability may be restricted in what they can do when performing activities of daily living.
Before Reading Questions
- What is a disability? What are some disabilities you know about? What questions do you have about disabilities?
- What are some things you assume about people living with a disability? What do you think you know about them?
- Have you ever had a classmate or friend with a disability? If so, tell us about that person. Did his or her disability affect your relationship?
During Reading Questions
- Why didn’t Natalie want to be Sarah’s friend at first? Was she being mean, or was she afraid and nervous?
- How do Natalie’s actions tell you something about how she’s feeling inside?
- What was Natalie’s first impression of Sarah? What helped change Natalie’s mind over the course of their first day in class together?
- How much can you learn about someone from a first impression? Have you ever changed your mind about a first impression? Why?
- How do you think Sarah feels about coming to a new class? Can you remember a time when you felt similar about a new experience?
- What does Natalie learn from Sarah? What will Sarah learn from Natalie?
- Did Natalie and Sarah’s teachers do a good job of making them both feel welcome and comfortable in class? What kinds of things can teachers do to make all their students feel included?
After Reading Questions
- Have you ever been in a situation where you made an unlikely friendship with someone? Describe it.
- How does this story help you better understand someone who has different abilities than you?
- How can you apply what you learned from this story to your own life? Is there anything in this story that we can learn from as a class?
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