It s None of Your Business! Thinking Like a Citizen Series

It s None of Your Business! Thinking Like a Citizen Series By: Kathy Swan, S.G. Grant & Emma Thacker

An establishing shot in which students and the teacher are in the classroom. Teacher is handing back graded papers. Students comment on their own grades and compare as the teacher looks on. Naomi: Yay! I got a princess sticker! Grayson: Yeah, I got a dinosaur sticker. Chloe: Awhh, I have to re-do mine!

[Classroom scene focused in on a few students; one sits off to the side, looks disappointed. Teacher looks on.] Naomi: Hey, Izzy, what d you get? Izzy: It s none of your business, Naomi!

[Teacher writes It s None of Your Business on the board. ] [Teacher facing reader in inset box]: Teacher: So whose business is your business?

[A few kids with hands in air; excitement on faces] Andy: Do we get to use the glasses? Naomi: Can I get the lenses? Because I got the princess sticker!? Teacher: Yes, using the glasses is a great idea. Izzy, would you mind grabbing them?

[The kids passing lenses above their heads] Teacher: OK, so which glasses should we start with? Cacophony: Space! No, time! Let s use the stuff lenses! What about the rules ones? I can t hear when I move my ears like this [kid (Seamus) flaps earlobe over ear]! Teacher: Let s just start with the rules lenses.

Rules *lens name in illustration Grayson: How do we decide when to share and when not to? Izzy: Who gets to know my grades? Naomi: My Mommy and Daddy are gonna want to know what grade I got. Is it their business? Maddie: My mommy asks me every day what kind of sticker I got. Nathan: Why do we even get stickers? Kid: Stickers.hmmmm..Sounds like we need our stuff lenses!

Stuff *lens name in illustration Teacher: Why do I give stickers when you do really good work? Chloe: I like my stickers! Maddie: When I get a sticker, my Mommy puts them up on the refrigerator. Naomi: Yeah, I have 10 stickers up there right now. Grayson: But when you put a sticker on our paper, other people can see it. Seamus: Sometimes I can t help but look at the other stickers. Izzy: Yeah, but you shouldn t look because it may hurt someone s feelings. Nathan: Awhh feelings again. Teacher: We certainly don t want to hurt others. How about we look through the people lenses now? **Equivalency If we didn t get stickers, could we get something else?

People *lens name in illustration Maddie: When I saw someone crying on the playground yesterday, I asked what was the matter? Was that my business? Andy: Naomi thinks everything is her business. Teacher There is a difference between letting someone know you care about them and getting into someone s business. Izzy: But I m confused now. If it s none of our business, why do we put our papers up on the bulletin board? Nathan: Yeah, how come that space is everybody s business? Teacher: That is a very good point, Izzy. Let's take out our space lenses!

Space *lens name in illustration Teacher: "This is tricky business. While we share this classroom, we each have our own space within it, like our cubbies. Seamus: "So, if I get this: (chart) o My lunch--my business--check. o Circle time--everybody's business--check. o Cubby--My business--check. o Manipulatives--Everybody's business--check. o Backpack--My business--check. o Bathroom--" Teacher jumps in..."i think we got it, Seamus. How about the time lenses?"

Time *lens name in illustration Teacher: "When I was your age, (interrupted ) Grayson: "My mom says that when she was my age, her school didn't have any walls--so everything was everyone's business." Seamus: "No walls? What about the bathroom?" Chloe: "My grandmother couldn't talk in school at all." Naomi: "But we talk all the time." Teacher: "Yes, you do. And sometimes we have to talk about hard things because that's what communities have always had to do."

Maddie: "So, we have to figure out whose business is our business?" [Two page spread--kid in middle says above with kids in background with thought bubbles and some talking, Seamus in shot, fixated (adds bathroom--my business) ]

[Teacher and kids looking out to readers] "How do you decide whose business is your business?"

[Seamus' thought bubbles, bubbles all over the place, crowding him out] What about my Spiderman action figures? My sister? What about the box of glasses? Library books? The sandbox? Oh, yeah, the sandbox is everybody's business! My thermos? What about the lunch room? I hate broccoli. What about broccoli? What about green? Why is the Hulk green? Well, what color am I? I need to finish my drawing... [background: big/little check marks, boxes, etc.]

[Closing shot/establishing shot for next book: Kids drawing, Seamus finishing his drawing]