Introduce the book Say Something! by Peter Reynolds. Show the cover of the book to the class and explain the purpose of the word bubble on the front. The author uses word bubbles throughout the book to show personal dialogue and personal voice. Say, "As you listen to the story, I want you to notice the different ways the people in the book 'say something.'"

Read the story aloud, beginning with the pages inside the cover that show multiple word bubbles. Pick a few of these words to read and then tell the class you are going to come back to this page later. To help students participate in identifying the different ways people are challenged to use their voice, pause after reading “If you see an empty canvas … say something with your brush.”  Tell the students, “Already the author has mentioned a couple of different ways people ‘say something.'  How is the girl on this page using her voice?”

Continue reading the story. Pause again after reading “If you see an injustice, say something peacefully. Inspire others to do the same.”  Discuss the meaning of the word injustice by using the context clues provided on the poster the boy is holding on the page with “No more hurting people.”  Discuss what it means to “inspire.”

Finish the story and show the inside back cover page. Ask students to notice the word bubbles on this page. They are blank.  Now, show the class the front inside cover page again. These word bubbles have words. Read a few more of these to the class.  Say, “Let’s read the very last page of the story again and then look at the final inside cover page.”  After re-reading the page, ask the class why they think the author left the last word bubbles blank. 

Note: This discussion may lead students to thinking beyond themselves to use their voice to build peaceful and inclusive communities. Encourage that reflection and action if the discussion leads that way. On Day Two, students will have an opportunity to use their talent to Say Something! 

Make a Talent Chain:

Give each student three strips of paper. Ask them to think quietly first about the things they are good at, or the "gifts" that they have. On each strip of paper students write one gift or talent. Once everyone has their three strips ready, invite students to read aloud their gifts. Collect the strips as each individual reads them and staple them together into a classroom chain -- bringing their diverse talents and gifts together into the caring community. 

Discuss how our differences make us better. Ask the students to reflect on all the great talents that make up this community. "Just like the world, our classroom is made up of different people who give in different ways, and those differences just keep making us grow a better community."

Day Two

As arranged in advance, a community helper (police, fire, medic) visits for 30-60 minutes to talk to the classroom about the good they do as well as some of the community’s needs. Prepare the visitor by telling them about the book you’ve read; this may give your guest speaker ideas for their presentation.

After the presentation, allow time for the students to ask questions.

"Now it is up to us to use our words and talents to build caring communities." Challenge students to use their talents to express encouragement [Say Something!] to give support to the people who the guest speaker described. [Note: these expressions may be displayed at school, in the community, or go in the calming boxes.]

Service-Project:

Students make "calming boxes" filled with homemade items that sooth someone who is feeling anxiety or experiencing trauma. Directions are in the handouts below. They may choose where they donate their finished boxes, which could be the organization associated with their guest speaker, or they may review the brainstormed list from the beginning of class of people who help others.  Say, “Some people we talked about serve the common good in our communities. Their jobs are to help others. Firefighters help people when there has been an accident, or someone gets sick at home, or their has been a fire.  They help people who are old or young, boys or girls, white or black, Asian or Hispanic. They help everyone.” 

Use cooperation and respectful communication to come to a consensus about which community helper organization will receive the donations of calming boxes. The boxes may be donated to a classroom, police station, hospital, or other place where self-calming tools and words can help a young person self-regulate their anxiety. 

Additional Project Ideas: Use our talents to express words of kindness, peace, and inclusion. Paint a picture that shows a kind act, make cards with words of comfort and support to send with the firefighters when they go out on calls;  collect donations of gently used soft comfort items like stuffed animals that firefighters can give to children they help.  

Reflection: Students use drawing and writing, as well as conversation, to reflect on how they felt and what they observed. Then talk about what is next for growing a peaceful and inclusive classroom, community, and world.