Tell Me Again
About the Night I Was Born
Tr 0-06-024528-X

In asking her mother and father to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl shows that it is a cherished tale she knows by heart. This heartwarming story celebrates love and the joy of family and belonging—very important in promoting self-worth and personal identity.

Celebrate Family

Launch a Celebrate Family unit by holding a class discussion about family. Explain that there are many different types of family beyond the “traditional” family. Some children live with grandparents, some children are adopted, as in the story in the book, and some children live with foster families—but no matter the situation, a family is about love. Describe the classroom as an extended family, whereby each student is a valued family member. Then ask students to complete the statement “We are a family because . . . ” Students can share their responses with the class. Make a banner entitled “We Are Family” for the bulletin board. Then create a large cutout of a tree and place the children’s responses and photos of yourself and each child on it, and put it beneath the banner.

Memory Box

As part of the family celebration, have children work with their parents and/or caregiver to collect items for a memory box telling the story of their birth. The children then bring the items to school and arrange, label, and write about the objects to create a memory box. Each student’s memory box will be part of a hall of fame display in the classroom.

Family Tree

Show students the family tree on pages 12-13 and ask them what it represents. Describe the family tree as a physical depiction of one’s background and family roots. Create a family template for students to bring home to complete with their parents and/or caregiver. Students can share their family trees with the class, giving special notation to special people they were named after and/or anything they learned about their family from this exercise. Enhance the bulletin board above by replacing the responses with each child’s family tree or by adding them to the We Are Family tree.

Time Capsule

Have children collect memorabilia from the school year and place it in a time capsule. Each child should also write a letter to himself or herself, describing major events that had taken place during that school year that made an impact on them, or describing what they think they may be like in a couple of years, etc. Each child will have his or her own time capsule. These should be given to the highest-grade teacher in the school building to await opening when the class gets to that level.

Teaching ideas prepared by Mary Moriarty, teacher Mahopac Central Schools, Mahopac, NY