Grade by Grade
A. Heritage and Identity · Our Changing Roles and Responsibilities

Respect for Everyone and Everything

A3.4 A3.5 A1.4About 30 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can name ways to show respect at home, at school and in my community.
  • I can explain why every person deserves respect, no matter what their role is.
  • I can show respect for the natural and built environment.
  • I can include others so they feel they belong.

Words to know

respect
Treating people, animals and things with care, because they matter.
include
To let someone join in and make them feel welcome.
environment
Everything around us. The natural environment is nature (trees, water, animals). The built environment is what people made (buildings, parks, roads).
cooperate
To work together and help each other.
courteous
Polite. Saying please, thank you and excuse me.

What does respect look like?

Imagine you are building a tower with blocks. A friend says, "Can I help?" and waits for your answer. Later, another child knocks your tower over on purpose and laughs.

Which child showed respect? The first one! Respect means treating people, animals and things with care, because they matter.

Everyone deserves respect

Every person deserves to be treated with respect, no matter:

  • what their role is (principal, custodian, student, bus driver, baby),
  • what they look like or how they dress,
  • what language they speak or where their family comes from,
  • what kind of family they have,
  • what they can or cannot do yet.

The custodian who cleans the school deserves the same respect as the principal. The youngest child deserves the same respect as the oldest.

Respectful behaviourWhat it looks like
sharingletting a friend use the red crayon when you are done
cooperatingworking together to clean up the classroom
being courteoussaying please, thank you and excuse me
taking turnswaiting in line for the slide
listeninglooking at the person who is talking and not interrupting
including"Do you want to play with us?"
caring for the environmentputting garbage in the bin, not breaking branches off trees
Some ways to show respect every day
sharingtaking turns...listeningWant to play?including
Four everyday ways to show respect: sharing, taking turns, listening and including others.

Respect for the environment

Respect is not only for people. We also respect the environment.

  • Natural environment: we don't pick all the flowers in the park, we leave animal homes alone, we don't litter in the lake.
  • Built environment: we don't draw on walls, we keep library books clean, we take care of the playground so everyone can use it.

When we take care of these places, they stay nice for everyone, including people and animals who come after us.

A tidy community park with a playground, tulip beds, a bench, a pond and garbage and recycling bins.
This park is part of our environment. Using the bins and caring for the flowers and playground keeps it nice for everyone. AI-generated image
natural environmentbuilt environmentleave animal homes alonekeep library books clean
Respect is for places too. We care for the natural environment and the built environment so they stay nice for everyone.

Respect is the same everywhere, but it can look different

Different families and cultures can show respect in different ways. In some families children look an adult in the eyes to show they are listening. In other families looking down can be a way to show respect. Some First Nations people offer tobacco when they ask an Elder for help or teachings, as a sign of respect.

When you are not sure, you can watch, listen and ask kindly.

Worked example

Example: Is it respectful?

Look at each action. Is it respectful or not respectful?

  1. Liam throws his juice box on the grass at the park.
  2. Zara holds the door open for a parent with a stroller.
  3. Two children say Jun's lunch "smells weird."
  1. Ask: Does this action show care for the person, animal or place?
  2. 1. Throwing garbage on the grass harms the environment. Not respectful. He could put it in the garbage or recycling bin.
  3. 2. Holding the door helps someone. Respectful (courteous).
  4. 3. Making fun of someone's food can make them feel bad about their family and culture. Not respectful. They could ask kindly about it, or say nothing unkind.

1 not respectful, 2 respectful, 3 not respectful. Respect means caring about people and places.

Just for fun

What if your block tower could talk? When a friend asks "Can I help?" and waits for an answer, the blocks would cheer: "Hooray! A builder with manners!"

Hands-on activity

Respect detectives

You need: paper, a pencil and a day at home or in the community.

  1. Make two columns on the paper: 😊 Respect I saw and ✋ Respect I showed.
  2. For one whole day, look for respectful actions (a neighbour shovelling a sidewalk for someone, a sibling sharing, someone recycling).
  3. Draw a tally mark or a small picture for each one.
  4. At bedtime, count your tallies and talk about your favourite one.

Bonus: Do one respectful thing for the environment, like picking up litter in your yard with gloves on, or turning off a light.

Your turn

1

What does respect mean?

2

Name two ways to show respect at school.

3

Does the school custodian deserve respect? Why?

4

What could you say to include a child who is standing alone at recess?

5

Name one way to show respect for the natural environment.

6

Name one way to show respect for the built environment.

7

Tess speaks Tagalog at home. A classmate says, "Talk normal!" Is that respectful? What could the classmate do instead?

More practice: warm-up

1

Saying "please" and "thank you" is called being c_____.

2

😊 or ✋: Waiting your turn for the slide.

3

😊 or ✋: Pushing to the front of the line.

4

Is a tree part of the natural or built environment?

5

What does cooperate mean?

More practice: on your own

1

Leo wants to play with the toy truck, but Ana is using it. What is the respectful thing to do?

2

Why should we not pick all the wildflowers in a park?

3

A child in a wheelchair wants to play tag. How can the group include her?

4

How can you show respect to a guest who visits your home?

5

Your neighbour is an older man who lives alone. Name one respectful thing your family could do for him in winter.

Challenge

1

Why do you think every person deserves respect, even if you don't agree with them or don't like the same things?

2

Your class leaves the park. You see garbage that you did not drop. Should you pick it up? Explain.

3

Make up a class rule about respect. Say why it is a good rule.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which action shows respect?

2.

Who deserves respect?

3.

Which is part of the built environment?

4.

How can you show respect for the natural environment?

5.

A new student is standing alone. What is the best way to include him?

6.

Ming's family speaks Mandarin at home. What is a respectful thing to say?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: All people deserve respect, regardless of their roles, appearance, language, culture, family or abilities. We also show respect for the natural and built environment.

How to help at home:

  • Model courtesy with everyone your child sees you interact with: store clerks, bus drivers, custodians, neighbours.
  • Praise specific respectful actions: "You waited until Grandpa finished talking. That was respectful."
  • Take a short walk and look for ways people care for (or don't care for) shared places.

Common difficulties:

  • Respect only for people in charge. Children sometimes think respect is only for adults or bosses. Stress that the custodian, the bus driver and a baby all deserve respect.
  • "Different" meaning "wrong". If your child comments on someone's food, clothing, skin or language, calmly turn it into curiosity: "That's different from what we do. Different is okay. What could you ask to learn more?"
  • Ways of showing respect differ between cultures (for example, eye contact). Help your child see that people may show respect in different ways.