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WHILE YOU READ OR LISTEN

The main character writes down all the details about her walk home from school. As you listen, choose 5 details that strike you as interesting. Write them down.

LEARN MORE

Benni sings most days when Fatima walks by. Scroll down to listen to music and musicians mentioned in the story. What message do you think Benni is giving Fatima through her music? Can music and connecting to others through art help make the world better?

LOOK BOTH WAYS

What would you do if you passed someone like Benni everyday after school? What do you think her story is?

Read the comic from Teaching Tolerance by clicking the button below. Do you see any similarities between the man in the comic and Benni? How would you respond if you met up with someone like Benni or the man in the comic?

THINK DEEPER

Consider something in the community that you think needs changed. Why does it need to be changed? How would you make it different? How will your changes improve the community?

What small things could you do right now to help start that change? How you gon’ change the world?!

 

WRITE. RIGHT. RITE.

Benni asks Fatima, “How you gon’ change the world?” If you had a remote control, how would you use it to change the world? Listen to Jason Reynolds, then write!

WRITE A CHECKLIST

Fatima’s mother tells her that “Nothing changes, Fati. At least nothing major.” Do you think this is true? What are some of the changes that occur in this story? Do you think Fatima has changed by the end of the story?

Create a checklist like Fatima’s. Write down all the things you do during a day, a morning, or an afternoon. The next day, make another checklist. What things have stayed the same? What happens differently? Ask a friend or another family member to make their own checklist. Compare your lists and check for “sameness” or “differentness.”

Now write a story or a poem in the form of a list. You can use your daily checklist as inspiration or you can use your imagination. Here are some list ideas you could use in your writing:

  • An old family recipe
  • A grocery list
  • A list of directions leading you towards a mysterious destination
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