What's Respect?

Gr 4—7—In these four brief, live-action dramatizations, middle schoolers learn about respect. A young girl, acting as narrator, sets up each section, comments during the vignettes, and asks questions at the end. In "We're All Different," a boy is teased at a birthday party because a food allergy prevents him from eating the cake, but a friend stands up for him. "Self-Respect" presents a boy who feels bad because he let his friends copy his homework, but he gains self-respect by refusing when they ask again. "Respecting Everyone's Ideas" focuses on four classmates working on a group project about the pyramids. One girl is critical and dismissive, wanting to have her own way, until her classmates demand to be treated the way she would like to be treated. In "Respecting Rules," two boys climb a fence at an amusement park and are caught by an adult. While the situations are believable and the music is upbeat, the scenarios are so brief that they could only be used as discussion starters. The long lists of other productions in the same guidance series should have been omitted from the DVD. Questions and scripts for three of the four segments are included on the accompanying CD. An additional purchase at best.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN