A Night to Remember

Nighttime doesn’t have to be a total snoozefest! Every culture, household and person experiences the night differently—some prefer to cozy up in bed early while others are getting dressed to go out for the evening. Begin ruminating on what the nighttime can hold by asking students to recall their favorite stories or books that take place after the sun has set (e.g., Where the Wild Things Are or Goodnight Moon).

Take this exploration a step further by asking students to talk about nighttime with their caregivers, with questions like:

• How do different people you know get ready for bed?
• What does a nighttime ritual look like in your culture?
• Maybe there is a certain food after dinner or a special tradition before bed!

Once everyone has examined nighttime in their own living spaces, come together to reflect on what makes each student’s night unique and what everyone’s nights have in common.

With this knowledge in mind, use the power of imagination to write your own nighttime story as a class!

Have the students suggest plot points and characters, using the prior discussions as inspiration.

When you’re done, get on your feet and act out the story you’ve just created. Now, all of your students have a bedtime story in common!

To support this unit, use the The Curious Tale of the Classroom in the Nighttime Activity.