In conjunction with RYNJ’s second grade unit about Martin Luther King Jr., the second grade boys classes read the poem, “A Box Of Crayons” by Shane DeRolf.

After each class read the poem, they discussed how it related to what they had read and learned about Martin Luther King Jr. This led to a grade-wide discussion about friendship and the importance of treating everyone with respect.

The students explored what it means to be a good friend and how to be better friends. They identified some important friendship rules.

Each student received a large crayon cutout and wrote about friendship with an accompanying illustration. The second graders at RYNJ created a beautiful crayon box which exemplifies their strong middot tovot. A quote from the poem, “We are a box of crayons, each of us unique, but when we get together the picture is complete,” enveloped the drawings.