Be Together. Not the Same.

First of all, I should mention that I have never in my life used an Android phone.  So, this post has nothing to do with persuading you to go out and buy one.  I just really like the message in this ad, and the delivery is very cute.

I added this video to my Inspirational Videos for Students Pinterest Board last week.  When I showed it to my 5th graders, they cracked up and begged me to show it to them again.  When we discussed the meaning of the slogan, they nailed it.

Still riding high on the laughter of my 5th graders, I showed the video to my 1st graders the next day.  When I pulled up the video, two of the boys started making fun of the orangutan because his stomach “looks like a butt.”  This actually emphasized the reason I wanted to show this video to them in the first place – but more of that in a moment.

Once I played it through, the students agreed with the fifth graders that it was pretty cute.  This time, though, I asked the group to write the message they thought it was trying to convey (besides, “Buy Android phones.”)  You can click on the images below to see some of their ideas.

This leads to why I showed the video: We are researching different countries, and some of the students were critical of the differences they saw in the research books during the previous class.  I tried to explain that just because people may not dress like us or eat the same foods it doesn’t make them “weird.”

I was sure I would need to lead the students to the connection between the video and the lesson I hoped it would teach.  But, after finishing her sentence and drawing, one girl looked up at me and said, “I know why you showed us that video.”

“Why?”

“Because you wanted us to see that you can be different and still be friends – like the people in the countries we are studying.”

Yep.  She nailed it.