Prior to group time, set a table or desk with index cards and pencils or pens. As students join your group, invite them to take an index card and a pencil or pen and write down (without others seeing) something unique about themselves that others might not know. This can be anything from “I was born prematurely and stayed in the hospital the first month of my life” to “I have a really great voice (and I’m going to sing you a chorus from ________) to prove it.” The sky is the limit here but mention that these things will be shared with the large group. Students can provide a small detail or something bigger, it is entirely up to them! Prepare your own card to share.
When all students have arrived, form a circle and invite students to use their index cards to share something with the group that is unique about themselves and that the group likely doesn’t know.
State that what we see on the outside isn’t always what is seen on the inside. We all have part of ourselves that we keep to ourselves.
On the outside Kodi Lee is blind and because of his autism doesn’t react to questions like everyone else would, yet as you watch this clip you’ll see that who Kodi is on the outside does not define who he is on the inside…and he’s got a talent that makes him one of a kind.
Show the following video clip to your students [4:59]:
Kodi Lee: Blind Autistic Singer WOWS AND gets GOLDEN BUZZER! America’s Got Talent 2019
https://dcc-web-1.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/RLD+Assets/Kodi+Lee+America’s+Got+Talent+2019.mp4
Ask:
- When Kodi was first introduced what were some of your concerns about his ability to sing well enough to be a contender on America’s Got Talent? (Answers will vary, but may include his disabilities might keep him from his best performance—especially since he can’t see and was performing in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar sounds, etc.)
- When Kodi started performing, were you surprised at his level of talent and expertise? What surprised you the most? (Most students will note their surprise at Kodi’s abilities; some may mention the level of maturity in his voice/presentation or his ability to play the piano.)
- Why is this a good example of how what a person is on the inside isn’t always seen on the outside? (Invite students to share their initial reactions in comparison to their feelings now about Kodi’s abilities.)
- Are there ever times when the outside of a person looks better than the inside? Why is it hard to tell sometimes? (Students may refer to times when someone is trying to lie about something or act innocent when they aren’t. Some people are practiced liars or hide behind social media to reinvent what they look like from the outside.)
Although we are usually quick to form an opinion about people based on our initial observations of what we see on the outside, there is Someone who never does this. Let’s take a deeper look.
