Hello! I hope that you have been feeling like the amazing person that you are in spite of anything that may be happening around you. I love that you are here sharing how to teach central message with me!
You cannot imagine how happy I am to be writing about how to teach central message using Beautiful with you! It dawned on me that I haven’t written about culturally responsive books that I love as much as I normally do. It just feels right to be creating this post for you on how important, perhaps at this time more than ever, teaching self-love to our kids is.
If you have spent any amount of time with me, you know that the book Beautiful by Stacy MacAnulty is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite books- ever! EVER! So, when I was invited to join this giveaway to select a book to highlight and create a resource for, Beautiful came to mind immediately! It features such a lovely sentiment that it is a great way to teach central message while tying in culturally responsive teaching.
Summary of the Text
Beautiful is a short and simplistic picture book that features a message that is complex in nature. It quite beautifully debunks a myth that is often applied to girls and women. This moving text tries to move its readers from purely seeing girls as solely interested in their looks and clothes, to seeing how amazing they are from the inside out. Target Audience: First to Third Grade. The message is appropriate for any age range. : )
Introducing the Text
Modeling how to teach central message with Beautiful.
Cover the title of the anchor text so that students will not see it in advance.
Show students the cover illustration. Ask them what they think the book will be about. You may want to record their responses. Allow each student the opportunity to share their thoughts. If time permits, allow students to explain the reason behind their responses.
Uncover the title and say it out loud. Watch for students’ reactions. This would be a wonderful opportunity to ask your students to explain their reactions and to hear why they reacted that way. If you do not have time to ask each student, call on a few of them.
Vocabulary Words
- beautiful
- properly
- compliments
- deserve
Discussion Questions
- What is beauty?
- What makes something/someone beautiful?
- Do you think that you are beautiful?
- What does the cover illustration tell you about this text?
- Why do you think that the author wrote this book?
- Do the illustrations help tell this story? If yes, how so?
- Do the illustrations match the text on each page?
- Does the information in this text apply to all girls?
- Was this story written just for girls? Why or why not?
- Is this a text that is important for boys to read, as well? Why or why not?
Teaching Central Message or Moral of the Story
Use the activity in the resource to get students to think about what the central message of the text is. Leave this as open-ended as possible to get a view of how the text impacted your students on an individual basis.
When I first discovered this amazing story, I did an impromptu activity with my students. You can read more about it here. It was eye-opening and a life-changing experience for my kids. {I was using a different blog platform at the time, so please excuse me if some of the pictures or videos don’t display properly.}
Win This Text and Resource!
This just keeps getting better!
We are Celebrating Diversity with Mentor Texts by joining together to provide this phenomenal literary opportunity for one looking entrant! Beautiful is only ONE of the texts that you may win. There are 14 other culturally responsive books that are yours for the taking!
If you would love to go ahead and purchase Beautiful by Stacy MacAnulty for your own personal or school library, you can click here. Your students will love this book. Honestly, I truly believe that you will, too!
This giveaway will begin at 9:00. p.m. on Thursday, September 24th, and will end on Tuesday, September 29th. You are entering for a chance to win 15 diverse texts and 2 Amazon gift cards! In addition to all of this goodness, you can access lesson plans, ideas, and or activities for ALL of the texts that we are giving away! The lesson plans and activities are available to everyone at no cost! You’ll find them on the image featured below.
See the image at the end of this post to access my activities.
Enter the Rafflecopter
a Rafflecopter giveawayThe lucky winner will need to contact me to share their mailing address in order to get their copy of Beautiful by Stacy MacAnulty. I will purchase it via Amazon and have it mailed directly to you.
May you always feel beautiful. Be blessed.
Note: This post contains my Amazon Affiliate link. If you purchase this product using my link, I will receive a fee from your purchase. Using my link does not increase the cost of this item for you in any way.
This giveaway is not sponsored by Amazon or Stacy MacAnulty.
Enter your email address below to access the lesson guide and free resources!
Thank you to the following artists for their graphics: From the Pond, Mellonheadz, and Doodle Arrow Clipart.
