Katie WolkenhauerCurricular Performance Design Task #4

Produce a lesson that is based on how to use biography, bibliotherapy or cinematherapy to develop curriculum that can address some of the affective needs of your students who display giftedness. Read a book written for a child or young adult audience that could be used in a bibliotherapy session to address a common problem or key socio-emotional issue for highly-abled students. Prepare a detailed outline, including specific questions and activities promoting identification, catharsis, and insight, for a bibliotherapy session. Lesson Overview: Students will be exploring the book, Nobody's Perfect by David Elliott. This lesson is intended for students in the range of kindergarten to first grade. Students will participate in a guided reading and collaborate to answer guided reading questions about the text. This story is about a young boy reflecting on the importance of not being perfect. He analyzes the people in his family and friend circles who are not perfect: best friend, baby sister, mom, and more. Ultimately, through some humorous thinking, he comes to the conclusion that the messiness in life is actually something to be enjoyed and celebrated rather than striving for everything to be perfect. The intended goal of this lesson is to help students appreciate themselves and the people around them, as well as to become more open-minded in appreciating the things in life that are “messy.”

Explanation: This strategy is appropriate for highly capable students because bibliotherapy is a key way to integrate affective education into curriculum. This intentional “use of literature” ultimately helps students “understand and resolve personal issues” (Ferguson, 2015, p.492). Additionally, bibliotherapy develops students’ coping skills and is seen as “one of the most effective affective strategies” (Ferguson, 2015, p.492). This method can be easily implemented through a variety of sources (teachers, parents, etc.) at a relatively low-cost while producing positive results. The development of activities and “guided inquiry questions to aid students” is critical in helping students internalize or apply concepts from the book to their own personal lives (Ferguson, 2015, p.492). Reading someone else’s story, whether fiction or nonfiction, allows people to connect with another’s struggles and/or triumphs. These experiences often help people come to a better understanding of their own lives and personal relationships.

Learning Targets/Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.10Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.4Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Lesson Activities:

Bibliotherapy GuideBook Nobody's Perfect by David Elliott

Major Characters Young boy (main character) Baby sister (Gigi) Mom Best friend (Jack)

Synopsis This story is about a young boy reflecting on the importance of not being perfect. He analyzes the people in his family and friend circles who are not perfect: best friend, baby sister, mom, and more. Ultimately, through some humorous thinking he comes to the conclusion that the messiness in life is actually something to be enjoyed and celebrated rather than striving for everything to be perfect.

Themes Perfectionism Acceptance of self and others Flexibility Positive thinking Self-understanding Positive self-worth and identity

*Adapted from Figure 15.3 (Ferguson, 2015, p.493).

Explanation: The social and emotional focus or issue addressed in the lesson is centralized around perfectionism. Throughout the story, “a little boy ponders the fact that while nobody's perfect, that's perfectly acceptable” and how “at the end of the day, they are perfect enough” (Cruze, 2015). The illustrations in the book are intentionally “loose drawings, full of scribbly pencil lines, busy up the surface and have an unfinished look: just as the boy is a work in progress, so is his world, exuberant with color and frenzied detail” (Cruze, 2015). The idea that “people have more than one side” is shown through the sequence of how the “strict Mom softens up in the end while watching her kids go nuts at a park” (Cruze, 2015). Ultimately, the central message communicates how “imperfections are no reason to despair” and are rather a cause for celebration, humor and enjoyment (Cruze, 2015).

Selected Passages Guiding Questions Do you think people are perfect? Why or why not? Should people be perfect? Why or why not?

Why do you think the boy likes to be messy?

Is it okay to be messy sometimes? Do you think the boy has positive self-

worth? Why or why not?

Why does the boy feel bad about his messy room?

Does the boy’s self-worth depend on the cleanliness of his room?

Why or why not? What things in your life are “messy”

sometimes?

Compare the picture before and after the boy cleans his room.

What do you notice about his room? What do you notice about his feelings? What hobbies or activities does the boy

enjoy? Does he have to be perfect at these? What hobbies or activities do you enjoy? Do you have to be perfect at these? How can the boy overcome

perfectionism? Should the boy feel badly about not being

perfect? If you were the boy’s friend what would

you tell him?

Why is the young boy happy in the end? What contributed to his happiness? What did he decide about himself, his

friends, and his family? What have you decided about yourself,

your friends and your family?

Follow-Up Activities: Explore your personal connection to the issue discussed by creating a chart of the

people in your life listing and/or drawing how these people may not be perfect and giving reasons why you appreciate or love them. List or draw the person, the “imperfection”, and the reason why you appreciate them.

Illustrate a picture or picture book demonstrating how it is acceptable to not be perfect.

Create a reader’s theatre by acting out the book Nobody’s Perfect or writing your own play focusing on similar themes. Consider costumes or puppets!

Make your own movie about perfectionism. What would you want to share with other students? How would you want students to feel?

Write your own story, comic or poem about yourself or a character who is not perfect. How do they overcome their feelings or challenges?

Assessment:

Category 4 Exemplary 3 Proficient 2 Approaching 1 Developing

Guiding Question

Discussion

Student participated and

contributed exceptional

thinking to the discussion by

sharing, taking turns, and listening.

Student participated and contributed to the discussion

by sharing, taking turns, and

listening.

Student tried to participate and contribute to the discussion

by sharing, taking turns, and

listening.

Student did not participate and contribute to the discussion

by sharing, taking turns, and

listening.

Follow Up Activity

Student selected and completed a

follow up activity

demonstrating exceptional work and/or

thinking.

Student selected and completed a

follow up activity

demonstrating their work

and/or thinking.

Student selected and attempted to complete a

follow up activity. The activity may

have gone off topic.

Student either did not select or

did not complete a follow up activity.

Presentation

Ideas were accompanied by

supporting details and thorough

explanation.

Most ideas were accompanied by

supporting details or

explanation.

Ideas were accompanied by

attempts at supporting

details or some supporting

details were missing.

Ideas were unclear, not

cohesive, or not supported by

evidence.

References

Cruze, K. (2015). Spokane County Library District. Details for Nobody’s Perfect. Retrieved from https://scld.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/ext/search/results/?ln=en_US&q=nobodys+perfect&rw=0

Elliot, D. (2015). Nobody's Perfect. New York: NY: Candlewick Press.

Ferguson, S.K. (2015). Affective education: Addressing the social and emotional needs of gifted students in the classroom. In F. Karnes, & S. Bean (Eds.), Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (4th ed., pp. 479-512). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Wang, H. (2016). Nobody’s Perfect. Nobody's Perfect: A Story for Children About Perfectionism. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDLtf86w5jo