Do you use picture books for character education in your classroom? My students love reading new books and they really love books they can relate to. I have been a huge fan of Maria Dismondy and have all of her books. She recently co-authored a book about determination with Stephen Tulloch. Keep on reading to find out how I used this book in my classroom and grab some free printables to go with it!
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How To Teach Determination With a Picture Book
Let’s face it. There is not enough time in the school year to teach our students all the content standards and character education separately, so why not teach it together?! Maria Dismondy has amazing books about diversity, kindness, and courage. The Little Linebacker is all about determination, something many kids have a hard time with.
Of course, we can’t just read the book to read the book… there has to be some activities to go with it! We did a few different graphic organizers. My favorite one is where my students described what Stephen’s dream was and what he had to do achieve it. Then, they followed that up with what their dream is and how they are going to work towards their goal.
Want the activities we did with the book? They are a freebie for you! Click here to download. This book is now one of my favorites because of the message that it is sharing in a relatable way to my students. Hard work does pay off, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first.
Have you read any of Maria Dismondy’s books? If not, check them out and trust me you will not regret it! They are all amazing. With the collaboration between Maria and Stephen, this book turned out to be completely fabulous.
Here are a few of my favorite pages in the book.
Stephen really goes through trial after trial to see if he can persevere and he shows his determination again and again in the story (of course with some help and advice from the adults and friends in his life). You can buy this book HERE on Amazon.