If you ask elementary students what they want to be when they grow up, they often have huge goals. For some, this means becoming an astronaut or the president. Sadly, this dream often changes as students get older. They no longer feel they can make a difference or achieve what they want. Since this is devastating, teachers work hard to show students the importance of never giving up. Thankfully, showing perseverance with Drum Dream Girl creates a life-changing unit for students! Between the book and Read Aloud Activities, students will know they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
Drum Dream Girl
Author Margarita Engle and illustrator Rafael Lopez created a beautiful story to show readers the power of dreaming big.
Sadly, an island in Cuba did not allow girls to be drummers. While music filled the island, no one ever questioned the rule on why girls could not play.
Thankfully, this changes when the drum dream girl set out to make it a reality. Instead of dreaming of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongos, she decides to play. So, she practices in secret. However, everything changes when her fellow islanders hear her music. After listening to her talent, the rule changes to allow girls and boys to drum and dream.
Honestly, this heartwarming story shows students the importance of dreaming big and never giving up!
Read Aloud Activities
Elementary students are in the perfect position to dream big. However, they often don’t realize it. While their current focus may be creating a new game at recess or learning to ride a bike without training wheels, they can dream bigger. Importantly, they need a positive leader to show them the importance of working hard for something they want. Luckily, showing perseverance with Drum Dream Girl helps students relate to someone else who changed rules by never giving up!
Since teachers have so much to prepare, there is a teacher guide to outline the entire unit. Specifically, this contains all of the lesson plans needed. Additionally, it includes an introduction to help prepare students and sets the purpose for the story. Likewise, it has essential vocabulary words!
When learning about perseverance, it is crucial to have a discussion. This lets students know that everyone needs to work hard when dreaming big. Therefore, there are higher-level thinking questions and talking points to guide students. Each question includes a page number so teachers know exactly where to stop.
While discussion is essential to include in lessons, personal reflection is also critical. Thankfully, students have both aspects when learning the importance of showing perseverance with Drum Dream Girl! There is a written response and activity sheet to help students articulate their hopes. There are even differentiated options to ensure every student knows the importance of this social skill.
Furthermore, there is hands-on craftivity! Students will love how the craft connects the story to their lives.
Application
Teachers work hard to ensure students understand how the material taught in the classroom relates to life outside of school. Therefore, there are task cards that provide scenarios or thought-provoking questions.
There are multiple ways to use the task cards. Honestly, they work great for whole class or small group discussions. They even work perfectly for individual work time.
No Prep Resource
Teachers have to handle so much. Thankfully, the Read Aloud Activities are all no prep! Teachers just need to print the resources.
Students need to know they can achieve anything they set their minds to. However, they must understand the importance of working hard and never giving up. Thankfully, they gain a strong understanding of showing perseverance with Drum Dream Girl! The book and Read Aloud Activities provide students with a fantastic example of what happens when we never give up.
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Grab a Free Read Aloud
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Save this Read Aloud
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to this lesson plan when you are ready to read it aloud with your students.
