Domain:
Social-Emotional Growth
Competency:
Develop self-awareness and confidence
🎂
7-9 year olds
⏰
25 to 30 minutes min
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Learning Objective
Students will identify and discuss how a fresh haircut can boost self-confidence and strengthen feelings of belonging in their community.
Learning Resource Synopsis
In 'Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut' by Derrick Barnes, the barbershop serves as a transformative space for a young boy. Through his visit, he experiences a shift in self-image, gaining confidence and pride from a fresh haircut. The book uses rhythmic and lyrical language paired with dynamic illustrations to celebrate the cultural tradition of the barbershop as a community hub. This space fosters belonging and personal growth, highlighting the importance of self-care and self-presentation. The story emphasizes how a simple haircut can elevate self-esteem, making boys feel like royalty and encouraging them to embrace their brilliance and worth.
Extended Learning Resources
| Resource & Author | Publication Info | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Skin You Live In | Written by Michael Tyler, published by Chicago Children's Museum | This picture book uses playful rhymes and vibrant illustrations to celebrate diversity and self-acceptance, encouraging children to appreciate their unique qualities. |
| All Are Welcome | Written by Alexandra Penfold, published by Bloomsbury Children's Books | This inclusive story highlights the importance of community and belonging, showing children from diverse backgrounds coming together to create a welcoming environment. |
| Last Stop on Market Street | Written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers | This award-winning book explores themes of gratitude and perspective as a young boy learns from his grandmother about finding beauty and connection in everyday experiences. |
Vocabulary List
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Confidence | Feeling sure about yourself and your abilities. | After his fresh haircut, he walked out of the barbershop with confidence, feeling like he could do anything. |
| Transform | To change in a big way, usually for the better. | The young boy felt transformed after his haircut, as if he had a new energy and spirit. |
| Belonging | Feeling like you are an important part of a group or place. | In the barbershop, everyone had a sense of belonging, making the boy feel at home and accepted. |
| Pride | A feeling of happiness and satisfaction about what you or someone else has done. | He looked in the mirror with pride at his reflection, appreciating his new, sharp look. |
| Self-care | Taking time to look after yourself and your needs. | Getting a haircut is an act of self-care that can make you feel refreshed and more connected to your community. |
Prompt
Essential Question: "How does taking care of ourselves, like getting a haircut, help us feel more confident and connected with the people around us?"
Today, we're going to explore how something as simple as a haircut can make us feel really good about ourselves and connect us with others. Let's think about how taking care of ourselves can give us confidence and a sense of belonging in our communities.
Anticipatory Set
- Start by inviting students to close their eyes and think about a time when they felt really proud or special. Ask them to focus on the feeling they had in that moment.
- Show students a series of images depicting different hairstyles and settings, such as a barbershop or hair salon. Encourage them to notice the details, like colors, sounds, and expressions on faces.
- Ask students to turn to a partner and share a memory or story about a time when they felt confident after experiencing something new, like a haircut or trying a new style.
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students who may be hesitant to share by offering sentence starters or examples, such as 'I felt proud when..' or 'A time I felt special was when..'.
- Use a calm voice and give students enough time to think and share. Ensure that every student feels heard and respected during partner sharing.
- Remind students that there are no right or wrong answers—everyone's experiences and feelings are unique and valuable.
Learn
As we dive into 'Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut' by Derrick Barnes, we'll step into a vibrant barbershop where a simple haircut becomes a powerful boost of confidence. Let's discover how this experience can make someone feel like royalty and bring them closer to their community.
Interactive Engagement
- As we read about the barbershop, let's pause to imagine the sounds and smells of the place. What do you think it feels like to be there?
- Notice how the boy's expression changes from the beginning to the middle of the story. How do you think the haircut is making him feel differently?
- Think about a time when you felt proud after doing something new. How does this compare to how the boy feels after his haircut?
- Let's pause and look at the illustrations. What do you notice about the other people in the barbershop? How might they be connected to the boy's experience?
- At this point in the story, why do you think the boy feels like a king? What has changed for him since he sat in the barber's chair?
Teacher Tips
- Use expressive voice tones and gestures to bring the barbershop setting and characters to life, helping students visualize the story.
- Encourage students to share their thoughts with a partner during pauses, fostering collaboration and deeper understanding.
- Be responsive to students' observations and feelings by acknowledging their contributions, ensuring each child feels included and valued in the discussion.
Ask
Now that we've finished reading 'Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,' let's take a moment to think about how a fresh haircut can change the way we feel about ourselves and how it helps us connect with the people around us.
Discussion Questions
- How did the boy's feelings change throughout the story, and how do you think the haircut played a role in this transformation?
- Can you think of a time when doing something for yourself, like getting a haircut, made you feel more confident or part of a group? How did it affect your day or how you interacted with others?
- Why do you think the barbershop is such an important place for the boy and others in his community? What makes it special beyond just getting a haircut?
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to share their thoughts openly by creating a respectful and supportive environment. Remind them that everyone's feelings and experiences are valuable.
- Use think-pair-share to allow quieter students time to gather their thoughts and discuss with a partner before sharing with the larger group.
- Guide students to connect personal experiences with the themes in the story by asking follow-up questions that explore their emotions and the significance of community spaces like the barbershop.
Navigate
Confident Creations: Haircuts and Self-Belief
This activity engages children in exploring how self-care, represented by a fresh haircut, can elevate self-esteem and foster a sense of belonging in their community. By creating personal artwork and engaging in reflective discussion, students will connect with themes of self-confidence and cultural tradition as celebrated in the barbershop setting.
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Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to think deeply about their unique qualities and how they contribute to their confidence.
- Facilitate a safe and supportive environment for sharing reflections and comments.
- Prompt students to consider how different cultural traditions related to self-care, like haircuts, play a role in their lives.
Share
As we wrap up our lesson on 'Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,' let's take a moment to think about all the ways a fresh haircut can help us feel confident and connected. We've explored how the barbershop is more than just a place for haircuts—it's a space where self-esteem grows and community thrives.
Reflection Questions
- Think about how you felt when the boy in the story got his fresh haircut. Can you share a time when something similar made you feel proud or special?
- How do you think getting a haircut can help you feel more connected to your friends, family, or community?
- What is one thing you learned today about yourself or about how taking care of ourselves can make us feel good?
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to pair up or form small groups to share their thoughts and feelings.
- Allow students to choose whether they want to speak, write, or draw their reflections.
- Highlight and celebrate the connections students make between their personal experiences and the story.
UDL Strategies
Representation
- Incorporate a virtual tour or video of a barbershop that highlights its role as a community space, emphasizing cultural significance and self-care.
- Use interactive storytelling where students can choose different paths related to self-care and confidence, such as 'What happens when you get a fresh haircut?'.
- Provide tactile experiences by having students explore a variety of hair-care tools and products, linking them to the broader topic of self-care.
- Introduce a multimedia presentation that includes diverse cultural hairstyles and their significance, connecting self-care to cultural identity.
- Use visual aids like emotion cards to help students articulate feelings associated with self-confidence and community belonging.
Action & Expression
- Enable students to create a collage using magazine cutouts that represent their identity and what makes them feel confident, offering a tactile expression option.
- Provide an option for students to create a 'Confidence Recipe' where they list ingredients (traits, activities) that boost their self-esteem.
- Allow students to make a podcast episode or a video blog post about the importance of self-confidence and community belonging.
- Facilitate a class discussion where students can verbally share their experiences and reflections, supporting those who express themselves better through speech.
- Encourage students to create a 'confidence dance' where they use movement to express how a fresh haircut makes them feel, incorporating kinesthetic learning.
Engagement
- Invite students to share personal experiences or stories related to haircuts and self-care, fostering a personal connection to the topic.
- Create a 'confidence corner' in the classroom where students can write or draw what makes them feel proud, adding a personal touch to the learning space.
- Encourage students to use digital platforms to create an interactive journal about their self-care journey, promoting technology use in creative expression.
- Set up a role-playing activity where students can act as hairstylists and discuss how they would help a client feel confident, enhancing empathy and understanding.
- Incorporate a challenge where students can earn badges or points for completing parts of the activity, such as finishing their portrait or writing a reflection, to keep motivation high.
Assessment Criteria
Formative Assessment
- Observe students during the self-portrait activity, focusing on their engagement and choice of details that reflect their personality, interests, or cultural background. Look for students who are actively discussing their choices and showing enthusiasm in their artistic expression, indicating a connection to the themes of self-confidence and belonging.
- Facilitate small group discussions where students share insights about their self-portraits. Encourage them to articulate what aspects of their portraits make them feel confident and how those elements represent their identity. Observe students' ability to express self-awareness and connect their artwork to the lesson's themes.
Summative Assessment
- Have students write a reflective piece to accompany their self-portrait, focusing on the question, 'What makes you feel confident?' Evaluate their ability to express self-awareness and identify elements in their artwork that contribute to their confidence, using criteria such as clarity of expression and relevance to their self-portrait.
- During the gallery walk, assess students' ability to provide thoughtful and specific feedback to peers through positive comments or affirmations. Use a checklist to evaluate their recognition and appreciation of the unique traits and achievements represented in their peers' artwork, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
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