Ugly Duckling?

Designed by: Helen McGough

Grade Level: First     Subject: Social Studies

Core Curriculum Objectives: 
Recognize unique personal characteristics. (1SSM-1)

State Standards:  The student should be able to identify characteristics that contribute to one's personal identity from birth to the present. (I.1.1.1)

Overview: 
Students will listen to the story about the Ugly Duckling. They will discuss what changes the animal went through as he grew. Students will try to match baby pictures to their classmates. They will then discuss how they have changed since they were born. Then they will compare themselves in drawings as a baby, as they are now and then predict what they will look like as a grown-up. They will then make an outline cutout of themselves and decorate it to show things that make them special.

Focus/ Essential Questions: 
What makes me special? 
How did I look when I was a baby? 
What do I look like now? 
How will I look as a grown-up? 
How have I changed? 
What makes me special?

Time Frame: Approximately three thirty minute lessons.

Resources/ Materials: 
Baby pictures of students 
List of students in class for each student 
Pencils 
Drawing paper 
Markers/crayons 
Large roll of paper 
Scissors 
Buttons, ribbons, stickers, etc.

Books: 
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson Adapted by Jerry Pinkney 
You'll Soon Grow Into Them, Titch by Pat Hutchins 
When I Get Bigger by Mercer Mayer
I Like Me by Nancy Carlson 
I'm Terrific by Marjorie Sharmat 
Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus 
Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff 
We Are All Alike, We Are All Different by Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners 
When I Was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis

Resource Books: 
I AM SPECIAL 
Feeling Good About Yourself 
I'm Glad I'm Me

Assessment: 
Student will draw a picture of his/her self as a baby, the way they look now and what they think they will look like as a grownup. Students will create a cutout figure of themselves that they will decorate to show the characteristics that make them special.

Rubric: 
Student draws self as baby, now and grown. 
All 3 pictures 
2 pictures 
1 or more 
not related + / *

Student will create a cutout figure to show what makes him/her special. 
5 or more items 
4 items 
3 or less + / *

Instructional Activities:

Activity One: A week before starting this lesson, send a note to parents asking that they send a baby picture of their child to school. As the pictures come in write the child's name on the back, number them and post them on the bulletin board. The teacher will invite students to discuss what they looked like as a baby. Ask them what kind of changes have there been since that time. After a brief discussion read The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen. Discuss the changes that the duckling went through before he was grown and found out that he was a swan. Give them a list of their classmates. Ask them to look at the bulletin board and choose the baby picture that they think is that person. They may work with their table group, a partner or alone. Place the number of the picture by the person's name they think it is. Teacher will monitor to see if students are completing the task as instructed. Remind them not to tell which picture belongs to them. After everyone has completed matching have them return to their seats. Ask them to go up one at a time, choose their picture and tell everyone what number it is. Have everyone check their list. See who made the most correct matches at the end. Discuss how they were able to make the correct matches.

Activity Two: Review what they noticed during the last activity. Were the baby pictures easy to match? Why or why not? Do we stay the same or change as we get older? Invite students to come listen to the story You'll Soon Grow Into Them, Titch by Pat Hutchins. Discuss ways that Titch changed as he grew. Ask if they noticed anything else changing in the story. Discuss all the other things that they noticed changing. Ask them what things stayed the same through the whole story. Give everyone a piece of drawing paper that has been divided into three parts. Ask them to write baby in the first portion, now in the second portion and grown-up in the last portion. Let them talk a few minutes about how they might look as a grown-up. Teacher will make sure they understand that they are to draw what they looked like as a baby, what they look like now and what they think they will look like as a grownup. Ask them what things about them might change and what will stay the same. Give them time to draw and decorate themselves at each of these times in their lives. Monitor for any problems or students off task. When they've finished have them share and tell how they have changed or stayed the same from the time they were a baby and how they will change or stay the same as they become an adult. Hang pictures in the hall so others can see how they're growing and changing. May also scan them onto the class web site to share with parents and visitors.

Activity Three: Discuss what things they found about themselves that stayed the same or changed. Explain that those things about them are called characteristics. Student's characteristics are what make them special. Teacher may read I Like Me or I'm Terrific at this time. Discuss what they saw and heard. Make sure students know that they are special and one of a kind. Explain that today they are going to work with a partner to outline each other on a large piece of paper. Cut out the figure. Brainstorm some of the things that make them special. (color of eyes and hair, birthday, parents, likes and dislikes, etc.) Ask them to decorate their figure with those things that make them special. They can either write or draw pictures. Teacher must make sure they are not decorating the figure like themselves but are putting things on there figure that show what makes them special. They can use favorite colors, numbers, words and shapes, buttons, ribbons, stickers and anything else that might show something special about them. If they want to write encourage them to use sentences like I have. . . I can. . . or I like... After they finish decorating have them share the characteristics that make them special and then hang the figures in the hallway so others can come to know them better. Remind them that they will be growing and changing for the rest of their lives.