I give the book “The Magical Yet” by Angela DiTerlizzi five stars. This picture book is a great read-aloud for elementary students and even upper elementary students. It is about a girl that is unable to do things yet. It showcases the power of yet and showcases the importance of getting up and trying again. I think that this book exemplifies the realistic fiction genre because it shows real-life situations that children may experience, however it is not based off a true person or story. It contains beautiful illustrations and vivid images to go along with the story. This book would be a great way to introduce growth mindset to students. It can be used to help students understand that just because they are not able to do something, doesn’t mean they will never be able to do it. It can help to teach students the idea of not giving up and continuing to try again and again. It can also be used to teach cause and effect. Students can identity what caused the girl to be able to do something (i.e. she continued practicing, she tried again, etc.).
For an extension activity, I would read this book with students at the beginning of the school year. After reading the book, I would talk about the idea of growth mindset and share some ways that we can change our mindset to have a growth mindset. Then, I would have students think of something that they are not able to do yet, but hope to do by the end of the year. This would be like a goal that students have for themselves this school year. We would complete a “goal” project where students would write their goal, illustrate it, share what they can do to achieve this goal, and share who can help them achieve this goal. The teacher could check in on the students’ goals throughout the school year to see how their progress is coming along and at the end of the school year see if they have achieved their goal. The Magical Yet
For an extension activity, I would read this book with students at the beginning of the school year. After reading the book, I would talk about the idea of growth mindset and share some ways that we can change our mindset to have a growth mindset. Then, I would have students think of something that they are not able to do yet, but hope to do by the end of the year. This would be like a goal that students have for themselves this school year. We would complete a “goal” project where students would write their goal, illustrate it, share what they can do to achieve this goal, and share who can help them achieve this goal. The teacher could check in on the students’ goals throughout the school year to see how their progress is coming along and at the end of the school year see if they have achieved their goal.
The Magical Yet