Summary: The Ugly Duckling by Sarah Delmege is considered a
Fairytale book intended for children in grades Kindergarten -Second. This book
is about a duck who does not seem to fit in with the other ducklings. Because
he is very different from the rest, he is picked on and left out by the other
ducklings in the pond. Eventually the ugly duckling gets tired of being made
fun of and being left out, so he ends up running away from the pond and runs
into a few other creatures. After a long journey, the duck realizes he is a
beautiful swan, not an ugly duckling.
Art Style: I believe that the
illustrations show a lot of emotion and captures the readers with the bright
colors. I believe that the children reading this story would be so into the
pictures, they are so life like.
Personal Thoughts: I believe that this story can teach a
lot of different things. For example, being different and bullying. This book
would make a great fit into a unit of being different of bullying. It shows
that it’s okay to be different. I also like that this story is a simple
retelling story which will help the children with their speech and language
skills.
Discussion Questions:
Why did the ugly duckling run away from the pond?
What were some things that you think made the duckling
"ugly" in this story?
How did you feel when the other ducklings were being mean
to him?
Motivational Activities:
If I were to use this in a lesson with my kindergartners, I
would most likely ask the children if they have ever chosen not to play with
someone because they looked, behaved, or dressed differently? I believe that role
playing ways to be a good/kind friend to others will help them to see and
understand why they need to be nice, and how to incorporate it in real life.
Another activity that I would do is have them create their
own animal tale. For the students that struggle with creating a story I will
have them create a rough draft by filling in the blanks on a story that I have
created. The students will have to fill in their animals, for example “Once upon
a time, a little _______ went for a walk. He met some mean ___....” Eventually I
would have them expand.
If you enjoyed this book, check out some other books
written by Sarah Delmege!
Some Examples:
The Gingerbread Man
My life as a Pup
Three Little Pigs
Resources:
Delmege, S., & Lovsin, P. (2012) The ugly duckling. New
York, NY: Parragon Books.
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ReplyDeleteThe Ugly Duckling is a beautiful story and it teaches the readers how to be patient for any development. Your motivational activity, a role playing, is an excellent activity to use in this story. Before this activity, I suggest to ask the students to think about the desire they want to fit in. Let them think what the impression of physical appearance is and how it shifts over time. This activity will help keep the children engaged and they will be more connected with the entire story. Thank you.
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