Bibliotherapy Assignment by David Burden

Objective: The student will understand how confidence and effort influences achievement. Issues: Michael, the main character, has to show the determination, work-ethic, and will to become the best that he wants to be. Other Issues: Michael also experiences under- achieving, bullying, patience, confidence and disappointment.

This lesson is intended for:  4 th grade students  General classroom, with AIG (6 students)  All races, but can focus on African-American  8 White boys, 2 Black boys, 3 Hispanic boys = 13 boys  6 White girls, 3 Black girls, 5 Hispanic girls = 14 girls  Focus on boys (sports theme), but appropriate for both genders  Religion is suggested, but not a part of the theme.

Salt in His Shoes introduces the reader to a young Michael Jordan who is subject to bullying and underachievement in basketball. Michael is determined that to be better, he must be taller. His mother convinces him that patience, prayer, and salt with help him grow. Michael is proactive as he is patient by practicing. After a couple of months without an inch of growth, Michael becomes discouraged that he has not gotten better, because he is not taller. His father shares words of encouragement that helps Michael realize his true potential. Hardcover - Amazon.com: $ shipping; 32 pages; Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 3rd Edition (November 1, 2000);Amazon.com ISBN-10: ; ISBN-13 : Paperback – Amazon.com: $ shipping; 32 pages; Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (November 1, 2003); Amazon.com ISBN-10: ; ISBN-13:

1. When Michael does not achieve what he wants at first, what does he do to change his results? 2. When you do not do as well as you hope to in school, what are some things you do or can do to change your results? 3. Michael shared his frustration of not achieving with his mother, someone whom he could trust. Who is a person in your life that you trust and can share your frustrations in school? 4. Michael hoped that growing taller would make him a better basketball player, but what actually did help him become a better player? 5. The road to becoming a better player took patience as Michael continued practicing. What experiences have you had when you are trying to be better in an area? 6. Michael experienced a bully that influenced his confidence in himself at first, but in the end, Michael did not let the bully affect his confidence. What are some of the influences that affect your confidence?

Confidence Circle Provide each child with a sheet of computer paper for them to either draw or have a picture of themselves in the middle. They are to then draw a large circle around themselves. Inside, with their picture, they are to draw/write influences that positively affect their confidence. Outside the circle, they are to draw/write influences that negatively affect their confidence. Share Confidence Circle with class about the influences they want to listen to and those that they can ignore in order to achieve.

Black History Biographies Provide biographies (you can find great ones on edhelper.com) for students to read and begin to research. In groups of 4, 2 or even individually, have the student(s) design a mini- poster highlighting the achievement of the individual along with influences both positive and negative that affected the person on their road to achievement. Finish by writing a conclusion or lesson learned that the group can apply to their lives.

Jordan, D. (2000). Salt in His Shoes. New York, NY. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.