Decibella and Her 6 Inch Voice Strengths and Weaknesses

Self management is the ability to control one’s own actions. Some examples of this are self motivation, exercising self control, setting goals for oneself, and recognizing when one needs a break, time alone, or to take a deep breath. In the story Decibella and Her 6 Inch Voice by Julia Cook, Isabella’s teacher teaches her about controlling the level of her voice, and tells her that it is up to her to be in charge of how loud she is, and when to use certain volumes. When Isabella realizes that she is able to control her own voice, she feels happy and confident.

After listening to the story, students will discuss how being able to control her own voice is now a strength of Isabelle’s whereas before it was not; she was unaware of how loud she was being and that was a weakness of hers. The teacher should discuss how we all have weaknesses and that identifying them is the first step to working on them and turning them into strengths. Students will then examine their own weaknesses, and choose one to illustrate. For the activity, students will create a 2 cell storyboard. The first cell will include a brief description of their weakness, and the second will describe how that weakness can be changed into a strength.

Other Picture Books for Teaching Self Management

• Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by Shelly Becker
• Fergal is Fuming by Robert Starling
• The Good Egg by John Jory
• My Heart by Corinna Luyken

Due Date:

Objective: Create a 2 cell storyboard that illustrates and describes a weakness of yours.

Student Instructions

1. Click “Start Assignment”.
2. Write a brief description for each cell, describing a weakness and how to manage it or make it into a strength.
4. Create an illustration that represents the descriptions using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.