Jabari JumpsImagineerz Learning

SEL Read Aloud: Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Summary

In “Jabari Jumps” by Gaia Cornwall, after a series of swimming lessons, Jabari goes to the swimming pool with his dad and sister and tells them he is finally ready to jump off the diving board. Walking towards the diving board and climbing the first rungs of the ladder, Jabari shows and voices hesitation. With support from his dad, he decides to take a tiny rest with some stretches and deep breaths. With his dad’s help, he reframes his fear as a surprise — something he loves. After a successful first splash, Jabari immediately returns to the top of the board to attempt a more ambitious jump.

Comprehension Questions

Six questions aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy for teacher’s to evaluate students’ comprehension

Remembering: How does Jabari feel about jumping off the diving board initially?
Understanding: Why does Jabari decide to let someone else go ahead of him on the ladder?
Applying: How might Jabari prepare differently for his next jump based on this experience?
Analyzing: What are the signs that Jabari is nervous about jumping?
Evaluating: Was Jabari’s method of overcoming his fear effective? Why or why not?
Creating: Design a new jump for Jabari to try. Describe it.

CASEL Discussion Questions

Five questions aligned to the CASEL competencies for teachers to foster an engaging discussion and foster social-emotional learning

Self-Awareness: Can you share a time when you felt like Jabari, wanting to try something but also feeling scared?
Self-Management: Discuss a situation where you had to use self-control or patience to achieve a goal, like Jabari waiting for the right moment to jump.
Social Awareness: What role does empathy play in overcoming personal challenges, as seen in Jabari’s interaction with his dad?
Relationship Skills: Discuss how communication between Jabari and his dad helped Jabari feel ready to take the jump. How can we apply this in our relationships?
Responsible Decision Making: In what ways can we responsibly encourage ourselves and others to face fears without pushing too hard?

Design Thinking Challenge

Take students’ learning even further by incorporating the Imagineerz design thinking framework

Create a courageous leap platform for Jabari

Understand

After reading “Jabari Jumps” by Gaia Cornwall, focus on Jabari’s emotions and steps he took to conquer his fear of diving. Discuss with students the importance of overcoming fears and the role of physical and emotional preparation in facing challenges.

Ideate

Invite students to brainstorm ideas for a courageous leap platform, a physical model that represents the diving board Jabari faces. This model should symbolize overcoming fears and taking leaps of faith in life. Consider features that could represent preparation stages, such as steps for deep breathing, visualization, and positive affirmation.

Prototype

Students will use recycled materials (cardboard, paper tubes, fabric scraps, etc.) to build their courageous leap platforms. They should incorporate elements that symbolize different aspects of preparing to take a leap, like a ladder to represent steps of preparation and a platform for taking the final leap. Encourage creativity in how these elements are represented.

Test

Have students present their courageous leap platforms, explaining how each part symbolizes steps to overcome fears and prepare for challenges. Each student should demonstrate how one might “use” their platform, explaining the preparation stages and the “leap.”
Gather feedback from peers on the design’s symbolism, functionality, and creativity. Discuss what features they found most representative of overcoming a challenge and which aspects could be improved or added.
End with a reflection on the role of preparation and courage in overcoming personal challenges. Discuss how creating the courageous leap platforms helped students understand Jabari’s journey and how they can apply these lessons in their own lives when facing their fears.

Read Aloud

If you appreciated getting to read this book with your class, you might also want to share this book with them!