SEL Read Aloud: Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka
Summary
“Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle” by Chris Raschka is written in a style accessible to readers who might also be learning to ride a bicycle for the first time. In the story, a little girl works with her grandfather to learn to ride a bike. Their process spans her becoming interested to taking ownership to trying and failing to experiencing success — with plenty of small details and in-between steps reminding experienced readers and riders of all that might be involved from beginning to end.
Comprehension Questions
Six questions aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy for teacher’s to evaluate students’ comprehension
- Remembering: How many steps were mentioned in learning to ride a bicycle? Did you learn of any new possible steps in this book?
- Understanding: At the beginning, the little girl saw many different people riding bikes. How do you think their learning journeys may have been similar and different than hers?
- Applying: If you were to teach a younger sibling to ride a bike, which step would you start with?
- Analyzing: How many times did the little girl fall down? Do you think it was worth that trouble? Would it still have been worth it if required her falling one more time?
- Evaluating: What kinds of skills do we hold on to even if we don’t use them a lot? What skills do we need to practice a lot to maintain?
- Creating: Create a storyboard that depicts another challenging skill and the steps to master it, inspired by the book.
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 identify a moment when the little girl had to confront her fear of falling?
- Self-Management: How did the little girl manage her frustration or fear during the learning process?
- Social Awareness: Discuss how understanding the little girl’s struggles could help someone be more empathetic towards learners.
- Relationship Skills: How important is support from others in achieving personal goals, based on the little girl’s experience?
- Responsible Decision Making: What decisions did the little girl make to ensure her safety while learning to ride the bike?
Design Thinking Challenge
Take students’ learning even further by incorporating the Imagineerz design thinking framework
Design and create a “Bicycle Buddy.”
Understand
- Kick off with a discussion inspired by “Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle,” focusing on the journey of learning to ride a bike. Explore the feelings associated with trying something new, the role of persistence, and how encouragement from others helps overcome challenges.
Ideate
- Encourage students to brainstorm ideas for a “Bicycle Buddy,” an invention that helps new riders learn how to ride a bike. This could be a tool, device, or even a supportive character that provides balance, encouragement, or makes learning more fun. Think about what features would have helped the little girl in the story and how those features can assist future bicycle riders.
Prototype
- In groups or individually, students sketch their “Bicycle Buddy” idea, then create a prototype using classroom materials like cardboard, rubber bands, paper, and anything else that sparks creativity. The prototype should focus on functionality—how it helps with balance, confidence, or motivation for someone learning to ride.
Test
- Students present their “Bicycle Buddy” inventions, explaining how they work and how they address the challenges of learning to ride a bicycle.
- Optionally, create a scenario or role-play where the Bicycle Buddy is used by someone learning to ride, showcasing how it makes the process easier, safer, or more enjoyable.
Read Aloud
If you appreciated getting to read this book with your class, you might also want to share this book with them!
Additional Resources
Copyright Notice
The image on this page comes from the book Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka. Copyright © 2013 by Chris Raschka.
