Definition:

Courage is being willing to face something hard or scary, like trying to do something you’ve never done before. 

In short:

Do good, try hard even when it’s scary.

Summary:
Cielo enjoys skateboarding. She attempts to ride a difficult concrete “drop in pool” called the “whale”. After she falls, Cielo keeps skateboarding but eventually loses interest because of her failure to skate the “whale.” Her friends encourage her to try again, and in spite of many falls, Cielo finally succeeds. Because she has the courage to persevere, she advances in her sport. 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students talk about what it means to have the courage to persevere. They identify and address challenges in their lives, and describe what it might take to courageously persevere. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. Have you ever skateboarded or do you know someone who enjoys this sport? 
2. When you look at the illustration and read the description of “the whale” does it look scary to you? Would you want to try it?
3. The book doesn’t share about how Cielo got interested in skateboarding. What are your guesses about that and how old do you think she is? 
4. Why did Cielo shove her skateboard in her closet? 
5. What helped Cielo decide to try the whale again? 
6. How many times do you think Cielo fell before she conquered “the whale”? Do you think Cielo was glad she didn’t give up trying, even though she fell many times? 
7. Courage is the willingness to go beyond fear when faced with a challenge. To persevere means to keep trying to accomplish something that is difficult.  Share about how Cielo was both courageous and persevering.   
8. Have you ever fallen off a skateboard, surfboard, bike, horse, or something that moves fast? What happened? Did you try again? 
9. It takes courage to persevere with something that is difficult. Can you name something you learned to do after having to try it many times?  How did it feel when you finally got it? 
10. Ask a family member to share about a time when they had to keep trying to do something and it was very hard, but they finally succeeded.