Lesson Plan: The Circus Changed My Life

Essential Questions

• What is self-confidence? Where does it come from? What can we do to develop it?

• How might a sense of belonging lead to greater happiness? 

Literature Connection

• Novel: Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman


Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the story. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle. What happens at a circus? How do you think performing in a circus helped Jacob become more confident? At a circus, clowns, acrobats, and other performers put on a show in front of a large audience. It takes courage to perform in front of a crowd—something could go wrong, you could embarrass yourself, etc. Overcoming these fears probably helped Jacob become more self-confident at the circus and elsewhere.
• Look at the photos of Jacob performing. What qualities do you think it takes to be a circus performer? The photos show Jacob hanging 30 feet in the air and balancing upside down. We can tell that being a circus performer requires a lot of strength and flexibility. It also probably takes great dedication. Jacob must have practiced these moves many times to master them. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (troupe, intense, acrobatics, self-conscious, outgoing) aloud and discuss the definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow. 

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading: Tell students that after reading, they’ll identify cause-and-effect relationships in the story. Point out the activity at the end of the story. 
• Encourage students to pause at the end of each section so they can monitor their comprehension. Prompt them to note sentences they think tell them important ideas in each section, as well as any words or sentences they don’t understand.

- Have students read the story independently. 
- As a class, discuss any notes that students made about the text. 
- Next, discuss the close-reading and critical-thinking questions. 

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• What does Jacob mean when he says “it might sound like I was born to perform”? (figurative language) Jacob is referring to how much he loves performing in the circus. To be “born to do something” means that something comes naturally to you and that you don’t have to make much of an effort to do it. Given how much Jacob loves performing and how good he is at it, it would be easy to think that he didn’t have to work hard to get to where he is. But actually, he reveals that he has had to deal with a major obstacle—his social anxiety.
• What is the difference between shyness and social anxiety? (compare and contrast) Being shy means you probably don’t like dealing with strangers. But after a little time with them, you can relax and be more comfortable. A person with social anxiety experiences more intense feelings. Their fear might prevent them from going into a store or placing an order at a counter, for example. They might experience anxiety physically: their heart rate might go up or they may start sweating. Social anxiety can seriously affect a person’s everyday life.
• What two examples does Jacob give to show how being in the circus helped him overcome his social anxiety? (key details) Jacob says that performing balancing moves pushed him to talk to his teammates, since it required group work. Also, while touring, he had to stay at strangers’ homes. This forced him to learn to be comfortable meeting new people every few days.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• It’s no fun to feel self-conscious. What might make someone feel self-conscious? How can you help those around you not feel this way? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Students may say that people might feel self-conscious around people they don’t know well. They may worry about whether they fit in, or whether they’ll say or do something embarrassing. To help people feel more comfortable, we should be friendly to everyone. 
• Do you think you would enjoy performing in a circus? Why or why not? (making connections) Answers will vary. Encourage students to use details from the article to support their answers—e.g., the physical strength required, the joys and challenges of teamwork, and putting yourself out there in front of an audience.

• Have students work in pairs to complete the activity at the end of the story.
• Go further: Have students work independently to complete our Sequence of Events Skill Builder for this article, available in higher and lower level versions.  (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that the circus tryouts are happening at your school. Your friend says she wants to try out, but she’s worried about fitting in and nervous about performing in front of a crowd. What would you say to her to encourage her to give it a shot? Write your answer in the form of a letter. Use information from Jacob’s story to support your statements.