There is A Girl Headed to the White House by Dr. Jasmine Killiebrew, Ph.D.

The 2020 Presidential election is proving to be a historic event.  For the first time in American history, a woman of color is on the ballot to be Vice President!  Kamala Harris is a Black and South Asian American woman who is not just a political candidate... she is a source of inspiration for girls of all races, cultures, and faiths.  Girls look up to Harris and can see themselves in her.  If Harris can break through social barriers and run for the second most powerful political office in the United States, they can follow their dreams and be who they want to be.  

Dr. Jamine Killiebrew, Ph.D, who wanted to write an inspirational and motivational book for her niece, recently published There is A Girl Headed to the White House.  In her book, she empowers little girls and lets them know they can be anything they want to be... even if they want to be the President or Vice President in the White House!  

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

🍎 Title: There is A Girl Headed to the White House

🍎 Author: Dr. Jasmine Killiebrew, Ph.D

🍎 Illustrator: Lily Quintana R.

🍎 Date: August 29, 2020

🍎 Publisher: self-published

🍎 Number of Pages: 24

Author's Summary

Did you know that you can be anything you want to be? There is A Girl Headed to the White House is an illustrative creative piece that paints the picture of a woman headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This woman speaks to her former self and encourages the little girl in all of us to think with our minds, serve with our hearts, work with our hands, and believe in our wildest dreams. The future is filled with girl power. When one girl wins, we all win.

Language Arts Lesson

Several years ago I had a class of third and fourth-grade girls for a year.  I wish I had There is A Girl Headed to the White House then.  This book is empowering and inspiring.  It lets girls know they can be anything they want to be... as long as they believe in themselves and work hard to achieve their goals... something my students that year needed to hear!  

(Of course, little boys can become empowered and inspired by There is A Girl Headed to the White House.  If you are reading this book to a class of both girls and boys, modify the lesson and discussions as you see fit.)

Reading There is A Girl Headed to the White House

There is A Girl Headed to the White House lends itself well to being read aloud to your students.  You can definitely use this book for small group reading instruction, but the power of its words is best expressed orally.  Read There is A Girl Headed to the White House to your class.  Read it with expression in your voice.  Even though the book is written in prose, it reads and rhymes like poetry.

Throughout There is A Girl Headed to the White House, Dr. Killiebrew shares advice to making our goals a reality. Some of the advice encourages children to 'Study, practice, serve others, and give. Your best example to the world will be shown through the life you live.' On another page, 'Put your best foot forward, take it one step at a time... Go to school, do your best, honor your parents, and earn respect.' Emphasize to your students that reaching their goals is not a passive process... it requires hard work, determination, and never giving up.

Make an Anchor Chart

After reading and discussing There is A Girl Headed to the White House with your class, go back and read the story to them a second time.  This time, instead of reading the story for enjoyment only, reread it with the purpose of finding the advice Dr. Killiebrew included.  As your students identify and recall her advice, record their responses on an anchor chart.  Your students can either summarize Dr. Killiebrew's advice in their own words or recall them verbatim.  At the conclusion of the lesson, hang the chart in a visible part of your classroom.  It can serve as a reminder or motivation when your students need it.

This particular anchor chart is an example of how the list of advice might have looked had I read There is A Girl Headed to the White House with my class of third and fourth-grade girls.  Your class's anchor chart may look different from mine.  (Again, modify the lesson and discussion as you see fit if you are reading this book with a class of both girls and boys.)

After you and your students finish reading and discussing There is A Girl Headed to the White House together, you can take some time to watch this read-aloud of the story. This video was made by the people at the Accelerated Reader. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

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