I can still remember the first time I saw the animated film of the ugly duckling. I was in Grade 2 when we were gathered inside a dark hall and there was a movie reel in the middle of the room. We were going to watch The Ugly Duckling!

I think I cried when I saw the film. It was sad for the ugly duckling to be so different from the rest of the gang. But in the end, it turned out to be the most beautiful creature around!

PHOTO CREDIT: JENNIFERWOODLEY.COM

Enduring Understanding

In a world where being beautiful is dictated by outside appearance, being beautiful inside is not as different as being beautiful outside. It is not only the physical appearance that will characterize us as beautiful; it is also our being compassionate, respectful, and kind to others around you.

Essential Questions

1. What things are beautiful to you?
2. Does being beautiful make a good person?
3. What is the difference between being ugly and being beautiful?
4. Would you rather be beautiful outside than inside?

STEM APPLICATION

SCIENCE

Perhaps the best place to find beautiful things is nature. Nature shows all things beautiful, even the most bizarre creation shows its beauty in the same manner.

Whenever possible, take your kids outside where there’s abundance of natural beauties like flowers, insects, plants, land forms, rivers, and others. Let the students pick one thing and have them inspect it and discuss why the object is beautiful, or why it is ugly, if the students think so.

Discuss with the students what makes an object beautiful.

1. Color. Colors give life to objects. The right combination of colors can give attractive characteristics to an object.
2. Pattern. Patterns show consistency and uniformity. Many beautiful creations in nature have inherent patterns.
3. Design. Unique designs of an object also give beauty to it especially when it blends with their surroundings.
4. Structure. The shapes, weaves, interlacing and overlapping objects on top of another also suggest beauty.

ENGINEERING

Structural designs like the Empire State building, Abu Dhabi buildings, the Taj Mahal, and many others around the world are designed by engineers. The design does not only show beauty but also strength and stability, literally.

Let your students design structures using the robotics kit considering design and stability as they build the object.

MATH

We all know that math is well represented in patterns. Computing the stability of an object made from the robotics kit will give your students idea on how structural designs are also strong and stable. Let them create an object using patterns and another object created in random arrangements.

Test which one is more stable using some strengths test: drop, toss, shake, etc.

Vocabulary

Terms to Know. Have students learn the following terms, find the definitions, using them in a sentence, determining the antonym of the terms, and other ways that the students will get to use the words. Real-world application is preferred. Add more words if necessary, according to your own students' needs.

beautiful, appearance, compassion, sensitive, structure, <<< add your own >>>

Values Education

Most people believe that physical beauty is an important aspect of life. This is true to some extent. Beautiful people are the ones who care for their neighbors, look after their kids, love for their parents, kind to animals, compassionate and sensitive of others.

NOTE TO CONTRIBUTORS: Please add your contributions to the reply/comment section. You may choose which part of the lesson plan you want to contribute to effectively. If you feel there is a need to add another section, please do suggest, as well. Thanks to all contributors! Cheers!

Follow @cjclaro to get updated with this series.