This lesson should take place over two days (or two time periods). Day 1 is an introduction to who Misty is and engages students in her story. Day 2 is using that information for comprehension and recall, as well as applying Misty’s story to our own. 

Day 1: Who is Misty Copeland?

Warm-Up

1. Show Pictures of ballet items used by Misty Copeland from the Smithsonian Collection. Ask students to put their thumbs up if they think they know what career these items could be from.
2. Introduce Ballet as a career, noting that ballet is something that anyone can do now.
3. Let’s learn about a famous ballerina, Misty Copeland who wrote the book Bunheads about being a dancer. Show the cover of the book and ask:
   • What do you notice?
   • What do you think a ‘bunhead’ might be?
   • Can you make any connections to what this book might be about.
4. Begin reading the story, stopping to ask comprehension/inference questions such as:
   • What is special about Misty?
   • How do you think she feels when she dances?
   • How would you feel?
   • Do you think dancing is easy or hard? How can you tell?
   • What does Misty do when something is hard?
5. After reading, use the following questions to guide a conversation:
   • Do all ballerinas look the same?
   • What can we learn from Misty in this story?
   • Have you ever tried anything that was tricky at first?

Direct Instruction

1. Watch YouTube Kids Video: “Misty Copeland”
2. Using picture examples from the Library of Congress: “American Ballet Theater- History of Ballet” Primary Source and the PBS Video about Black dancers (an interview with Misty Copeland) briefly discuss the lack of Black dancers in the field of ballet or in the audience at performances. The ABT Primary Source shows mostly white dancers (mostly male at first) and discusses ballet’s Russian origin, while the PBS Interview with Misty Copeland acknowledges the need for Black female representation in the field. 
3. Point out some of the barriers Misty came across (being Black, not having the same body type, not coming from high socio-economic status, starting ballet ‘late’ at age 13). NWHM’s video Misty Copeland- Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice (~5mins.) and Time Magazine’s Feature on Misty (~2.5mins) are great examples of Misty explaining these barriers herself.

Day 2: How does Misty’s story apply to my own?

Warm-Up

1. Show a picture of Misty from Day 1’s lesson to refresh students’ minds. Ask “Who is this?” and “What is so important about her?”
2. Remind students that you spent Day 1 learning about Misty Copeland and learning some key facts about her life (major events, main ideas, central ideas, or whichever term your institution uses to describe this concept).

Guided Practice

1. Introduce the concept of a ‘timeline’ by defining the term and showing an example by drawing a long line on chart paper, a white board, or digital display (such as a Promethean Board or SMARTBoard). Add 4-5 significant events in your own life along the line. For example, the day you were born, when you graduated High School, graduated college, got married, became a teacher, etc.
2. Emphasize the fact that a timeline only shows major events, not everything.
3. Complete a short timeline of major events in Misty’s life as a class using the Timeline Cards.

Independent Practice

1. Discuss the concept of ‘all bodies can dance’ and everyone can accomplish goals they set for themselves when they work hard, just like Misty. 
2. Brainstorm some skills or concepts that they haven’t yet mastered.
3. Have each student ‘Think, Pair, Share’ to practice completing one of the two prompts: “I am practicing” or “I am trying” to identify a goal they can set for themselves.
4. If time, allow pairs to share out to the group.

Summarizer

• Encourage your students to practice a ‘growth mindset’ by choosing an inspirational quote from Misty from the Inspire Yourself Everyday Inspirational Poster Template.
• Students should think about their goals from the ‘Think, Pair, Share’ activity and draw a corresponding picture in the picture box.
• Hang posters around the classroom where students can see them as a daily reminder.