Young Jabari is determined to make his flying machine soar. But crashing planes, a pesky sister and failed attempts finally get him down. With some gentle encouragement and a new partner, Jabari is back at it and ready for success.
This second title from author/illustrator Gaia Cornwall is beyond versatile and a must for all elementary classrooms. Perseverance, mindfulness, engineering, sibling relationships, teamwork and SEL are all seamlessly addressed in this relatable story.
JABARI TRIES found its way into my classroom in the midst of a connections unit and an engineering project. It was perfect timing. The students were enthralled with the story and couldn’t help but make connections to the planning and problem solving we were in the midst of.
During our parade float engineering task, several students even expressed feeling “just like Jabari” as they worked to overcome building obstacles to achieve their desired product. I’d like to think that Jabari and his sister also played a small role in the increased teamwork and willingness to accept help that I witnessed.
After a day of building we revisited JABARI TRIES and looked for lessons learned that we could apply to our work in the classroom. Here’s what the students came up with.
JABARI TRIES is sure to be one of those texts that we will revisit again and again across all curricular areas.
