Extension+Ideas

What You Could Do...

Idea # 1 The link to the lyrics, //More Beautiful You// by Johnny Diaz could be used in a presentation on body/image. For example, when putting together a powerpoint presentation, the song could be quoted to illustrate a point. Or the actual song could be downloaded or ripped from a copy of the CD and played during the presentation. One may also be able to embed the song directly into the powerpoint so there would be no need to line up the presenation with the music because the song would play throughout and repeat once the song ended. This way should probably only be done if the format of the presentations is that everyone sets up their presentation and set it to repeat while everyone walks around to watch each other's presentations.

Here is a powerpoint presentation. There was a song embedded in the presentation but it wasn't playing when I opened it; however, the song used was //Who Am I?// by Casting Crowns. The presentation is on a music teacher from Plainfield High School. The way the song is used in this presentation is similar to the way //More Beautiful You// by Johnny Diaz could be used.



Idea #2 The book //No Body's Perfect: Stories by Teens About Body Image, Self-Acceptance, and the Search for Identity// is a good resource to use when writing a paper on body image. If you are writing paper on how other students teasing and bullying because of their weight directly affects a person's body image and self-esteem, this books would be a good resource to quote stories from; they are stories told by other teens who have delt with this issue. For example, one writer talks about how she was teased growing up because she was overweight and her mother told her that the kids were doing it because they were jealous. She would feel terrible, and sh would eat more. This writer also talks about how food is not a substitute for having a social life--having friends. She talks about coming to the realization after watching an episode of Oprah, that what she needed to do was to fight back--confront her abusers. Once she did, she found that she made it through the confrontation and she was no longer watching the world from the outside.

Idea #3 Visit [] for resources from Teen Libris resources on //[|Mind-Rain].// It is a collection of Essays by various authors discussing issues such as conformity and obsession with beauty. This site also provides links for resources like this one: [] It is SAT practice essay questions. The questions are give a quote from //Mind-Rain//, then asks an essay question based on the quote. This is good practice for writing literary papers. Because //Mind-Rain// is a book that discusses some of the same issues in //Uglies//, similar questions could be posed. Students could pose questions based on the book and have an online discusion forum or the discussion could take place in the classroom. This would be good practice in preparing for essay questions.

Idea #4 ​ Using the ComicLife program, you could create your own short story on issues from //Uglies// such as conformity, or mind control, or political power. Or you could write a creative non-fiction piece about your own struggles with body image. You could import your own pictures, or find relavant pictures online, as long as you provide the proper citation for any images you use that are not yours. These stories then can be shared with classmates, then discussed and revised for final submission.



Idea #5 After watching this video at [], you could produce your own video of a scene from //Ugies//. Scenes could be filmed outside of class and then shared in class. The class could discuss their thoughts on the scenes filmed--why the scene was chosen, what importance the scene plays in the book, and how it effects society today. The class could write a review on video (other than their own).

Idea #6 [] While reading the //Uglies// series, you could keep a blog. Starting with //Uglies//, write a reader response after you've read about a third of the book, then again once you've read past the half-way point. After you've finished book 1, post a final blog for the book. Write about your reactions to the text--how you feel about the ideas and how it relates to you. Be sure to give your teacher and classmates the URL so everyone can have a chance to read and post responses to your blog. Do this for the other books in the series. Once you've read all the books, reflect on your posts. Have you changed your position on issues that are important to you? Then write an essay on an important issue/theme from the book. Be sure to cite any sources you use to back up your arguement.

Idea #7 Go to the library and do research on eating disorders. Choose a disorder, like Anorexia, and find resources on the topic. Put together a presentation to give to show your classmates. You could show a video clip, like a scene from "The Karen Carpenter Story," or another video clip you find online, such as [] or []. Put together a resource packet that includes non-fiction books you find on anorexia, interesting articles, information on help centers for someone who might be anorexic, and recommended fiction books. The design of the packet is up to you, but you should make it fun--something someone would enjoy reading.

Here is a powerpoint on Beauty.



Idea #8 The videos, //Real people. Have a healthy body image. Eat right!// and //How you look is not who you are: teens talk about eating disorders// are excellent ways to spark a discussion on body image and how the media plays a role in the way young people think about the way they should look. Also, it would open the door for a discussion on eating disorders, the signs and symptoms, and how to get help. After discussion, look at popular media--magazines, television programs, and movies. What do they say, or portray, about body image?