Skip to Main Content

Lesson Plans

Spark creativity with Crayola lesson plans. With hundreds of activities, the learning possibilities are endless. 

Life Won't Frighten Me

Students will be inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" to confront their fears and design a creature that will gobble up their worries.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Craft Materials
  • Recycled Cardboard Box
  • Recycled Plastic Containers

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have students read  "Life Doesn't Frighten Me: A Poetry Picture Book,"  which presents Maya Angelou's inspirational poem accompanied by paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Have a discussion about how the poem addresses facing our fears and celebrating the courage within all of us. Have students think of some of their fears or worries. These might include ghosts, a new school year, bullying, nightmares, or anything else. 

  • Step 2

    Ask students to create a creature that can gobble up their fears and worries. Have them begin with a small recycled box and decorate it with construction paper cut-outs. They can fashion arms, legs, and other embellishments out of craft items such as craft sticks, chenille sticks, or other items. They can then decorate a small lidded container, perhaps a plastic box that held berries, to gather their worries that they will feed to their creature.

  • Step 3

    Encourage students to write down some fears or concerns they have on small strips of paper and store them in the food box so they could serve these to their creature. When their creature and fear statements are complete, have students present them to the class.

Standards

LA: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events, challenges, and other characters. 

SEL: Self-Management: Manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. 

Adaptations

The book "Life Doesn't Bother Me" features the paintings of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Neo-Expressionist painter. Have students look at some of his paintings, such as "And the Day Divides the Night" (1977) "The Ring" (1981), or "Dog" (1982) as well as some other works in the neo-expressionist style, which is characterized by a return to portraying recognizable objects but  in a rough and emotional way. Challenge students to create an image in this style.

Have students write a poem that expresses a fear or concern they might have and a way to address it.