Teaching Plans 

CCSSELA:  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. 

 Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud 

Key Vocabulary: 

• Cerebral Palsy: A group of conditions that affect movement and posture. It's caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth. Symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years and vary from very mild to serious. Children with cerebral palsy may have exaggerated reflexes. 

• Assistive Devices: Assistive technology is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly.  

• Curb Cuts: A dip in a sidewalk and curb that enables a vehicle or wheelchair to reach the ground 

• Activist: Action taken challenging those in power to bring about change in society and benefit the greater good.  

• Demonstrations/Protests:  When a lot of people come together to show others that they strongly like or are against an idea or event 

• Capitol Crawl: The “Capitol Crawl” protest for disability rights on March 12, 1990, was a critical event leading to the passage of the ADA. 

• Americans with Disabilities Act: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. 

Building Schema: 

Before Reading: Discuss the words “include” and “exclude” with the class. What does it mean to be included? What does it mean to be excluded? How does it feel to be included? How does it feel to be excluded? Instruct students to keep these feelings in mind as they read the book. What does it mean to be an “activist”? Have any students or their families ever been part of a protest or campaign to make a change in the world, big or small? How did it make them feel? Complete a “See-Think-Wonder” based on the cover illustration and the photo in the back of the book showing Jennifer Keelan crawling up the steps of the US Capitol. Have students list what they observe (“see”) in the picture, then instruct them to make a prediction (“think”) and ask a question (“wonder”) about each thing they observe. 

 During Reading: All the Way to the Top repeats the words “stop” and “go.” Go through the book and have the class identify where “stop” and “go” occur on each page and what these words refer to in each case. Why are those important ideas for this story? What physical things stopped Jennifer? What non-physical things stopped her? How did she overcome them? Have students encountered any obstacles that tried to “stop” them? 

After Reading: Like many protestors, Jennifer shouts and chants during marches. All the Way to the Top includes two chants used by disability rights demonstrators: “The people united will never be divided” and “What do we want? The ADA! When do we want it? Now!” As a class, try chanting these slogans. What purpose do chants and posters serve at a demonstration? Have the class create a chant or slogan for an issue they all care about. Have students create posters that they might use at a demonstration about their issue and chant their slogan. Additionally, have them create a Voki that chants their slogan for their choice issue. You can have them research the chosen issue and have the Voki voice all the information they have learned. 

 Writing Activity: In All the Way to the Top, Annette Bay Pimentel tells the inspiring story of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a young girl with cerebral palsy who participated in the historic 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protest. Using examples and arguments from the book, write a persuasive essay arguing why inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities are fundamental rights that society should prioritize and actively promote. This prompt invites writers to explore the themes of inclusion, accessibility, and social justice as depicted in the book. It encourages students to analyze and synthesize the information presented in All the Way to the Top to craft a persuasive argument advocating for the rights and equal opportunities of individuals with disabilities.

Extend The Text