Cesaria Feels the Beat

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After reading Cesaria Feels the Beat, talk with students about the ways people use music and dance to express themselves. How does dancing make Cesaria feel? How does it make them feel? How does creating and watching dance benefit individuals, groups, and communities? Ask students to think about other ways that they have fun and express themselves and why it is important to participate in those activities. 

Then, give students the opportunity to dance! Start with having them seek inspiration from the book and making their own interpretations of how to prance and dance like a peacock. (You might elevate the energy of their dance moves by playing some samba!) After their peacock warm-up, play some different musical genres and call out the names of other animals for students to create moves for. Next, encourage students to get more creative by developing dance moves in the style of their favorite book character. To celebrate Read Across America, you can encourage students to dress as their character and teach their moves to their fellow students. Students should also share how their character’s dance steps reflect their character traits and why the character would express themselves in this way. Finish with a big book-character dance party!

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

1. How does dancing make Cesaria feel? Why do you think it is so important to her?
2. Why is it so important to Cesaria to not have to wear shoes during the performance? Why do you think the director wants her to wear shoes? What are some things you do to stay true to who you are? How do you advocate for yourself and things you need?
3. How does Cesaria communicate? What do you notice in the illustrations about how she experiences the world around her?
4. Why does Cesaria ask the other dancers to take off their shoes? Why do you think they do as she asks?
5. How do you experience music? What does “feel the beat” mean to you? What does it mean to Cesaria?