Some read-alouds give us so much more than a great story.
They give us an opportunity to talk with children about things that really matter—believing in yourself, being proud of who you are, handling unkind words, showing courage, and treating others with kindness.
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell is one of those books.
Molly Lou may be small, but the message she shares with young readers is BIG!
That is exactly what I wanted to bring to the forefront when I updated my Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon resource.
Rather than simply reading the story and completing a few comprehension activities, I wanted students to dig a little deeper:
What does it really mean to stand tall?
What makes Molly Lou strong?
How does she respond when someone is unkind?
What evidence from the story shows us what Molly Lou is like on the inside?
And most importantly—how can WE stand tall in our own lives?
So I created a complete literacy lesson that moves children from understanding Molly Lou → finding evidence in the story → making meaningful connections to themselves.
The literacy focus includes character traits and evidence, comprehension, making connections, speaking and listening, and writing, with one important big idea woven throughout:
What makes us special can also make us strong.
Begin with the Children—Before You Even Open the Book
Before introducing Molly Lou, I like to get children thinking about experiences and feelings they already understand.
The Circle, Color, Write & Draw morning opener asks students to think about things such as:
What are you really good at?
What are you proud of?
Who helps you feel good about yourself?
What qualities make someone a good friend?
Would you rather be the tallest or the shortest?
These simple questions begin building the background knowledge students will need when they meet Molly Lou.
And for Kindergarten, this certainly doesn’t have to be an independent worksheet!
Read the prompts aloud, let students turn and talk, and complete the page together. First and second graders can work more independently and then share their thinking with partners.
💗 What Does It REALLY Mean to Stand Tall?
Before reading, introduce the What Does It Mean to Stand Tall? anchor chart.
This is where I think the lesson becomes especially meaningful.
Children may initially think stand tall means being physically tall or standing up straight.
But together, you can discover that standing tall can mean:
Believe in yourself.
Be brave.
Don’t let unkind words bring you down.
Be proud of who you are.
Be kind to others.
Be confident.
Then ask:
“Which of these might be hardest to do when someone is unkind to you?”
Now you’ve given children a purpose for listening.
Tell them that as you read, they are going to meet a character who has to put many of these ideas into action.
📖 Read Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon with a Purpose
Before reading, take a look at the cover and ask:
“What do you predict ‘stand tall’ might mean in this story?”
As you read, encourage students to pay attention not only to what Molly Lou looks like, but to what she is like on the inside.
What does she do?
How does she react?
What do her choices tell us about her?
And, of course, pay special attention to Grandma’s advice:
Walk proud.
Smile big.
Sing loud.
Believe in yourself.
After reading, return to that advice.
Ask children how Molly Lou used Grandma’s words when Ronald was unkind to her.
Did Ronald’s words change the way Molly Lou felt about herself?
How do we know?
These questions naturally lead into one of the main literacy skills in this lesson—character traits and text evidence.
Move Beyond Naming Character Traits
Young children can often tell us that a character is brave or kind.
The next step is teaching them to answer:
“How do you KNOW?”
That’s where evidence comes in.
The mini-lesson introduces two very simple definitions:
Character Trait = what a character is like on the inside
Evidence = what the character says or does that shows the trait
Students consider four traits that describe Molly Lou:
brave • confident • proud • strong
Then they return to the story to find something Molly Lou says or does that demonstrates the trait they selected.
For example:
Trait: Confident
Evidence: Molly Lou continued to believe in herself even when Ronald made fun of her.
For Kindergarten, make it even simpler. Choose a trait together and have children draw the evidence and explain their pictures orally.
That little change makes the same important comprehension skill accessible across K–2.
❤️ Now Make It Personal: “How Will YOU Stand Tall?”
This may be my favorite part of the updated resource.
Once children understand how Molly Lou stands tall, turn the thinking back to them.
Ask:
“What could standing tall look like in YOUR life?”
Brainstorm ideas together.
Maybe standing tall means:
trying something that feels hard
being proud of something you can do
using kind words
including someone
asking for help
trying again after making a mistake
being yourself even when you feel different
Suddenly, the writing isn’t just another response to a book.
It’s about their lives.
Students choose from differentiated I Will Stand Tall By… writing and drawing pages, so you can select the option that works best for your learners.
📘 Give Young Writers a Text They Can Use
One thing I especially wanted to add to this update was more support for young writers.
Before students begin their I Will Stand Tall writing, read the included Stand Tall & Be YOU! mini-reader together.
The simple text reinforces ideas such as:
We are special.
Believe in yourself.
Be proud.
Be brave and kind.
Stand tall and be YOU!
Then leave the mini-reader available while students write.
Instead of staring at a blank page wondering what to say, children can return to the text for ideas and vocabulary.
That’s an important early literacy habit, too—learning that readers and writers can return to a text to help support their thinking.
✂️ Turn the Writing into a Stand Tall Craft!
And, of course, I couldn’t resist adding a craft!
Students can create a Molly Lou-inspired craft and pair it with their I Will Stand Tall By… writing.
I love this because the craft isn’t just something cute to hang on the wall.
The writing gives it purpose.
Imagine a bulletin board filled with those adorable faces and children’s individual responses about how THEY will stand tall!
It becomes a classroom display celebrating confidence, courage, kindness, perseverance, and individuality.
🌟 Celebrate What Makes Every Child Special
Another option is the I Am Special Because activity.
Children think about:
Something I am good at…
Something I am proud of…
I am kind when…
Then they draw a picture of themselves standing tall.
This would also make a wonderful activity at the beginning of the school year when you’re building classroom community and helping children get to know one another.
📝 There’s Plenty More for Comprehension & Literacy Centers
Although I’ve organized the resource around a complete one-day literacy lesson, there is much more included than I would ever expect a teacher to complete in one day!
Additional activities provide practice with:
character analysis • cause and effect • story elements • author’s message • sequencing • problem and solution • retelling • feelings • word work • writing • vocabulary
Use the lesson plan as your guide and then choose what works for YOUR students.
Save additional activities for literacy centers, small groups, independent practice, morning work, or another day.
The mini-reader is also perfect for independent or partner reading because it continues reinforcing the same themes students explored during the lesson.
💕 End with a Stand Tall Promise
I wanted the lesson to end by returning to the big idea rather than simply collecting papers and moving on to the next subject.
Bring everyone back together and ask each child to finish one sentence:
“I can stand tall by ______.”
Then read the final page of the mini-reader together:
Stand tall.
Believe in yourself.
Be proud.
Be brave.
Be kind.
Most of all…be YOU!
You can also use the included exit ticket to quickly check students’ understanding of character traits and evidence before ending the lesson.
🌈 More Than a Read-Aloud
I think that’s what I love most about teaching with Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.
Yes, we can teach character traits, evidence, comprehension, writing, and story skills.
But we can also give children an opportunity to think about something much bigger.
We can remind them that being different isn’t something they need to hide.
We can encourage them to try hard things.
We can teach them that someone else’s unkind words don’t determine how they should feel about themselves.
And we can remind every little learner in our classrooms to:
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