"Because of Winn-Dixie," Lincoln Students Learn About Character Growth

March 16, 2021

Because of Winn-Dixie, Lincoln Third Graders Learn About Character Growth

The Lincoln Avenue students in Mrs. DuMoulin's Third Grade class have been reading Because of Winn-Dixie as part of their Character Study Unit. 

 “While reading,” Mrs. DuMoulin explained, “the students learned that as they grow, they may often make mistakes.  We spoke about how Gloria Dump in the novel made many mistakes over the years.  Instead of hiding from her mistakes, Gloria learned from each one and now makes more positive choices.  The class talked about mistakes that they have made--mistakes in their families, mistakes in school, and mistakes on the sports field.  We then talked about how each mistake is really a gift to learn from.  Just like Gloria Dump says, ‘Everybody makes mistakes.  The important thing is that we learn from them.’

 An excerpt from the novel explains the significant of the Mistake or Ghost Tree:

 “Why are all those bottles on it?”

 “To keep the ghosts away,” Gloria said.

 “What ghosts?”

 “The ghosts of all the things I done wrong.”

 I looked at all the bottles on the tree. “You did that many things wrong?” I asked her.

“Mmmm-hmmm,” said Gloria. “More than that.”

 “But you’re the nicest person I know,” I told her.

 “Doesn’t mean I haven’t done bad things,” she said.

As in the novel, the children thought about their "ghosts" or mistakes and then reflected on the lessons that they could learn from their own missteps.  They then made their own Gloria Dump Ghost Tree. Through the valuable lessons in Because of Winn-Dixie about owning up to one's mistakes, Mrs. DuMoulin’s Third Graders gained insights about character growth and the importance of moving forward in life.

March 16, 2021

Because of Winn-Dixie, Lincoln Third Graders Learn About Character Growth

The Lincoln Avenue students in Mrs. DuMoulin's Third Grade class have been reading Because of Winn-Dixie as part of their Character Study Unit. 

 “While reading,” Mrs. DuMoulin explained, “the students learned that as they grow, they may often make mistakes.  We spoke about how Gloria Dump in the novel made many mistakes over the years.  Instead of hiding from her mistakes, Gloria learned from each one and now makes more positive choices.  The class talked about mistakes that they have made--mistakes in their families, mistakes in school, and mistakes on the sports field.  We then talked about how each mistake is really a gift to learn from.  Just like Gloria Dump says, ‘Everybody makes mistakes.  The important thing is that we learn from them.’

 An excerpt from the novel explains the significant of the Mistake or Ghost Tree:

 “Why are all those bottles on it?”

 “To keep the ghosts away,” Gloria said.

 “What ghosts?”

 “The ghosts of all the things I done wrong.”

 I looked at all the bottles on the tree. “You did that many things wrong?” I asked her.

“Mmmm-hmmm,” said Gloria. “More than that.”

 “But you’re the nicest person I know,” I told her.

 “Doesn’t mean I haven’t done bad things,” she said.

As in the novel, the children thought about their "ghosts" or mistakes and then reflected on the lessons that they could learn from their own missteps.  They then made their own Gloria Dump Ghost Tree. Through the valuable lessons in Because of Winn-Dixie about owning up to one's mistakes, Mrs. DuMoulin’s Third Graders gained insights about character growth and the importance of moving forward in life.