Looking for a Genesis Begins Again novel study, lesson plans, and activities for your upper elementary or middle school ELA classroom? Alicia D. Williams’s Genesis Begins Again is a powerful middle grade novel that gives students opportunities to explore identity, self-acceptance, family relationships, friendship, bullying, colorism, and resilience while strengthening reading comprehension and critical-thinking skills.
Genesis Begins Again is an especially meaningful choice for a 5th–8th grade novel study because it gives students much more than an engaging story. It opens the door to important conversations about how we see ourselves, how others influence our self-image, and what it means to learn to accept and value yourself.
About Genesis Begins Again
Written by Alicia D. Williams, Genesis Begins Again was published in 2019 and received both a 2020 Newbery Honor and the 2020 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
The novel follows Genesis, a middle school girl who struggles with her skin color and the way she sees herself. She is dealing with difficult circumstances at home, challenging friendships, bullying, and the painful effects of colorism.
As Genesis navigates these challenges, she begins to discover that the way she sees herself does not have to be determined by other people’s opinions or by society’s expectations of beauty.
That makes Genesis Begins Again an excellent novel for helping students explore identity, self-esteem, resilience, empathy, and self-acceptance.
Why Teach Genesis Begins Again?
There are many reasons to include Genesis Begins Again in your classroom library or middle school ELA curriculum.
1. Explore Identity and Self-Acceptance
One of the central themes of Genesis Begins Again is identity.
Genesis struggles with her appearance and desperately wants to change the things she dislikes about herself. Her journey allows students to think about their own identities and consider how family, friends, media, and society can influence the way people see themselves.
This makes the novel a natural starting point for discussions about self-esteem, identity, beauty standards, and self-acceptance.
2. Discuss Colorism and Representation
Genesis Begins Again provides an age-appropriate opportunity to introduce students to the concept of colorism and discuss how prejudice based on skin tone can affect individuals and communities.
Genesis experiences colorism from people around her, including peers and family members, but perhaps the most painful effects are the ones she begins to internalize herself.
Students can examine how Genesis’s experiences affect her choices, relationships, and perception of herself throughout the novel.
3. Build Empathy Through Diverse Literature
One of the most valuable things we can give students through literature is the opportunity to experience a perspective different from their own.
Genesis Begins Again features a Black female protagonist and a Black author, giving students the opportunity to see a different experience represented in the literature they read.
But diverse literature isn’t only important for students who identify with the characters.
Reading about experiences that differ from our own can help students develop empathy, understanding, and greater awareness of the experiences of others.
4. Examine Family Relationships
Genesis’s home life is complicated, and her family relationships have a significant impact on her experiences.
The novel gives students opportunities to analyze how family members influence Genesis’s thoughts, emotions, decisions, and development as a character.
These relationships also provide excellent opportunities for students to practice character analysis and citing text evidence.
5. Explore Resilience and Personal Growth
Despite everything Genesis is dealing with, she continues to move forward.
Her journey is ultimately one of growth, resilience, and self-discovery.
Students can track Genesis’s character development throughout the novel and examine how her experiences change her perspective and help her begin to see herself differently.
Themes in Genesis Begins Again
Many themes and discussion topics can be explored while reading the novel, including:
- Identity and self-acceptance
- Colorism
- Racism and prejudice
- Beauty standards
- Bullying
- Friendship
- Family relationships
- Resilience
- Self-esteem
- Poverty
- Moving and instability
- Alcoholism and its effects on families
- Personal growth
- Empathy
- Finding your voice
These themes make Genesis Begins Again an excellent choice for whole-class novel studies, small-group reading, literature circles, or independent reading.
Genesis Begins Again Novel Study Activities
Because Genesis Begins Again addresses so many meaningful themes, it provides plenty of opportunities to incorporate reading skills and deeper thinking into your ELA instruction.
Students can work on:
- Reading comprehension
- Character analysis
- Theme
- Vocabulary
- Grammar
- Text-based evidence
- Critical thinking
- Written responses
- Literary analysis
- Discussion and reflection
Rather than overwhelming students with worksheets, I recommend using thoughtful questions that encourage them to slow down, think about what they have read, and support their ideas with evidence from the text.
Make Teaching Genesis Begins Again Easier
If you’re looking for ready-to-use Genesis Begins Again lesson plans and activities, I’ve created a complete novel study to make teaching this book easier.
My Genesis Begins Again Novel Study is designed for grades 5–8 and includes both printable and Google Drive™ versions, making it flexible enough for traditional classrooms, paperless classrooms, small groups, or homeschool instruction.
The complete unit includes:
- Detailed daily lesson plans
- Pacing and standards guide
- Chapter/section guide
- Vocabulary and grammar activities
- Comprehension questions for every chapter
- Vocabulary word wall cards
- Writing activities
- Critical-thinking questions
- Assessments
- Answer keys
- Story Elements Interactive Notebook activities
- End-of-the-book activities
- Common Core standards alignment
The unit is designed to be no-prep or minimal-prep, so you can spend your time teaching and discussing the novel instead of creating dozens of activities from scratch.
Try a FREE Sample
Want to see exactly what is included?
Try a FREE sample of the Genesis Begins Again Novel Study before purchasing. It’s a great way to preview the format, activities, and level of rigor.
Get the Complete Genesis Begins Again Novel Study
If you’re ready to teach Genesis Begins Again without spending hours creating comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, writing assignments, and assessments, check out the complete novel study.
It includes both printable and Google Drive™ formats, so you can choose the format that works best for your classroom.
Genesis Begins Again is more than a book about a middle school girl struggling with her identity. It is a story about learning to see your own worth, confronting the messages that make you feel “less than,” and finding the courage to become comfortable with who you are.
For teachers, it provides a meaningful way to combine reading comprehension and literary analysis with conversations about identity, empathy, resilience, and self-acceptance.
If you’re looking for a middle school novel that will give your students plenty to think about—and plenty to discuss—Genesis Begins Again is an excellent choice.
And with a ready-to-use novel study, you don’t have to create all of those lessons and activities yourself!
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