"Hi! Fly Guy" by Tedd Arnold

The "Fly Guy" book and Me

THE BOOK:
"Fly Guy" by Tedd Arnold is an award-winning hit with young children. To tell you the truth, I didn't like this book until I shared it with my son. My four-year-old son adores this book series, and so does his just-out-of first grade cousin.

It is a simple book, set up in chapters--but don't be fooled, you can read this book in about three to five minutes. The story is about a boy who finds and keeps a pet fly who he names Fly Guy. The boy loves the fly because Fly Guy can say the boy's name, "Buzz". At first his parents and judges at the local pet show scoff at his choice for a pet, but in the end everyone agrees Fly Guy is not only a great pet, but the smartest pet at the showcase.

USE THE BOOK:
Kids in preschool all the way up to second grade would enjoy this book. It will work as a simple, quick read aloud, and is a perfect book for sharing one-on-one with kids. The humor is silly, and in other books in the series even a little gross, but nothing inappropriate. Here is a fun extension activity to use with kids after reading the book...

Animal Awards-


This book deals with the unlikely talents of an unexpected pet, Mr. Fly Guy himself. The premise got me thinking about other animals who might do well in an "pet competition". This lesson would be perfect for kids ages 4-8.

Grade Level- PreK, K, 1, 2

Materials Needed-

• Printed awards
• Printed picture of animals or Drawing paper
• Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Glitter (optional--I hate glitter so I rarely use it)

Process-

1. After reading the book, tell the class you are going to host an imaginary "Pet Show Competition". You may even want to print out this banner to hang up:

2. Have each child think of an animal they believe is one of the best in the world. You may want them to look through a database online, or you can get them some copies of animal books.

3. Now have the children draw a picture of their animal. If you are low on time, you can print out these drawings I made:

3. Once each child has selected and drawn an animal, give them a copy of one of these awards:

 

4. Now have the children create award titles that their animals would win. For instance: a lion might win "Most Ferocious Animal" and a turtle might win the award for "Best Traveling Home".

5. After the children have made the awards, encourage them to color or even add glitter to make it unique.

6. Next have the children write a paragraph describing why that animal wins the award.

7. After all of the work is done, have a big ceremony where each child reads his/her writing aloud and pins the award next to their drawing. It is a lot of fun and validates their work when kids get to read it aloud to the class.

This would be a fun open house display for preschool or kindergarten, and, with added study of the animals, I could see it working in first and second grade.

Fly Guy and his owner, "Buzz".

Discussions/Writing Prompts:

Use these prompts to talk about the book with your kids, or you can have them write their responses. Remember, picture books don't need to stop in second grade!

1. Fly Guy communicates to Buzz in this book. In what other ways to do other animals communicate to people? (e.g. dogs bark when they want out, cats scratch doors to get in, chimps use sign language, pigeons play ping pong... Seriously, click this link.)

2. What qualities make a good pet?

3. If you were to keep a fly, where would you keep it?

4. Why did the adults think Fly Guy wasn't a good pet?

5. Have you ever had a pet? If so, what did you do with your pet? If not, what kind of pet would you like to have?

I hope you enjoy "Hi! Fly Guy!"... And I hope you and your kids have a great awards ceremony for all the pets!


Happy learning!

"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

THE BOOK:
I guess I couldn't resist pulling out this other Maurice Sendak classic. "Where the Wild Things" is one of my childhood favorites that follows a rambunctious boy named Max who is sent to bed without his supper. It is there in his room that he escapes his punishment and his imagination takes over; he journeys to where the wild things are and becomes their king. After a wild rumpus, he heads back to his room only to discover his dinner is there.

Awesome typewriter, the book
with a jungle growing out of it, and me.

USE THE BOOK:

This book can reach every age group... seriously, every age from the toddlers all the way up to the college students. (It is AR Level 3.4.). It is a staple of most classrooms, so here are some ideas to use with the book...

1. Study the Art:
Many times we just say "Cool art..." or "Wow! Those are some amazing pictures." This is a book that is so brilliantly constructed I have met college students who study it for nearly a month. I don't expect most classrooms to use this for a month, but a five minute in-depth observation is certainly warranted, no matter if you are in grade K or 12.

When you look at the construction of the pages do you notice something unique? Some of you caught it right away; Sendak illustrates so each ilustration gets bigger and bigger until the wild rumpus starts. The first page, as pictured below, is a small thumbnail-like piece, and by the time the rumpus is in full swing, the entire page is engulfed with art--even the words are eliminated. Then, after the rumpus has gone on, Max calls it quits and the scenes from that point on get smaller and smaller. Some of you who have read this a thousand times will suddenly see this. Go look, you will be delighted.

I can only imagine there are lots of theories as to why the pages do this. My personal theory is it is Max's entry and departure into his imagination. I personally love that the last page is just the words "and it was still hot." Helping kids of any age see this structure helps them to discern details and nuances in books. I can't tell you how helpful that is when they get to high school. Start kids noticing details with pictures and the learning will spill into other aspects of study.

In addition to how the art is cropped, designed, and framed, you can study his style with pen and ink and watercolor--a fantastic art teacher at my school did this with high school students. Consider how one could use this work and analyze his developing style and perspective through a comparison of his picture books. Seriously, this is worth the time--think of the great papers older students might write on this subject!

2. The Perfect Reader's Theater:

Not only is my wife a talented author (check out her book Sherlock Academy), she is also a local arts teacher for the public schools.  When she works with grades K-2, she uses this very book to create a reader's theater. She spends 8 forty-five minute lessons to build a working knowledge of setting, character, stage directions, voice, and theater jargon... but you can do an abbreviated version of this in your classroom, even if it is just a homeschool group of three or four kids.

Some things you will want to do:

First, if you are working with a full class, divide the class into two groups. Essentially you will double cast actors for the book. For instance, rather than casting one Max, you'll have a Max for Group A and a Max for Group B. The same will be for all assignments.

And that's just where I'd start: characters. There are only a few: Max, the dog, Max's never-seen mother, and, of course, the Wild Things. Double cast all of these characters, one for Group A and one for Group B--I suggest you pick out about 5-10 wild things for each group. You'll know the ones to pick for this one. :-)

The first page, an example of the smaller illustration that
eventually grows into the place where the wild things are.

The rest of the class will be double cast as setting and props. Before announcing this, have the children think of where the story is set. There are actually three locations: Max's room, a forest complete with an ocean, and the place where the wild things are. If you are in a traditional classroom, some of the kids will become the setting. Using their bodies, kids group together to create a shapes to form the setting and props. A group of four kids will put their arms in the air to look like a four-poster bed, others become walls or ceilings that will later turn into trees hung with vines. While some students may groan about being a piece of furniture, without them the piece doesn't work--think about the page where Sendak says, "and an ocean tumbled by...". Without the actors becoming the setting, we would have a hard time imagining this.. Have the kids really examine the book to discover what important props and setting figures they will need. Obviously, you could just stick with characters if you are doing this with a smaller group of homeschoolers.

But for those of us with large classes, once you have two full casts, you will call on Group A to get up and practice their performance. This will be a run through that you can directly supervise and give feedback. Don't feel like you have to go through it seamlessly--take time to give feedback and stop.

During this time, Group B will watch as the audience. I would spend time the time to talk to Group B about what it means to be a good audience member. Remind them it is good to laugh when things are funny, clap at the end of the show, and, most of all, watch and listen quietly through the whole piece.

You then read the book aloud and Group A goes through the motions. Read slowly, and allow kids to explore movements and acting choices. After they are finished, ask a few audience members what they liked about the characters, setting, and props--I typically ask for a compliment for each category.

After Group A has practiced, it is now Group B's turn to practice. Before they do, I ask Group A to tell me what makes a good audience--it is always great to hear what they think, especially after being under the spotlight. Group B has a go at it, and then they get the same feedback.

At this time I would give each group a copy of the book and have them go to separate parts of the room to perfect their performances. After a good 15 minute rehearsal, gather together and watch the two shows.

Some great follow up writing can be done on this--have them write a review of the other team's work,  write an ad to invite others to come see the show, reflect on how they became their part, or just recount the entire process in a diary-like entry.

The many faces of Max... and this is only a few!

3. The Many Faces of Max- Studying the Nuances of Vocabulary: 

Max is created beautifully. His expression is completely different on each page. From disdain to rebellious gloating, and pride to utter boredom, his look changes on every page.

One of the best vocabulary activities I use with grades K-12 is to have them identify these mood words. With Kinders you may hear words like "happy" or "bored", and with twelfth graders you may hear "disdainful" or "lugubrious". The key with this activity is to not let kids settle on the first words that come to their minds... Yes, write down first ideas and acknowledge them, but ask if it is really the best word to describe the emotion. Push them to think about other words or use a thesaurus and a dictionary. Once you have an official list, you can then list out his mood page-by-page.  Here is an example list (assuming pg. 1 is the first page we read):


pg. 2- rebellious
pg. 4- fiendish
pg. 6- sassy
pg. 8- haughty
pg. 10- elated
pg. 12- (no face shown) wild
pg. 14- proud
pg. 16- startled
pg. 17- unperturbed
pg. 19- commanding
pg. 21- superior
pg. 24- wolfish
pg. 25- crafty
pg. 27- proud
pg. 30- bored
pg. 31- content
pg. 34- snooty
pg. 36- delighted

A variation of this activity is to print out the word list above and mix them up so kids don't know to which pages they are assigned. Then ask students to match the word to the emotion expressed by Max. Some may argue about placement, and that is brilliant! The key is examining the nuances of words; give kids a chance to discuss denotation and connotation of words. It sparks a lively class time and brings language to the heart of the session.

4. Discussions/Writing Prompts:

Use these prompts to talk about the book with your kids, or you can have them write their responses. Remember, picture books don't need to stop in second grade!

1. If you were to go where the wild things are, what would your reaction be?
2. If your room could magically transform to a new place, what would it be? Describe it in detail.
3. When you get mad, what do you do to work through those feelings?
4. Does Max deserve to have his supper at the end of the book? Why or why not?
5. What lesson do you think Sendak is trying to say to his readers? Do you agree with the message? Why or why not?




I hope you enjoy picking up "Where the Wild Things Are"... And I hope you still get your supper tonight.

Happy learning!

"underGROUND" by Denise Fleming

THE BOOK:
Denise Fleming created "underGROUND" a simple, few-words picture book that is perfect for toddlers up to kindergarten. The simple rhymes, large design, and outdoorsy premise is sure to be a hit with young kids. The loose story--which is almost more like a happening--follows the creatures who live in many backyards across the U.S. as they form their homes and settle in their spaces.

Me (no, I'm not eating the book) and "underGROUND"

USE THE BOOK:

This is  a great read aloud for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in a group setting. I can see this being used as a springboard for discussion with older children, but it finds its perfect home in the world of preschool and Kinder. Here's what I would do with it with preK and K...

1. Backyard Bingo:

At the back of the book, you will find a great "Creature Identification" guide to find all of the creatures in the book. You can use it like a "Where's Waldo?" for the book and search for the pictures in the book, or you can make your own Backyard Bingo with the guide. Use the guide to think about which animals live in your backyard. Then make copies of the page. Paste the animals on a tic-tac-toe-styled board or Bingo board, and make copies for the kids. Take the book (your research guide), some crayons, and your boards outside. Then have the kids settle down and sit somewhere... and be silent as nature starts to creep around them. 

I have done this activity when I went on a nature hike with my K-2 class at Oso Flaco Lake, thanks to the good people at The Guadalupe Dune Center and The Target Corporation. I have found it is a good idea to come up with some sort of hand signal when I child finds a creature. The worst thing that can happen is a child screams out, "I see a bird!" and because of all of the commotion, the bird flies aways before we can get a good look at it.

Sometimes with younger kids in preschool I have made binoculars out of toilet paper rolls like the ones here--it adds to the fun, but they aren't necessary.

After finding some creatures (few truly find them all), I have the students write their findings down in sentences. With young children I write the words they dictate in yellow marker and they trace over the letters. With slightly older kids in the first half of Kinder, I have a sentence frame that starts them off such as "I saw one ______ outside." The child then can use his Bingo card to find the name of the animal he saw. He can then fill in the blank and create a successful sentence. Kids who are more advanced can even create their own sentences.

Remember, nature is just outside your door. You don't need to spend money to go to a lake or the beach--find nature in your own backyard!

2. Dig:

I hope this goes without saying, but I would simply grab some shovels and start digging after reading this book. Spray the ground, get some gardening tools and see what you can find! I always have the best time with my preschool-aged son when we are in the garden together. Great teachable moments happen in the garden.

A page from the book that inspired carrot growing.

3. Science Experiment:

I love to grow small plants inside the classroom. This book is a great way to kickoff growing any sort of plant as Fleming does a superb job of showing the different parts of a plant, including the rarely seen roots. The three most successful "growings" I have done in my classroom are: beans inside of a plastic bag (here is a link to another person's bean project), carrots in a see-through planter (here is that link), and simple house plants.

With the house plants, I do a variation on this project. I talk to my kids about how plants get all they need out in nature. We discuss that they typically get enough soil, water, and space to thrive. To further demonstrate these needs, I purchase five small 99-cent plants at the store to conduct an experiment.

I tell the kids we are going to take away one of the required needs away from each plant. We make signs to label each plant (e.g. Plant 1, Plant 2, etc.), and a table to understand what our labels mean. It might look something like this:

Plant 1	Plant 2	Plant 3	Plant 4	Plant 5
Normal Conditions	No Soil	No Water	No Sunshine	No Space

I have the kids help experiment, and I give them the term variable. Over the next month we take time every few days to see what happens to each plant. As we observe, I give kids a journal to keep track of their observations. 

As time goes on, it is clear the plant with the book on top of it needs more space. Plant 2 without its soil always does ok--but it has seen better days. The one without sunshine does ok, but starts to turn yellow. The one with no water, Plant 3, looks horrible. And finally the one that I put a book on top of to eliminate its need for space, looks like a pressed flower leaf and is normally brown or yellow. Kids seem to internalize the lesson once they have truly experienced it first hand.

4. Get Denise and Talk Paper:

If you want a real treat, get Deniese Fleming to come to your school. I had the privilege of meeting her at a conference a few years ago, and I was amazed to learn about her paper making skills. You can read about them here on her website; however, nothing will compare to an in-person visit.

If anything, you can show your kids the interesting process of making your own paper and creating a book. "underGROUND" is made through a process of pouring and shaping pulp into the beautiful works of art you see in the book. Check out this YouTube video of Denise talking about her work. I also suggest you check out some paper making on YouTube, there were hundreds of good videos on there, so just spend some time clicking around.

After looking at the work, you may even try to make your own paper (I haven't done this yet, but a few of my teacher friends in the upper grade classrooms have done this to great success.)

With that in mind, ALWAYS contact authors and illustrators about sharing at schools. You should pay them for their work, but many are willing to do Skype visits at huge discounts.

5. Discussions/Writing Prompts:

Use these prompts to talk about the book with your kids, or you can have them write their responses. Remember, picture books don't need to stop in second grade!

1. Predict what will happen when it rains. What will become of the animals' habitats?

2. How can we help keep animals that live underground safe in their habitats?

3. What colors does the author use to draw your attention to the page?

4. What other sorts of foods can you grow out of the ground?

5. Imagine you are in one of the underground scenes. Describe what it would feel like to be there.

I hope you enjoy "underGROUND"... And I hope you take some time to dig around!

Happy learning!

"animals everywhere" words by Lillian Pluta pictures by Jillian Phillips

THE BOOK:
My wife and I picked up this book in San Jose, California at "Happy Hollow Park and Zoo"--BTW it is a great place to take kids ages 6 months up to 6 years. Back to the book... It is an eco-friendly book following a hodgepodge of animals in their varying habitats around the world. With a nice rhyme and adorable illustrations, this one is a great animal lovers book to add to your library. At the back of the book, it has two pages of mini-descriptions of animal needs, ideas to preserve nature, and an activity to build a bird house and a diorama.

"animals everywhere" and me, in a rare hat-less moment.

USE THE BOOK:

While it is a smaller book, it is a good one to read aloud in a group or share one-on-one with a kid ages 2-8.  Here are some ideas for you to steal...

1. Verb Hunt:
One night while reading this book to my preschool-aged son, I discovered it was chock-full of great verbs. Phrases like:

"Up in the Arctic, where the cold winds blow, polar  bears tussle in the soft white snow. Reindeer prance as a walrus floats by, and furry little foxes stay warm and dry."

(Adorable, right?)

So I decided to read it aloud to my high school English students to help them deal with parts of speech (because as high school students they still have trouble with it), but this can be done with kids as young as first or second grade.

After reading the book aloud, they were then asked to jot down as many verbs as they could remember from the text. For instance from the above phrases they could have noted: blow, tussle, and prance, to name a few.

At the end of the book they had long lists, and with those lists we played a Scattergories-esk game. One student read out his list, and the others would raise their hands if they caught the same verb. Verbs that were caught by another listener earned zero points. Those that were caught by only one listener earned one point.

What do they win? They rarely win something tangible; I typically shout out, "Good job! Five life points for you." A few students said they were keeping track of life points... but I digress.

From this I then give them sentences from the book. I have the class circle the verbs, and then I ask them to try changing the verbs around to say something new with the verb choice. We can take the phrase  "Up in the Arctic, where the cold winds blow, polar  bears tussle in the soft white snow" and change it to "Up in the Arctic, where the cold winds sings, polar  bears dance in the soft white snow".  (You'll notice I didn't worry about the rhyme scheme or the meter when I changed my verbs; it is less cumbersome to deal with if you are free to play with the words.)

I then play the same Scattergories-esk game with the class. We see who has repeats, and the same scoring of zero points for a repeat and one point for a unique word apply. Life points are given, and the students squeal with delight... well, maybe they just grin politely.

This activity illuminates the importance of word choice, especially with the ever-important vivid verb. After this lesson I have found vivid verb usage skyrockets.

2. Technical Writing to Avoid the Artsy and Costly Diorama: 
I actually love making dioramas with kids. Kids love them too... mostly. There can be a point, however, where there are too many bank-breaking or dumpster-diving projects. Solution? Have kids imagine they are setting up the perfect zoo for one of the animals in the book. (Ideally, each child will select a different animal.) Have each child research what that animal needs to survive and thrive. Then have the child write a letter to the zoo proposing what the animal needs. Clearly this will need to be based in research. I suggest subscribing to great magazines like Ranger Rick or using websites like these. 

When they finally have their research, have the kids think about their audience. They need to realize they are "sending" these to the owners of a zoo, so their language should reflect that.

One page featuring animals of the rainforest. 

3. "I am" Personification Poem:

After reading the book together, have each child select an animal they enjoy (ideally, each child will select a different animal). Once each child has an animal, have the child brainstorm how she would describe it.

1. Is it big? Big as compared to what?
2. Is it loud? Loud as compared to a chainsaw or a buzzing refrigerator?
3. What type of covering does it have? Fur? Scales? Feathers?
4. What does it eat? Bugs or pizza?
5. To what habitat does it belong?

And so on...

Once the child knows the animal, have her begin to create a personification poem where she gradually reveals the identity of the animal. For instance, a child might write:

I am tall, taller than some of the trees at your house.
I am big, bigger than the car you rode in this morning.
I am loud and quiet.
  I can be as loud a trumpet in a 4th of July Parade!
  But I can be as soft as a fan in a classroom during a test.
I am covered with gray skin, but I also have hair.
I am an eater. I eat lots of food. At the circus they give me peanuts.
I am a resident of Africa and Asia, but you can see me at the zoo.
I am an elephant. 

A fun part of this activity is having kids pair up in teams to do "detective work" to discover which animal their friends have written about.

This makes a good bulletin board for Back to School Night or Open House as each student will have a unique piece of poetry, plus you can add an art project to the writing. Have each student draw a picture of the animal and its habitat and tack it to the wall. Then on top of that drawing, tack the child's poem with tacks only at the top. Visitors can then lift up the poem to see the art work. Nifty, eh?

4. Discussions/Writing Prompts:

Use these prompts to talk about the book with your kids, or you can have them write their responses. Remember, picture books don't need to stop in second grade!

1. If you were to select a habitat in which to reside, which would you pick and why?
2. Which of these habitats do you believe to be the most important? Why?
3. If you were to add an additional page to one of these habitat descriptions, what would it say? (Ask kids to elaborate on one page, such as on the page above: The daddy jaguar tucks his cub in for the night, while crickets start to chirp and sing with delight.)
4. Many of these habitats are far away, while some are in our backyard. Make a list of five things we can do to ensure these habitats are protected for the animals that call them home.
5. Choose one of the animals mentioned in the book. Describe the animal with vivid verbs, specific nouns, and thought-provoking adjectives. You may even wish to write about it in rhyme.


I hope you enjoy "animals everywhere"... And I hope you and your kids enjoy the delightful eco-awareness book!


Happy learning!