Literature+Appreciation

Lessons here

=**Black Eyed Susan Award Nominee books**=

Grade levels: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Materials needed: chart paper with 5 supporting reasons from the book (listed below) sentence paper with room for pictures (the kind first grade uses) pencils for writing, crayons for coloring in illustrations
 * //A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea// by Michael Ian Black**

1) Anticipatory Set: Ask the kids who has ever seen or been to a parade. Begin to brainstorm with the kids things they know about parades (music, floats, marching, unifroms, banners, instruments, big balloons, etc.). Then change directions and ask what they know already about pigs (they are pink, they like mud, the have curly tails, round snouts). Finally, ask what they think about whether or not the two things would go together well. Then introduce the book.

2) Read the book to the kids and discuss the 5 reasons the author gives to support his thesis statement (pigs do not march, pigs will not wear majorette unifroms, pigs only like Root Beer Floats, pigs have bad taste in music, pigs cannot hold big balloons).

3) Ask the kids to think for a minute about something THEY think is a bad idea (you might have to be careful with this-- I got lots of "jumping off a building is a bad idea" before I corrected them into doing something a bit sillier than that). The younger ones will give you "A dog parade is a terrible idea" but some of the third graders will get a bit more creative-- "A crab for a best friend is a terrible idea."

//Memoirs of a Goldfish// by Devin Scillian
Grade levels: PK, K, 1st Materials needed: large piece of white construction paper / poster board, orange construction paper, scissors (if you want to), crayons, paste

1) Anticipatory Set: Ask the students if they have a goldfish. Discuss what a goldfish does through the day. Could they believe that a goldfish may have a few more problems than they thought? Then introduce the book.

2) Read the book to the kids. Ask them to pay special attention to the contents of the bowl. At the end of the story, ask them who and what joined the goldfish in his bowl?

3) Pass out to the students a piece of white paper (or poster paper), and orange construction paper (or pre-cut fish if you so desire), and if necessary safety scissors. Have the students draw a fish bowl, using the crayons. Then the students will cut out a goldfish or one will be handed out for them. The students will paste the goldfish into the fishbowl. Then, using the crayons, the students will draw in the bowl the other contents as described by the story.

4) You could create a display with the pictures, or allow them to go home. I would create something like, "There is something fishy going on here at Vienna!" and then hang the pictures underneath.