THE END By A.A. Milne

Transcription

1 THE END By A.A. Milne When I was One, I had just begun. When I was two, I was nearly new. When I was Three. I was hardly Me. When I was Four, I was not much more. When I was Five, I was just alive. But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever. So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever. Fuzzy, Wuzzy, Creepy, Crawly by Lillian Schultz Vanada Fuzzy, wuzzy, creepy crawly Caterpillar funny You will be a butterfly When the days are sunny. Winging, flinging, dancing, springing Butterfly so yellow You were once a caterpillar, Wiggly, wiggly fellow.

2 WEEK ONE: POETRY MATERIALS NEEDED: Paper, colored pencilsreadings: The End; Fuzzy, Wuzzy, Creepy, Crawly Poetry: A piece of writing with focus on expression of feelings. It usually has a distinctive style that focuses on things such as rhythm or sound. Have students talk about the kinds of poetry they have seen before. What kind of structures have they seen before? How is it different from prose? Prompt them with ideas about structure, rhyming, topics, etc. Have they heard of acrostics? Haikus? Limericks? Have they heard of any famous poets before? Term of the week Alliteration: First, have the students try to brainstorm what this term means. Then, provide them with the standard definition. Ask them to come up with a few examples, and provide a few yourself if they are having trouble. Finally, have them circle any alliterations in the three poems. Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in nearby words. Sample Discussion Questions (you do not have to do all of these!) 1. How old does the poet want to stay forever? Why does he want to stay that old? 2. On your own: Read through The End and look for the rhyme scheme. Using colored pencils, underline the last word of each line so that words that rhyme are underlined in the same color. 3. How does Lillian Schultz describe the caterpillar? How is that different from how she describes the butterfly? 4. On your own: Read through Fuzzy, Wuzzy, Creepy, Crawly and look for the rhyme scheme. Using colored pencils, underline the last word of each line so that words that rhyme are underlined in the same color. 5. Write: On your own, write two more lines that could be added to one poem we read today. Follow the pattern of the poem, so rhyme if the poem rhymes, use alliteration if the poem uses alliteration, and make sure your subject matches the subject of the poem!

3 Interactive Activity! Invent a character who you think would be interesting to write about. Is it a person? An animal? How old is it? What does it look like? Is it colorful? Does it have a family? Does it like to play sports? Is it big or small? For the next few months, we will be learning about different genres, and each week the interactive activity will involve writing about this character in each of the genres, so make sure it is something you could talk about for a long time! This week, write a few lines of poetry about your character, using at least 2 alliterations. When you are done, draw a picture of your character as you described it in your poem. At the end of the session, collect all of the students notes and put them in your group s folder in the Main Office for next week.

4 The Spring Beauty By Frances Jenkins Olcott (Chippewa Tale) An old man was sitting in his lodge, by the side of a frozen stream. It was the end of Winter, the air was not so cold, and his fire was nearly out. He was old and alone. His locks were white with age, and he trembled in every joint. Day after day passed, and he heard nothing but the sound of the storm sweeping before it the new fallen snow. One day while his fire was dying, a handsome young man entered the lodge. His cheeks were red, his eyes sparkled. He walked with a quick, light step. His forehead was bound with sweet grass, and he carried a bunch of fragrant flowers in his hand. "Ah, my Son," said the old man, "I am happy to see you. Come in. Tell me your adventures, and what strange lands you have seen. I will tell you my wonderful deeds, and what I can perform. You shall do the same, and we will amuse each other." "I am Peboan, the Spirit of Winter," said the old man. "I blow my breath, and the streams stand still. The water becomes stiff and hard as clear stone." "I am Seegwun, the Spirit of Spring," answered the youth. "I breathe, and flowers spring up in the meadows and woods." "I shake my locks," said the old man, "and the snow covers the land. The leaves fall from the trees, and my breath blows them away. The birds fly to the distant land, and the animals hide themselves from the cold." "I shake my ringlets," said the young man, "and the warm showers of soft rain fall upon the Earth. The flowers lift their heads from the ground, and the grass grows thick and green. My voice recalls the birds, and they come flying joyfully from the Southland. The warmth of my breath unbinds the streams, and they sing the songs of Summer. Music fills the groves wherever I walk, and all Nature rejoices." And while they were thus talking, a wonderful change took place. The Sun began to rise. A gentle warmth stole over the place. Peboan, the Spirit of Winter, became silent. His head drooped, and the snow outside the lodge melted away. Seegwun, the Spirit of Spring, grew more radiant, and rose joyfully to his feet. The Robin and the Bluebird began to sing on the top of the lodge. The stream murmured past the door, and the fragrance of opening flowers came softly on the breeze. The lodge faded away, and Peboan sank down and dissolved into tiny streams of water, that vanished under the brown leaves of the forest. Thus the Spirit of Winter departed, and where he melted away the Indian children gathered the first blossoms, fragrant and delicately pink, the modest Spring Beauty.

5 WEEK TWO: LEGENDS MATERIALS: Paper, Crayons Readings: The Spring Beauty What is a legend? Have they heard any legends before? Legend: In this case, a historical type story of origins that serves to explain how things came to be the way that they are, though there is no proof that these events actually happened. Terms of the week Personification: First, have the students try to brainstorm what this term means. Then, provide them with the standard definition. Personification: In a literary work, giving a non human being human properties. Sample Discussion Questions (you do not have to do all of these!) 1. What is the old man and what is the young man? How do you know? 2. Why do you think the old man looks the way he does? Why do you think the young man looks the way he does? 3. Do you think the old man/the Spirit of Winter melts away forever? Why or why not? 4. On Your Own: Make a list of all of the characters that personify something in the story, and then write what each character is supposed to be personifying. What do all of these characters have in common? Interactive Activity! Create a legend using your character from last week. This is your chance to create a background story for your character! How did your character come to be the way he/she/it is today? Use one example of personification in your description. At the end of the session, collect all of the students notes and put them in your group s folder in the Main Office for next week.

6 The Gingerbread Man By Joseph Jacobs Once upon a time there was an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy. One morning the old woman made some gingerbread in the shape of a man. She added icing for his hair and clothes, and little blobs of dough for his nose, and eyes. When she put him in the oven to bake, she said to the little boy: you watch the gingerbread man while your grandfather and I go out to work in the garden. So the old man and the old woman went out and began to dig potatoes, and left the little boy to tend the oven. But he started to day dream, and didn t watch it all the time, and all of a sudden he heard a noise, and he looked up and the oven door popped open, and out of the oven jumped gingerbread man, and went rolling along end over end, towards the open door of the house. The little boy ran to shut the door, but the gingerbread man was too quick for him and rolled through the door, down the steps, and out into the road long before the little boy could catch him. The little boy ran after him as fast as he could manage, crying out to his grandfather and grandmother, who heard the noise, and threw down their spades in the garden and gave chase too. But the ginger bread man outran all three a long way, and was soon out of sight, while they had to sit down, all out of breath, on a bank to rest. On went the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to two men digging a well who looked up from their work and called out: Where ye going, gingerbread man? He said: I ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and I can outrun you, too o o! You can, can you? We ll see about that? said they; and they threw down their picks and ran after him, but couldn t catch up with him, and soon they had to sit down by the roadside to rest. On ran the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to two men digging a ditch. Where ye going, gingerbread man? said they. He said: I ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well diggers, and I can outrun you, too o o! You can, can you? We ll see about that! said they; and they threw down their spades, and ran after him, too. But the gingerbread man soon outstripped them also, and seeing they could never catch him, they gave up the chase and sat down to rest. On went the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to a bear. The bear said: Where are ye going, gingerbread man? He said: I ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well diggers, and two ditch diggers, and I can outrun you, too o o! ou can, can you? growled the bear. We ll see about that! and trotted as fast as his legs could carry him after the gingerbread man, who never stopped to look behind him. Before long the bear was left so far behind that he saw he might as well give up the hunt first as last, so he stretched himself out by the roadside to rest. On went the gingerbread man and by and by he came to a wolf. The wolf said: Where ye going, gingerbread man? He said: I ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well diggers, and two ditch diggers, and a bear, and I can outrun you, too o o! You can, can you? snarled the wolf. We ll see about that! And he set into a gallop after the gingerbread man, who went on and on so fast that the wolf, too, saw there was no hope of overtaking him, and he, too, lay down to rest. On went the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to a fox that lay quietly in a corner of the fence. The fox called out in a sharp voice, but without getting up: Where ye going, gingerbread man? He said: I ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well diggers, and two

7 ditch diggers, a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you, too o o! The fox said: I can t quite hear you, gingerbread man; won t you come a little closer? turning his head a little to one side. The gingerbread man stopped his race for the first time, and went a little closer, and called out in a very loud voice: I ve outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well diggers, and two ditch diggers, and a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you, too o o. Can t quite hear you; won t you come a little closer? said the fox in a feeble voice, as he stretched out his neck towards The Gingerbread Man, and put one paw behind his ear. The gingerbread man came up close, and leaning towards the fox screamed out: I VE OUTRUN AN OLD MAN, AND AN OLD WOMAN, AND A LITTLE BOY, AND TWO WELL DIGGERS, AND TWO DITCH DIGGERS, AND A BEAR, AND A WOLF, AND I CAN OUTRUN YOU, TOO O O! You can, can you? yelped the fox, and he snapped up the gingerbread man in his sharp teeth in the twinkling of an eye.

8 WEEK THREE: FAIRY TALES MATERIALS NEEDED: Paper, Crayons/Colored Pencils, Pencils Readings: The Gingerbread Man Fairy Tale: A story, usually for children, about magical and imaginary beings and lands. What is the difference between a legend and a fairy tale? Have the students discuss what they think the differences may be both before and after the story. Are there fairy tales that they ve read before? Are they modern, like Disney movies, or are they older, like Hans Christian Anderson? Terms of the week Repetition: Alliteration on a larger scale; make sure to draw attention to the similarities and differences between alliteration and repetition. Repetition: The repeating of a word or a phrase within a literary composition Sample Discussion Questions (you do not have to do all of these!) 1. What does the Gingerbread Man look like? How do you know? 2. Discuss Once upon a time... and highlight that many fairy tales begin with this (or a variation of) this phrase. 3. On your own: Underline any word or phrase repetition that you see, and then compare with your classmates. Is there anything you missed? 4. The author never says why the Gingerbread Man is running away from everyone. Why do you think he ran? 5. How does the wolf trick the Gingerbread Man? What happens because of it? Interactive Activity! Pretend that your character from last week is trying to catch the Gingerbread Man. How would your character do it? Following the pattern of repetition in the story, write a few lines describing your character s adventure with the Gingerbread Man. At the end of the session, collect all of the students notes and put them in your group s folder in the Main Office for next week.

9 The First Thanksgiving Text adapted from 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac with Plimoth Plantation, 2001, National Geographic Society. Text by Lyssa Walker On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and their harvest feast known as the first Thanksgiving. Native Americans Long before settlers came to the East Coast of the United States, the area was inhabited by many Native American tribes. The area surrounding the site of the first Thanksgiving, now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island had been the home of the Wampanoag people for over 12,000 years, and had been visited by other European settlers before the arrival of the Mayflower. The native people knew the land well and had fished, hunted, and harvested for thousands of generations. The Settlers The people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants who wanted to break away from the Church of England. These separatists initially moved to Holland and after 12 years of financial problems, they received funding from English merchants to sail across the Atlantic to settle in a New World.' A ship carrying 101 men, women, and children spent 66 days traveling the Atlantic Ocean, intending to land where New York City is now located. Due to the windy conditions, the group had to cut their trip short and settle at what is now called Cape Cod. Settling and Exploring As the Puritans prepared for winter, they gathered anything they could find, including Wampanoag supplies. One day, Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki, and Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) visited the settlers. Squanto was a Wampanoag who had experience with other settlers and knew English. Squanto helped the settlers grow corn and use fish to fertilize their fields. After several meetings, a formal agreement was made between the settlers and the native people and they joined together to protect each other from other tribes in March of The Celebration One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true. Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realized that the English were only hunting for the harvest celebration. Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, far from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced. Much of what most modern Americans eat on Thanksgiving was not available in 1621.

10 Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two month drought. The Myths Believe it or not, the settlers didn't have silver buckles on their shoes. Nor did they wear somber, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful. Many portrayals of this harvest celebration also show the Native Americans wearing woven blankets on their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, which is not true. The Englishmen didn t even call themselves Pilgrims. Modern Thanksgiving In the 19th century, the modern Thanksgiving holiday started to take shape. In 1846, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a magazine called Godley s Lady s Book, campaigned for an annual national thanksgiving holiday after a passage about the harvest gathering of 1621 was discovered and incorrectly labeled as the first Thanksgiving. It wasn't until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared two national Thanksgivings; one in August to commemorate the Battle of Gettysburg and the other in November to give thanks for "general blessings." Native Americans and Thanksgiving The peace between the Native Americans and settlers lasted for only a generation. The Wampanoag people do not share in the popular reverence for the traditional New England Thanksgiving. For them, the holiday is a reminder of betrayal and bloodshed. Since 1970, many native people have gathered at the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth, Massachusetts each Thanksgiving Day to remember their ancestors and the strength of the Wampanoag.

11 WEEK FOUR: REFERENCE MATERIALS NEEDED: Paper, colored pencils Readings: The First Thanksgiving Prompt the students to talk about what non fiction means. Ask them to provide examples of non fiction which they have seen before (newspaper articles, magazine articles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, histories, book/movie reviews, news broadcasts). Be sure that they know what each of these genres means, and review them if they do not. Remind them that it does not have to be written to be non fiction. Have they seen non fiction things on television? On what channels would non fiction programs be broadcast? What are the advantages of reading fiction instead of non fiction? Of reading non fiction over fiction? Which do they prefer and why? Term of the week Non Fiction: First, have the students try to brainstorm what this term means. Then, provide them with the standard definition. Ask them to come up with a few examples, and provide a few yourself if they are having trouble. Non Fiction: Any kind of factual narrative. Sample Discussion Questions (you do not have to do all of these!) 1. Before reading: Now that you have discussed what non fiction means, have the students brainstorm a list of the kinds of details that would be included in non fiction works (e.g. names of people, names of nations/countries, names of peoples, dates, locations, battles, ancestry, background information). Elect one person in the group to make a list down the left hand side of a sheet of paper and save it for later. 2. Why did the settlers leave their home? What do you think they were hoping to find in a new home? 3. What was the relationship between the Natives and the settlers like? What details show that? 4. What food did the first Thanksgiving meal consist of? How is that different from the Thanksgiving meal we are used to? Why do you think the meal has changed since 1621? 5. Where did this reading come from? What does the title of the book indicate about the author s purpose in writing it? Why would someone write a short adaptation or a longer book? Where would it be found? Who would be its target audience? 6. As a group: Before you started reading, you made a list of things that were often included in non fiction readings. As a group, go through the reading and mark how many times each of the details appears.

12 Interactive Activity! This week, write a non fiction paragraph about the place where your character lives. It can be a geographic location, like Middletown, CT, your backyard, the cupboard under the staircase in your house, or a non geographic location, like a pool, a toy store, or a grocery store. Keep in mind that this must be non fiction and you therefore must write about a place that you know a lot about. Your character is imaginary, so he/she/it will not appear in your paragraph, but after you are done you may draw a picture of your character in the location. At the end of the session, collect all of the students notes and put them in your group s folder in the Main Office for next week.

13 The Lion and the Mouse Aesop Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a waggon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse. Little friends may prove great friends. The Jay and the Peacock Aesop A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted down towards the Peacocks. When he came near them they soon discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay could do no better than go back to the other Jays, who had watched his behavior from a distance; but they were equally annoyed with him, and told him: "It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds." The Ant and the Grasshopper Aesop In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

14 WEEK SIX: FABLES MATERIALS NEEDED: Paper, Pencils, Crayons/Colored Pencils Readings: The Lion and the Mouse, The Jay and the Peacock, The Ant and the Grasshopper Fable: A short story, usually using animals as characters, with a moral. Have students talk about the kinds of fables they have seen before. Have they heard of fables before? Have they read some fables, but didn t realize that they weren t some other kind of story (legend, fairy tale, etc)? Term of the week Moral: Have the kids brainstorm what this term might mean. Use the word in a sentence, allowing the kids to use context clues in order to try to figure out the meaning. Moral: A lesson, especially about what is right, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience. (Emphasize the meaning in the context of the story.) Sample Discussion Questions (you do not have to do all of these!) 1. Write: Before discussing the morals of each story, each student should pick a fable and write what they think they think the moral of that fable is. They should use context clues from the story. 2. Discuss: As a group, discuss what the moral of each story is. Have each student lead the discussion on the stories they chose to write about. 3. Which moral do you think relates most to your own life? Why? 4. The word toiling in The Ant and The Grasshopper most nearly means: a) working, b) running, c) sleeping 5. On your own: Draw the characters of one of the stories learning their moral. Interactive Activity! Write a short fable involving your character learning a moral. You can even transform your character into an animal (if it isn t already) in order to write a traditional fable! Pick a moral that you want your character to learn, and add other characters to the story in order to help your character learn the moral you chose. At the end of the session, collect all of the students notes and put them in your group s folder in the Main Office for next week.

15