Join the Club! Family Book Club You can help parents and children bond over books by organizing a family book club. Decide how many people will be in the club and what age group you will target. Usually 4 or 5 family pairs are enough. Parent-child book groups work best with grades 2 and up. Advertise the book club at the library, on your library s Web site, in community newspapers, and through parent-teacher associations. Choose when, where, and how often you will meet. Once a month will generally allow enough time for everyone to read the book. Create a reading list for 4 to 6 months. You may want to vary the length, difficulty, and genre of the books. You may also want to offer a mixture of classics and new books. When parents and kids register for the group, invite them to add their suggestions to the list. Once the group has decided, set aside multiple copies of the books. At the first meeting, ask kids and parents about a memory of a favorite book from childhood. (To get things started, volunteer one of your own.) This will help everyone get comfortable. Together, decide on the final book selections and how the meeting will be run. Suggest that different parent-child pairs take turns being the hosts. Encourage the kids to lead the conversation. Be careful that the adults don t take over! At the end of each session, provide a short list of books that are related to the genre or topic. If you can, serve refreshments that go along with the mood, setting, or theme of the book that you ve read. Funding for Arthur outreach is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Funding for Arthur website is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and television viewers. Funding for Arthur is provided by public television viewers. Corporate funding is provided by Chuck E. Cheese s and Dannon Danimals. 2006 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. All characters and underlying materials (including artwork) copyright by Marc Brown. Arthur, D.W., and other Marc Brown characters are trademarks of Marc Brown. All third party trademarks are property of their respective owners. Used with permission.
Talk about It Here are some questions to help get the conversation going. Did you like the book? Why or why not? If yes, what did you like best about the book? What surprised you most about the book? What was the most memorable part of the book? If you could make a film of this book, what character would you like to play? Why? If you could choose a paragraph, scene, or a chapter to read aloud, which would it be? If you could invite any of the characters for dinner, who would it be? Why? If you could meet the author, what would you want to ask him or her? If the author were to write a sequel, what would you most want to know about? More Book Club Fun Visit the author s Web page. What can you find out? Write to the author. You can often find the address online or write to his or her publisher. Have everyone from the book group sign the letter! Find professional reviews of the book. Do the members of the club agree with the experts or not? have the book club collaborate on a book review to submit to the local newspaper. Lights! Camera! Action! Find out if your club can be featured on a local cable access channel. have a party to celebrate the last meeting of the book club. Members can come dressed as their favorite fictional character! Check out the PBS Parents Book Club.
Author! Author! Inspiring kids to write is an important part of literacy. When parents and kids work together to publish a book, they enjoy a creative and collaborative experience. In Fern and Persimmony Glitchet (#1002), Fern is anxiously awaiting the latest installment of the Horrendously Horrible Happenings book series. When Fern expresses her wish to write a book, the librarian, Paige Turner, suggests that Fern write to the mysterious author of the series (Persimmony Glitchet) for advice. She uses his advice to write and publish her own story and experiences the thrill of being an author. In Unfinished (#1007), Arthur finds an adventure book that he just can t put down...but the last few pages are missing! After a frantic search for another copy, Arthur must create his own ending. Offer parents and kids the opportunity to experience the excitement of becoming authors with a club focused on writing. Launch the club with a scene from Fern and Persimmony Glitchet, Unfinished, or another ARTHUR episode that promotes writing (see page 14). Depending on the age of the kids, you can hold one or more sessions. For Younger Children Session One Introduce the club by asking kids (and parents) about some of their favorite picture books and why they like them. Help summarize what they describe as you introduce some new vocabulary: plot, characters, dialogue, etc. Talk briefly about what authors and illustrators do and show examples. Then discuss the kinds of books parents and kids can write, such as an alphabet book (with an illustration of something beginning with each letter) an All about Me book (with a sentence per page about the child) a retelling of a familiar tale with a new twist a joke book a story about a favorite stuffed animal or family pet 10
Have the pairs decide what kind of book they will create. Once they decide, help them develop their idea. For instance, for story ideas you can ask: Where would you like your story to take place? In your room, on the moon, in a castle, on top of a mountain? When does your story begin? In the morning, in the middle of the night, yesterday, today, someday? What happens in the story? Is it funny, scary, silly, realistic? Pairs can also use the Arthur Story Picture Cards for more ideas. Encourage parents to talk with their children throughout the week about their story idea. To end of the session, share a read-aloud story about writing (see page 14). Arthur Story Picture Cards [click to enlarge] Session Two Distribute basic supplies (paper, pens, pencils, crayons). Have parents and kids write together children can dictate the story, pairs can take turns writing, etc. (You may want to gently remind parents to let their kids take the lead.) Have the pairs illustrate the pages and then design a cover with the title and authors names. The participants can use a simple method to bind the story into a book: staples, hole-punches with a ribbon or shoelace ties. You can catalog the book by adding a dummy spine label and/or barcode. Congratulate the new authors and invite them to read their books to the group. 11
For Older Children Session One Get the creative juices flowing by playing a game of Story Starter. Sit in a circle. Whisper a starting sentence to the person to your right and ask each person to add a sentence as they repeat the sentences to the next person. Have the last person (you may want this to be an adult) stand up and tell the story. Reassure the group that silly or nonsensical stories are okay. Ask the participants to brainstorm ideas for stories. Write these on poster board. You can suggest categories, such as animals (talking or real), locations (commonplace or fantastic), weather (sunny, stormy), and so on. Arthur Story Starter Cards [click to enlarge] Distribute the Arthur Story Starter Cards to help pairs think of additional ideas. Allow the pairs time to decide on what their story will be about. They can write the first sentences and something about the story, or draw a storyboard that shows the characters and sequence of the plot (beginning, middle, and end). Encourage the pairs to talk about their story throughout the week. End the session with a read-aloud story about writing (see page 14). Session Two For inspiration, you may want to read aloud the first sentence of one or two great children s books to help everyone get started. Distribute basic supplies (paper, pens, pencils). Have each pair write and illustrate their story. They can continue writing it at home. Circulate to answer questions and help with problems. You may also want to show the interstitial of Unfinished, which has real kids making up endings for their stories. End the session with a read-aloud biography of a writer. 12
Session Three Have the pairs complete their stories, if necessary, and then decide on a title and cover design. Talk about and show interesting features of a book that people often overlook, such as title page, copyright page, and dedication. Have the pairs add these to their story if they want to. If you have access to a digital or instant camera, you can take photos of the authors for the back cover. The pairs can bind the pages together using various methods. Session Four (optional) Hold an Author! Author! Celebration. Display books about authors and writing and provide refreshments. Gather the group together to congratulate them on becoming authors. Invite volunteers to share their stories with the group. You may also want to extend an invitation to the library director and other staff members. You can use these Arthur episodes and theme-related books with your library program. Arthur and... Writing Arthur Writes a Story (#112) Arthur s Faraway Friend (#212) The Contest (#404) D.W. Tale Spins (#406) Fernkenstein s Monster (#804) Fern and Persimmony Glitchet (#1007) Unfinished (#1007) 13
Read about... Writing Aliki. How a Book is Made Brown, Marc. Arthur Writes a Story Christelow, Eileen. What Do Authors Do? Krull, Kathleen. The Boy on Fairfield Street Leedy, Loreen. Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write and Illustrate Terrific Books Lester, Helen. Author: A True Story Meet the Author series, including: Adler, David. My Writing Day Bunting, Eve. Once Upon a Time Numeroff, Laura Joffe. If You Give an Author a Pencil Polacco, Patricia. Firetalking Rylant, Cynthia. Best Wishes Yolen, Jane. A Letter from Phoenix Farm Nixon, Joan. If You Were a Writer Perdomo, Willie. Visiting Langston Rhatigan, Joe. In Print! 40 Cool Publishing Projects for Kids Rylant, Cynthia. Mr. Putter and Tabby Write a Book Schotter, Roni. Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street Stevens, Janet. From Pictures to Words: A Book about Making a Book 14
I m a Poet! Poetry provides many different ways for kids to express themselves. You may want to begin the club by listening to the song Poetry Club from the Arthur and His Friends audiocassette or CD or by watching I m a Poet (#128) or Rhyme for Your Life (#608). Read poems together and then have children write different kinds of poems each week. In addition to the ones below, * kids can also try haiku or limericks. Word Soup On separate pieces of paper, write several lively adjectives, nouns, verbs, and prepositional phrases. Place them in a bowl, mix them with a spoon, and ask each child to pick a small handful. Children then use these words as a basis for their poems. They can put words back and exchange them for new ones once or twice. Acrostic Poems Have children write their first name vertically on the page. Each letter becomes the first letter of a line about themselves. Try other words or have them use the names of Arthur or other storybook characters. Zap Poems Choose an evocative word or phrase such as thunder and lightning or hungry as a bear and ask kids to write down all the words, phrases, and sentences that immediately come to mind. These lists can then serve as the basis for their poems. Library Poems Take a quiet looking and listening tour around the library. Kids can take notes as they tour. When you return to Arthur s Poetry Spot, ask kids to write a poem about something they saw or felt. You may want to have children write poems in response to various kinds of music. Check out the What s a Poem? section of Fern s Poetry Club for sample poems from Arthur and his friends. * Material adapted, with permission, from Beyond Words: Writing Poems with Children by Elizabeth McKim and Judith Steinbergh, 3rd edition, Talking Stone Press, Brookline, MA. ISBN 0-944941-14-1. 15
Poetry Contest Celebrate National Poetry Month in April with a poetry contest like the one Arthur and his friends enter in I m a Poet (#128). Ask children to write their own original poems about a theme such as friendship, favorite places, or dreams. Be sure what they submit is readable and has their name, age or grade, and phone number written on the back. Create a poetry corner with a book display, and post a different poem there each week. Ask children to bring in their favorite poem or find one in a library book and illustrate it. Using various criteria (most imaginative, funniest, shortest), select winners. You may want to award something to each poet or choose winners and runners-up. Host a poetry reading of winners and runners-up. With prior permission from each child, photocopy their original poems into a book to give out or keep on display in the Children s Room. Select some of the poems to reprint in your library newsletter or the local newspaper. If you have a local poet in your community, invite him or her to the poetry reading. Other special guests might be a college or high school English teacher or students who have contributed to the high school newspaper or literary magazine. 16
You can use these Arthur episodes and theme-related books with your library program. Arthur and... Poetry I m a Poet (#128) Rhyme for Your Life (#608) Read about... Poetry Corbett, Pie. Poem-maker, Word-shaker Corbett, Pie. Raps, Riddles, and Concrete Gollub, Matthew. Cool Melons Turn to Frogs! Greenfield, Eloise. Honey I Love Grimes, Nikki. Meet Danitra Brown Janeczko, Paul. A Kick in the Head Lewis, J. Patrick. Please Bury Me in the Library Mak, Kam. My Chinatown Mora, Pat. Confetti: Poems for Children Prelutsky, Jack. Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme Thomas, Joyce Carol. Gingerbread Days 17
On Stage Children will enjoy becoming the Arthur characters and performing a short play that celebrates reading. Writing and performing skits, plays, or reader s theater are most popular with third and fourth graders. This club works best if children can commit to coming for several weeks in a row. This gives them an opportunity to get to know one another and work together as a group. You may want to focus on one skit or play to practice, or you may want to choose several short scripts to perform each week. Families especially enjoy seeing their children perform, so you can also create an evening event. DW Gets Her Library Card Script [click to enlarge] Have children read, rehearse, and perform D.W. Gets Her Library Card as part of a drama club. For an impromptu performance, try a simpler version of the script. 18
Tips for Putting on a Play If you are using the script as part of a club where children can rehearse, include simple props and stage directions. Use the script as Reader s Theater (with a narrator) and have children sit or stand and read the lines. Highlight the lines for each actor to make reading easier. To cast the play, you may want to have children pull out their character s name from a hat. You can create character nametags so it s easy for the audience to follow who s who. You can print masks for several of the Arthur characters. Use one of the following resources to choose scripts or acting exercises: Multicultural Folktales by Suzanne Barchers Multicultural Plays for Children: Grades 4-6 edited by Pamela Gerke Stories on Stage: Children s Plays for Reader s Theater by Aaron Shepard Invite high school drama students to help direct the plays or teach acting skills. Arrange a performance of one or more of the skits as an evening family event. Videotape the performance and show it at another library event. You may want to expand this club by having older children write their own plays to perform. 19
You can use these Arthur episodes and theme-related books with your library program. Arthur and... Drama Francine Frensky, Superstar (#110) Arthur Makes a Movie (#204) And Now Let s Talk to Some Kids (#304) Arthur s Almost Live Not Real Music Festival (#311) Elwood City Turns 100! (#705) Arthur Weighs In (#903) Lights, Camera...Opera! (#905) Read about... Drama Aliki. A Play s the Thing Best, Cari. Shrinking Violet DePaola, Tomie. Stagestruck Greenfield, Eloise. Grandpa s Face Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace Littlesugar, Amy. Tree of Hope Marshall, James. Fox on Stage Stanley, Diane. Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare Wells, Rosemary. The School Play 20