Topic: Introduction to Book Grandfather's Journey

Grade Level: 6,7,8

Goals:

*The students will be introduced to the book, Grandfather's Journey

*The students learn how to create a word web to use for organizing information

Materials:

*Grandfather's Journey by: Allen Say

*Markers

*Sheet of white paper

*Overheads of the pictures from the book

Content Area:

*Language Arts

*Social Studies

Concepts:

*Literature

*Japanese Culture

*Travel

*Ocean

*Book awards-Newbery and Caldecott medal winners

Procedure:

1. The teacher will begin by asking the students about what kinds of awards books can receive. He/she will explain Newbery and Caldecott books and will explain that Caldecott awards are given to books that have excellent pictures that are able to tell the story.

2. The teacher will make copies of each of the pictures in the book onto overhead transparencies. The teacher will then show the pictures of the story through use of an overhead projector to the students. The teacher will allow the students enough time to look at each picture before moving onto the next one. Have the students make educated guesses about what they think the story is about based on these pictures. The students can write down their ideas as each picture is shown. After all of the pictures are shown, the students will write a sentence or two explaining what they think the plot of the story is about. If this step is carried out this way, it will guarantee that the students will not read the story as they are looking at the pictures.

3. Have the students create their own individual word webs based on the notes they took from the picture walk. The students should try to identify the characters, the places the characters traveled and any other important information they feel they need to include. (What will happen? Who is in the story? Where does it take place? What is the theme of the story?)

4. The teacher will then read the story to the students.

5. Create a class word web based on the story. The teacher should write down the students' ideas on paper or some other medium so that all students can see it. (chalkboard, overhead, etc.) Ask the students if their individual word webs were different than the class word web and how they were different.

6. The students will then go back and look over their individual word webs about the story. The students should cross out things that are not correct on their webs and add any information that they now know or feel is important to include.

Evaluation: The students will be evaluated based on their individual word webs. The word webs need to show understanding of the story based on the inclusion of important characters, the places these characters traveled, and the relationship these two factors have to overall theme of the book (ocean travel). The teacher will look at these word webs for these three characteristics and will receive a "pass" grade upon completion of the assignment. If the student fails to have all of these characteristics in their word web, the word web will be returned to the student and the student will be given as many opportunities as needed to sufficiently complete the assignment.

Approximate Time: 1 hour

Resources:

~Blackstone, Josephine. Songs for Sixpence: A Story about John Newbery. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1955.

~Brown, Muriel. Newbery and Caldecott Medalists and Honor Book Winners: Bibliographies and resource material through 1991. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1992.

~Gillespie, John Thomas. The Newbery Companion: Booktalk and related materials for Newbery Medal and Honor books. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1996.

~Moen, Christine Boardman. Teaching with Caldecott Books: Activities across the curriculum. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1991

~Smith, Irene. A History of Newbery and Caldecott medals. New York: Viking Press, 1957.

~Townsend, John Rowe (ed.). John Newbery and his Books. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1994

 

 

Internet Sources:

~http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/author/say/article.html

 

Extensions:

*Teachers could use a different book for this lesson if they so choose. The following book is a little longer than the one we chose, but still deals a similar theme and topic.

-Robin Lee Graham. Dove. Bantam Books, 1972.

*This activity could also be done for a variety of other content areas.

*This activity could be expanded to include a longer lesson on Caldecott and Newbery award books.

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