These are suggested and continuous ideas for activities. I want reading to be as uninterrupted as possible. I try to include activities that I feel will enhance a child’s enjoyment of the novel.
1.
On the Banks of Plum Creek
This book is so rich in material for reading, writing and class discussion. Students will be keeping daily logs or journals in class, and can use Laura’s adventures and memories as jumping off points to their own lives. Laura’s physical descriptions are particularly vivid and are a good way to introduce descriptive writing to children.
After reading the description of Ma’s vanity cakes at the country party, children can brainstorm words that describe their favorite foods. Encourage the students to find words that will bring out texture and smell as well as flavor—moist, juicy, gooey, crunchy, airy, crisp, etc. They can make up combinations of words if they want. Then have them describe their favorite food as vividly as they can using as many of the different adjectives as they can. They should try to recreate what they love most about the food so that others can imagine it as they read or listen to the description.
Laura also created very strong memorable characters as she described herself and her family. Children get to know the Ingalls family and what they are like. They understand Laura, her anger, her frustrations with Nellie Oleson, and they also understand Mary, the quiet one, who always tried to be good, who was frightened easily. Pa Ingalls, with his fiddle and his singing, his hard work and his good humor, is especially impressive. The children are always struck by his generosity—when he gave the carefully saved three dollars for necessary new boots for a bell for the belfry of the church—and are impressed to learn the bell is still there. They can write on elements of these people that they admire. What do you most like about Pa? If you were Laura, how would you get back at Nellie? Write a letter to Laura and tell her about your life her and what you think you would most like to do with her.
2.
Ramona Quimby Age 8
This is a good book to use in September as Ramona is beginning her school year as well and children can identify with many of her new school year problems. Journal writing activities can follow many of Ramona’s adventures. What was your first time on a school bus like? Describe your first teacher. Describe your last year’s teacher. What is your most important responsibility at home? What is fair about it? When do your parents treat you like a baby?
When Ramona goes to Howie Kemp’s house to be watched by her grandmother, she is allowed to ride Howie’s two-wheeler. Watched by Howie and his friend, she wobbles slowly down the block and returns, happy that at least she didn’t fall off. Children discuss, then write about the very first time they rode a two wheeler all by themselves. This seems to be a pretty universal memory and the children love it. They all like to share this memory as well and it is fun to hear kids tell about themselves and learn about others. This is a particularly effective writing assignment—it can be put in a journal or used as a classroom book—but there are several others that are also fun for children.
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1. When did you follow a fad blindly? After the egg cracking episode.
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2. Disaster in the kitchen—after Ramona and Beezus cook dinner.
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3. When were your parents mean to you unfairly? After the pot roast (tongue) episode. Also what food do you hate the most?
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4. Your most embarrassing moment? After Ramona throws up in class.
These are but a few examples.
3.
Sarah. Plain and Tall
The children hope that Sarah will sing and she does. They want to learn new songs and of course they have no television, radio or movies. They learn songs when other people sing them, and so they learn new songs from Sarah, songs from the East. The children can think of chants and songs they may know this way. Are there any family songs that are special to their particular family. How did they learn jump rope chants? This can be a journal assignment and it can be a topic for discussion.
Sarah draws pictures of her life on the prairie to send to her brother in Maine. The students can draw pictures of themselves at school and at home and send them to grandparents, cousins, etc, who live elsewhere. What will they include? What can they show about their lives that they might not put in words?
4.
Freaky Friday
Many writing and discussion ideas come immediately to mind while reading this book.
Have students make a list of those traits of theirs that they think most annoy their parents. Then have them make another list of things about their parents that annoy them the most. As they read the novel, they can refer back to the list. Are there any parallels to the book? Do they understand some of the irritations better?
Imagine changing places with a parent for a day. What would it be like? What do they think their parents do all day? How difficult would it be for a parent to be them? What would they not want their parents to learn about them?
If a parent switched places with a student for a day, what changes would he or she try to make in the life of the student? How would these affect you (the student)? Would you leave the changes once you got your body back?
5.
The Slave Dancer
As the students read this book, there should be a lot of discussion in order for them to understand and try to imagine the conditions and helplessness of the slaves and Jessie.
Examples of questions:
What sorts of people would be willing to work on a slave ship?
If you were forced, like Jessie, to work on a slave ship against your will, what would concern you the most?
Why is Jessie whipped if he refuses to dance the slaves? How would you react?
What is one of the things Jessie learns that affects him the most?
What are the attitudes of the crew members? Are they alike? How do they rationalize their activity?
What happened in the story that surprised you? Why did you not expect this to happen?
At the beginning of the voyage, Purvis tells Jessie: “You’ll see some bad things, but if you didn’t see them, they’d still be happening, so you might as well.”
What does that mean? What does that tell you about his reason for being on a slave ship?
At one point Jessie makes this statement: “I thought that now I understood the phrase, ‘lost at sea.’”
What does he mean? What makes him feel the most lost? What would make you feel lost?