The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Publication Year: 1900

Author: Lyman Frank Baum

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction

Grade Level: Grade 3 to Grade 6

Theme: Diversity and values

Skill Taught: Story mapping

Summary: A young girl from Kansas named Dorthy Gale and her dog Toto are blown away in a tornado to the Land of Oz.  While in Oz, she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.  They go on an adventure, following the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City where the Great Oz is.  Each of them uniquely wants something special in life, and only the Great Oz can grant them their wish.  The only problem is, they must first kill the Wicked Witch of the West.  They eventually kill her, and the Great Oz grants everyone's wish except Dorthy's.  Together, Dorthy and her new friends travel to find the Good Witch of the South who helps Dorthy and Toto return back home to Kansas.

About the Author: Lyman Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York on May 15, 1856.  He held a wide range of jobs including a chicken breeder, actor, a playwright, and a dime store owner to mention a few.  He married Matilda Josilyn Gage in 1882 and had four sons with her.  His mother-in-law heard the stories he would tell his children before tucking them into bed, and encouraged him to submit them to a publisher.  Readers wanted more of the Oz books, but Baum wanted to write about more than just Oz.  He ended up writing fourteen books in the series and would pass away on May 16, 1919.  (http://www.online-literature.com/baum/)

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would begin class talking about diversity and ask the class, "If you had one wish, what would they wish for and why?" Students who wanted to share could share, and after all volunteers had gone, I would mention that in the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, there are four characters who have their own wish of something they want most in life.

Post-Reading Activity: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz contains a lot of information, and a story map would help to clarify the information.  This would begin as something done as a whole class, but as we continued reading, students would fill in the boxes independently.  While we were reading the book, I would check to make sure students are writing the correct information and ask for volunteers to share what they have included.

Reflection: This classic story is a great tale about unique characters on an adventurous journey through Oz.  This story is one of the first I remember hearing about when I was younger, and with the number of books written, the adventure continues far beyond this book.  Its popularity hasn't faded, and this literature will continue to grow as this story remains a favorite for many readers of all ages.  For those who have only seen the movie, the book is slightly different, and it will be an entirely new adventure.  Baum describes each new land well, but spends a little time at every location, keeping it short to maintain the reader's attention, especially younger readers.  Since the book is longer, the teacher can teach a new lesson each chapter.  

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The Wump World

Publication Year: 1970

Author: Bill Peet

Genre: Science fiction, Fantasy

Grade Level: Grade 3 to Grade 5

Theme: Pollution and Ecology

Skills Taught: Creative writing, Text-to-Text connections

Summary: This story is about Wumps and their imaginary world filled with healthy plant life to eat and crystal clear lakes to drink from.  A group of aliens called Pollutians arrive to their small planet and begin destroying it by cutting down the forests, leveling the land to construct skyscrapers, and build roads.  The Wumps run in fear to underground tunnels, away from the noise and destruction.  Eventually, the Pollutians leave because the small world is so badly polluted and move to another planet to colonize.  The Wumps come out from the tunnels and are shocked at what they see.  A small patch of grass gives them hope that they can revive the land, and over time, they do.

About the Author: Bill Peet was the author of thirty-four children's books for the publishing company Houghton Mifflin.  Bill was also an illustrator, working for Walt Disney for twenty-seven years, working on films such as Fantasia, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Song of the South, Dumbo, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmatians, and The Jungle Book.  After leaving Disney, he became a full-time children's author producing mainly picture books.  His first book Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure was published in 1959 and he would continue to write great stories and memorable characters.  In 2002, Pete passed away, but his art still lives on.  (http://disney.go.com/disneyinsider/history/legends/bill-peet)

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would begin by activating prior knowledge by asking the question, "What is found in nature?" and recording the students' responses on chart paper.  

Post-Reading Activity: I would give students the option to do one of three activities.  The first activity would be writing an alternative ending, such as the Pollutians changing their mind about polluting the planet and would they decide to stay or go.  Another alternative ending could be what the Wumps do to prevent their planet from being polluted and how they would protect their planet from being attacked in the future.  The second activity would be a story board, where one student does the illustrations, while the other student writes a sentence. They would have to do six pages, which would have to follow the correct sequence of events from the book, and include how the Wump World looked in the beginning, how the Pollutians invaded, the change in land, water, and air, and how Wumps felt about the changes.  For the third activity, I would bring to class National Geographic magazines for students to read and cut-out pictures to compare to our story The Wump World.  Students would look for parts of the world that have been polluted, and investigate how they became polluted.  Volunteers would have the opportunity to share their assignment with the class, but all of the students' work would be collected and looked over.  

Reflection: Teaching children the importance of not polluting and giving supporting reasons can often be complicated and difficult to comprehend.  The Wump World does a great job of getting this message across.  Bill Peet is among the elite as an illustrator, as the pictures help elaborate children's minds of the world and characters he has created.  Any time a book incorporates its literature with a subject area, it makes lessons for efficient to teach.  This book brought a lot of ideas to mind, and trying to pick one or two activities was very hard.  With this book, I would setup four groups, each with a different activity, and give students the opportunity to choose which one they would like to do.

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The Story of Babar

Publication Year: 1931

Author: Jean de Brunhoff

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Theme: Courage and pride

Skill Taught: Making connections

Summary: A young elephant named Babar escapes being caught by the hunter who killed his mother.  He runs away from the jungle and to the big city where he meets an old lady who buys him nice clothing and a tutor to educate him.  He marries Celeste, also an elephant, and returns to the jungle to be crowned the King of Elephants.   

About the Author: Jean de Brunhoff was born in Paris on December 9, 1899.  He is best known for his creation of the Babar series.  The books are a reflection of Jean's life and philosophy.  As a Frenchman, his books first appeared in French, and then within two years, they were translated into English.  His wife created the character Babar and the adventures he went on to help put a smile on their four-year-old son who was ill.  In 1937, Jean passed away of tuberculosis, but his son Laurent, has continued the series producing over fifty Babar books.  (http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jean-de-brunhoff/)  

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would introduce the ideas of fantasy and reality.  Students would receive a graphic organizer to write down an explanation and examples of fantasy and reality.  Students who like to volunteer, would share their examples with the class.    

Post-Reading Activity: When completing the read aloud, students would then write a brief log about a "Text-to-Self" connection.  Prompts would be projected onto the front board such as, a trip/vacation to somewhere new, being away from friends and/or home for an extended period of time, or a time they proud or courageous.  At the end of the unit, their notebooks would be collected, I would look over all the assignments. 

Reflection: Reading The Story of Babar, it reminded me of other books I have read such as Curious George, The Lion King, and Bambi.  This book as well as the rest of the series is a great set of books to have in the classroom because students will fall in love with Babar, from a little elephant being rocked in a hammock, to a grown elephant with a family.  The books are easy for children to comprehend and the illustrations will continue to attract their interest.  Throughout the series, Babar shows good character through difficult events and proves why being optimistic is important.    

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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Publication Year: 1978
Author: Judi Barrett

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Grade Level: Grade 1 to Grade 3

Theme: Weather

Skill Taught: Distinguishing between types of precipitation

Summary: The story takes place in a town called Chewandswallow.  Their weather is very unusual, as it only comes three times a day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  This small town's weather is also weird in the fact that its weather doesn't include rain or snow, but instead, hamburgers, orange juice, and mashed potatoes.  After a pancake squashes the school, and meatballs begin damaging houses, the people of the town realize they need to leave because they can't keep up with the repairs and sanitation.  They set out in search of new land in a boat made out of stale bread and eventually find a place to settle.  Now, the people must buy groceries and prepare their food, rather than walking in the streets with a plate and a spoon.

About the Author: Judi Barrett is the author of many popular children's books such as Pickles to Pittsburgh and Never Take a Shark to the Dentist.  Several of her books were illustrated by her former husband Ron Barrett.  She currently resides in Brooklyn and teaches art to kindergarten students.  (http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Judi-Barrett/1103891)     

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would introduce the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to the class by showing the students the cover of the book and then having them make predictions about the book.  For students struggling to come up with an answer, I would point out the fork and spoon in his pocket, the items in his hands, and his facial expression.  A mini group discussion would follow regarding how they would feel if food fell from the sky.

Post-Reading Activity: After completing the book, I would ask the class about our weather and what falls from the sky.  The handout "Types of Precipitation" would be passed out the students as we would go over it as a class.  Naming each of the four precipitations, drawing a picture, and then describing them within each box.

Reflection: This is a great book to use as a way to attract students' attention in order to transition into a weather unit.  Its popularity has grown since the release of the movie in 2009.  I really like children's books that either teach a lesson or express great imagination.  The story is an easy read and one most children will comprehend.  This book encourages young minds to be creative and provides wonderful illustrations, all while telling an enjoyable story that will make children laugh.

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The BFG

Year Published: 1982

Author: Roald Dahl

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Grade Level: Grade 4 to Grade 7

Theme: Friendship, being accepting of others

Skills Taught: Creative writing

Summary: The BFG, short for Big Friendly Giant is unlike many of his peer giants.  In a world where giants give children nightmares and eat people, the BFG is different, putting dreams in the bedrooms of children.  One night, a little girl named Sophie sees the BFG and he captures her because no one is suppose to know about giants.  He explains everything to her about the giants, and they eventually build a very good friendship.  Both Sophie and the BFG work together to put an end to the giants terrorizing and feasting on humans by getting help from the Queen of England and the military.  

About the Author: Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916 in Llandaff, Wales.  Surprisingly enough, Dahl did not enjoy school, but school would later influence him to become a great writer.  His first piece of writing was an article for the Saturday Evening Post about his experience of the war while with the Royal Air Force.  The first children's book he wrote was The Gremlins, which was a picture book published in 1943 that he never thought was considered for children.  His interest for writing children's books started when he would create bedtime stories for his daughters, and soon enough came James and the Giant Peach in 1961 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1964.  On November 23, 1990, the world would lose a legend as Roald Dahl passed away at the age of 74 with a rare blood disorder.  (http://www.roalddahl.com/)

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: As a huge fan of Roald Dahl, I would like my students to know about him and other books he has written.  Students would go on to the computers and visit his website http://www.roalddahl.com/, exploring and taking notes of at least five things they learned or found interesting.  When all students have finished taking notes, I would begin a class discussion asking for volunteers to explain their notes.   

Post-Reading Activity: When the class has completed the independent reading, we would then start a class discussion about dreams, including people, places, activities, hopes, and other things we like to dream about.  I would then introduce graphic organizers, but focus modeling on only one of them (Three-Box Flow Chart).  Labeling the top box "Beginning," the second box "Middle," and the third box "End," students will fill in each box, telling a dream they would like to have.  I would continually be checking their flow charts and reminding the class the ending is when they wake up.  This reminder will help all students flow smoothly during the assignment.  When the flow chart has been made into a rough draft and checked for punctuation, spelling errors, and grammar by a peer, the student will then write their final copy on a paper cut-out resembling a jar, to be hung up around the class.        

Reflection: Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors and this was the first book I read from his collection.  Every book he writes is filled with characters the reader immediately likes; Sophie and the BFG continue that in this story.  I like how the dialogue consists of a unique and humorous language of the giants.  Many important life lessons are taught throughout the book, including team efforts are better than individual efforts, never judge someone until you have met them, and make good decisions regardless of what others do.  

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Harold and the Purple Crayon

Year Published: 1955

Author: Crockett Johnson

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Grade Level: Pre-K to Grade 1

Theme: Imagination and creativity

Skill Taught: Creative thinking

Summary: The story begins with Harold wanting to go for a walk in the moonlight, but there is no moon.  He draws a moon with his purple crayon to fix the dilemma.  While on his walk, Harold draws pies and an apple tree to satisfy his hunger, a little boat to sail away from a frightening dragon, and a mountain to climb to  find his bedroom window.  Eventually, he draws his bed and sheets, falling fast asleep.

About the Author: David Johnson Leisk was born on October 20, 1906 in New York City.  After studying at Cooper Union, he worked a number of jobs including in an ice plant, in the Macy' advertising department, a professional football league, and an art editor for several magazines.  Leisk used the pen name Crockett Johnson in his over twenty books in which he wrote and/or illustrated.  During his career, he and his wife collaborated together on four books, one of which was The Carrot Seed.  His first work was the popular comic-strip "Barnaby" which he wrote on a daily basis from 1942 to 1946.  On July 17, 1975, Crockett Johnson would pass away from lung cancer.  (https://www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/purple/biography.html)

For the Classroom  

Pre-Reading Activity: Before our read aloud, I will begin with a class discussion exploring students' imagination, asking what they would draw if they had a purple crayon.  Another question posed would be what students are reminded of when they have looked up in the sky and stared at the clouds.  

Post Reading Activity: After reading Harold and the Purple Crayon, students would go back to their seats and receive cut-out shapes from purple construction paper.  The teacher will ask the class what each shape could represents in our world and give the example of a circle being a ball (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and oval).  They would use the shapes to create a picture from their imagination.  The shapes can be cut smaller and modified to fit their imagination.  Students will arrange their final ideas on black construction paper and be checked by a teacher before gluing.  When students have glued down their shapes, they can use purple crayons, markers, and pastels to draw themselves and details to enhance their artwork.  when the class has completed the assignment, students will explain their picture to a student sitting next to them.     

Reflection: I liked the meaning behind the story in Harold and the Purple Crayon and what it teaches to students.  It provides an example to students of the power of imagination and how individuals can affect the world around them.  It nicely teaches the word perseverance, a difficult word for students ages three to seven to comprehend.  Harold uses examples to teach students that they should have the confidence to "draw" themselves out of any dilemma.

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Corduroy

Year Published: 1968

Author: Don Freeman

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction 

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Theme: Altruism, compassion, friendship, hope and love

Skill Taught: Classification of buttons

Summary: This story is a about a teddy bear named Corduroy, who lives in a department store.  One day, a little girl wants to buy Corduroy, but her mother says no because he is missing a button.  That night, he ventures off into the store in search of his button, but has no luck.  The next day, the girl comes back to the store and  buys him anyway.

About the Author: Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California on August 11, 1908.  After graduating from high school in Missouri, he went to New York City and studied etching.  He began working for the New York Times and the Herald Tribune, sketching impressions of Broadway shows.  Don was introduced to children's literature when he was asked to illustrate several books.  Soon after, he began writing and illustrating his own children's books until he passed away in 1978.  (http://www.sullivangoss.com/DonFreeman/)

For The Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: A friendly way to hop into this read aloud would be to create a discussion among the students who have a teddy bear, and describe them to their classmates.  Descriptions the teacher would ask for is the name, color, size, feel, overall appearance, and where the students got their teddy bear.

Post-Reading Activity: The teacher would bring to class a bag full of buttons and distribute them to several small groups.  Students would work together to derive a couple of characteristics from observing the buttons such as shape, size, color, and number of holes.  Once they have viewed all the buttons, students can begin classifying their buttons in two different groups.  The teacher would walk around the classroom observing the students' categorization and provide help if needed.  Through this activity, students will have fun gaining a better understanding of classification.  

Reflection: Corduroy is one of my favorite stories from my childhood.  This teddy bear is a character the reader quickly becomes a fan of and hopes he finds a home.  A majority of childhood books published around 1968 do not include African-American characters, but I liked how the book Corduroy strayed away from the norm.  Rereading this classic, I discovered multiple themes making this book more memorable.  

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