A Game of Telephone
Inspiration Book:
Trouble Talk by Ludwig, Trudy - Tricycle Press, p2008, c2008. --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.6 Maya realizes her new friend Bailey is spreading rumors about the other students at school and begins to wonder if Bailey is really the type of friend she wants to have. Beautiful illustrations tell the tale of a young girl seeking negative attention through “trouble talk,” or gossip.The story focuses on how one of the gossiper’s victims deals with the issue after seeking the guidance of parents, teachers, and a counselor.
Rationale: Pair this Books Alive entry with books about bullying or character education to develop units or resource packets for the guidance counselor or classroom teachers. Many of the books in the bibliography are about negative behaviors which I don’t like to emphasize especially with younger children. I work very hard to honor positive behavior. In fact, when my small private school decided to put a school-wide emphasis on bullying, the primary classroom teachers requested, the library emphasis be on the positive activities of good citizenship and library behavior. The August/September, 2010 issue and online resources of Library Sparks (now OP, but if you’re like me, you saved them all) featured peacemakers and provided positive ideas for the primary grades. Upstart (Demco.com) has a “Kindness” promotional package which includes bookmarks, a posters, a note block and cards.
Use the books in the bibliography as bibliotheraphy to open discussion about difficult behavior. Since many of the titles are about a negative behavior they become a non-threatening way to discuss the problem. If you outright confront the child having a particular problem, s/he may clam up, but if presented via a book, the discussion becomes focused on the book and the children can say, “I know somebody who has the same problem,” or “Maybe we could try that approach, too.” Turn the discussion to a positive resolution.
I am on the Board of Directors for a residential home for at risk teenage boys. The boys are arriving more and more traumatized. We use bibliotheraphy more and more frequently to break down the shell they have placed around themselves AND to create a teaching moment. The only survival skills many of the boys have is to physically strike out, and we work hard on helping them develop positive coping skills. Children’s books, yes, even simple picture books, often provide the opening. For many of the boys we need to supply experiences they missed while growing up, simple experiences like a bedtime story. We don’t try to simply control the boys which is what often happens in detention facilities, but we work hard to develop socially appropriate skills. The result, one of the lowest repeat offender rates in the state, the region, and even the country.
Grades K-3--Bibliotheraphy Titles to Begin Discussions
David goes to school (David) by Shannon, David — Blue Sky Press, 1999 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.0. David's activities in school include chewing gum, talking out of turn, and engaging in a food fight, causing his teacher to say over and over, "No, David!.
No, David! by Shannon, David - Blue Sky Press, p1998, c1998 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 1.1
A young boy is depicted doing a variety of naughty things for which he is repeatedly admonished, but finally he gets a hug.
Sorry! by Ludwig, Trudy; — Tricycle Press, 2006. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.4. When Jack makes friends with Charlie, a trouble-maker, he learns the difference between an insincere apology and showing that you are truly sorry. Includes information for parents.
Crankenstein by Berger, Samantha — Little, Brown and Company, 2013 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.7. A boy who looks ordinary transforms into grumbling Crankenstein when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or bedtime, but everything changes when he meets a fellow Crankenstein.
Time-out for Sophie (Sophie (Wells-(Viking)-PK) by Wells, Rosemary — Viking, 2013 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6. Although Sophie wants to be helpful and good, sometimes she ignores her mother, father, and grandmother and must have a time-out.
This is a moose by Morris, Richard T — Little, Brown and Company, 2014 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.9. Director Billy Waddler is trying to film a documentary about moose, but the moose in question has no intention of spending his life in the woods and his animal friends, who have dreams of their own, help him prove his point.
Martha doesn’t say sorry! by Berger, Samantha eBook - Little, Brown and Co., Books for Young Readers, p2009, c2009 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.0 Young Martha learns that she must apologize for her bad behavior if she wants people to cooperate with her.
Petit, the monster by Isol — Groudnwood Books, 2010 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.2. Petit is confused about why he is sometimes good and sometimes bad and decides he may have inherited that behavior from his mother.
Finn throws a fit! by Elliott, David - Candlewick Press, p2011, c2009 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.4. Finn, cranky for some unknown reason, feels much better after throwing an earthshaking tantrum.
Ruthie and the (not so) teeny tiny lie by Rankin, Laura — Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2007 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.5. Ruthie loves tiny things and when she finds a tiny camera on the playground she is very happy, but after she lies and says the camera belongs to her, nothing seems to go right.
Priscilla gorilla by Bottner, Barbara — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017 : -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.7. "Priscilla is obsessed with gorillas. But when her ape-like behavior gets her sent to the Thinking Corner, Priscilla wonders if she is really channeling her inner gorilla, or just being a troublemaker.
Bootsie Barker bites by Bottner, Barbara - Putnam & Grosset Group, p1997, c1997 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.8. Bootsie Barker only wants to play games in which she bites, until one day her friend comes up with a better game.
Miss Nelson is missing! by Allard, Harry - Houghton Mifflin, p1977, c1977 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.1. The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute.
Andy Shane and the very bossy Dolores Starbuckle by Jacobson, Jennifer - Candlewick Press, p2006, c2005 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Int Rd Lvl: 3.3. Andy Shane hates school, mainly because of a tattletale know-it-all named Dolores Starbuckle, but Granny Webb, who has taken care of him all his life, joins him in class one day and helps him solve the problem.
Secret Olivia told me by Joy, N --Just Us Books, p2007, c2007 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.3 Two friends learn an important lesson about telling and keeping secrets. From the Publisher: Can you keep a secret? Olivia has a BIG secret. It's a secret that she tells only to her very best friend. And her friend promises she won't say a word. But the secret is really BIG and JIUCY. What happens when a trusted friend slips and the secret gets out? Can you keep a secret? In the Secret Olivia Told Me, find out what happens when Olivia's friend can't. Coretta S King Illustrator Award 2008.
William’s doll by Zolotow, Charlotte - HarperCollins, p1972, c1971 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.3
William's father gives him a basketball and a train but these do not make him want a doll less.
Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem by Barnett, Mac - Disney/Hyperion Books, p2009, c2009 --E--Int Lfl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.4. When Billy Twitters' mother follows through on her threat to buy him a blue whale if he refuses to obey, he finds himself the owner of an enormous pet that he must take with him everywhere, which does not make him popular at school.
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How to be a friend : a guide to making friends and keeping them by Brown, Laurene Krasny - Little, Brown, p1998, c1998 --158.2--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.5. Dinosaur characters illustrate the value of friends, how to make friends, and how to be and not to be a good friend.
17 things I’m not allowed to do anymore by Offill, Jenny - Dragonfly Books, p2007, c2007 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.9. A young girl lists seventeen things she is not allowed to do, including not being able use the stapler after attaching a pillow case to her brother's head.
Grades 3-6--Watch That Mouth...Watch That Fist
Background: I do this activity with the book Surviving Brick Johnson as part of the bullying unit, but include it here with a choice of books and book groups. OR do the same activity in each grade, but use a different book. The library/literary skill is summarization.
Preparation:
Design a storyboard--one square for each chapter and one for a title page. Number each square for the chapter and one for the title page. On the back create a lined page, again numbered by chapter. Make sufficient copies for students in the class.
Determine which of the short chapter books listed below you will read. Each of the possible titles has short chapters.
Trouble Talk by Ludwig, Trudy - Tricycle Press, p2008, c2008. --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.6 Maya realizes her new friend Bailey is spreading rumors about the other students at school and begins to wonder if Bailey is really the type of friend she wants to have. Beautiful illustrations tell the tale of a young girl seeking negative attention through “trouble talk,” or gossip.The story focuses on how one of the gossiper’s victims deals with the issue after seeking the guidance of parents, teachers, and a counselor.
OR
Surviving Brick Johnson by Myers, Laurie - Clarion Books, p2000, c2000 --Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 3.5. Afraid of getting maimed for making fun of Brick, the husky new kid in his fifth-grade class, Nick decides that even his baseball collection will not protect him so he signs up for karate class, despite his little brother's reassurances that Brick is not a bully.
OR
The hundred dresses by Estes, Eleanor --Harcourt, c1944, p2004 --Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.8 In winning a medal she is no longer there to receive, a tight-lipped little Polish girl teaches her classmates a lesson. Includes a note from the author's daughter, Helena Estes.
Arrange a schedule with the classroom teacher. Plan daily, either in the library if I can schedule the class daily for about two weeks, or in the classroom during snack time and I don’t have another class, I read a chapter. Students then write a summary sentence for that chapter and sketch an illustration.
Introduction: How can your fists get you into trouble? How can your tongue get you into trouble? The book that I’m going to share with you has characters with those problems. Each day I’m going to read a chapter. Your job will be to summarize the chapter in one sentence and sketch a picture on the storyboard I’ve made for you. (Show storyboard, hand out, and explain.)
After I’ve read the book aloud, we’ll take the storyboard into the computer lab and make a personal book to help us remember positive ways to use our fists or our tongues.
Allow time for reading (roughly 1 ½-2 weeks) plus computer work. Schedule no more than 1 week in the lab or the time in the lab will expand. If a student needs more than one week, the student will need to use personal time whether homework or study or tutorial time.
Print and collate books. Allow a day for sharing and discussion about the topic as well as the summaries and artwork.
Grades 5-8--Apologizing in Rhyme
Background: I often give students project choices in the upper grades. They get to practice or learn new computer skills and I get to learn what they like to do and what they are quite skilled at doing. This is a good project for the new calendar year. Students know what problems they have had during the first part of the year and what they have done to successfully solve the problems or make amends. I am not a supporter of a month of poetry lessons during “April is Poetry Month,” but this activity could be used during one week of April.
Preparation: Gather as many copies of the poetry books listed below as possible from other schools or the public library via interlibrary loan.
Generate a list of possible project tools: Wordle.net, PhotoStory, Pixie, Kid Pix, TuxPaint, PowerPoint, etc.
Prepare general project directions and a rubric. Make copies. (Note: I did not include a rubric here because you need to personalize it to represent your specific objectives.)
1. Browse the poetry books about apologizing and/or books of your choice from the 811 or 821 shelves.
2. Find a poem that is an apology, is apologetic in tone. OR using “This is Just to Say” as a model, write a poem of apology to somebody near and dear whom you have offended or hurt.
3. Illustrate that poem--include the words-- using any computer software available at school. Print. Mount on construction paper that represents the tone of the poem.
4. Post in the poetry display area.
Design a poetry display area within the library or in the library halls.
Introduction: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Excuse me for bumping into you. Did I hurt you? What is the generic word for the phrases I just used? (Wait for responses, hopefully somebody will say, “an apology or excuse.”) That’s right it’s an apology. It seems we’re always saying “I’m sorry” to our favorite people, but sometimes we forget and then we lose a friend.
The book Cliques, Phonies & Other Baloney offers advice for healthier relations and friendships. (Read a section of your choice.)
Other books I have at your tables contain poetry of apology. I’ve made a few general guidelines to help you share an apology. (Hand out and discuss general directions.)
This is just to say : poems of apology and forgiveness by Sidman, Joyce - Houghton Mifflin, p2007, c2007 --811--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 3.9
A collection of poems written by a number of sixth-grade students who write poems of apology to someone, and a collection of responses in poetry form. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.com. The activity guide includes one page of suggestions for writing apology poems and extending them to discussions. An excellent idea.
Cliques, phonies, & other baloney by Romain, Trevor - Free Spirit, p1998, c1998 --158.2--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.2 Discusses cliques, what they are and their negative aspects, and gives advice on forming healthier relationships and friendships.
Rose, where did you get that red? : teaching great poetry to children by Koch, Kenneth — Vintage, c1973 p1990. 808.1; Int Lvl: PF Combination of handbook, anthology, and instructor's guide for teaching children to write and read poetry.
Forgive me, I meant to do it : false apology poems by Levine, Gail Carson - Harper, p2012, c2012 --811--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 5.0. A collection of poems with false apologies from author Gail Carson Levine. Inspired by William Carlos Williams’s famous poem ”This Is Just to Say,” Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine delivers a wickedly funny collection of her own false apology poems, imagining how tricksters really feel about the mischief they make. Matthew Cordell’s clever and playful line art lightheartedly captures the spirit of the poetry. This is the perfect book for anyone who’s ever apologized . . . and not really meant it.
The Classroom Bookshelf blof entry for Forgive me, I meant to do it http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2012/04/forgive-me-i-meant-to-do-it/
Amber was brave, Essie was smart : the story of Amber and Essie told here in poems and pictures by Williams, Vera B — Greenwillow, 2001--811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.4
A series of poems tells how two sisters help each other deal with life while their mother is working and their father has been sent to jail.
Sad underwear and other complications : more poems for children and their parents by Viorst, Judith — Aladdin Paperbacks, c1995 p2000--811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.8
A collection of poems that examines a wide variety of feelings and experiences from a child's point of view.
