Ring O Project

RING-O Project Book Activities

By Kristy Dell

The Best Seat in Second gradeBy Katharine Kenah

OVERVIEW

K- 2. Sam considers that he has the best seat in second grade--right next to the cage of George Washington, the class hamster. When the students embark on a field trip to the local science museum, Sam takes along a little "something extra," George. Inevitable disaster strikes when the hamster jumps from Sam's pocket into the museum's Hamster Habitat. Luckily, Sam knows his furry friend well enough to pick him out of the sea of the museum's busy rodents. Kenah has created an appealing cast of characters whose actions ring true. Sam is properly contrite after George's close call with danger, and his teacher, Mr. Hopper, metes out a punishment that is both firm and fair. Carter's watercolor illustrations add to the story's appeal and will make this entry in the I Can Read! series a popular choice for emerging readers.

The Best Seat in Second grade By Katharine Kenah

First Activity1. Write down when, who, where, what if, and how on the board and

explain to students that they need to pay attention to these answers.

2. Read the story

3. Have the students write those questions in their journal and answer them. Tell them they can make up their own “what if” question. For example, what if the story had a different ending?

4, Buy a class pet, just for fun.

Gardner- Linguistic, Interpersonal

Language- 2.2.4 Ask and respond to questions to aid comprehension

Science- 2.1.4 Describe, both in writing and verbally, objects as accurately as possible and compare observations to those of other people.

The Best Seat in Second gradeBy Katharine Kenah

Second Activity1. Re-read the story2. Have a class discussion on what caused the boy to take the hamster and

what the effect was. What other cause and effects can you find in the story

3. Discuss if the main character should have got in trouble for taking the hamster to the museum

4. Have each student draw a hamster in a cage and then write a few sentences describing what they drew.

5. Take a field trip to a museum

Science Indicator- 2.2.5 Draw pictures and write brief descriptions that correctly portray key features of an object

Language Arts Indicator- 2.2.6 Recognize cause and effect relationships in a text

Gardner's- Linguistic, bodily

The Secret GardenBy Frances Hodgson Burnett

OverviewSet in Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire moors, Mary Lennox who has been orphaned arrives from India at her uncle Mr. Archibald Craven's home where she discovers a cousin Colin who is sickly and spoiled. Almost as much as she is. In time Mary discovers that her cousin simply needs some encouragement and the once spoiled girl becomes a secret cheer leader of sorts and they set out to get Colin walking. One of the characters I adored so much was the gardener, who knows that the two have discovered the secret garden that Colin's mother had adored and tended so well, which has become overgrown and like the two young children, simply needs some tender loving and consistent care. The children are very careful because they get Colin outside using the wheelchair since they want to use the garden as a tool for also helping Colin's physical therapy. In a few months not only is Colin able to walk and get about but the garden is flourishing.


First Activity1. Have a class discussion on who can be a gardener?

(Anybody)

2. Talk about what is needed to care for a garden

3. Have students plan a classroom garden with 5-8 plants

4. Each student should write a journal entry every day and

document how much the plant grows each day by using a ruler

and drawing a picture of the plant

Science Indicator 2.5- Students apply Math in Scientific context they use numbers for measuring and communicatingspecific information

Language Arts Indicator 2.6- Students write using Standard writing convections appropriate for this grade level

Gardners- Linguistic, Logical,


Second Activity1. Students will take an end of the book quiz to see how much of

the book they recall2. Students will write a short one page summary of the book to

see if they remember the main points of the book.3. Students will talk about what they thought the book was

about and what the book was actually about, then revise their predictions in a class discussion.

4. Students will make a group poster (5 students to a group) to display their journal entries of their class garden

Science Indicator 3.6.4- Take, record, and display counts and simple measurements of things over time

Language Arts Indicator 3.2.4- Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is being read.

Gardners- Linguistic, Spatial

Black BeautyBy Anna Sewell

Overview

The story, of course, is about Black Beauty, a handsome horse who is born and raised in happy circumstances. But in Victorian England horses were used much as we use cars today: they were things to be bought and sold and then gotten rid of when they were no longer useful. Black Beauty is first sold to a good home, but as time passes he is sold again and again--and not always to people who treat him kindly or even to those who give him common care. There are adventures aplenty, like a stable fire and a dangerous bridge; there are many memorable characters, like the horse Ginger and the kind cabbie Jerry. All of them are seen from Black Beauty's point of view, and beautifully, perfectly described. My mother read this book to me, and as soon as I could I was anxious to read it myself; now, some thirty years later I have stumbled once more upon it. And I can honestly say that it lives up to my memory: it is a fine book, and one that every parent should place in the hands of their children. Strongly recommended.


Activity 11. Teach students about the history of horses2. Discuss what the pony express was for.3. Have quiz on the pony express4. Have students pretend they are a delivery person

working for the pony express and tell them to write a poem about their experiences trying to deliver the letter and how many days it took and how hard the job is.

5. Explain how people get ideas for writing poetry

Science Indicator 3.3.2- Comprehend basic plots of classic fairy tales, myths, legends and fables from around the world.

Language Arts Indicator4.4.1- Discuss ideas for writing. Find ideas for writing in conversations, books and magazines. Keep a notebook of ideas.

Gardners- Linguistic, intrapersonal


Activity 2

1. Go to the computer lab and have half the class investigate animal cruelty in rodeos from the side of the cowboys and horse riders

2. Have the other half investigate rodeo cruelty from the side of the animal rights activists

3. Organize a class debate4. Vote on a winner or for a tie

Science Indicator- 4.2 Students use a variety of skills and techniques when attempting to answer questions

Language Arts Indicator- 4.4.7 Use multiple reference material and online references for writing

Gardners- Linguistic, interpersonal

Charlotte’s WebBy E.B. White

Overview An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig

named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.


Activity 1

1. After reading the book, students will assume the role that Fern did by pretending to want to adopt a pet

2. Students will then write a persuasive letter to their parents, trying to talk them into getting the pet of their choice

3. Students will use all the parts of a letter correctly

4. Students will take their letters home for their parents to read ask just for fun, ask them if they talked them into letting them adopt their pet

5. Students will graph the yes answers and the no answers

Science Indicator-3.1.3 Keep and report on investigations using tools such as graphs

Language Arts Indicator- 3.5.6 Write persuasive pieces that ask for an action or response.

Gardners- Linguistic, intrapersonal


Activity 21. Charlotte was an orb spider, also considered a garden

spider2. Students should research the question “Are all spiders

harmful, just because they are kind of creepy”3. “What do spiders do to help out on the earth”4. Students should think about what they thought they knew

about spiders, and compare and contrast to what the learned though their research

5. Students can do their research in the library or on the computer

6. Students can give a short presentation on their findings

Science Indicator- 4.2.7 Identify better reasons for believing something than "Everybody knows that . . ." or "I just know" and discount such reasons when given by others.

Language Arts Indicator-3.2.8 Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in informational text.

Gardners- Linguistic, spatial

The GiverBy Lois Lowry

OverviewIn the "ideal" world into which Jonas was born, everybody has sensibly agreed that well-matched married couples will raise exactly two offspring, one boy and one girl. These children's adolescent sexual impulses will be stifled with specially prescribed drugs; at age 12 they will receive an appropriate career assignment, sensibly chosen by the community's Elders. This is a world in which the old live in group homes and are "released"--to great celebration--at the proper time; the few infants who do not develop according to schedule are also "released," but with no fanfare. Lowry's development of this civilization is so deft that her readers, like the community's citizens, will be easily seduced by the chimera of this ordered, pain-free society. Until the time that Jonah begins training for his job assignment--the rigorous and prestigious position of Receiver of Memory--he, too, is a complacent model citizen. But as his near-mystical training progresses, and he is weighed down and enriched with society's collective memories of a world as stimulating as it was flawed, Jonas grows increasingly aware of the hypocrisy that rules his world. With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl. Lowry is once again in top form--raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers. Ages 12-14.


1. Spend a week reading the story out loud and as homework

2. Discuss how everything on the earth and sky was in black and white and why it changed to color.

2. At the end of the story you can have students create their own ending because I know when I read it, I wish that it ended differently and that the reader was provided with more information

3. Have students share their newly created endings with the class

4. Play music in the background as students are workingScience Indicator- Students continue to investigate changes in the earth and skyLanguage Arts Indicator-5.2.5 distinguish among facts, supported evidence, and opinions in text. Gardners- Linguistic, musical


1. Talk about how it was not fair that the children in the story had their futures and careers chosen for them

2. Hand out pre-made pieces of paper that have “jobs” on them and tell the students that it will be their job for the entire day and the rest of the class duration

3. Make sure the jobs are real unfair, like some students job are to sit there and do nothing while other students job is to stand up every time someone coughs. Make up other humorous jobs.

4. Talk about how it made them feel to have their careers chosen for them and if they could choose, what would they pick?

5. They can write a reflective paper on how they felt

Science Indicator-5.2 Students use a variety of techniques when attempting to solve problems and draw conclusions

Language Arts Indicator-5.2.4 Draw inferences, conclusions or generalizations about text and support them with evidence.

Gardners- Linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial

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Ring O Project