Get Busy Beaver

Get Busy Beaver! By Carolyn Crimi

Illustrated by Janie Bynum

Pre-reading activity:

What kind of chores do have to do around your house? Do you do any of them as a family? (rake leaves, plant flowers, clean the house?) Do some people help more than others?

Comprehension check:

Knowledge:

1. Describe Thelonious.
2. What are they working on?

Comprehension:

1. What kinds of things does Thelonious like to look at?
2. What makes them work even harder on their dam?

Application:

1. Predict what Thelonious’ next work might look like.
2. Create a picture of it.

Analyze:

1. Does this story remind you of anything? What?
2. Compare Thelonious and Babs. Who is the better beaver? Why do you think so?

Synthesize:

1. How would you feel if you were Thelonious? Babs? Pa Beaver?
2. What would happen in your family if you didn’t help out with a chore?

Evaluation:

1. What does Thelonious teach his family and neighbors?
2. How are you like Thelonious? How are you different?

Across the Curriculum:

Projects for Get Busy Beaver! By Carolyn Crimi

Illustrated by Janie Bynum

Language Arts:

Pretend you are a journalist for the local Beaver News. Write interview questions for Thelonious about his creation, and then answer them how you think he would. You can add a “photograph” (a picture of your own making) to go with your article. Don’t forget to set it up like a real newspaper piece with a title, byline and your neatest printing.

Mathematics:

Busy Beaver Word Problems:

1. If it takes 100 trees to make a terrific dam, and the family can cut 20 trees each day, how many days will it be before the dam is completed?

2. If Pa, Ma, Babs and Thelonious each can cut two trees in an hour, how many hours will it take to cut 16 trees?  How many more hours if Thelonious doesn’t help?

3. Pa and Ma Beaver cut 25 trees. Unfortunately 11 of them are rotten and won’t be able to be used. How many trees are ready for the dam?

4. Thelonious needs 100 daisies, 50 roses, and 75 tulips for his newest design. How many flowers will he need in all?

5. Both beaver families decide to make a giant project together. It calls for 600 trees. With six people working equally how many trees will each of them have to cut?

Art:

Using materials from your own backyard, create a sculpture that Thelonious would be excited to see! You can use any materials you like to hold it together, and be sure to put it in a box or other safe container for transport.

Music:

Sing this song to “Wheels on the Bus”

The beavers on the dam say go go go

go go go

repeat

Up and down the river.

The beavers on the dam say now, now now…

The beavers on the dam say fast, fast fast….

Science:

Visit this website to learn more about beavers:

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/furbearer/animals/beaver.html

Wildlife conservation

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/Beaver.shtml

coloring page, too

www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com

Boris and Bella

Boris and Bella By Carolyn Crimi

Illustrated by Gris Grimly

Pre-reading Activity:

By just looking at the front and back covers, what do you think this story is about? Do you think Boris and Bella are friends by the way they are pictured? What makes you think this? If you had to pick a holiday to read this book on, which would it be? Why?

Comprehension Check:

Knowledge:

1. Describe Bella.
2. Describe Boris.

Comprehension:

1. Why won’t the other monsters attend Boris’ party? Why not Bella’s?
2. Why weren’t Boris and Bella good neighbors?

Application:

1. How do you think Boris’s closet looks compared to Bella’s?
2. Predict what you think will happen one year after the close of the story.

Analyze:

1. Debate who you think would make a better friend and why.
2. Examine the illustrations. Which one is your favorite? Why?

Synthesize:

1. How would you feel if people refused to come to a party you were throwing?
2. What would you do?

Evaluation:

1. What is your favorite creepy detail in the book? (I Love the biting dust bunnies!)
2. Why do you think the artist chose the colors he did to portray this story? What colors would you choose?

Projects for

Boris and Bella By Carolyn Crimi

Illustrated by Gris Grimly

Language Arts:

Pretend you are Boris or Bella and write a letter of complaint to the newspaper advice columnist about your neighbor asking for help about how to deal with them. Then, switch letters with a partner and write an advice response to their question.

-or-

Plan Boris and Bella’s wedding. Create invitations, a guest list, arrange the menu, and describe the event in a scrapbook you create to commemorate the most important social event in Booville!

Art:

Make a detailed map of Booville. Get ideas from the book to construct it, but feel free to add details of your own. Make sure you have a key to all things gloomy and gross!

-or-

Make a diorama from one scene of the book. Turn a shoebox on its side and begin reconstructing one of the scenes with materials you find around your house and yard.

Music:

In pairs, write a song about Boris and Bella using the “Twelve days of Christmas” as your tune of inspiration.

Science:

Make slime:

One part water (dyed green or other ghastly color) to four parts cornstarch.

Make Ghoul Drool:

1 13-oz. package lemon-lime Kool-Aid
1 cup sugar
8 cups water
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
4 cups Sprite or other clear soda
5 scoops green sherbet

Empty the Kool-Aid package into a punch bowl. Add the sugar, then the water and stir until dissolved. Stir in the orange juice. Just before serving, add the soda and float the scoops of sherbet on top.

Make Chocolate-covered gargoyle boils: (serve in coffin shaped boxes with original poetry like Boris’)

1 C peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, your choice)

½ C honey

1 ¼ C puffed rice cereal

Mix ingredients in large bowl. Roll into gargoyle boils and place on waxed paper (if it’s too sticky, just add more cereal). Dip into melted chocolate and cool in refrigerator on waxed paper for a couple of hours.