A Wild Cowboy

A Wild Cowboy

by Danna Kessimakis Smith

Illustrated by Laura Freeman

About the book:

Grandma’s baby-sitting today, and the frontier’s best cowboy gathers his things for the long journey there, where his blanket, his jump rope, and make-believe will help his cowboy dreams come true.

This darling drover tells his fantastic tale in a mellow rhyme that’s fun to repeat and reads with ease. So pack your bags to go on an imaginative ride with the cutest buckaroo in the wild, wild West!

About the guide:

This guide includes discussion questions and projects appropriate for book clubs, literature circles, and classroom discussions. It is intended to provoke thought and insight into the subject and themes of this book, including imagination, routines, family, and the wild, wild west.

Author Interview:

1.      What inspired this darling book?  Believe it or not, I had a dream I was writing a story…this story!  I wrote the first two lines in my dream “I am a boy, a wild cowboy.  A real live buckaroo”.  When I woke up I took those two lines and created the story around them. 

2.      Do you like working in rhyme best? Why?   Yes!  I love writing in rhyme best.  I was introduced to rhyme at an early age when my uncle used to make up funny rhymes about any ordinary situation.  I started writing rhyming poetry when I was about eight years old.  It’s how I expressed myself.  Writing in rhyme challenges me too, it’s sort of like a word puzzle.    

3.      How, do you think, kids develop a keen imagination? Were you an imaginative kid?  For most children “pretending” at a young age is a great way to exercise their imagination. Role playing is a great example. Children play “school”, they “go to work” with Dad’s briefcase, they make menus and “serve” their parents, etc.  It’s great fun and lets them experience new things.    Yes, I was very imaginative as I child. I was always pretending, doing crafts and inventing things.

4.      What’s the best part of being a children’s author? It’s much more than seeing my ideas and words in print.  It’s a good feeling to think I am contributing to a child’s life, even in a small way.  As a children’s author, I get to meet children everywhere and share my love for books with them…that’s very rewarding.

5.      Did you always want to be a cowboy too?   I’ve always liked to read about the history of the Wild West but since I was never around a real cowboy or a real heard of cattle, I had to imagine what it would be like.  I grew up with lots of animals but I never had a horse, I did have a cowboy hat once. 

Questions for your buckaroo:

1.      Who is the boy’s “pardner?” Who is his horse? Do you ride piggy back on anyone’s shoulders?

2.      Where do the boy’s go? What do they play there? How do you know?

3.      What is a stray? How do you round one up? Have you ever seen a stray in your neighborhood?

4.      Who are the coyotes? How many are there?

5.      Which picture is your favorite? Why?

Projects:

Art:

Create glow in the dark stars for your little cowpoke to sleep under. Cut out stars from strong cardboard or paper plates and use neon colored paint. Consider adding glitter around the edges so it shimmers during the day too.

Horizon:

Cut out shapes that are typically western motif’s (pronged cactus, boots, horseshoes, stars, etc.) and then have children make a western sunset using an orange semi-circle construction paper and water-based markers. After the children make horizontal lines they use water to smear the colors together. Then, add the shapes to the scene!

Cowpoke art:

Cut out the shape of a cowboy boot from brown paper grocery bags. Then use brown paint (or for an authentic look use garden variety mud mix) to break in these old boots!

Cowboy charades:

Add slips of paper with these words and have your cowpokes figure out what western activity is going on:

riding, cooking, setting up camp, lassoing, branding, singing

Cowboy Music:

Sing some cowboy songs:

“Home on the Range”

Sing this tune to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Cowboy took his buckaroo, buckaroo, buckaroo,

Cowboy took his buckaroo,

on his way to Grandma’s

Other verses:

Cowboy crossed a canyon

where bandits hide at night

Cowboy sets up his camp

and eats some cowboy grub

Cowboy sleeps beneath the moon

and rides a horse in dreams.

When Moon Fell Down

Teacher’s Guide for
When Moon Fell Down by Linda Smith,
Illustrated by Kathryn Brown
Prediction:
1. Just by looking at the cover, what do you know about the story?
2. What would happen if the moon fell down?
Comprehension Questions:
Knowledge:
1. What is the first thing moon does when he falls down?
2. How did he feel about falling down? What words help you know this?
Comprehension:
1. Describe what Moon and Cow do in your own words.
2. Explain why Farmer is upset in the morning.
Application:
1. How do you think moon fell down? What happened?
2. Why do both Moon and Cow like the cheese shop so much?
Analysis:
1. Which page is your favorite? Why?
2. How would this story be different if it was sun who fell down.
Synthesis:
1. Imagine Moon tells his friends, stars, about his night out. What does he say?
2. What would Moon show you if you dropped into his world?
Evaluation:
1. Decide what happens after the story ends.
2. Do you think Moon will ever fall down again? Why or why not?


Multiple Intelligence Projects for
When Moon Fell Down by Linda Smith,
illustrated by Kathryn Brown
Verbal/Linguistic:
Pretend you are the moon, and write a postcard from earth about your night when you fell down. Be sure to illustrate it!
Logical/ Mathematical:
Find the number of rhyming word-pairs in the text. Then, choose a page, and calculate the number of syllables on it. Talk about your results.
Visual/ Spatial:
Make a cheese Moon:
2 Cups grated mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese
¼ C flour
2 T mayonnaise
wax paper
kitchen utensils
food coloring (optional)
Wash hands. Mix the cheese, mayo and flour in a bowl until the consistence of dough. You might need to add more flour if too sticky, or cheese and mayo if too dry.
Flatten ball on wax paper and design like Moon in When Moon Fell Down.
Put in refrigerator to chill, and enjoy moon cheese man later!!
Body/Kinesthetic
Role-play what Moon and Cow are saying to each other on their evening out. What does Moon say about the cheese? What does cow say about his ride? What does cow say to his friends back in the barn?
Musical/ Rhythmic
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/nomoon.htm
Find and sing the song, “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” written by Jeff Moss, an example is at the website listed above.
What other books and songs have Moon in them?
Interpersonal:
The books says, “Moon returned with Cow at dawn…..Found Farmer pacing on his lawn, Much to Cow’s surprise.”
Could cow have predicted the farmer would be upset? Can you guess what your mom or dad will say or do when you do something wrong?
Guess what your Mom and Dad would say about these things:
1. You drop a whole jar of mayonnaise all over the kitchen floor.
2. You go over to your friend’s house without asking.
3. Your new shoes get left out in the rain.
4. You bring home an A++ paper in a subject that you usually don’t like.
Intrapersonal:
In the story, Moon never saw many things before like the trunks of trees or horses knees. If YOU became moon, what are some things that you would see that a kid would never have seen before? Draw a picture of something that you alone, as moon might see.

Eeek! Creak! Snicker Sneak

Teacher’s Guide

Eek! Creak! Snicker Sneak

by Rhonda Gowler Greene

Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith

Pre-reading:

Just by reading the title and looking at the cover art decide what you think the story is about. What time of year do you think it is? What time of day?  How would you describe those two characters on the cover?

Knowledge:

1. When do Bugbear and Bugaboo come out?
2. What do they like to do?

Comprehension:

1. Describe Bugbear.
2. Describe Bugaboo.

Application:

1. Name some of the sounds that they make.
2. What things do they use to scare you?

Analysis:

1. Why do grownups not believe in Bugbear and Bugaboo?
2. How would this story be different if Bugbear or Bugaboo wrote the story?

Synthesis:

1. Do you think, that when you’re an adult you’ll tell your children it is nothing too? Why or why not?
2.  Imagine you were going to scare them away. Where at your house would you hide? What would you say?

Evaluation:

1. Where do you think they go next?
2. Which page is your favorite? Why?

Multiple Intelligence Projects

for Eek! Creak! Snicker Sneak

by Rhonda Gowler Greene

Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith

Verbal/ Linguistic

Create your own two tricksters. What do they look like? What do they do? Who do they bother?  Fill out this chart:

They ________________.

They ________________.

They make their plans

while ___________________ rubbing their __________ hands.

OR

Create a wanted poster (seen below) for either or both Bugbear and Bugaboo!

Logical/ Mathematical:

Create a venn diagram comparing Bugaboo to Bugbear. Be as detailed as possible.

Visual/ Spatial

Using magazines cut out a variety of eyes, noses, and mouths. Then glue them on an oval shape. Create your own Bugaboo or Bugbear. You might want to first paint, color, or even glue tissue paper to the base of your monstrous creation!!

Body/Kinesthetic

Make up hand signals or signs you can use to scare off Bugbear and Bugaboo.

Musical/ Rhythmic:

As the teacher reads aloud the story, clap to the beat of the syllables (great practice for phonemic awareness!). Listen to the rhythm of the words; discuss how it is similar to music.

Interpersonal:

Eek! Creak! Snicker Sneak deals with a lot of emotions: fear, bravery, concern, and naughtiness.

Pair up with someone, and practice figuring out what that person is feeling based on his or her expressions.

Afterwards, discuss what you could do for someone who is feeling sad or scared or unhappy.

Intrapersonal:

Make a poster of at least five things you can do when you are scared. Draw pictures to go with your list, and then POST by your bed! Be sure to add the title and author’s name to your poster.

WANTED

For Disturbing:   (student’s name)

During:

Please Contact:  (Principal’s Name)

At: (School Name)

Call: 421- Booo 

A Brave Spaceboy

A Brave Spaceboy

by Danna Kessimakis Smith

Illustrated by Laura Freeman

About the book:

On moving day, an enterprising little boy bids farewell to his fears. By playing pretend, he turns the scary unknown into an out-of-this-world adventure! In his handcrafted rocket ship, the astronaut boldly sets a course for Mars, but as soon as he touches down in the unfamiliar terrain, he has a close encounter with a new life form! Never fear, for this brave Mars walker knows how to deal with the stranger in his midst… He lets his imagination soar!

About the guide:

This guide includes discussion questions and projects appropriate for book clubs, literature circles, and classroom discussions. It is intended to provoke thought and insight into the subject and themes of this book, including imagination, fear, play, family, and moving.

Author Interview:

1.      Would you go to space if you could? Why or why not?  No way!  I would like to say I am that adventurous, but to tell you the truth traveling through space sounds a bit scary to me.  I’ve read stories about astronauts who go to space…what brave and amazing people they are!

2.      Kids love boxes. What do writers love?  Office supplies of course!  I can never get enough pens and notebooks!

3.      Do you like to start a new piece of writing or revise more? Why? I like to start with a new piece of writing. After working on the same story for months, it’s fun and refreshing to work on another idea.  Most of the time though, I’m working on four or five stories at the same time.  This way, when I sit down to write, I have several stories to choose from.  I choose the one I feel I can contribute to the most that day.   I grin and bear revisions though, because re-writing is part of writing and has proven to make my story so much better.

4.      If you had an afternoon to play what would you do with it? I would play in the dirt!  I love to be out in my garden in the sunshine.

5.      What can your fans look forward to next?  My next book “WHAT BEST FRIENDS DO” is due out in 2007.  It’s a picture book about a loving (and sometimes wacky) relationship between a child and his/her dog.  Also, “MY DADDY’S A GRIZZLY BEAR” will be illustrated by Lynn Munsinger and is due out in 2008.  In this picture book a young child and his/her father use their imaginations “turning into” different kinds of bears.

Questions for your little explorer:

1.      Is it an important day for the family? How do you know?

2.      What do they use to create a spaceship? What shapes can you find in the pages of the story?

3.      What does a pilot do? Would you rather be a pilot or the commander in chief? Why?

4.      Who do they meet? How do they meet her?

5.      What do they see on their journey? What would you most like to see in space?

Projects:

Art:

Cardboard box art (of course!)

Locate a large appliance box if possible and then brainstorm all the different objects that it could become. Paint the outside and let it dry if you want a professional look or just go to it with a box of markers. Your imagination is the limit! Consider adding smaller boxes to the larger one with duck tape to add dimension to your project (cereal boxes are ideal because they are so light). Take a picture of your creation.

cardboard box art II

Collect a wide variety of boxes (cereal, pasta, laundry, etc.) and then create a whole city block using the boxes. Decorate them with paint, fabric, wallpaper samples, newspaper, contact paper, or any other product you think adds dimension.

UFO art:

Use two paper plates to create a UFO spaceship. Glue or tape the edges closed and then decorate with scraps of construction paper or other bright fabrics, glues or paints. Hang from the ceiling for a fun look!

Soda Rocketship:

Use a plastic soda bottle (individual size or 2-liters for large ships) and permanent markers and construction paper to create a one of a kind ship for your explorer.

Cooking:

Starship cookies:

Cut out the center of traditional star-shaped sugar cookies and add a hard candy to melt inside the negative space. Devour inside spaceship for nutrition on long journeys to mars and beyond.

Music:

Sing to the song “Farmer in the Dell”

We’re flying to the stars

We’re flying to the stars

Blast off from the living room

We’re flying to the stars!

Other verses:

We’re orbiting the earth

We’re landing on Mars

We’re traveling back home

Mrs. Biddlebox

Teacher’s Guide for

Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith

Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Pre-reading:

Look at the cover only of Mrs. Biddlebox. How would you describe her? What emotion do you think best fits her face? Does she look happy? Irritated? Determined?  What do the colors used suggest about the book?

Comprehension Guide:

Knowledge:

Describe what is wrong with Mrs. Biddlebox.

Quote your favorite description from the book.

Comprehension:

Explain what Mrs. Biddlebox decides to do with her bad day.

Tell how she goes about her task.

Apply:

If you could interview Mrs. Biddlebox, what might you ask her?

What can you learn from Mrs. Biddlebox?

Analyze:

Why do you think the illustrator chose the pallet she did? Would you choose the same colors? Why or why not.

Decide which page is your favorite, and defend why you chose it.

Synthesize:

Devise a plan for YOUR next bad day. What can you do to make it better?

Pretend Mrs. Biddlebox is your mother/sister/friend. What would you say to her to make her feel better?

Evaluate:

Choose your favorite stanza from the book, and tell why you like it so much… is it the rhyme? the funny words? the humor? the new way of seeing something?

Predict what Mrs. Biddlebox’s next day will be like.

Multiple Intelligence Projects for

Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith

Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Verbal/ Linguistic

Write a recipe poem on how to make a good day. Think about what “ingredients” make up the best day you could possibly have, and then figure out a way to mix them together and bake it. (ex. 1 Cup Soccer game, 2 goals, kicked, etc.)

I’ll post the best ones on www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com  website in the poetry resources page!!

Logical/ Mathematical

Can you double the recipe written above for twice the number of guests?

OR

How many times do these things appear in the story:

Broom

kettle

oven

duck

Mrs. Biddlebox

the sun

a fork

television

teapot

Mrs. Biddlebox’s underpants!

Visual/ Spatial

The illustrations in the text of Mrs. Biddlebox look almost like a marbeling technique. If you haven’t tried this art project- it is fun, though I’ll admit, a little messy (Mrs. Biddlebox would be proud of you-try it!)

First, cut out the shape of a paper to represent something from the story- anything you want like the sun, or a kettle, the duck, whatever.

Then, pour liquid starch into a shallow pan. After that, using an eyedropper or other similar instrument, drop paint on top of the surface. Using a comb or fork make designs with the paint. Then, place the white paper on top of the surface, and remove fairly quickly. Thicker paper won’t buckle so much!

After it’s dry, choose your favorite stanza from the book and copy it onto the art… or just the title, author and illustrator’s name- Display! (a terrific bulletin board)

Body/Kinesthetic

Play Mrs. Biddlebox charades. On slips of paper print out the following phrases, and act them out:

Getting up on the wrong side of the bunk

She snatched the lawn

Plucked shadows from her skirt

Twirled the fog

Yanked the sun

Rolled the sky

whipped, whisked and beat  the mess.

Stomped it into a tin

Dancing while it bakes

Set her table

Ate

Went to sleep.

OR

Research has shown that exercise has  a big impact on mood. Experiment with this fact, and see if you can replicate the results. In other words, the next time you’re in a foul mood, go for a run or bike ride, and see if you feel better. Report the results in a journal. Keep track of whether this is true for you. ( I bet it is!!)

Musical/ Rhythmic

Sing: (tune of: Did you ever see Lassie?)

Did you ever have a bad day, a bad day, a bad day?

Did you ever have a bad day-

like Mrs. Biddlebox?

Then mix it, and whisk it,

and beat it and bake it!

Did you ever have a bad day

like Mrs. Biddlebox?

OR

Create some background music using only kitchen utensils to go with a read aloud of Mrs. Biddlebox. Remember not to over-power the words!

Interpersonal:

Make a list of things you can do for someone at home who is having a bad day. Post the list on the refrigerator. As a class, brainstorm a list of things that could be done at school for someone who is having a bad day. Make a poster to remind each other to do small acts of kindnesses.

Intrapersonal:

Think about this famous quote:

“There are no great things. There are only small things done with great love.”

 _ Mother Theresa

Write a journal about what you think this means, and how it can be revealed in your own life.

OR

The next time you are having a really rotten day, can you imagine taking the “ingredients” of it (like bombing a spelling test, or forgetting to bring in your bike from the rain- again- and getting yelled at) and baking them together? Can you put them in the pot and let them bake up, or will you worry and feel bad about them for the rest of the day? Let’s bake!