Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy

Teacher's Guide
Turk & Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy 
By Lisa Wheeler
Illustrations by Frank Ansley

A Guide to celebrate the holiday with this Turkey of a family!
Crafts: Create a Turk and Runt napkin ring holder set.
Materials:
wooden ice cream spoons, or craft spoons for feathers
toilet or paper towel tubes
red construction paper, cut like a turkey waddle
brown paint
marker
orange pipe cleaners, optional
1. Paint one spoon yellow, the others a variety of feather colors
2. Cut a two inch section of tube, and paint brown
3. Glue yellow spoon to front after drawing turkey face, and gluing on red waddle
4. Glue feathers to back, decorate with feather markings
5. Use marker to add accessories to look like Runt’s family: glasses, hats, football etc.
(For a project on the cheap or with stuff around the house, just cut the feathers out of construction paper!)
Family Treasure Hunt:
Ask guests to tell you one interesting thing about themselves before the celebration. Then hand out a treasure hunt of interesting facts and have the kids and other guests try to find the answers throughout the day. The only catch: nobody can ask a direct question. They can use none of the words that are listed to get the information. The first person to crack the clues correctly gets a special treat. (Younger kids can be paired up with an older sib)
For example:
___________________went skydiving her first year in college. (They can’t say: skydiving, first year of college when asking for the info!)
Game: Turkey Trot
Pair up! Link arms and race to a finish line. What’s the catch? You’ve got to carry your turkey (a stuffed grocery bag, tied with string and decorated like your favorite Turk and runt character). Get gobbling!!
Dinner Theater:
Print out the pages at: http://www.lisawheelerbooks.com/PUPPETS.htm to create paper bag puppets for all the characters. Then, hide behind the couch and put on your own presentation of this Thanksgiving comedy! You’ll need the print outs, scissors, paper lunch bags, glue, crayons and markers, and a variety of voices!!
*** the mouth section goes underneath the flap of the paper bag, so that it looks like the animal or person is talking!****
Play I-Spy with the Turk and Runt book:
What letter creates the doors of the barn?
What does the pig use to drink out of the trough?
How many apples are left on the tree?
What type of dog does Madame Waddelle have?
Which three characters show their teeth?
What shape is the ring that one character wears?
What’s the name of the football team?
Which direction is the weather vane pointing?
How many different animals live on Wishbone farm?
What tool leans against the barn?
Is there outgoing mail?
Questions for Standardized test lovers:
Knowledge:
1. Who are the main characters in this story?
2. Define the conflict (or for younger readers: problem) in the story.
Comprehension:
1. Retell the events of the story in your own words.
2. Explain why you think no one ever listens to Runt.
Application:
1. What would you do to convince them if you were Runt?
2. Illustrate your favorite scene in the book.
Analysis:
1. Compare the three villains: Madame Waddelle, The Coach, The Little Old Lady
Synthesis:
1. Design another clever plan for our friends to avoid complications next Thanksgiving.
2. Create another disguise for our Turkey friends.
Evaluation:
1. Who is your favorite family member? Why?
2. Which page of illustrations is your favorite? Why?

Porcupining

Teacher’s Guide for

Porcupining by Lisa Wheeler

Illustrated by Janie Bynum

Pre-reading:

Study the cover of the book. What do you notice? (Look for details). Can you tell if this book is going to have a happy ending? What makes you think so?

Comprehension Guide/ Quiz Questions

Knowledge:

1. Describe where Cushion lives.
2. Why is this a problem?

Comprehension:

1. Restate all the things Cushion does to get a wife.
2. Explain why the animals don’t like Cushion’s song to them.

Application:

1. Choose one of the songs Cushion sings and rewrite it so the animal might like it!
2. Who do you think reacts the strongest to Cushion’s songs? Why?
   
    

Analyze:

1. Decide which picture is your favorite and explain why.
2. Examine the grasshopper in each illustration. How does he add to the story?

Synthesize:

1. What would you have said to Cushion had he sung you one of his songs?
   2. How would you feel if you were Cushion?
   
    

Evaluation:

1. Decide what happens after the story ends.
2. Predict how the other animals react to Cushion and Barbara’s romance.

Multiple Intelligence Projects for

Porcupining by Lisa Wheeler

Illustrated by Janie Bynum

Verbal/ Linguistic

Pretend that Cushion keeps a journal (diary) about his life. Write at least three entries about what is happening in his life.

Logical/ Mathematical

Fill out the graphic organizer (below) about Porcupining.

Visual/ Spatial

Create a game board about Cushion and his adventures in  Porcupining. Consider what things can make a player move forward, lose a turn, and win!

Body/ Kinesthetic

Notice the body language that each character in Porcupining uses to express their feelings. On slips of paper write the individual scenes from the book, and then using only the body language from the scene, see if students can guess which character it is.

Musical/ Rhythmic:

Either write the lyrics to your own song similar to Cushions OR using any instrument develop the tune that would accompany Cushion’s words!

Interpersonal:

Write a letter from one character to another in Porcupining. Be sure to let us know how the characters are feeling.

Intrapersonal:

As you read Porcupining you may discover some words you don’t know. Fill out the vocabulary chart below, and then on the bottom write a couple of sentences about how to figure out an unknown word as you read.

Vocabulary Development for

Porcupining by Lisa Wheeler

Illustrated by Janie Bynum

Color in the box that best describes your understanding of the vocabulary for Porcupining

	I Know this word	I figured it out while reading	I need to learn more about this word
pining
habitat
appreciate
discouraged

Fill out this chart:

	In my own sentence	How it appears in the book	Dictionary definition
pining
habitat
appreciate
discouraged

How can figure out words as you read?

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.