The Wartville Wizard – Don Madden
Character Traits and Themes Grades: 3 and 4
Character trait:
Respect - Acting in a way that shows that I am valuable, you are valuable and we as a group are valuable
Basic Need:
Survival - The need for food, shelter, safety and order
Objectives
The learner will:
· Develop a further understanding of the Character Trait: Respect
· Begin to develop an understanding of the 5 Basic Needs: specifically, Survival
· Understand the difference between a put-up and a put-down
· Further their understanding of recycling
· Actively try to reduce litter within the classroom and school
Grade Level Content Expectations
Third Grade
R.NT.03.02 Identify and describe the basic elements and purpose of a variety of narrative genre including folktales, fables, and realistic fiction.
R.CM.03.01 Connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world to themes and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.
R.NT.03.04 Explain how authors use literary devices including prediction, personification, and point of view to develop a story level theme, depict the setting, and reveal how thoughts and actions convey important character traits.
E.ES.03.43 Describe ways humans are protecting, extending, and restoring resources (recycle, reuse, reduce, renewal).
E.ES.03.44 Recognize that paper, metal, glass, and some plastics can be recycled.
Fourth Grade
R.NT.04.03 Analyze characters’ thoughts and motivation through dialogue, various character roles, and functions including hero, anti-hero, or narrator; know first person point of view and identify conflict and resolution.
R.CM.04.01 Connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world to themes and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.
R.CM.04.02 Retell through concise summarization grade-level narrative and informational text.
Resources
Trade Book: The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden
Other Trade Books:
Bethel, E. (2008) Michael Recycle Worthwhile Books
Inches, A. (2009) The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling Little Simon
Roca, N. (2007) The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle Barron's Educational Series
Estimated Time Parameters
One day More than one day Mini-unit
Introduction
As a whole group, discuss the cover of the book. Ask the students the following questions: What do you think is in the bag he is carrying? What emotion do you think the man is feeling in the picture? (Ask for everyone to show you what their faces would look like if they had that emotion.) What is a wizard? Does a wizard have special powers? Explain.
Instruction
Read aloud the book, The Wartville Wizard. When finished reading, discuss the put-downs in the story. The Wizard often calls the townspeople “slobs.” Ask the students if the put-downs changed the behavior of the townspeople. Did the Wizard feel any better after he gave the put-downs? What is another way he could have handled his anger?
Activity Ideas
Paper Plate Put-up Activity
Materials: paper plates, tape, markers
*Advanced Preparation: You will need to have enough paper plates for entire class.
This is a great activity for students to give put-ups rather than put-downs to each other. They will feel good about themselves, and they will be able to keep the plate to remind them of the nice things the other students in the class think about them.
· Pass out a paper plate to each student.
· Have students tape their paper plates to their backs, and then take out a marker.
· Next, have students stand.
· Instruct the students to go around the room and write put-ups about each person on that person’s back. ***Tell the students that they must write on everyone’s back.***
· When finished, have students take off their plates and read what nice things other students wrote about them.
· As a whole group, have each student share one put-up from his or her paper plate.
· Instruct the students to keep their paper plates somewhere where they can easily look at them. Tell them that whenever they are feeling down, they can look at the plates to remind them of how special the class thinks they are.
Class Meeting – Respect
(See class meetings – The Classroom of Choice)
Start off the class meeting by reading the definition of respect. Ask the students if they think the people of Wartville were respectful? After a short discussion of the book, choose from the following questions for your class meeting.
Define: What does it mean to be respectful?
Personalize: Who is someone that you respect? Why do you respect that person?
Challenge: Were the people of Wartville more respectful in the end of the book? Do you think the people of Wartville will continue to be respectful? Why or why not?
Survival – Journal Entry
Materials: paper, journals
Discuss with the class different things they feel they need to survive. Make a list on the board as the students share their responses. Lead the students in the direction of “shelter.” Ask the students if any type of shelter is acceptable. Discuss the different things that might happen to them if their living spaces were filled with trash, or even if it were dirty. Ask the students if they could live in that type of shelter. When finished, have students respond to one of the following journal entries:
· Draw a picture of what the classroom would look like if the students threw all of their trash on the floor. Would you be able to learn in an environment like that? Why or why not?
· Do you think recycling is important? Why or why not? What would the Earth look like in 100 years if the people of today did not recycle?
· Do you like the way your classroom is set up? Is there something in the room that you would change to make learning easier for you?
Recycle Activity
Most schools have some type of recycle program in place. If your school does not, this is a great way to get your upper elementary students active in the recycling process.
· After reading the book, ask students what they could do to help with recycling in the school. Guide the discussion towards a recycling program.
· Brainstorm with the students on how this program would work, and what things they need to start it and keep it going.
· Your class may have tons of different ideas for this. Please work with your kids to design a program that will fit the needs and resources of your classroom and school.
· Program Example: The students in the class choose a name such as “The Green Team.” Students make recycle bins and put them in every classroom. On Fridays, students choose a time to visit each room and collect all of the recycled items. Students then sort the items, and a parent volunteer takes the items to a recycle center each week.
Litter Picture Activity
Materials: white computer paper, crayons, and pencils
As a whole group, revisit the pictures in the book and discuss the different items that the people of Wartville littered. Ask the class what items they see littered most often. Discuss with the students whether or not they feel people always litter on purpose. When you have finished your class discussion, have students do the following activity.
· Tell the students that everyone litters, whether they mean to or not. There are often things that fall out of desks, or out of trash cans that students don’t often notice right away.
· Ask students to think about things that they have littered in the past.
· Pass out a blank piece of white paper to each student. Have students take out crayons and a pencil.
· Tell students that they are going to make a drawing of themselves with items they have littered in the past attached to them. I would suggest telling the students that they should not put their names on their papers.
· When students have finished with their drawings, have them turn them in. Post the drawings somewhere in the room. Instruct the students to look at the drawings sometime over the course of the day.
· During a class discussion the following day, talk with the students about their drawings. Ask them how they feel about littering after looking at the drawings. When finished, come up with solutions to make the classroom a litter free environment.
Evaluation/Assessment
1. Completing the paper plate activity can serve as an understanding of a put-up verses a put-down.
2. Accurate journal responses can serve as an understanding of the survival need, as well as how well students are able to connect with the text.
3. Appropriate responses in the class meeting can serve as an understanding of the character trait, respect.
4. Successful implementation of a recycle program can serve as an assessment.
Developing Character Through American Literature The Wartville Wizard
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