Book Kit Title: Ella the Elegant Elephant

Making Friends

Author: Carmela D’amico

Publication Date: September 2004

ISBN#:0439627923

This Book Kit was planned by: Summer Naylor

Grade Level this kit is intended for: 2nd

Materials for the Lesson:

Book
“Getting to know you” survey
Concrete object- Elephant stuffed animal
6 stations- (directions and supplies in file folders)

- Thank You cards

- Play dough, cookie cutters, rolling pins, trays, etc.

- Construction paper, glue, scissors, ribbons, feathers, etc.

Words Within Words sheet & letters

- Blank sheets of paper

Game- game board, pieces, cards

(Bulleted items included in book kit)

Lesson Objective: The students will apply the characteristics of being a good friend by getting to know a classmate better.

Background Knowledge: Besides an understanding of the word trait, this lesson can be taught with no prior skills taught, though social experiences and practice with listening for comprehension during read alouds will be helpful.

Anticipatory Set/Invitation to Learn: Have you ever heard of a bully before? What is a bully? (someone who teases, is mean, and picks on others) Don’t answer out loud, but has anyone ever known a bully? How do bullies make people feel?

Listening Focus: How do good or bad friends act?

Method for sharing the book: Tell the students that today we are going to read a book about an elephant named Ella who moves to a new school. Share the listening focus. With the questions listed generate a discussion before reading the book and direct student’s thinking during and after reading.

Discussion questions for before reading:

Have you ever gone to a new school or moved to a new place? How did you feel?
Has anyone ever made fun of you before? What did you do? How did you feel?

Discussion questions for during and after reading:

What do the humans know about Elephant Island? Would you like to live there?
How does Ella feel about making new friends? What does she do to make herself feel better?
What makes Ella different from the other elephants on the first day of school? How would you feel if you were her?
Describe Belinda Blue. What does she do to Ella and what nickname does she give her? How do you feel about Belinda?
What happens when Ella helps Belinda?
How does Belinda change from when Ella first meets her to the end of the book?
How do the other students show Ella that they love her after all?
Good vocabulary words to discuss: fog, cozy, constructive, creaky, slumped, elegant, meekly, glared, and piped.

Instructional Procedures:

Attitude Orientation: Introduce the concrete object.

Schema Orientation: Today we are going to talk a little bit more about how good friends act and how acting in such a way can help us make more new friends. Thinking about how Ella acted in the story and how her behavior helped her make friends at her new school, let’s make a list of the traits of a good friend. Remember traits describe how a person acts. (Some possible list items: friendly, nice, helpful, ask questions, caring, etc.) Review the list and talk about how doing these things will help us make and keep new friend. Quickly check for understanding by saying both good and bad traits, having the students give thumbs up for good and thumbs down for bad. (Make sure the good friend list is covered so they can’t cheat!)

Activity Orientation: Now we are going to apply the traits we’ve listed to ourselves by practicing being good friends in our classroom. Everyone is going to get to know a little bit more about another classmate by surveying them. In a minute I will call out two names at a time to be partners. Everyone will get a survey sheet with questions to ask your partner.

Activity: In pairs, students conduct surveys.

Closure:Did any of you find out something new about the friend you interviewed? Sometimes we decide things about people before we even get to know them at all. For example, in the book we read today, Belinda Blue was mean to Ella without knowing anything about her yet. Do you think maybe if Belinda talked to Ella and asked her some questions like we just did, they may have been friends from the start? It is important for us to remember to be nice and get to know people because we never know what we might have in common with them. We may just find some of our best friends that way! And remember that we get to practice making friends all week as we pass around the elephant and play with classmates we don’t usually play with at recess.

Evidence of Student Learning: Quick thumbs up/down check for understanding, monitoring the activity and collecting their surveys to see if they were able to complete the activity.

Additional components:

Stations

Concrete Object

Attach these directions to the elephant so that the children can read it and be reminded of what to do when it is passed to them. During a week’s time try to remind the students to pass the elephant around at recess, hopefully it will get to everyone.

The Game

Ella the Elegant Elephant: The Game is designed to check the children’s comprehension of the book’s story structure. The questions ask them to identify key characters, events, and settings.

Q: The story takes place on what islands?
A: The Elephant Islands
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: Who is the main character?
A: Ella
Correct: Move forward 2 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 4 spaces
Q: The story takes place in which ocean?
Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, or Arctic
A: Indian
Correct: Move forward 5 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 1 space / Q: Why has no human being ever found the elephant islands?
A: They are surrounded by thick fog.
Correct: Move forward 5 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces
Q: Where does Ella’s mother work?
A: A Bakery
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: What is Ella nervous about at the beginning of the book?
A: Making new friends
Correct: Move forward 4 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 3 spaces
Q: What does Ella find when she is unpacking?
A: A hat from her grandma
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: Who is Ella’s hat from?
A: her grandma
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces
Q: What does Ella where on the first day of school that makes her look different from all of the other elephants?
A: Her red hat
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: Did anybody ask Ella to play at recess on the first day of school?
A: No
Correct: Move forward 2 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 4 spaces
Q: Who is the bully in the story?
A: Belinda Blue
Correct: Move forward 5 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 1 space / Q: Why does Mrs. Briggs have Ella sit on the back row?
A: So her hat doesn’t block the other students’ view of the chalkboard.
Correct: Move forward 5 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces
Q: Who makes up the nickname Ella the Elegant Elephant?
A: Belinda Blue
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: What does Belinda do with the ball at recess?
A: She throws it on top of the safety wall that surrounds the schoolyard.
Correct: Move forward 4 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 3 spaces
Q: Who climbs up the wall to get the ball?
A: Belinda Blue
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 4 spaces / Q: What happened to Belinda while she was showing off on top of the wall?
A: She slipped
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces
Q: Why did a crowd gather at recess?
A: To see Belinda on top of the wall.
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: Why did Ella think Belinda may not be as tough as she seemed?
A: Because she started to cry when she was hanging from the wall.
Correct: Move forward 5 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 1 space
Q: Who helped Belinda get down from the wall safely?
A: Ella
Correct: Move forward 4 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 4 spaces / Q: What happened when Ella tried to pull Belinda up?
A: Belinda’s weight pulled them both over the edge.
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces
Q: What amazing thing happened when Belinda and Ella were falling from the wall?
A: Ella’s hat turned into a parachute.
Correct: Move forward 3 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: What did Ella’s mother ask her to promise after her exciting day?
A: Never to climb the wall again.
Correct: Move forward 4 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 3 spaces
Q: What does Ella find at school the day after her rescue?
A: All of her classmates in big, colorful hats.
Correct: Move forward 2 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces / Q: What did it say on the chalkboard the day after Ella rescued Belinda?
A: We love Ella
Correct: Move forward 4 spaces
Incorrect: Move backward 2 spaces

E L L A T H E E L E G A N T E L E P H A N T

Name ______

“Getting to Know You” Survey

Interviewed: ______

How many brothers and sisters do you have? ______

Do you have any pets? ______

What is your favorite color? ______

What is your favorite food? ______

What is your favorite treat? ______

What is your favorite holiday? ______

What is your favorite thing to do? ______

Name ______

“Getting to Know You” Survey

Interviewed: ______

How many brothers and sisters do you have? ______

Do you have any pets? ______

What is your favorite color? ______

What is your favorite food? ______

What is your favorite treat? ______

What is your favorite holiday? ______

What is your favorite thing to do? ______

Name ______

Words Within Words

Book Title: Ella the Elegant Elephant

Words I found within the title:

Book Kit Grading Rubric ( %)

Candidate Name Course/Section ______

Components / Highest Quality Indicator / Score
Social Studies Lesson Plan / Instruction and activities are relevant to teaching the specified objectives. The lesson plan teaches the topic or concept independently of the game and station activities. Activities are age appropriate and realistic. An appropriate method is used to teach. All necessary worksheets, maps, activity pages, games, pictures, music, or supplementary pages are included. This lesson includes enough information for the teacher to replicate the teaching experience. If sample questions are posed, possible answers are included. Overall, this lesson makes sense and is a good idea. It could be used in a real classroom. / 0-20
Audio Recording / An appropriate recording of the book is included; recording is easy to understand, expressive, and volume appropriate. / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Concrete Object / A concrete object appropriate to the lesson, concept, and topic is included with details in the social studies lesson plan for how to use it with students. The object and idea are relevant and realistic. / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Game / An appropriate game with bard, tokens, cards, etc. is included. Simple directions for play are included. The moving spaces or cards reinforce the topic or concept learned in the book. / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Station #1 / Each station includes an idea and directions for extending understanding and learning in relevant, meaningful ways. These activities touch many different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which are identified at the bottom of each card and a variety of learning styles (head, hand, heart). / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Station #2 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Station #3 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Station #4 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Station #5 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Station #6 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Hard Copy / The hard copy of the Book Kit is completely prepared and all elements are available for feedback on the sharing/listening day. / 0 / 20
Electronic Copy / The electronic copy of the Book Kit is submitted and received by the instructor on the date and time it is due. Each kit is one complete document or zipped and is titled as follows: booktitle(topictaught)_yourfirstnameyourlastname.doc
(ie. TheWall(VietnamWall)_janaeoveson.doc) / 0 / 5 / 10
Professionalism / The entire book kit is neatly done and appropriate time was spent to make it appealing, professional, and easy to use. / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Book Link Kits Rubric and Feedback Form

Title of Book Link Kit______

Are all necessary parts included (book, recording, concrete object, game, station cards)? YesNo

Overall, is the kit appealing and neatly done? YesNo

Comments about the recording: ______

______

Comments about the lesson accompanying the book: ______

Is the gameboard appealing and easy to follow? Are the situation or role cards relevant to teaching the concept or trait taught in the lesson that accompanies the book? Yes No

Comments: ______

______

Is the concrete object and accompanying activity appropriate and does it promote relevant thinking and learning? Yes No Comments: ______

______

Are the 6 stations appropriate and do they promote relevant thinking and learning? Is the level of Bloom’s Taxonomy listed on each card? Yes No

Comments:

Station # 1
Station # 2
Station # 3
Station # 4
Station # 5
Station #6

Would you (the listener) use this particular Book Link Kit in your classroom? Yes No

Professionalism / The entire book kit is neatly done and appropriate time was spent to make it appealing, professional, and easy to use. / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

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