ICN Sharing Page
TEACH US, AMELIA BEDELIA
By Peggy Parish
Setting
Where did the story take place?
How did the story move from one setting to another?
Characters
Who are the main characters?
How do they relate to Amelia Bedelia?
8 Events from THE LIST of things to do with the children at school:
(Discuss the double meanings (idioms) that are part of the list)
Four classes will each have 2 items from the list to discuss…
Describe:
1. Call the roll
2. Sing a song
Describe:
3. Reading time…"run, run, run"
4. Science…planting bulbs
Describe:
5. Quiet time
6. Art…painting pictures
Describe:
7. Practice playing
8. Math…using apples
The beginning “hook” and the conclusion of Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia will be discussed during the ICN session by Cheryl Tyler.
12 Questions and Activities for Discussion of
Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia
By Peggy Parish
ICN Book Club Selection
1. Look at the cover of the book. What does it tell you about Amelia Bedelia? What
kind of clothes is she wearing? Why do people wear uniforms? Who do you know who wears a uniform? Activity: Design a new uniform for Amelia Bedelia.
2. Read more about Peggy Parish and her nephew, Herman Parish.
3. What are maids or housekeepers? Who would hire them? What work do they
do? Where do they work? Who are some famous maids/housekeepers you’ve
watched on television?
4. Idioms are phrases that do not mean exactly what they say.
Homonyms are words which are pronounced alike, but have
different meanings. (flour-flower, hear-here, sew-so-sow)
Brainstorm other idioms and/or homonyms. Illustrate.
Activities: Create 3 directions you are sure Amelia Bedelia will not follow
correctly. Choose idioms and write both the implied and the actual meanings.
Illustrate the two ways to interpret the sayings. Make an Idiom Web or Map
using several Amelia Bedelia books. Illustrate.
5. Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia uses a list of things to do in the classroom. Compare
and contrast this book with other Amelia Bedelia books. How are they alike?
How are they different? Create for Amelia Bedelia to do if she was a substitute
teacher in your classroom.
6. Amelia Bedelia needed to “call the roll.” Alphabetize a list of your classmates for
your classroom roll call.
7. Write a song about Amelia Bedelia using a familiar tune from children’s songs.
(Example: Old McDonald, Mary Had a Little Lamb etc.)
8. Research apples to learn where and how they are grown. Locate these areas on a
map. Discuss different kinds of apples and compare and contrast them. Divide an apple into pieces and do fraction activities. Cut an apple across the middle to
see the star hidden inside. Everyone can bring a favorite apple recipe to create an
apple cookbook for your class. Read Johnny Appleseed!
9. Write apple riddles or math story problems. Let your friends solve them.
10. List favorite foods and those which are not your favorite. Do you have a garden?
What do you grow? Use white paper plates and create your favorite meal. Discuss good table manners. Plant seeds and measure growth.
11. Write and illustrate a new Amelia Bedelia book. What could happen if Amelia
Bedelia visited your school or a favorite place in your town? Brainstorm idioms
to use for your new book. You could start the book all together and then finish individually. Groups could work on beginning, middle and ending and then put
the book together. Start the book in your classroom and pass it to every classroom at your grade level or in your school to add a part to the story. Illustrate the final story when it returns to your class and publish. Share the cooperative book with all of the authors involved during an Amelia Bedelia celebration…which could very well be the start of yet another book! Here are some idioms to get you started:
*raining cats and dogs
*hold your horses
*put your foot in your mouth
*hit the books
*don’t bug me
*get up on the wrong side of the bed
*in one ear and out the other
*butterflies in your stomach
12. Discuss the order of the events in Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia or in the book you
created. Make a timeline to sequence these events. Illustrate your favorite part of the book and write why you like it. Read several Amelia Bedelia books and write about your favorite one and why?
Copyright: Tyler 2004
AMELIA BEDELIA READER’S THEATRE SCRIPT
Main Characters: Narrator 1 Narrator 3 Mrs. Rogers
Narrator 2 Amelia Bedelia Mr. Rogers
Mrs. Rogers Amelia Bedelia, I made a list for you since I will be gone on your
first day of work. Mr. Rogers and I will be back later. Good-by!
Amelia Bedelia I like those two. They are nice folks who live in this really big
house. I will like to work here.
Narrator 1 Amelia Bedelia made great pies, so she decided to make a lemon
meringue pie to surprise Mr. and Mrs. Rogers when they came
home.
Narrator 2 Amelia Bedelia went into the kitchen and used a little of this and
a bit of that as she mixed and rolled the pie crust. She put the
pie into the oven and then began to read the list of things to do that
Mrs. Rogers left for her.
Amelia Bedelia Let’s see—the first job on this list is to change the towels in the
green bathroom. These are nice towels and they look just fine.
I wonder why they need to be changed?
Narrator 3 Amelia Bedelia knew she had to do the jobs on the list, so she
found some scissors and cut and snipped the towels to change
them. Now they were new shapes.
Amelia Bedelia The second job on the list says to dust the furniture. I think I
should undust the furniture, but oh well…I will do exactly
what the list says for me to do.
Narrator 1 Amelia Bedelia found a box with dusting powder inside and she
thought it was special powder to dust with, so she poured it all
over the furniture. The room smelled so good when she was
finished!
Amelia Bedelia Yes—this furniture smells great with this special dust all over it.
Let’s see…what is third on my list? Draw the drapes when the
sun comes in. Well, I’m not very good at drawing, but I’ll try to
make a good picture for Mrs. Rogers.
Narrator 2 Amelia had fun drawing the drapes. Then she checked on her
fourth job.
Amelia Bedelia The list says…when you are finished in the living room, put out
the lights. Oh—I’ll just unscrew all of these bulbs and hang them
on the clothesline outside. Oh my goodness, I’d better check my
lemon meringue pie in the oven.
Narrator 3 Amelia Bedelia took her beautiful pie out of the oven and looked
at the list to find out her fifth job.
Amelia Bedelia The list says I should measure two cups of rice. This will be easy
with my tape measure. The two cups are 4 ½ inches. What a
funny job for me to do!
Narrator 1 Amelia poured the rice back into the box and then read her last two
jobs left to do on the list.
Amelia Bedelia It says here the meat market delivered a steak and a chicken. I
have to trim the fat and dress the chicken before I put them into
the refrigerator.
Narrator 2 Amelia had so much fun decorating the fat with ribbons and
lace. She loved dressing up the chicken like a little boy, too!
She put the chicken into a special box just as Mr. and Mrs.
Rogers returned.
Mr. Rogers Amelia Bedelia, why are all the light bulbs hanging outside
on the clothesline?
Amelia Bedelia The list said to put all the lights out. It didn’t say to bring them
back inside.
Mrs. Rogers Amelia Bedelia, you should have drawn the drapes because the
sun fades the furniture. And, oh my…why is this furniture
so dusty?
Amelia Bedelia I did draw a really good picture for you of the drapes and I used
the nice dusting powder on all of the furniture.
Mr. Rogers I was washing my hands and I see the towels have changed.
Amelia Bedelia Yes, they really do look different. Do you like the changes?
Did I change them enough?
Mrs. Rogers I am going to cook dinner now. Where is the rice that you
measured?
Amelia Bedelia Well, it measured 4 ½ inches, but I put it back into the box.
Mrs. Rogers I’ll get the steak and chicken out of the refrigerator. Why is this
steak covered with ribbons and lace? Oh my goodness, why is
the chicken dressed in a suit?
Amelia Bedelia Well, I think they both look so cute. I did just what the list said
to do. I trimmed the fat on the steak and I dressed the
chicken.
Narrator 3 Mrs. Rogers was very upset and very angry. She was just about
to tell Amelia Bedelia that she was fired, when Mr. Rogers
put something very delicious in her mouth.
Mrs. Rogers Oh, Amelia Bedelia, did you bake this pie? It is the best lemon
meringue pie I have ever tasted!
Amelia Bedelia I do bake good pies and I wanted to surprise you with something
special when you came home.
Narrator 1 Mrs. Rogers forgot about being very angry and Amelia Bedelia
stayed. Mrs. Rogers learned to write her lists in a different
way so that Amelia Bedelia would undust, close the drapes
instead of draw them and unlight the lights!
Narrator 2 Mr. Rogers was mostly interested in Amelia Bedelia’s lemon
meringue pie! Both Mr. and Mrs. Rogers agreed that Amelia
would stay with them forever!
Narrator 3 We hope everyone enjoyed our Amelia Bedelia Reader’s
Theater today.
THE END