Pirates Past Noon: Teacher Guide

Pirates Past Noon: Teacher Guide

Pre-Reading and Chapter 1

Pirates Past Noon is the fourth book of the magic Tree House Series. Chapter 1 heavily references Jack and Annie’s adventures up to this point and re-states the current mysteries of the Magic Tree House and the “M person”. In this lesson, we will establish the scene and circumstances of Jack an Annie in the context of the series and then dive into this new adventure!

Lesson Plan

Pre-Reading

1.  Preview the book by reading the title and looking at the picture on the cover.

a.  Ask: What do you think this story will be about? How can you tell?

b.  Ask: What kinds of things do you already know about Pirates? Where did you learn these things?

c.  Ask: Do you think that Jack and Annie make any friends in this book? Enemies? How can you tell?

2.  Make connections to your own life.

a.  Ask: What would you do if you encountered a pirate?

b.  Ask: Do you like you’ll like or dislike this book? Why?

Chapter 1

1.  Distribute and ask class to complete Chapter 1 Vocabulary and Word Study worksheet

2.  Read Chapter 1

a.  Ask class to read Chapter 1 silently.

3.  Group Discussion

a.  Questions for Discussion:

b.  Ask: What kind of day was it? How was the weather? How can you tell?

c.  Ask: Who was Jack and Annie hoping to find in the Magic Tree House? (The M person)

i.  Ask: Did they find the M person?

d.  Ask: What did Jack and Annie find when they arrived in the Magic Tree House? (A book opened to a page with a sunny beach, a sailing ship, and a green parrot in a tree.)

e.  Ask: Jack and Annie wished they were at the beach in the picture rather than at their hometown. What do you think Jack and Annie found appealing about the beach? (The weather in the picture looked warm and calm, but at home, it was dark, rainy and not calm.)

f.  Ask: Polly squawked that it was “Too late.” What do you think Polly meant by saying that?

g.  Ask: What do you think will happen next? Why do you think that?

4.  Writing Activity

a.  Jack and Annie each have very distinct personalities that complement each other. Understanding the similarities and differences in Jack and Annie’s personalities can help us understand the story better and can help us make predictions about the story.

b.  Before distributing the writing worksheet, discuss personality characteristics unique to each character. Use a chart to organize what you discuss.

i.  Example: Jack likes to take notes, Annie named Polly, etc.

c.  Distribute writing activity, ask class to complete.