Elementary Programs Chapter
Go Wild with Words
Books to Share
- Alphaboat by Michael Chesworth.
- C D B! by William Steig.
- C D C! by William Steig.
- King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne.
- A Little Pigeon Toad by Fred Gwynne.
- Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book? by Lauren Child.
Books to Show or Booktalk
- Alphazeds by Shirley Glaser.
- Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.
- Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver.
- Several Lives of Orphan Jack by Sarah Ellis.
- There’s a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me by Loreen Leedy and Pat Street.
Bulletin Board
Words – Wonderful Words!
Center the title on a bulletin board and surround it with rectangles of paper on which you have printed multi-syllabic words such as “exuberant,” “prehensile,” “antebellum,” etc.
Riddle Romp
Use the “Wild Wacky World of Riddles” bulletin board idea described in the Celebrations chapter of this manual if you have not already done so.
Displays
Set up a display of books featuring jokes, riddles, tall tales, alliteration, and idioms.
Reader’s Theatre Script
Use the script for Readers Run Wild by Barrie Teague Alguire.
Crafts
Alphabet Picture
Materials
- Paper
- Pencils, crayons, or markers
Directions
With Alphaboat by Michael Chesworth as inspiration, create a picture using alphabet letters as structural shapes.
Literal Translations
Materials
- Paper
- Pencils, crayons, or markers
Directions
With Fred Gwynne’s books as inspiration, draw a picture illustrating an idiom in a literal manner.
Illustrated Words
Materials
- Paper
- Pencils, crayons, or markers
Directions
Draw a word so that it looks like its definition. For example, the word “icy” might have icicles dripping from it, the word “fire” is drawn with flames leaping from the letters, or all the letters in the word “hairy” are covered in hair.
Activities
Tongue Twister Challenge
Print tongue twisters on slips of paper. Fold the papers and put them into a large bowl. Let the children take turns drawing a paper from the bowl and reading the tongue twister aloud.
Round-Robin Storytelling
Sit in a circle with the children. Start a story by saying “Once upon a time, there was a _____________.” The first child continues the story for a few sentences or minutes and then passes the storytelling to the next child. Each person takes up the story in turn. The last person has to give the story a conclusion. The length of each person’s speaking time can be flexible or structured by using a small hourglass timer.
Guest Speakers
Invite an actor, writer, poet, or language arts teacher with a sense of humor to talk about words, writing, and humor.
Web Sites
- Arizona Kids Net: Activities and Resources for Kids and Parents
- www.azkidsnet.com
The site is a good source for jokes and riddles.
- NIEHS Kids’ Page Double-Speak Proverbs
- www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/doublesp.htm
This site offers interactive jokes, riddles, and brainteasers along with “Double-speak Proverbs” for children to decode on-line.
Professional Resources
- Funny You Should Ask by Marvin Terban.
- I Am Phoenix by Paul Fleischman.
- Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman.
- Riddle Me This by Hugh Lupton.
- Six Sick Sheep by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson.
- You Must Be Joking!: Lots of Cool Jokes, Plus 17 ½ Tips for Remembering, Telling, and Making Up Your Own Jokes by Paul Brewer.
