When I Am Old with You by Angela Johnson - Teaching Ideas

What a great concept for a book! Notice the word "with" in the title and not the word like? The word "with" has the child imagining himself old with his grandfather, doing all the things they love to do together.

Throughout the story the grandfather and child are having a wonderful time doing the things together that the child wants to do when they are older. The reality is that they will never be the same age together and in the end realizing that you don't have to be the same age to have a wonderful time together.

This is such a sweet and touching story, one that makes you appreciate today.

Reading level: 2.5

Theme/subject: Family

Genre: fiction

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: lightning bugs

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wondering from either the student or teacher
• Before
1. I wonder what the title means, When I Am Old with You.
2. I wonder what the story is going to be about.
• During
1. I wonder why looking at pictures might make them cry.
2. I wonder why they might be sad looking at the trees on the farm.
• After
1. I wonder if they really will do all those things together.
2. I wonder if the boy will ever be old with his grandaddy.

  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – First person
• Author's purpose – Entertain
• Evidence
1. The illustrator made beautiful illustrations.
2. The author just wrote a story about a boy and his grandaddy.
3. The boy and his grandaddy spend some great times together.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – The boy tells his grandfather what they will do together when they are old with each other.
• Middle – The boy and his granddaddy are enjoying the day together.
• End – The boy sits in a rocking chair next to his grandaddy after their long day.
• Character analysis - describe grandaddy. Describe the boy. {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Compare & contrast
• The things you and your grandaddy do to the things the boy and his grandaddy do.
• Connections
• Text-to-self   
1. Spending time with your grandaddy (playing cards, fishing, sitting on the porch, going to the beach, etc.)
• Text-to-text  
1. Grandpa’s Quilt by Betsy Franco – both stories are about grand-kids with their grandfather.
2. Sunday Best by Juwanda G. Ford – both stories are about a boy and his family.
3. Grandma Calls Me Beautiful by Barbara M. Joosse – both stories are about the special relationship between a grandparent and a grandchild.
• Drawing conclusions & inferencing – Can the boy do all the things he wants to do with his grandaddy when he is old with him, now, when he is a young boy?
• Text clues – all the things the boy is talking about doing with his grandaddy are things that they can do when he is a boy.
• What I know – I know that the boy is never going to be old with his grandaddy.
• My conclusion – I think the boy and his grandaddy should do all those things now because he will never be old with his grandaddy.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – the story is mostly about the boy thinking about all the things that he wants to do with his grandaddy when he gets old with him.
• Details
1. The boy and his grandaddy will go fishing.
2. They will play cards out in the meadow.
3. They will go to the beach.
• Predict
1. What do you think the story is going to be about?
2. What do you think the title means?
3. Are the boy and his grandaddy really doing these things?
4. Do you think the boy is ever going to be old with his grandaddy?
• Sequencing
1. The boy is going to sit in a rocking chair next to his grandaddy and talk about everything.
2. They will go fishing.
3. They will play cards under a big tree.
4. They will look at all the old clothes that are in a chest in the attic.
5. They will look at pictures are remember their family from the past.
6. They will cook bacon for breakfast.
7. They will invite people over to roast corn.
8. They will take a trip to the ocean.
9. They will take long walks.
10. They will rest on the porch when they get tired.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – someplace in the story that the reader has a strong reaction for example an “I knew it”, or  “don’t do it” type of moment while reading.
1. The boy wants to do these things with his grandaddy when he is old with him, but they will never be old together. How would you explain this to the boy? What advice would you give the boy?
• Summarize
• Someone – The boy
• Wanted – wanted to do many things with his grandaddy when he got old with him
• But – but he is not going to be old with him
• So – so he should do those things now
• Then – he will always have those memories when he
• Finally – finally gets old like his grandaddy.
• Theme – the lesson, message or moral of the story·         You will never be old with your grandparents so do the things you want with them now.

• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• The boy wants to do so many things with his grandaddy when he is old with him.
1.  If you could be old with your grandaddy what would you want to do?

Happy Reading,