A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech - Teaching Ideas

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Mr. Keene loves his school. He loves the kids, the teachers and all the learning that happens when everyone is at school. Because of this love Mr. Keene decides that everyone should come to school on Saturdays and of course nobody else thinks it is a good idea, but nobody wants to tell Mr. Keene. As Saturday school progresses, Mr. Keene soon declares Sunday a school day as well. Once again no body wants to tell Mr. Keene that this is not a good idea. As the story continues Mr. Keene soon has the kids and teachers at school on all the holidays and then during the summer. Finally, Tillie decides that she must talk to Mr. Keene about all this school. She convinces Mr. Keene that there is learning that happens outside of school and since they have been going to school EVERYDAY those other people (Tillie's brother and dog) and other things to learn (like climbing a tree) are not getting done. Mr. Keene had no idea of the learning that wasn't happening because of being in school, so he finally switches school back to just Monday thru Friday.

This is a very cute story about going to school and all the learning that happens there, but in the end I think Mr. Keene learns the most valuable lesson.

Listed below are possible skills, strategies and ideas that you can use to create a great lesson. I have created a Point of View freebie to go with this book if that happens to be what you are working on.

Reading level: 2.7

Theme/subject: school

Genre: general fiction

Suggested Vocabulary/phrases: strolled, roaring, cheer, soared

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions –
• possible questions before
1.  I wonder what the story is about. I wonder why she has such a big backpack.
2. I wonder why the dog is reading.
• possible questions during
1.  I wonder why nobody told the principal they didn’t want school on all those extra days.
2. I wonder why the principal thought the kids and teachers liked having that much school.
• possible questions after
1.   I wonder if the students will still learn as much as they did when they were in school all year.

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

• Author's point of view – Third. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this (they, fine teachers, fine principal, he, and she).
• Author's purpose – entertain
• Evidence
1. The principal made everyone go to school every day.
2. The dog was reading.
3. There was a student brushing his teeth at school.

All these things are a bit silly and make an entertaining story.

• Beginning, middle, end –
• Most important event from beginning - the principal thought his school was a fine school.
• Most important event from middle - The principal decided the students and teachers should be at school every day – weekends, holidays and summer!
• Most important event from end - Tillie finally told the principal that there were people outside of school that weren’t learning.
• Cause and effect –
1. Why did Mr. Keene think it was a fine school? because he saw the students learning shapes, colors, numbers and letters, reading, writing, drawing and painting.
2. How come the teachers and students had to go to school on Saturdays? Because on one know how to tell Mr. Keene that they didn’t want to.
3. How come Tillie decided to talk to Mr. Keene? Because she had to leave her brother to learn on his own.
4. Why was the boy brushing his teeth at school? Because he didn’t have time at home.
5. Why was everyone so worried at the last assembly? Because they thought Mr. Keene was going to have dogs and little brothers come to school.
6. Why were all the students so happy? Because they didn’t have to come to school on Saturday, Sunday, holidays or summer anymore.
• Character analysis – {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}

1. describe Mr. Keene
2. describe Tillie

• Character changes –
• Beginning - Mr. Keene thought everyone needed to be in school all the time to learn as much as they could.
• End - Mr. Keene finally realized that there was learning outside of school that has to happen as well and the kids cannot do it if they are in school all the time.
• Classify & categorize –
• Classify things to learn
• Categorize things learned inside and outside of school
• Compare & contrast –

1. Mr. Keene and Tillie
2. Your principal and Mr. Keene.

• Connections –
• possible text-to-self connections
1. Going to a fine school.
2. Having a great principal.
3. Having a brother at home that you help do thing and help learn things.
• possible text-to-text connections
1.  Frog Principal by Stephanie Calmenson
2. The Principals New Clothes by Stephanie Calmenson

Both of these books are about principals and the kids at the school.

• Drawing conclusions & inferencing – Why do you think Mr. Keene listened to Tillie and changed his mind about having school all the time?
• Text clues - Tillie tells Mr. Keene that she can’t teach her brother how to swing or skip and can’t teach her dog to sit. She also tells him that she can’t learn how to climb a tree.
• What I know - I know that I learn many things outside of the classroom.
• My conclusion - I think Mr. Keene listened to Tillie because he didn’t realize how much students learn even when they are not in school.
• Main idea & details –
• Main idea - the story is mostly about students going to school all the time.
• Details –
1. Mr. Keene made the students come to school on Saturdays.
2. They had to go to school on holidays.
3. They had to come to school during the summer.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when Tillie finally went in and talked to Mr. Keene.
• Predict –

1. What do you think the story is going to be about?
2. Why do you think he called everyone together?
3. Do you think Mr. Keene will want them to go to school during the summer?
4. Do you think anyone will ever talk to Mr. Keene?
5. What do you thing Mr. Keene will do after he talks to Tillie?

• Problem & solution –
• Problem - Mr. Keene is making the students and teachers come to school all the time.
• Solution - Tillie decided to talk to Mr. Keene and all the school.
• Sequencing –

1. Mr. Keene loves his school.
2. Mr. Keene told everyone to start coming to school on Saturdays.
3. On Sundays Tillie climbed trees and work with beans and tried to teach her brother how to swing and skip.
4. Mr. Keene said they should go to school on Sundays.
5. The next month Mr. Keene said they should go to school on all the holidays.
6. Mr. Keene said they should go to school during the summer.
7. On the 1^st day of summer Tillie went and talked to Mr. Keene.
8. Mr. Keene called everyone together.
9. Everyone was worried.
10. Mr. Keene said they wouldn’t have school on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and the summer.
11. Everyone was happy.

• Story elements –
• Title – A Fine Fine School
• Author – Sharon Creech
• Characters – Tillie, Mr. Keene
• Setting – school and Tillie’s home
• Plot
1. Beginning – Mr. Keene thought his school was a fine school.
2. Middle – Mr. Keene decided the students and teachers should be at school every day – weekends, holidays and summer!
3. End - Tillie finally told the principal that there were people outside of school that weren’t learning.
• Problem - Mr. Keene is making the students and teachers come to school all the time.
• Solution - Tillie decided to talk to Mr. Keene and all the school.
• Strong thought –
• Everyone was too afraid to talk to Mr. Keene about all the extra school.
1. What would you do or say to Mr. Keene if you were one of the students.
• Summarize –
• Someone - Mr. Keene
• Wanted -  wanted the students to come to school on the weekends, holidays and during the summer
• But - the students didn’t want to
• So -  so Tillie talked to Mr. Keene and
• Then -  then he
• Finally - finally understood that you can learn things even when you are not in school.
• Theme – Mr. Keene learned that learning can take place everywhere, not just in school.
• Visualize – What would you look like if you were told you needed to go to school on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and all summer?

IT'S FREE!
 
If you don't have to book or just want to have someone else read the story, here is a great YouTube video of the story being read.

Happy Planning!

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No More Monsters for Me by Peggy Parish - Teaching Ideas

Minn really, really, really wants a pet but her mom keeps telling her no! She is so upset one evening that she decides to take a walk. While she is out walking she discovers a little monster and he is crying. Minn doesn't know what to do with him and when it starts raining, she carries him home. Minn knows that her mom does not want pets, but she never said no monsters. As Minn tries to hide the monster and figure out how to tell her mom about him, he starts to grow and grow and grow. By the end Minn just blurts out that she has a monster and her mom doesn't believe her, but it makes her mom realize that Minn really, really, really needs a pet. Minn's mom makes a deal with her, if she gets rid of her monster, she can get a pet, so of course Minn helps her monster find his way back home.

This is a fun I Can Read Book that your students will love, especially getting so close to Halloween. If you do have any students reading this book here is a list of reading skills and strategies you can use to create an activity for your students to review or practice those skills on their own.

Reading level: 2.1

Theme: Halloween

Genre: fiction

Suggested Vocabulary: bawling, basement,

Reading skills and strategies:

• asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder where the monster came from? I wonder whose monster it is? {possible questions during} I wonder why the monster is bawling? I wonder if Minn will get in trouble for bringing home a monster? I wonder if Minn's mom will see the monster? I wonder why Minn's mom doesn't believe she has a monster? {possible questions after} I wonder if the monster made it home? I wonder if Minn's mom will ever believe her about the monster? **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
• author's point of view - 1st person point of view. Find 3 examples of text evidence.
• author's purpose - entertain {evidence} There is no such things as monsters. A monster can't grow that fast. The drawing of the monster is silly. All these things make a very entertaining story.
• beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} Minn found a monster and took it home with her. {most important event from middle} The monster grew and grew. {most important event from end} Minn's mom told her that if she got rid of the monster she could get a pet.
• cause and effect - Why was Minn taking a long walk? because she was mad at her mom for not letting her have a pet. Why did Minn bring the monster home? because her mom didn't say she couldn't have a monster. Why did Minn give the monster her teddy bear? so the monster could stop crying. Why did Minn give the monster an apple? so the monster would stop crying. Why did Minn's mom think she had the hic-ups? because Minn was running around at dinner time. Why did Minn bring her mom a potato instead of an apple? because the monster ate all the apples. Why did Minn's mom think a window was open in the basement? because there was a loud noise in the basement. Why did Minn get rid of the monster? because her mom made a deal with her, if she got rid of the monster she could get a pet.   
• characterization - describe Minn {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• compare & contrast - your pet to Minn's monster
• connections - {possible text-to-self connections} Wanting a pet really bad. Your mom not letting you have a pet. Going to pick out a kitten.
• plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when her mom told her that if she got rid of the monster she could get a pet.
• predict - Where do you think she is going to get a monster? What do you think her mom is going to say about the monster? Do you think Minn will show her mom the monster? Do you think the monster will stop crying? Do you think the monster will leave the basement? Do you think the monster will find his home? Do you think Minn will ever get a pet?
• problem & solution - {problem} Minn wanted a pet but her mom said no. {solution} Minn brought home a monster instead but the monster ended up not being a good pet so her mom said that if she got rid of the monster she should get a pet.
• story elements - list title, author, character's, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• summarize - {someone} Minn {wanted} wanted a pet {but} but her mom said no {so} so Minn went out for a walk and {then} then she found a monster. {finally} Finally her mom said that if she got rid of the monster she could get a pet.

I have created an Author's Point of View Freebie for you and your students.

IT'S FREE!!

I have linked up with Mrs. Jumps Class for her Book Talk Tuesday. Just click the We love Books picture below to head on over to see what other fun books are shared.

Happy reading!

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