| 
     
Ho,
ho . . . uh-oh! It’s holiday time, and Room One is doing lots
of happy things to celebrate. Like wearing elf costumes! And
singing joyful songs! Only how can Junie B. enjoy the festivities
when Tattletale May keeps ruining her holiday glee? And here
is the worst part of all! When everyone picks names for Secret
Santa, Junie B. gets stuck with Tattletale you-know-who! It’s
enough to fizzle your holiday fun! Hmm . . . or is it? Maybe—just
maybe—a Secret Santa gift is the perfect opportunity to give
May exactly what she deserves.
In
this guide for Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells,
Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.) , students will
celebrate the holidays with Junie B. and Room One. Students
perform better on standardized tests when they discuss what
they’ve read, so the questions here help guide their responses
to the book. What should Junie B. buy at the Holiday Gift Shop?
Let your students decide while they practice adding up money.
Then let students decorate candy canes or gift tags to celebrate
the season Junie B. style! And finally, how about a letter to
Santa to practice all the words of the season?
Pre-Reading
Activities
Using
a show of hands ask the students whether anyone has been a
Secret Santa before. How does it work? Is it more fun than
just trading names for gifts? Why? Could anything go wrong
with the Secret Santa system? What? Would you like to be Secret
Santa’s? Why or why not?
At
holiday time, people often give and receive gifts. Put up
both words on the blackboard and have students brainstorm
what makes a good giver and receiver. How can you show someone
that you appreciated his or her present? What should you not
do when you get a gift? Is it possible to be a bad giver?
How?
Let’s
Talk About It
- Why
do May and Junie B. have so much trouble getting along? Do
you think they will ever become friends? Are they both to
blame? Why or why not?
- Why
isn’t Junie B. excited about being a Secret Santa? Would you
be excited? Why or why not?
- Mr.
Scary tells Junie B.: “If you do something nice for May, you’ll
feel so proud inside. It will feel like a gift that you’ve
given yourself .” (p. 42) What does he mean by this?
Do you agree with him?
- What
are Junie B’s plans for the ten dollars she has to spend at
the Holiday Gift Shop? Do you think her plan is a good one?
Why? What would you want to buy?
- In
the end, what does Junie B. decide to do for May? Why doesn’t
she stick with teaching her a lesson? Why do you think she
changed her mind? What would May have done if Junie B. hadn’t
changed her mind?
Desk
Candy
In
Room One, all the students (including Junie B.) have candy cane
garlands decorating their desks. Have students create their
own garlands by cutting out candy cane shapes and coloring them.
(As Junie B. says, “Who says all candy canes have to be red
and white is what I want to know!”) Punch holes in the top,
slide on yarn or string, and tape it around your desk for a
festive look! On the back of each candy cane, students should
list one thing they love to do around the holidays.
Printable
Activities
Let’s
Shop!
Dear
Santa
From
Me to You
This
guide was created by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, a reading specialist
and children’s author. Visit her Web site to find many guides
to children’s books.
|
