| 
     
Ship Ahoy!
Room One is putting on a play. And guess what? It’s about explorers
looking for the New World! And there are ships and sea captains
and everything! Plus here’s the bestest news of all—Junie B.
Jones thinks she might be the star of the whole entire production!
Only, sailing the ocean blue is not as easy as it looks, apparently.
’Cause problems keep on happening. Like the actors keep catching
the flu. And bossy May keeps trying to take over the show. Can
this play be saved?
In this
guide for Junie B., First Grader: Shipwrecked,
Junie B. fans learn the importance of teamwork
in accomplishing a common goal. A dramatic play in which students
tell the story of Columbus landing in the New World from the
point of view of the Tainos requires students to work together
from fact-finding to curtain fall. A hands-on experiment with
the multitalented nose shows how our sense of smell serves us
in more ways than one. And an activity in which students write
letters and draw pictures to say “welcome” reveals that Parents’
Night is more than an opportunity for parents “to spy” on their
kids. Finally, a companion activity sheet, telling the story
of Columbus ’s voyage in rhyme, taps the poet in Junie B. fans
everywhere.
Pre-Reading
Activity
The
kids in Junie B.’s Room One are being plagued by a contagious
stomach virus. Using a show of hands, ask students how many
of them have ever had a stomach virus? What were their symptoms?
How long did the virus last? What medicines or remedies did
they use to treat it? How are viruses passed from one person
to another? What steps can we take to protect ourselves from
particular viruses? Can we develop immunities, or
natural defenses, against certain viruses?
Welcome,
Parents!
While
some of Junie B.’s classmates feel Parents’ Night is an opportunity
for parents to poke noses in their children’s business, it really
is an opportunity for parents to learn more about what their
children are doing in school. Have your students welcome their
parents to their classrooms with a letter explaining what they
will find in their desks and sharing what they are working on.
They may introduce parents to particular classmates and tell
them about other places in their school (cafeteria, gym, library).
Letters may be supplemented with a drawing showing each child
engaged in his favorite school activity.
The
Nose Knows . . .
Junie
B. and her classmates discover that noses play a major role
in our everyday lives, even if holding them doesn’t prevent
the spread of germs. Ask students to list smells that they love
and smells that they hate. How can smells help to signal danger
(smoke from fire, rotten food, gas leaks)? How can smells communicate
the pleasures of our world (a rose garden, salt air, fresh-baked
apple pie)? Can smells help us identify our locations even if
we can’t see where we are (school cafeteria, gymnasium, home)?
What happens to our ability to taste when we have stuffed up
noses from a cold or virus? Working in pairs, conduct an experiment
in which students take turns being blindfolded and are asked
to identify samples of different foods (apple, potato chip,
orange, chocolate, pickle, mint candy) while holding their noses.
Then, repeat the experiment without holding noses. Create bar
graphs to chart the difference in taste success.
The
Voyage of Christopher Columbus . . . Part II
Room
One’s Voyage of Columbus play ends when Columbus “discovers”
land. Cast your students in a sequel play, which shows the experience
of this encounter from the point of view of the Tainos, the
first people to greet Columbus . Using library and Internet
resources, have students gather facts about this tall, handsome,
clean-shaven people with olive-tan skin who often wore face
and body paint. How did the Tainos live? What roles did men,
women, and children play in this culture? What were their religious
beliefs? What were the Tainos’s first perceptions of the large
wooden boats and strangely dressed men who came to their shores?
Did they welcome Columbus and his men? How did Columbus respond
to these natives? How did this first encounter with Columbus
and the European world change the Tainos’ lives? A backdrop
mural depicting the grassy plains and lowland rain-forest home
of the Tainos may set the perfect stage for your production.
 Build
Character with Junie B.
•
Fairness
In
Junie B., First Grader: Shipwrecked , Mr. Scary wants
to put on a play and lets Junie B. and Jose pick their roles
first because they had gathered the most facts about Christopher
Columbus. Ask students why they think Mr. Scary did this. Discuss
if the students think this is fair. What do they think would
happen if he just let everyone pick at once? Ask students to
take on the role of Mr. Scary and ask them how they would have
handled the same situation to make sure everyone had a fair
chance to pick their characters for the play.
Check
out the complete Build
Character with Junie B. Educational Activity Kit
Printable
Activity
 A
Poem for Columbus
Answers: blue, rain, way, go, snored, deep, sand, crew, pride,
hot, spice, told, Spain , bright
Rosemary
B. Stimola, Ph.D., serves as educational and editorial consultant
to publishers of children’s books.
|
