Sayings and Phrases
Two sayings are introduced this month, One rotten apple spoils the
whole barrel and Let bygones be bygones. They may be introduced
at any time and in any order. Students are asked to write in response to
these sayings, in one case with a paragraph that supports or refutes the
saying and in the other with a letter of advice.
If you have been posting the sayings and phrases as they are introduced,
be sure to add these.
Poetry
Lewis Carroll dominates the literature this month. His poem, "The Crocodile"
should be introduced after Isaac Watts' "The Bee," and "Father William"
should be introduced last of all.
A writing task, complete with rubric, is included in "The Crocodile."
"Father William" has students working on a group activity. Be sure to read
the Teacher Background for all three lessons before beginning any of the
lessons.
Students should enjoy participating in the assigned choral reading
and learning about Lewis Carroll's life.
Stories
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the selection for January.
It provides a framework for the study of Carroll's poems that are included
this month. If you do not wish to read the entire book to the class, two
sources containing short selections are listed in the Suggested Books.
Students should enjoy the mixed-up world of Wonderland that allows
them to use their imaginations as they listen and react to the story. While
not included in the suggested materials, the Walt Disney film of Alice
is worthwhile, however it includes some characters from Through the
Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.
Third Grade - Literature - Sayings and Phrases -
One Rotten Apple Spoils the Whole Barrel
Objectives
Explain the meaning of the saying, One rotten apple spoils the whole
barrel.
Write a paragraph supporting or refuting the saying.
Recall other sayings and literature that mention apples (optional).
Make an illustrated booklet about sayings and stories that contain
apples (optional).
Materials
Copy of the saying, One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel,
on sentence strip or chart paper
Suggested Books
Hirsch, E. D., Jr., ed. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know.
New York: Dell, 1992.
Teacher Reference
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. The Dictionary
of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy:
What Our Children Need to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
Pickering, David, compiled by. Cassell Dictionary of Proverbs.
London: Cassell, 1997.
Teacher Background
The activity in this lesson is intended to give students an opportunity
to write and express their opinions. If you wish, instead of writing, students
could give their opinions orally and could even participate in a short
debate.
Procedure
Ask the students to think about what happens when a piece of rotten
fruit is next to other pieces of fruit that are still fresh. Ask: Does
the piece of rotten fruit become fresh because it is next to fresh fruit,
or does the fresh fruit turn rotten? (fresh fruit turns rotten) Point out
that one piece of rotten fruit influences the freshness of many others.
Display and read the saying One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.
Tell the students that this saying refers to what they have been talking
about, but it certainly refers to a lot more than that as well. Ask how
many have heard the saying before. Can they recall when they heard it and
what was happening at the time?
Ask students if they have ever been advised by their parents not to
associate with someone because that person is a bad influence. Point out
that their parents are concerned that the person's influence might lead
to doing something wrong or getting into trouble. Suggest that one person's
bad influence may be the reason this saying came to be.
Repeat the saying One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel and
then ask students to tell if they agree or disagree with the saying by
giving a thumbs-up, thumbs-down response. Then ask: Can one person have
so much influence? Can one person influence a group to do good things?
Ask the students if they can think of a time when one person influenced
a group to do the wrong thing. How about a time when one person influenced
others to do the right thing? Allow time for discussion.
Have the students write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with the
saying. Remind them that the opening sentence should be a statement of
their opinion and the rest of the paragraph should support that opinion.
Caution students to indent when they begin the paragraph and to begin each
sentence with a capital letter. Remind them that since they are giving
an opinion, most of their sentences will be statements and should be punctuated
with a period. Tell the students to end the paragraph with a restatement
of opinion.
Additional Activity
Ask students why they think an apple is used in the saying, One
rotten apple spoils the whole barrel. (Answers will vary.) Can they
think of other sayings that have the word "apple" in them? List these on
the board. (Possible answers are: "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch;"
"An apple never falls far from the tree;" "An apple a day keeps the doctor
away;" "as American as apple pie;" "the apple of someone's eye.") Tell
students that "The rotten apple spoils the companion" is a saying by Ben
Franklin.
Remind students that apples have been featured in folk and fairy tales
and in legends they have read. Have them try to recall examples. (Possible
answers are: Atalanta and the race [Greek mythology]; Idunna and the apples
of eternal youth [Norse mythology]; the poison apple in "Snow White;" and
Johnny Appleseed.)
Direct the students to groups of four and have them work on an illustrated
booklet of "Apple Wisdom and Lore." Let each group decide who will draw
and who will write, suggesting that the jobs can be shared and each member
could do both if the team decided to work in that manner.
Have them copy the apple sayings from the board and illustrate them.
Also have them tell how the apple figured in the stories listed. Place
the completed booklets in an area where they can be enjoyed by all.
Third Grade - Literature - Sayings and Phrases - Let Bygones be Bygones
Objectives
Explain the saying, Let bygones be bygones.
Write a letter advising someone to follow this advice.
Assess the wisdom of the saying.
Describe situations in which this advice is appropriate.
Materials
Copy of the saying, Let bygones be bygones, on sentence strip
or chart paper
Suggested Books
Hirsch, E. D., Jr, ed. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know.
New York: Dell, 1992.
Teacher Reference
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. The Dictionary
of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy:
What Our Children Need to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
Pickering, David, compiled by. Cassell Dictionary of Proverbs.
London: Cassell, 1997.
Teacher Background
In this lesson, students are asked to write a letter dispensing advice.
Suggested as an alternative approach to simply having them write a friendly
letter is to have them pretend to be advice column writers responding to
a letter. If you decide to use this approach, providing a letter (complete
with envelope) addressed to "Dear Owly" (the very wise) or some other title
of your choice would be a perfect springboard.
Procedure
Display the saying Let bygones be bygones and read it aloud
to the class. Ask the students if they have ever heard the saying before.
Ask for a volunteer to tell the meaning of the saying. If no one volunteers
a correct response or to better explain the saying, write the word "bygones"
on the board and then separate it into its two parts--"by" and "gones."
Next, drop the "s" and reverse the two words to present the words "gone
by." Ask students to explain what it means if something has gone by (past,
already happened, over). Restate the saying as "Let what's over be over,"
"Let what's past be past," or "Let whatever's already happened be."
Repeat the saying Let bygones be bygones. Ask: What do we call
it when someone tells us what to do in a particular situation? (give advice)
Suggest that this saying gives advice. Ask the students to tell when they
think this advice, to Let bygones be bygones, or "Let what's over
be over" would be given. If students hesitate or seem unsure, present a
scenario like the following:
My best friend borrowed my favorite book and left it out on her porch
in the rain. Every time I look at the ruined book it made me angry. When
my best friend called me to talk I was rude to her on the phone. My mother
overheard what I said and asked what was wrong. I told her about my friend
and the book and she said, "That was 2 weeks ago. You need to forget about
it. Let bygones be bygones."
Tell the students that the saying Forgive and forget is similar
to Let bygones be bygones. It advises us to not hold on to bad feelings
that may have resulted from arguments or
misunderstandings. Ask the students if they think it is good advice.
Ask them if they can think of any benefits that come from following this
advice. Can they think of any problems that could occur from following
it? Are there certain things that we shouldn't forgive and forget? Do we
ever forgive and not forget? Does anything good come from holding a grudge?
Ask the students to think of someone who could benefit from the advice.
Tell them that they may choose someone they have read about or it may be
someone that they know. Ask for volunteers to share the name of the person
(or character) they would advise and then tell the reason that person needs
to let bygones be bygones. List their suggestions on the board and
provide suggestions if students seem unable. (the giant in "Jack and the
Beanstalk," the Norse gods who were tricked or troubled by Loki, etc.)
Tell the students to choose someone either from the list on the board
or from their life to advise. Tell them that they will write a friendly
letter to this person advising him or her to let bygones be bygones.
The letter should explain what the writer thinks this person should forget
and why it would be a good idea to do so. Tell the students that the words
let
bygones be bygones should be included in the letter. Suggest that the
letter might even be an apology, for instance they might be the best friend
who left the book out in the rain and they might be sorry for it and hope
that their friend will let bygones be bygones. Review the format
of a friendly letter by having the students name the parts of a friendly
letter (heading, greeting, body, closing, signature) and tell where they
should be placed. (This assignment could also be presented to the students
by having them pretend to be writers of an advice column who have received
a letter from someone who is having trouble forgetting about something
unkind that has been done to them.)
Post the completed (and corrected) letters, on a bulletin board, under
the heading "Good Advice."
Third Grade - Literature - Poetry - The Bee
Objectives
Identify the message in the poem.
Observe that the poem has two parts that discuss two different, but
related, ideas.
Write a paragraph (or poem) about another model creature.
Materials
Copy of the poem, "The Bee" aka "Against Idleness and Mischief" on
chart paper (see Procedure for format of presentation)
Suggested Books
Ferris, Helen, selected by. Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected
for Boys and Girls. New York: Doubleday, 1957.
Hirsch, E. D., Jr., ed. What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know.
New York: Dell, 1992.
Teacher Background
Isaac Watts was born in England on July 17, 1674; he died there on
November 25, 1748. Watts was an ordained minister who is best known for
writing hymns.
You may wish to focus only on the first two stanzas of the poem. If
you are concerned that the religious aspects of the poem will cause difficulties
for your students, limit their analysis to the first two stanzas and emphasize
the work ethic that Watts commends.
Procedure
Display the first two stanzas of the poem and read them aloud to the
students.
The Bee
Isaac Watts
How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour
And gather honey all the day
From every passing flower!
How skillfully she builds her cell;
How neat she spreads the wax!
And labors hard to store it well
With the sweet food she makes.
Ask for volunteers to tell what the poem is about. (Answers will vary.
Accept responses that indicate that the poet has written about what bees
do.) Be sure that students are familiar with a honeycomb and the idea that
bees carry nectar from flowers into the hive where it is stored as honey.
Tell the students to look at the second stanza and silently read the first
line. Ask: What kind of bee is Mr. Watts talking about? (a female bee--she)
Tell the students that female worker bees are the only bees whose bodies
can make nectar into honey.
Point out that the poet is telling us that the bee makes use of the
day (improve each shining hour) to do her work. Ask students if bees choose
their jobs or if nature chooses it for them. Ask what would happen if a
bee didn't do its job. (It would probably die)
Third Grade - Literature - Poetry - The Bee
Display and read the next two stanzas of the poem.
In works of labor or of skill
I would be busy, too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.
In books, or work, or healthful play,
Let my first years be past;
That I may give for every day
Some good account at last.
Ask the students if the poet is still talking about the bee (no). Ask:
Who is he speaking about? (himself) What is he saying? (Answers will vary,
but response should indicate that the speaker is hoping to do what he should
and not be tempted to be idle, or sit around and do nothing.)
Be sure that students realize that "Satan" in the poem refers to the
devil, or some evil being. Remind students that religion was very much
a part of people's lives at the time this poem was written and the same
religion was practiced by most of the people living in England. Tell them
that the poet, Isaac Watts, was a minister. Have students recall that the
Pilgrims left England for religious freedom.
Ask students who they think the poem might be intended for. Do they
think that it was written for children or adults? Why? (Accept any thoughtful
answer.) Tell the students that another name for the poem is "Against Idleness
and Mischief" (write this on the board). Be sure that students know what
these words mean. Ask if knowing this other title influences who they think
the poem was written for.
Explain that memorization of poetry was a very common practice many
years ago. It was believed that lessons could be learned in this way, and
the act of memorization was considered a useful skill. Point out that it
was quite useful to be able to recite a line of verse to fit a particular
occasion. Being able to recite poetry indicated that a person was educated.
Ask the students if they can think of another insect or animal that
might be put in the same kind of poem as "The Bee." Would it be worthwhile
for someone to watch the actions of an ant or a housefly? Is there a message
in the behavior of a squirrel or a frog? Could they think of a lesson to
be learned by watching the behavior of any other creature? Ask for volunteers
to share their suggestions for a "model creature" and list these on the
board. (You may wish to remind students of the Aesop's fable of "The Grasshopper
and the Ant.")
Have students select a model creature from the board and write a short
paragraph (or poem) about the qualities demonstrated by that creature's
actions.
Third Grade - Literature - Poetry - The Crocodile
Note: This lesson should be taught after the lesson on "The Bee."
Objectives
Enjoy the poem.
Identify the similarities to "The Bee."
Be introduced to the term "parody."
Hear some interesting facts about Lewis Carroll.
Write a letter to Lewis Carroll reacting to the poem, "The Crocodile."
Materials
Copy of the poem, "The Crocodile," on chart paper
Lewis Carroll's name in cursive handwriting on a transparency (see
Teacher Background)
Suggested Books
Ferris, Helen, ed. Favorite Poems Old and New. New York: Doubleday,
1957.
Hirsch, E. D., Jr., ed. What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know.
New York: Dell, 1992.
Livingston, Myra Cohn, selected by. Poems of Lewis Carroll.
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1973.
Contains poems from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through
the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, as well as several others.
One section of the book, "Notes on the Poems," provides valuable insight
into the collected poems.
Teacher Background
Both "The Crocodile" and "Father William" are contained in Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland, but because not everyone will read the book
in its entirety, they are introduced in individual lessons. Should you
decide to read the entire book, rather than an excerpt, you may choose
to discuss these poems as they are met. In that case, present the information
on Lewis Carroll that is included at the beginning of this lesson before
beginning the reading.
Lewis Carroll was able to mirror write (reversed, right to left), which
means that in order to read what he had written it was necessary to hold
it up to a mirror. You can demonstrate his remarkable writing for your
students by writing his name in cursive on a transparency sheet and then
turning the sheet over before projecting it.
Procedure
Display the mirror-image name of Lewis Carroll on a transparency. Tell
the students that this is the name of the man who wrote the poem you are
about to read. He is also the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Ask: What is different about the way his name is written? (reversed,
mirror image) Explain that this type of writing can be read when it is
held up to a mirror. Ask if anyone can decipher the name and if not, tell
the students that his name is Lewis Carroll. (Turn the sheet over so that
students can see.) Tell them that Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles
Dodgson. Explain that in a similar way to how he reversed his name when
writing, Charles Dodgson actually reversed his first and last names and
then translated them into Latin and then back to English to get Lewis Carroll.
Tell the students that Mr. Carroll was a very clever man who invented
games and stories. He was born in England on January 27, 1832 and lived
until January 14, 1898. He was a mathematician and photographer, who had
a terrible stammer and was very self conscious about how he spoke. When
he was in the company of children, especially Alice Liddell and her sisters,
Carroll would lose his speech problems. He was able to entertain these
little girls by telling them wonderful stories and riddles in which he
included their names.
Tell students that Mr. Carroll was a very prolific writer, which means
that he wrote a lot. Explain that he wrote nearly 2,000 letters a year
for almost 50 of the years of his life. Tell the students that we know
this because he not only wrote this many letters, but recorded each one
in a notebook as well.
Explain that Lewis Carroll not only had fun playing with his own name,
but with the names and writings of others. Tell the students that the following
poem is one example.
Display and read the poem.
The Crocodile
Lewis Carroll
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale.
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!
Ask the students if it reminds them of any other poem they have read
("The Bee" aka "Against Idleness and Mischief").
Ask: What is this poem about? (a crocodile) Do you think that this
is a serious poem like "The Bee"? Is there any lesson in this poem? Tell
the students that when a writer takes a serious idea and writes about it
in a humorous way, we say that person has written a parody. Write the word
"parody" on the board.
Explain that in the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the
main character, Alice, tries to recite
"The Bee," but "The Crocodile" comes
out instead. This is a sign to Alice that she really isn't herself.
Invite volunteers to recite the poem and allow as many recitations
as time permits. Ask students to identify the rhyming words (crocodile-Nile,
tail-scale; grin-in, claws-jaws). Challenge students to identify the rhyme
scheme (ABAB, CDCD). Ask students if they like the poem and invite them
to tell why (or why not).
Write Lewis Carroll's name on the board and tell the students that
in honor of Mr. Carroll's great love of letter writing they are going to
write a letter to him. Tell them that they will not be writing as themselves
however, they will be writing the letter from the point of view of Isaac
Watts, the author of
"The Bee." (Write Isaac Watts' name on the board.)
Remind the students that Mr. Watts died in 1748 and Mr. Carroll wasn't
born until 1832, so they never got to meet each other. Ask them to imagine
how Mr. Watts might have felt about the "The Crocodile." Be sure to point
out that he might have thought the poem was funny, or he might have felt
either
angry or hurt. Tell students that they may write from any of those
perspectives, but they must
explain in their letter why they feel that way.
Take a few minutes and allow students to discuss what Mr. Watts might
say to Mr. Carroll. Write their ideas on the board, separating them into
"like"
and "dislike" columns. Then tell students to write a friendly letter to
Mr. Carroll from Mr. Watts' point of view. Tell the students that this
assignment has three requirements. The letter should tell whether they
like or dislike the poem (1) and give at least two reasons to support that
opinion (2). The letter should be written in the proper form, from Mr.
Watts to Mr. Carroll, and should contain proper punctuation and spelling
(3). Put a simple rubric on the board that shows how points are assigned.
You may wish to develop your own rubric with the students or use the following
suggestion.
3 points |
Evidence of all 3 requirements. Letter states whether the writer likes or dislikes the poem "The Crocodile" and gives at least 2 reasons. It is written in proper form with correct spelling and punctuation. |
2 points |
Evidence of 2 of the 3 requirements |
1 point |
Evidence of 1 of the 3 requirements |
0 points |
No evidence of any of the 3 requirements |
Assign partners and have them exchange papers for proofreading purposes. You may wish to put a checklist on the board for students to reference as they read their partner's work. Collect the papers for grading purposes.
Third Grade - Literature - Poetry - Father William
Note: This lesson should be taught after the lessons on "The Bee" and
"The Crocodile."
Objectives
Enjoy the poem.
Answer questions about the poem that:
Recognize the question and answer format of the poem.
Identify the speakers.
Gather evidence of humor.
Participate in a choral reading of the poem (optional).
Write about a favorite stanza from the poem (optional or homework).
Materials
Copy of the poem, "Father William," attached, on chart paper or transparency
and for each student
Vocabulary/Questions for each group of four (attached)
Vocabulary/Questions Teacher Sheet (attached)
Suggested Books
Livingston, Myra Cohn, selected by. Poems of Lewis Carroll.
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1973.
Contains poems from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through
the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, as well as several others.
One section of the book,
"Notes on the Poems," provides valuable insight
into the collected poems.
Teacher Background
A biographical sketch of Lewis Carroll is included in the lesson on
"The
Crocodile." If you decide to use this lesson while you are reading Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland, be sure to use the introductory portion of the
Procedure in the lesson on "The Crocodile."
Procedure
Remind the students that they have already learned a little about the
author Lewis Carroll. Invite volunteers to recall something about him and
his life. Ask the students if they would consider Carroll a serious or
a humorous writer (humorous). Ask them to recall the names of other poets
and authors who write humorous pieces. (Answers will vary. Nash, Silverstein,
Prelutsky, Belloc are a few of the names they would know.)
Tell the students that the poem they will be reading today is one of
Lewis Carroll's poems from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, just
as "The Crocodile" was. Tell them that the poem is called "Father William"
and it is from Chapter 5, "Advice from a Caterpillar."
Remind the students that "The Crocodile" was intended to make fun of
the poem "The Bee." Explain that "Father William" makes fun of another
poem that was written by a man named Robert Southey. That poem is called
"The Old Man's Comforts and How He Gained Them."
Divide the class into groups of four, then distribute copies of the
poem "Father William" to each student. Give each group a copy of the Vocabulary/Questions.
Assign the roles of reader, recorder, speaker and
leader to the members of the group. Tell the students that the reader
will read the poem aloud to the group; the recorder will write down the
group's ideas; the speaker will share those ideas with the class; and the
leader will keep the activity moving and call on members of the group to
speak.
Tell the students that first the reader should read the poem as group
members follow along, then they should use the Vocabulary sheet to find
the meanings of unknown words in the poem. Next, they should read the poem
again silently. Then they should answer the questions and be prepared to
share their answers with the class.
After the class has had several minutes to work on the activity in
groups, ask the class to reconvene. Invite the speakers for each of the
groups to respond to the questions. Discuss any disputed responses.
Divide the class into two parts and ask one group to be Father William
and one group to be his son. Have the students read the poem alternating
stanzas and characters. You may wish to pronounce any troublesome words
for the students before they begin.
Ask students, if after reading this poem, they have any different opinion
of Lewis Carroll. Invite anyone who might have another idea for Father
William to share it with the class. For example, could Father William ride
a unicycle or a pogo stick; could he walk on stilts; could he hear a coin
drop to the floor a block away or hear someone whisper about him?
Activity/Homework
Have students write about their favorite stanza of the poem. Do they
like Father William standing on his head, balancing an eel, doing a back
somersault, or eating a goose? Have them tell the stanza they like best
and why they like it. An illustration of the stanza could also be assigned.
Vocabulary/Questions
incessantly - without stopping (The phone rings incessantly until someone
answers it.)
pray - an expression that means "I beg of you"
sage - a wise person
limbs - arms or legs
supple - flexible, easily bent
shilling - a coin that was used in England
suet - fatty part of the meat of beef or sheep
airs - haughtiness ("Don't give yourself airs" - Don't be so snobby!
Don't be a show-off!)
Questions
1.Who are the speakers in this poem?
2. The same person speaks in stanzas 1, 3, 5 and 7, while the other person speaks in stanzas 2, 4, 6 and 8. What is different about what they have to say to each other. (Hint: Look at the punctuation at the end of each line.)
3. Can you find four examples of humor in the poem? Who is the person saying the lines that are funny?
4. How are all of the stanzas alike?
Vocabulary/Questions - Teacher Sheet
incessantly - without stopping (The phone rings incessantly until someone
answers it.)
pray - an expression that means "I beg of you"
sage - a wise person
limbs - arms or legs
supple - flexible, easily bent
shilling - a coin that was used in England
suet - fatty part of the meat of beef or sheep
airs - haughtiness ("Don't give yourself airs" - Don't be so snobby!
Don't be a show-off!)
Questions
1.Who are the speakers in this poem?
Father William his son
2. The same person speaks in stanzas 1, 3, 5 and 7, while the other person speaks in stanzas 2, 4, 6 and 8. What is different about what they have to say to each other. (Hint: Look at the punctuation at the end of each line.)
The son asks questions Father William gives answers
3. Can you find examples of humor in the poem? Who is the person saying
the lines that are funny?
Father William
Stanza 2 - says he's sure he has no brain
Stanza 4 - tries to sell the ointment he uses
Stanza 6 - says his jaws got strong by arguing with his wife
Stanza 8 - threatens to kick his son downstairs
Son mentions the following about Father William:
Stanza 1 - says Fr. Wm. stands on his head all the time
Stanza 3 - says Fr. Wm. turned a back somersault
Stanza 5 - says Fr. Wm. ate a goose with bones and beak
Stanza 7 - says Fr. Wm. balanced an eel on the end of his nose
4. How are all of the stanzas alike?
All the stanzas have four lines. All the stanzas have an ABAB rhyme
pattern.
Father William
Lewis Carroll Stanza
"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
AAnd your hair has become
very white; 1
"And yet you incessantly
stand on your head -
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"
"In my youth," Father William replied to his son, 2
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
AWhy, I do it again and again."
"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before, 3
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back somersault in at the door--
Pray, what is the reason of that?"
"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his gray
locks, 4
"I kept all my very limbs
supple
By the use of this ointment--one shilling the box--
Allow me to sell you a couple."
"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak 5
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law, 6
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."
"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose 7
That your eye is as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What makes you so awfully clever?"
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough," 8
Said his father, "don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs."
Third Grade - Literature - Stories - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Note: This lesson should be taught after the lesson on "The Bee."
Objectives (according to Activities provided)
Enjoy the story.
Identify examples of nonsense in the story.
Evaluate Alice's actions in the story.
List new words and their meanings.
Discuss the convenience of using a dream when telling a story.
Determine favorite and least favorite characters.
Find examples of cause and effect within the story.
Materials
Copy of the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or a selection
from it
Suggested Books
Blishen, Edward. Children's Classics to Read Aloud. New York:
Kingfisher Books, 1991.
Contains the chapter "Alice Meets a Duchess," a reading that takes
approximately fifteen minutes.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York:
Puffin, 1946, 1994.
Contains the wonderfully clever pen and ink drawings of John Tenniel.
Hirsch, E. D., Jr, ed. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know.
New York: Dell, 1992.
Contains several brief excerpts from the book, a good selection for
introducing Alice.
Livingston, Myra Cohn, selected by. Poems of Lewis Carroll.
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1973.
Contains poems from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through
the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, as well as several others.
One section of the book,
"Notes on the Poems," provides valuable insight
into the collected poems.
Websites
http://www.cstone.net/library/alice/aliceinwonderland.html
Site contains the text of the book and some images. Material is copyrighted
and may not be republished, however text and images can be downloaded and
printed for a class.
Http.//www.arti.es/Disneymania/alice.htm
Images from the 1951 animated film produced by Walt Disney.
Teacher Background
If you decide to read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and incorporate
the study of the poems "The Crocodile" and "Father William," you may do
so, however be sure to complete the lesson on "The Bee" before any others.
Background on Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) is included in the
lesson that accompanies "The Crocodile." Use it with this lesson if you
choose to read the story prior to the poems.
If you read the Carroll-Tenniel book, be sure to show students the
illustrations and the unusual way that the text is written in the mouse
tale in Chapter Three. If you decide to have the students do an original
illustration of a particular scene be sure to share John Tenniel's interpretation
later.
Procedure
Remind the students that Lewis Carroll had an usual way of looking
at things. Suggest that we might say that he turned things upside down
or looked at them backwards. Tell the students that as you read Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland, they are to think of themselves as inspectors
whose job it is to make things right--to turn them back around, right side
up, and forwards. Tell them to keep their ears and eyes open because as
they enter Wonderland, they will have a lot to consider.
Eat me - Drink me
In several places in the story, Alice's size is affected by what she
has had to eat or drink. Be sure to discuss the foolishness of her actions
in eating and drinking unknown things. Point out to students that while
Alice does check to make sure "poison" is not written on the bottle, she
really doesn't know what it contains.
Have students respond to Alice's changes of size. When Alice shrinks
to her minuscule size ask students to think of other literary characters
who are tiny. Ask: How did Thumbelina get by being so small? What was Tom
Thumb able to do in spite of his short stature?
When Alice towers above everyone else, ask students to compare her
problems to those of other giants they may recall (from Jack and the Beanstalk,
the Selfish Giant, etc.). Then ask students to consider the adjustments
they would have to make if they were suddenly very tall or very small.
Pair students and let one partner tell the Tall tale while the other tells
the Short tale.
New Words
Keep a running list of new vocabulary encountered in the stories of
Alice. Have students make a dictionary of new words. Encourage students
to write a short line about each and do an illustration (if possible).
You may wish to explore other English words as well.
Just a Dream
Ask the students: Was Alice's adventure only a dream? Why do you think
that? Ask them to think of other stories they have read that involve dreams.
(Just a Dream by Van Allsburg, The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne
Cherry, etc.) Tell the students a dream provides a convenient way for an
author to end a story. Ask them to explain why making what happens in a
story be a dream could make an author's work a little easier (uses make-believe,
doesn't have to be logical or come to a reasonable conclusion).
Who are You?
Students will meet unusual characters (the Mock Turtle, the Cheshire
Cat, the Caterpillar, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse, the
Gryphon, the Duchess, the March Hare, and all the characters in the court
of the King and Queen of Hearts to name a few) and hear about their outlandish
behaviors. Have students select their favorite character and write a paragraph
about him or her. Then have them turn their papers (so that the bottom
is now the top) and write a paragraph about their least favorite character
in the story.
Cause and Effect
There are many opportunities to examine cause and effect, beginning
with Alice's boredom and the adventures that occur when she follows the
rabbit. List cause-effect examples on the board as they happen in the story
and be sure to show students how the effect of one action can become the
cause of another. You may also wish to provide part of the action and ask
the students to fill in the missing reaction or cause.
Bibliography
Blishen, Edward. Children's Classics to Read Aloud. New York:
Kingfisher Books, 1991. (1-85697-825-7)
Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York:
Puffin, 1946, 1994. (0-14-036-675-X)
Ferris, Helen, ed. Favorite Poems Old and New. New York: Doubleday,
1957. (0-385-07696-7)
Hirsch, E. D., Jr, ed. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know.
New York: Dell, 1992. (0-385-31257-1)
________. What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know. New York: Dell,
1992. (0-385-31260-1)
Livingston, Myra Cohn, selected by. Poems of Lewis Carroll.
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1973. (0-690-00178-9)
Teacher Reference
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. The Dictionary
of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. (0-395-65597-8)
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy:
What Our Children Need to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. (0-395-59901-6)
Morris, William and Mary. Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins.
New York: Harper & Row, 1977, 1988. (0-06-015862-X)
Pickering, David, compiled by. Cassell Dictionary of Proverbs.
London: Cassell, 1997.(0-304-34911-9)
Room, Adrian, revised by. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
New York: HarperCollins, 1959, 1995. (0-06-270133-9)