Teacher s Guide. created by Cassandra Reigel Whetstone illustrations by Rebecca Bender

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1 Teacher s Guide created by Cassandra Reigel Whetstone illustrations by Rebecca Bender

2 Story Summary Giraffe and Bird do not get along. They annoy each other so much that they finally go their separate ways only to discover that they actually miss being together. Rebecca Bender writes and illustrates from her home in Ontario. You can learn more about her at Pre-reading Activity Ask, Is there anyone in your life, maybe a brother or sister, cousin, or neighbor, who annoys you? What sorts of things do they do that bother you? Discuss reasons why it might be hard to get along with somebody. Ask, How might you feel if you didn t see that person anymore? Words and Concepts for Pre-Reading Sheltered Instruction: abide, invade, personal space, fiber, prunes feathers, glum, pester.

3 Discussion Questions 1. Show the cover of the book and read the title. Who are the characters in this story? How do you think they feel about each other? (Book cover) 2. Look at giraffe s expression. What do you think can t abide the bird means? (pages 4-5) 3. What does the phrase personal space mean? How do you feel when someone is in your personal space? What are some things you can do or say when someone is in your personal space? (pages 8-9) 4. Why is eating too many berries a problem in this story? Consider explaining that many plant materials, including berries are rich in fiber. Fiber helps digested food move along the intestinal tract. (pages 10-11) 5. What words would you use to describe the relationship between Giraffe and Bird? (pages 12-13) 6. What do you notice is different between the art work on pages and 18-19? Point out that on pages the author switches from full page illustrations to panels. How does this change affect the storytelling? What do you notice about the speed of the storytelling when the author uses panels to show the reader more events? (pages 16-19) 7. How do Giraffe and Bird feel about each other now? Have you ever been surprised to realize that you miss somebody? (pages 24-25) 8. How would you describe the relationship between Giraffe and Bird at the end of the story? (page 32)

4 Response to Story Giraffe and Bird Speech Bubbles (Writing, Art) Materials: copy of Speech Bubble page, one per student; chart paper and marker; pencils; crayons Prep: make copies of Speech Bubble page, (included in teacher s guide) Directions: 1. Read pages Point out the speech bubbles and tell students that speech bubbles are a way that authors and illustrators can convey a character s dialogue to the reader. 2. Ask students where else they might have seen speech bubbles. Answers might include comic books, graphic novels, some early readers and picture books. 3. Tell students that when writers use speech bubbles to tell the dialogue they have to select words that convey a lot of meaning. Discuss and compare the following sentences: I want you to go away, Bird. Vs. Scram, Bird! You need to leave, Giraffe. Vs. Get lost, Giraffe! 4. Ask students which sentences show more emotion and excitement to the reader. 5. Make a list of statements that Giraffe might say to Bird, or Bird might say to Giraffe. Include phrases from the book as well as original ideas from students.

5 6. Pass out speech bubble page and direct students to write a statement from either Giraffe or Bird. Have them illustrate the character they ve selected at the bottom left hand side of the paper. Closure: Speech bubble illustrations may be either displayed on a bulletin board or bound together in a class book titled, Giraffe and Bird Sayings. Extension: On the back side of the page, have students create Thought Bubbles (usually cloud shaped with a series of circles rising from character with text in a large bubble) that illustrate what the character really feels. Modification for Older Students: Older students may cut out two speech bubbles and glue them onto a piece of drawing paper and create a quote from Giraffe and from Bird. Encourage students to experiment with ways to make the two quotes flow together using rhyme, alliteration, figurative language or tone of voice.

6 Telephone Poles (Science, Safety) Materials: Chart paper, pencil, markers. Prep: Sketch a path from a picture of a telephone, to a telephone box, to telephone poles to a local exchange box, to another telephone. Directions: 1. Reread the pages on Discuss what is happening in the picture. Note that the telephone poles have crashed. 2. Say, Is this something that can happen in real life? Discuss that telephone poles, also called utility poles, can sometimes be damaged in storms. 3. Ask students to share what they know about how telephone poles work. Tell students that in addition to carrying telephone signals, utility poles may also support overhead power lines and electric cables, which carry electricity. 4. Remind students that power lines carry electric charges. Electricity is always looking for the shortest path to the ground. (Birds can sit on power lines because the birds are not touching the ground.) Tell students that if they see a fallen power line they must stay far away from it to avoid being shocked. Remind them not to touch anything that the line might be touching, such as a fence or a tree. 5. Describe how a telephone signal moves from a phone over the telephone lines to another house by tracing over the pencil drawing in marker. Label telephone, telephone box and lines, local exchange box along the way. Explain to students that this is just one way that

7 phone signals travel in a small geographic area. Cell phones use cell towers and sometimes satellites to send transmit their signals. Closure: Invite students to add illustrations to the phone diagram. Encourage students to trace the path of the telephone current during free time or read-the-room time. Extension: Play Telephone. Have students stand in a circle and hold a length of yarn or string. Tell the first person that they are the telephone. Ask them to think of a word or phrase and whisper it to the next person. Have students pass the message along to one another until the reach the last person who is the receiving phone and have them announce the word or phrase out loud.

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