Nobody Owns the Sky A RIF GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY COORDINATORS TIME TO READ! RELATED ACTIVITIES ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TOTALLY TUBULAR AIRPLANES (AGES 7-9)

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1 A RIF GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY COORDINATORS Before reading: Find out what the children know about airplanes and flying to help them connect to the story and to Bessie s dream. *This story states that Bessie died in a plane crash. Be prepared for any questions. RELATED ACTIVITIES BANANA AIRPLANES (AGES 4-6) Ingredients: banana, pretzel sticks, chocolate chips Cut 1 banana in 1/2. Use 4 pretzel sticks to make the wings (2 on each side). Use 6 chocolate chips for the windows. Press the pointed tops into the banana. Take a quick flight around your plate and enjoy! CARDBOARD AIRPLANES (AGES 4-6) Materials: large cardboard box, scissors, packing tape, markers or paint Make a cardboard box into a plane for kids to fly! Cut flaps from box top into 2 wings and attach to box sides with tape. Let kids decorate the plane and pretend to fly like Bessie! TOTALLY TUBULAR AIRPLANES (AGES 7-9) Materials: paper towel tube, colored heavy paper, scissors, tape, markers or paint Draw 2 wings on heavy paper. Cut out the wings with scissors. Fold the end of the wings under a 1/2 inch and tape to the tube. Decorate with markers or paint. PAPER AIRPLANES (AGES 9-12) Have kids create their own paper airplanes. Let them have a flight contest to see whose airplane travels the farthest. Check out this website for 5 free designs: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR On Morning Wings (2002), The Circle of Days (2002), Homer, the Library Cat (2011). TECHNOLOGY LINK FOR KIDS

2 A RIF GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS Content Connections: Science, Social Studies BEFORE WE READ, LET S LOOK AT... The Cover: Have students make predictions about the text based on the front cover illustrations and the title. Have them talk about the difference between fact and fiction, biography and the author s purpose. The Pictures: For younger students, take a brief picture walk. Notice the way that Bessie is washing the clothes, where she lives, how they farm, the way people dress, cars on the street and the plane that Bessie is flying. Talk about how these pictures help your students understand the time frame of this story. Prior Knowledge: Find out what your students already know about flight. Do they know about aviators? Have they ever been to an air show, a museum or the airport? Are your students familiar with the geographical locations mentioned in the text (Texas, Florida, Chicago, Boston, France)? Have students look up Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. How were they associated with aviation? Vocabulary: century, manicured, lectured Purpose for Reading: Students can infer by setting the following purpose: As we read today, I want you to think about why Bessie might have wanted to be a pilot. WHILE WE READ MONITORING COMPREHENSION Who do you think told Bessie she was crazy? Why would flying be such a challenge for Bessie in the 1920s? Why was France a better place for Bessie to learn to fly than the United States? Do you think Bessie was able to change people s minds about women? About flying? Why or why not? LET S THINK ABOUT Our Purpose: Revisit the purpose: Why do you think Bessie wanted to become a pilot? Encourage your students to think about evidence in the text that can help support their opinions. Extending Our Thinking: Ask students to think about how Bessie might have felt while she was working in Chicago before going to France, how her parents might have felt about her flying and how the term brave describes her. Ask what questions your students have about the text. NOTE TO EDUCATORS Extension Activities for Educators also available. Vocabulary Scaffolding Sheet also available.

3 A RIF GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES Before reading, build background knowledge: Find out what your child already knows about airplanes and flying. *This story states that Bessie died in a plane crash. Be ready for any questions your child asks. While reading, point out the rhyming words: Can your child guess the rhyming word to finish the next sentence? After reading, ask questions: Why did Bessie want to fly? Who told her she was crazy? Where did Bessie learn to fly? How long do you think it takes to learn to fly an airplane? RELATED ACTIVITIES BANANA AIRPLANES Ingredients: banana, pretzel sticks, chocolate chips Cut 1 banana in 1/2. Use 4 pretzel sticks to make the wings (2 on each side). Use 6 chocolate chips for the windows. Press the pointed tops into the banana. Take a quick flight around your plate and enjoy! OUT AND ABOUT If you live near an airport, watch the planes take off and land. Visit your local library for great books on airplanes and pilots. For more fun activities, go to: TOTALLY TUBULAR! Materials: paper towel tube, colored heavy paper, scissors, tape, markers or paint Draw 2 wings on heavy paper. Cut the wings out with scissors. Fold the end of the wings under a 1/2 inch and tape to tube. Decorate with markers or paint. PAPER AIRPLANES What kid doesn't like paper airplanes? Check out this website for 5 free designs! ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR On Morning Wings (2002), The Circle of Days (2002), Homer, the Library Cat (2011).

4 A RIF VOCABULARY SCAFFOLD century: 100 years bright: shiny, lit up, or smart glide: to fly with no engine power starry-eyed: amazed lecture: to speak to courage: the ability to do hard or scary boundary: a limit, where ends barrier: in the way sigh: to say sadly, make a sad noise manicure: to take care of fingernails

5 RIF EXTENSION ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS THINK-TAC-TOE ACTIVITY OPTIONS Individual students can choose an activity to complete. Student pairs or cooperative groups can work together on a choice of their own. Educators can assign an activity for an individual, pairs or groups. PARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAIS? Bessie Coleman learned to fly in France, so she must have learned a few French words. Learn 10 words in French that relate to flying. Choose an activity below to use the words in: A poem A story about you or Bessie An illustration or comic strip A How to Fly an Airplane brochure. Art Smart/Social Studies Descriptive Writing PASSPORT, PLEASE Create a passport and travel with Bessie to France. How long do you think it will take to get there? What will you see when you arrive? What will you learn? How will your trip to France be like Bessie s? What challenges will you face? Write your thoughts in your passport. Art Smart/Math/Social Studies HEAR YE! HEAR YE! You are a newspaper reporter in Florida when Bessie Coleman dies. Write a newspaper story about Bessie and her life. Your job is to decide which facts to include in the article. You may include a picture. Be sure to come up with a good headline! Read your story to a classmate or to the class. JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD! Travel the world! Choose 5 places to visit on 3-5 continents. Calculate the distance to each. Map the shortest and longest routes to complete your journey. How much time will it take by air, boat, train or car? Tell your group about your trip. Why did you choose those places? Number Smart/Math/Geography A WEEK IN HER SHOES Imagine that you are Bessie Coleman at either age 10, 25 or 40. After choosing an age, create a journal with entries for 1 week. Describe what was going on in her life, what she saw, what she did and how she felt during that time. Self Smart/Social Studies Journal Writing EARLY FLIGHT Research different types of air transportation. Describe the different power sources of each. Share the information you find in one of the following ways: Poster Self-made book Model(s) PowerPoint PAPER AIRPLANE EXPERIMENT Make 4 paper airplanes and number them 1-4. Pick a starting point and use a tape measure or yard stick to find how far each plane travels. Add paper clips to the wings. Does the extra weight change the flight distance? Present your findings to the class. Body Smart/Science/Math THE GREAT DEBATE You want to be a pilot in the 1920s. Flying back then was dangerous and your family is worried about you. Write a letter convincing them to let you become a pilot. Use supporting evidence to make your case. Word Smart/Science Persuasive Writing QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS You work for a TV station and Bessie Coleman has just returned from France with her pilot s license. Interview her. Think of interesting questions and then you or a partner write her answers. Act out the interview for the class. Word Smart/Social Studies Logic Smart/Science People Smart/Creative Writing