A Fine Fine School by Sharon Creech: Lesson Plan for K-2

A Fine Fine School by Sharon Creech: Lesson Plan for K-2
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Mr. Keene, the principal, loved his school. He loved his teachers and the students. It was a fine school because the fine teachers were

teaching many things to the fine students. In his enthusiasm, Mr. Keene keeps adding more days to the school calendar: Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and during summer vacation. Because the teachers and students love Mr. Keene, they don’t want to complain.One day Tillie told Mr. Keene that not everyone was learning! What will Mr. Keene do?

A Fine Fine School by Sharon Creech lesson plan will provide calendar activities and a writing activity for this popular book.

Objectives

1. Students will be introduced to Sharon Creech, author of picture books and novels for children.

2. Students will complete a writing assignment using correct punctuation and capitalization.

3. Students will review the order of months on a calendar.

4. Students will find out or review in which month common holidays occur.

After Reading the Book

After reading A Fine Fine School by Sharon Creech:

1. Leave the book out and encourage children to take time to examine all the illustrations. They add so much to the story. The facial expressions, the subtle human behaviors of the pets and the random books and signs are so comical.

2. Provide a sampling of other Sharon Creech books: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, Fishing in the Air and Love That Dog are some choices.

3.Writing Assignment:

a. Instruct students to first write a list of things they would miss if they went to school every day of the year. The list should include things they do on weekends, club or sports activities, holiday traditions and family outings.

b. Then students should study their list and pick the favorite two or three things and include them when writing a paragraph: “If I went to school everyday, I would miss…”

Calendar Activities

Mr. Keene continued to add days to the school year: Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and summer vacation days. Help the students learn and review calendar facts.

Materials

Copies of paper with months: Cut Out Months (Click here for downloadable worksheet)

Construction paper (any color)

School glue

Student scissors

Blank copies of a month (one copy per student)

Preparation

Use 9”x12” construction paper and write the months of the year, one month on each piece of paper

Use 9”x12” construction paper to write one holiday on each piece of paper. Choose holidays appropriate to your school and cultural focus. Some common ones could include: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so on.

Cut 9”x12” construction paper in half lengthwise. Provide enough for one strip per student.

Activity 1. Give each student a strip with the months and a strip of construction paper. Instruct students to cut out the months and glue them in order, January through December from top to bottom, on the strip of paper.

Activity 2. Display the months in order, propped up on the chalk tray or have individual students hold the cards. Pass out the papers of the holidays in random order to students. Then call on a student to place the holiday with the month in which it occurs.

Activity 3. Instruct students to fill in the calendar with days of the week and numbers. You may have them do this to match the dates of the current month.

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Then ask them questions like:

a. Put your finger on the first Friday. What is the date? What is the date two weeks from Friday?

b. What is the date of the third Wednesday of the month?

c. Jon’s birthday is the 14th. What day of the week is that?

d. What patterns do you notice on the calendar? (Multiples of 7, odd and even numbers)

Your students will groan when they hear that Principal Keene wants to have school every day of the year. You will groan, too! It’s a good thing that this book is fiction. Use A Fine Fine School by Sharon Creech lesson plan to get the most out of this delightful book. Include a writing assignment, an introduction to Sharon Creech books and calendar activities.

References