THE GREAT KAPOK TREE
THE GREAT KAPOK TREE
Activity 1
I will learn about the rainforest.
Read or Listen to this story:
Embedded Files
Activity 2
Analyze asking complex questions and Literary Analysis Wheel:
The Literary Analysis Wheel—Primary is a tool that can be used to ask more complex questions. Note that literary elements such as setting, point of view, character, etc., each have their own block of space on the wheel and information can be added as you ask simple questions. Complex questions arise when students explore the interaction between two or more elements. Drawing arrows to show the relationship between two elements can be helpful for students. See below for an example of a completed wheel.
• Setting + Characters: How does the setting of the rainforest, and more specifically the Great Kapok Tree, influence how the characters respond to the man? Provide examples from the story. (Sample response: The setting of the kapok tree reveals the wide variety of species who claim the tree as part of their habitat. One by one they come down from different parts of the tree to explain why the setting/ tree is important for their survival.)
• Use of Words/Techniques + Characters: How does the author help us understand the importance of the Great Kapok Tree as being vital to life? (Sample response: The number of animals that live in the tree help us understand the tree’s importance for a variety of animals.)
• Sequence/Plot + Characters: How does the introduction of each animal add to the conflict of the story? (Sample response: As each animal reveals the importance of the tree in their life—shelter, home to raise young, etc.—the reader begins to realize the significance of one organism in helping maintain balance in an ecosystem.)
• Setting + Reader (Mood): How does the setting of the story contribute to the feelings you have as a reader? (Sample response: The setting of the kapok tree and the rainforest made me curious. As the animals continued to talk about the tree’s importance in their lives I became worried about what would happen if the man ended up cutting down the tree.)
• Use of Words/Techniques + Theme: Onomatopoeia is a literary form that uses a word to mimic the sound of what it is describing. For example, the word splash sounds like a splash; the word buzz sounds like the buzzing of a bee. How does the author use onomatopoeia to help the reader understand the interactions of the story? (Sample response: The onomatopoeias help reveal the interaction between the animals and the man. The “chop!” and “whack!” at the beginning of the story helps reveal part of the negative interaction that is occurring between the man and the tree.)
• Characters + Theme: How does the author use different close-up and far-away photos of the man and his face to help us understand the message of the story? (Sample response: As the story progresses, the images of the man become more focused and larger; the man’s eyes move from closed to open. It is as if each character’s message is moving closer and closer to the man and his understanding until his eyes are opened.)
• Point of View + Sequence/Plot: How does the point of view and order of different animals introduced in the story add to the conflict? (Sample response: The arguments of the animals and what they contribute because of the tree’s shelter are used to convince the man of what he should do, providing a cumulative effect.)
• Structure and Style + Theme: Look at the specific number of animals represented on each page. How does the author use the number of animals that continue to increase throughout the story to convey the importance of conserving the kapok tree? (Sample response: At first there are only a few snakes, then a few pages later the page is filled with frogs. The number of animals seems to increase on each page, except for some animals like the jaguar and the sloths, which do not live in large groups. The number of animals helps show how important the tree is to the balance of life in the rainforest.)
Activity 3
EXTEND
• Ask your student(s) if they think humans should cut down trees for purposes of shelter or safety. Have students seek out different resources online that outline pros and cons. Ask students to create a two-column chart that lists some of their initial ideas about pros and cons of cutting down trees, and then develop an argument.
• Have your student(s) select one animal from the story: bee, monkeys, birds (toucan, macaw, cock of the rock), jaguar, porcupines, anteaters, or sloths. Ask students to research the animal in more depth to learn more about their behaviors, needs within a habitat, etc. Ask students to reread the message their animal relays to the man, and discuss the following questions: What is the effect of cutting down the tree, as your animal reports it? What are the long-term or future issues that would occur if your animal left or died (implications)?
• Have students create a 3- to 4-frame comic strip that highlights the most important events in The Great Kapok Tree and ends with the main message.
• What lessons from The Great Kapok Tree are important to consider in your local community? Have students write a letter to a local leader explaining the short- and long-term effects of human’s interactions with their environment in your specific community. Make sure students outline the problem, examples, short- and long-term effects, and a solution or action. Students should also include information about the importance of interactions between humans, plants, and animals, as explained in The Great Kapok Tree.
Page updated
Report abuse