Media Lessons

In honor of National Pet Day on April 11, we are going to read a story about a very unusual pet in One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo.

You can listen to the story by clicking here.

As you read and listen to the story...

• Think about what did it mean that Elliot was a "proper young man?" How do the words and the pictures in the first few pages show you what "proper" means?

• What is the surprise at the end of the story? How does the author share it in words and how does the illustrator share it in pictures?

After the story...

• Look back at the story and make a list of three ways that Elliot and Magellan were alike. Illustrate each one.

• Take a virtual trip to one of these aquariums or zoos and explore:
  Monterey Bay Aquarium
  Georgia Aquarium
  Smithsonian's National Zoo
  San Diego Zoo

STEM activities

• Elliot had to make space in his home for Magellan. Design a place in your house where Magellan could live. What do penguins need to live?

• Draw an outline of a penguin on a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper or print the penguin sheet at the bottom of this page. Dress the penguin up in any way you like - will he or she be a football player, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher? How about a ballet dancer, a cook, or a member of the police? Use cut paper or crayons or any other materials along with your creativity.

• Check out more books about penguins or other aquarium animals by opening the Follett eLearning site from the e-book collections page. Do a search for the animal of your choice and open some of the Lightbox titles on these creatures to learn more about them.

Now - if you want to, click here to send me pictures of what you did! This link will take you to a program called Padlet. Follow the directions at the top of the screen.

In honor of National Pet Day on April 11, we are going to read a story about a very unusual pet in One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo.

You can listen to the story by clicking here.

As you read and listen to the story...

• Think about what did it mean that Elliot was a "proper young man?" How do the words and the pictures in the first few pages show you what "proper" means?

• What is the surprise at the end of the story? How does the author share it in words and how does the illustrator share it in pictures?

After the story...

• Elliot was a very unusual young man. Take a piece of paper and fold into three sections. In each section list one of Elliot's character traits. Next, list something from the story that made you think that. For example: Elliot was ________ because (and put the reason here). Now draw a picture to go along with each thought. (You may also print the response form below and use it if you wish.)

• Take a virtual trip to one of these aquariums or zoos and explore:
  Monterey Bay Aquarium
  Georgia Aquarium
  Smithsonian's National Zoo
  San Diego Zoo

STEM activities

• Elliot had to make space in his home for Magellan. Design a place in your house where Magellan could live. What do penguins need to live? Now, build a model.

• What animal would you want to bring home from an aquarium or zoo?

  1. On a piece of paper, write the following about it: What animal would you bring home? Why? How would you take care of it? (You may also print the response form below and use it if you wish.)

  2. Now, draw a backwards portrait of you with your animal in your backpack on your back. Look at the example below.

• Draw an outline of a penguin on a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper or print the penguin sheet at the bottom of this section. Dress the penguin up in any way you like - will he be a football player, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher? How about a ballet dancer, a cook, or a member of the police? Use cut paper or crayons along with your creativity.

• Check out more books about penguins or other aquarium animals by opening the Follett eLearning site from the e-book collections page. Do a search for the animal of your choice and open some of the Lightbox titles on these creatures to learn more about them.

Now - if you want to, click here to send me pictures of what you did! This link will take you to a program called Padlet. Follow the directions at the top of the screen.

In honor of National Pet Day on April 11, we are going to read a story about a very unusual pet in One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo.

You can listen to the story by clicking here.

As you read and listen to the story...

• What kind of person is Elliot? What details in the text tell you so? Does the text say why explicitly or must you infer?

• Does Elliot's father know about Magellan all along? What clues from the text make you thing so?

• Compare Elliot and his father, looking at the way the two interact and the way they behave independently of each other.

• Take a virtual trip to one of these aquariums or zoos and explore:
  Monterey Bay Aquarium
  Georgia Aquarium
  Smithsonian's National Zoo
  San Diego Zoo

STEM activities

• Elliot had to make space in his home for Magellan. Design a place in your house where Magellan could live. Think about all aspects of what a penguin needs to live. Visit some of the virtual aquariums, aviaries, or zoos listed above to collect data about what penguins need. Now, can you build a model?

• What animal would you want to bring home from an aquarium, aviary, or zoo?

  1. On a piece of paper, write the following about it: What animal would you bring home? Why? What does the animal need? What problems might be caused by having this animal at home? What benefits might be gained? (You may also print the response form below and use it if you wish.)

  2. Now, draw a backwards portrait of you with your animal in your backpack on your back. Look at the example below.

• One of the reasons that Elliot likes the penguins at the aquarium is that they remind him of himself.

  1. Look through some resources on animals, mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. World Book Online is great source to use for this. You can find an app for it on your Launchpad (username is brevard1 and password is brevard).

  2. Choose an animal that reminds you of yourself and identify the characteristic that makes you similar to this animal. Is it something about the way the animal looks - red hair/fur? Friendly expression? --or something the animal does well - swim? Climb? Jump?

  3. Create a pair of illustrations - on of you and one of your chosen animal and label each with the common characteristics.

• Check out more books about penguins or other aquarium animals by opening the Follett eLearning site from the e-book collections page. Do a search for the animal of your choice and open some of the Lightbox titles on these creatures to learn more about them.

Now - if you want to, click here to send me pictures of what you did! This link will take you to a program called Padlet. Follow the directions at the top of the screen.