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Activities for Trouble
in Troublesome Creek by Nancy Kelly Allen Before reading the book,
ask the students the following questions: 1.
What do you think might happen in the story? 2.
What does the title tell us about the book? 3.
Should we expect a problem? Explain. Read
and discuss Trouble
in Troublesome Creek. Ask the following open-ended questions: 1.
This story is told from the point of view of James. How would the story
be different if Sallie or Liz had told it? 2.
Sallie is rude to the other characters. Why do you suppose they hang out
with her? 3.
James was afraid to swing on the rope. Have you ever been with a group of
friends and was afraid to do something the others were doing? If so, how did
that make you feel? 4.
Have you ever been lost? What are some things should you do if you’re
ever lost? 5.
The Troublesome Creek kids entered a cave without telling anyone where
they were going. What would have been a better choice? What are some of the
dangers of entering unexplored caves? 6.
Minnie balls were polluting Troublesome Creek 150 years after they were
left in the cave. What are some things we can do today to prevent pollution of
streams and land? 7.
Why is it important to keep creeks clean and unpolluted? 8.
Why do people pollute land and streams? 9.
Why is studying the history of Minnie balls and the Civil War important? 10.
Why is it important to keep artifacts, such as minnie balls, in history
museums? 11.
How did the main character,
James, change by the end of the story? 12.
Why is it everyone’s responsibility as good citizens to prevent
pollution? v
Characters
meet.
Five kids plus Aunt Pearl are the main characters in Trouble in Troublesome
Creek and The Munched-Up Flower Garden. Write a story in which two of
the characters first meet. Describe the event and the setting. How old were the
characters? Why did they meet? Give the story a beginning, middle and ending. v
Trouble in Troublesome Creek
takes place in Knott County in Kentucky. Locate Knott County on a map. Explain
that a real Troublesome Creek exists. v
What
is the Title?
Explain how titles reflect the story. Read a book without revealing the title
and let students make up their own titles for a story. v
Letter
to the author:
Students write letters to the author. Students share reactions to the book. v
Compare/contrast:
Compare and contrast Trouble in Troublesome Creek with The Munched-Up Flower
Garden. Consider character traits, illustrations, setting, events, resolving the
problem, etc. Create a chart to display the data. v
Compare/Contrast
Troublesome Creek, a modern, rural community, with Troublesome Creek
during the time of the Civil War in the 1860s. Chart the likenesses and
differences. Consider population, transportation, foods, housing, pollution,
etc. v
Interview
a character:
A Student interviews one character from the book and writes a newspaper article
about the interview. v
Ten
facts:
Students write 10 Facts about Trouble in Troublesome Creek. The facts are
statements about the story. v
Comic
book:
Students turn different pages of the book into a comic book. Staple pages and
add a cover sheet to make a classroom book. v
Setting:
Discuss setting. Write a report on how the setting was important to the story. v
Spelunking.
Students imagine they are cave spelunking. What three items would they take
with them? If they became lost in a cave, what would they do to try to find the
way back out? Should one person become the leader? If so, how should the leader
be chosen? Divide class into groups comprised of 3 of 4 four students to
brainstorm ideas and create a story. Perform story in a skit. v
Pollution Solution: Pollution affects every community and is harming our
environment. Discuss preventive measures to slow or stop the destruction of
pollution and to protect the environment. Create a chart of possible ways to
stop pollution. Invite students to make posters encouraging others to not
pollute or showing the dangers of pollution. v
Dramatize
three scenes from the book. Three students will dramatize scenes from the
beginning, middle and ending of the book. Students write a script for each scene
and practice a few times before the presentation. v
Bottle
Ocean: Pour
three cups of water into a clean 2-liter bottle. Discuss with class how the
water is clean. Add one cup of oil. Notice how the oil and water do not mix.
What harm could happen to the animals that live in the water when oil spills
occur? What could happen to those who drink the polluted water? Pour out
contents and clean bottle. Fill with three cups of water and one cup of soaps
and detergents. Again, discuss the chemical reactions and how they relate to
animals and people. Empty and clean the bottle. Add three cups of water, one cup
of oil and one cup of soaps/detergents. Discuss problems affecting the water
supply. Write articles on how pollution has long-lasting effects on the
environment. v
Travel
Brochure:
Write a travel brochure based on Troublesome Creek. Include flowers, cave,
creek, swimming hole, and other sites people will want to see. Draw a map of the
area where the events took place. You may also include events from The
Munched-Up Flower Garden. Both books have a Troublesome Creek setting. v
Ending:
Writing a different ending to the story. v
Oral
Book Reports.
Students prepare oral book reports and answer questions about the book following
the reports. v
Newspaper
Article:
Write a newspaper article about the kids finding Minnie balls in the cave. v
Create
a commercial:
Write the script and perform a commercial as if you’re trying to sell Minnie
balls. Invite students to illustrate posters as visual aid for the commercial. v
Similes:
The author wrote, “The mountain gaped open like a yawn.” Try
writing similes for the following: The
bear was like a ________. The
moon is as bright as __________. I
wish I could run as ___________ as __________. Core Content RD-04-2.0.7 Children
will make inferences or draw conclusions based on what is read. RD-04-3.0.1 Children
will explain a character’s or speaker’s actions based on a passage.
RD-04-4.0.1
Children will connect
information from a passage to children’ lives (text-to-self), real world
issues (text-to-world) or other texts (text-to-text - e.g., novel, short story,
song, film, website, etc.). RD-04-5.0.2 Children will identify
literary devices such as foreshadowing, imagery or figurative language (similes,
metaphors, and personification). WR-04-1.1.2 In
Personal Expressive Writing, ·
Children
will communicate the significance of the writer’s life experience by narrating
about life events or relationships. ·
Children
will apply the characteristics of the selected form (e.g., personal narrative,
personal memoir). ·
Children
will create a point of view. Children will sustain a suitable tone
or appropriate voice. WR-04-1.1.2 In
Literary Writing, ·
Children
will communicate to an audience about the human condition by painting a picture,
recreating a feeling, telling a story, capturing a moment, evoking an image, or
showing an extraordinary perception of the ordinary. ·
Children
will apply characteristics of the selected form (e.g., short story, play/script,
poem). ·
Children
will create a point of view. ·
Children
will use a suitable tone or appropriate voice. Children will apply a fictional
perspective in literary writing when appropriate. MA-04-4.1.1 Children will analyze and make
inferences from data displays (drawings, tables/charts, tally tables,
pictographs, bar graphs, circle graphs, line plots, Venn diagrams). MA-EP-4.1.2 MA-EP-4.1.3 Children
will organize and display data. SS-EP-1.3.2 Students will identify and give examples of good citizenship at home, at school and in the community (e.g., helping with chores, obeying rules, participating in community service projects such as recycling, conserving natural resources, donating food/supplies) and explain why civic engagement in the community is important. SS-05-1.3.2 Students will describe specific
rights and responsibilities individuals have as citizens of the United States
(e.g., voting in national elections) and explain why civic engagement is
necessary to preserve a democratic society. SS-04-4.4.1 Students will
explain and give examples of how people adapted to/modified the physical
environment (e.g., natural resources, physical geography, natural disasters) to
meet their needs during the history of Kentucky and explain its impact on the
environment today. AH-05-4.3.2 Children
will improvise to tell stories that show action and have a clear beginning,
middle, and end. (Literary elements) AH-06-1.3.1 Students will identify or
describe the use of elements of drama in dramatic works.
AH-07-1.3.1 Students will analyze the use
of elements of drama in dramatic works. Elements of drama: Scenery
(set), Sound, Lights, Make-up, Props, Costumes, Design Acting
(e.g. character motivation and analysis), Speaking (e.g., breath control,
projection, vocal expression, diction), Nonverbal expression (e.g., gestures,
body alignment, facial expression, character blocking and movement, stage
directions - stage left, stage right, center stage, upstage, downstage) |
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