David Goes to School

David Goes to School

By David Shannon

Overview

David's teacher has her hands full. From running in the halls to chewing gum in class, David's high-energy antics fill each school day with trouble-and are sure to bring a smile to even the best-behaved reader.

Grade Kindergarten

0.1.1.1.1 Demonstrate civic skills in a classroom that reflect an understanding of civic values.

0.1.4.8.1 Identify examples of rules in the school community and explain why they exist; describe incentives for following rules and consequences for breaking rules.

0.1.1.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

0.1.7.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

0.6.3.3 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

This lesson works best as a follow up to the lesson for No David, by David Shannon. No David leads to a general discussion of the value of rules, while David Goes to School allows for discussion regarding differences and similarities between home and school rules.

Pre-reading discussion for David Goes to School:

We have seen David at home and how he behaved there. How do you think he will behave at school? Do you think he will follow rules or break them? Why do you think that? What do you think David might do? Give students a chance to list some “naughty” school behaviors. Then turn to your classroom rules. If David were a student in this classroom, what might he do? Give some examples of breaking your own classroom rules. Then turn to read David Goes to School.

As with No David, stop at select pages and ask WHY the behavior is bad. What is the possible consequence of the behavior, and how does that relate to having a rule against it? (arriving late to school means that you may miss something important, talking in class keeps others from hearing, not waiting your turn causes fights) Do we have rules in our classroom that address the behaviors shown in the book? What are they?

Civics Standards:0.1.4.8.1

Language Arts Standards:0.1.1.10.1.7.7

David is a young boy. Sometimes children don’t know the rules because they have never been told. For example, if David wasn’t told that he couldn’t chew gum in class, he may not know that it is unacceptable. Sometimes we expect that a child old enough to go to school will know a rule, even if he hasn’t been told directly. For example, no pushing other kids. What is the difference between these two behaviors and why would we possibly be a little easier on David the first time he chewed gum than the first time he pushed someone? (No chewing gum in class is a “school specific rule” and David is new to school. Not hurting others, by pushing, is something small children learn before they go to school.)

Civics Standards:0.1.4.8.1

Language Arts Standards:0.1.1.10.1.7.7

Some rules apply at home and at school. What are some examples? (Take turns, don’t grab, don’t run inside) Other rules might apply only at home or only at school. Can you think of examples? (Don’t pull the cat’s tail might apply at home, but there is no cat at school. Don’t go into someone’s room without permission might apply to a sibling’s room at home, but people don’t have individual rooms at school. Always walk in a straight line might apply at school, but at home there aren’t enough people walking together to always need a line. ) Consequences for breaking rules are different at home and school, too. In No David, what consequence does David get for breaking rules? (sent to his room, quiet time) In David Goes to School, what is David’s consequence? (stay after school)

Civics Standards:0.1.4.8.1

Language Arts Standards:0.1.1.10.1.7.7

Special For Constitution Day:

Rules apply to adults as well as children. Often we call rules for adults “laws..” What are examples of laws? (stop at stop signs, no killing people, no stealing) What are consequences for breaking some of these laws? (fines, jail) These are much more serious consequences than David gets in the books. Why should adult consequences be more serious? (the harm is greater when we break these rules, we expect that adults know the correct way to behave, adults are not bothered by small consequences and so they wouldn’t be effective) Explain to the students that there are also rules for our government. These rules are in a document called the Constitution (go to show them an image of the Constitution of the United States). Explain that when the government breaks rules in the Constitution, there are consequences. A president may be removed from office, A law may be invalidated. Why did the people who started our country think it was important to have rules for our government? (to protect the people, to keep the government from taking too much power)

Have each student pick one illustration from either No David or David Goes to School. Have them draw the next picture - showing the consequence of this behavior. For example, in the first illustration in No David, he is climbing and reaching for a cookie jar. The student could draw him on the floor with broken dishes around him. As a caption have the student write or dictate a description of what David did wrong, and what the consequence could be.

Civics Standard:0.1.4.8.1

Language Arts Standard:0.6.3.3

Make a chart with two columns. In column one write rules that students suggest that they have at home. In column two write rules that students suggest they have at school. Put stars next to the rules that apply at both home and at school.

Civics Standards:0.1.4.8.1

Have students choose a rule from home or school. Have them draw 2 sets of drawings. In one set they show a child breaking the rule and the consequence. In the second they show a child following the rule and an incentive. Remind them that an incentive could be feeling proud, praise from a teacher or parent or simply that bad things do NOT happen.

Civics Standards:0.1.1.1.1 0.1.4.8.1

Language Arts Standards:0.1.1.10.1.7.7 0.6.3.3

Notes

@2013 Eve Parker, reprint permission granted for classroom use