Scholastic Incorporated 1991 Grade 1st
Title: Chrysanthemum by: Kevin Henkes
Suggested Time: 4 days (20-30 minutes per day)
Common Core ELA Standards:
RL.1.1, RL.1.3, RL.1.4, RL.1.7, SL.1.1, SL.1.2, L.1.4, W.1.8
Teacher Instructions
Before Teaching
1. Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for teachers, about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.
Big Ideas and Key Understandings
Each of us is special and unique in our own ways.
Synopsis
The fiction piece is about a little mouse who has an unusual name and is starting school for the first time. Some of the students in her class tease her about her name to the point that the little mouse does not want to go to school any more. Everything changes when they meet the music teacher. The teacher praises the little mouse’s name and says that she is thinking about naming her own child the same thing.
Instructional Focus
Recalling and inferring details from text read aloud
2. Read entire main selection text, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.
3. Re-read the main selection text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Vocabulary.
During Teaching
- The teacher reads the entire main selection text independently.
- Teacher re-reads the selection aloud while stopping to engage students in responding to and discussing the questions and returning to the text. A variety of methods can be used to structure the reading and discussion (i.e.: whole class discussion, think-pair-share, group work, etc.)
Text Dependent Questions
Text Dependent Questions / AnswersAt the beginning of the story, the parents name their new baby. They wanted to name her something that suited her. How did they describe her and what did they name her? (Pg. 1-2) / Chrysanthemum’s parents described her as perfect absolutely perfect. The baby girl’s name is Chrysanthemum.
How did Chrysanthemum feel about her name before she attended school? What evidence from the text supports your answer? (pg. 3-6) / Chrysanthemum loved her name and thought it was absolutely perfect. I know that Chrysanthemum loved her name and thought it was absolutely perfect because she said she loved the way it sounded, she loved the way it looked when written and the author stated that she thought it was absolutely perfect.
On page 6, how does the reader know Chrysanthemum is excited about starting school? / “Hooray!” said Chrysanthemum. “School!”
After Chrysanthemum started school, her feelings changed about her name. Describe how her feelings changed and what events did the author provide that led to this change? (pg. 7-8) / When Chrysanthemum started school the teacher called roll the other students giggled when Chrysanthemum’s name was called. Also, some of the students made fun of her name and said things such as, “It scarcely fits on your name tag” and “You’re named after a flower” and “If I had a name like yours, I’d change it.”
Chrysanthemum’s opinion of her name changed from perfect to dreadful. Based on the story what might dreadful mean? (pg. 8) / Dreadful means something is awful or not good.
What two things does Victoria tell Mrs. Chud about Chrysanthemum’s name? How does that make Chrysanthemum feel? From the text and illustration, how do you know that she feels that way? (pg.8-9) / Victoria tells Mrs. Chud that Chrysanthemum’s name is spelled with thirteen letters, and that is exactly half as many letters as in the entire alphabet. Chrysanthemum feels sad and no longer thinks her name is perfect. The illustrations (sad, droopy face) and her words let me know.
“Chrysanthemum wilted.” What evidence from the text or illustrations describes how Chrysanthemum felt when she wilted. (pg. 8, 15) / Chrysanthemum was sad. She slumped over and frowned. She was not happy.
What words and phrases did the author use in the story that are unkind or teasing words that the children said to make Chrysanthemum wilt? (pg 8, 15) / “It’s so ling; It scarcely fits on her name tag; You’re named after a flower; She looks like a flower; let’s picker her; let’s smell her; if I had a name like yours I would change it” Students can also cite evidence from other pages as well.
Chrysanthemum came home from school unhappy about her name. On page 11-12, use words from the text that describe how her parents reacted. / Her parents welcomed her home. They told her that her name was beautiful and precious and priceless and fascinating and winsome. They told her it was perfect just like she was. Her parents cooked her favorite dinner, macaroni and cheese with ketchup. Her parents also hugged and kissed her and played a game of Parcheesi with her.
“That night Chrysanthemum dreamed that her name was Jane.” Why would her name being Jane make it a pleasant dream? (pg 13) / Chrysanthemum’s dream was pleasant because she had a plain and common name. The name in the dream was short and the children had picked on her because her name was so long. Chrysanthemum wanted a short name and in the dream she had one.
Listen as I read, “That night Chrysanthemum dreamed that she really was a chrysanthemum. She sprouted leaves and petals. Victoria picked her and plucked the leaves and petals one by one until there was nothing left but a scrawny stem. It was the worst nightmare of Chrysanthemum’s life.” What about Chrysanthemum’s dream made it so terrible that it was “the worst nightmare of her life”? (pg. 20) / Chrysanthemum’s dream became a terrible nightmare because she actually turned into a flower and one of the students from school who had teased her began to pick the petals and leaves off of her until she became a “scrawny stem.”
Based on the text on page 26, how are Mrs. Twinkle and Chrysanthemum’s names similar? / From the story I know that their names are similar because they are both long, the both scarcely fit on a name tag and they are both named after a flower.
There is a turning point in the story where Chrysanthemum likes her name again. What words did the author use to describe Chrysanthemum’s reaction after she hears Ms. Twinkle describe the similarities in their names? (pg 27) / Chrysanthemum blushed, beamed and bloomed. She also repeated her name 3 times.
Name something Chrysanthemum learns about herself from her experiences in the story. What evidence from the text supports your answer? / Chrysanthemum learns how special she is. The evidence from the text that supports this answer is when Mrs. Twinkle, the music teacher, admits that she, too, is named after a flower and is considering naming her baby Chrysanthemum because she thinks it is absolutely perfect. It is at this point in the story that Chrysanthemum believes what she had begun to doubt because of her classmates’ teasing- that her name really is special and absolutely perfect.
KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING
BIG IDEAS OF TEXT
Words addressed with a question or task / WORDS WORTH KNOWING
Words to be part of systematic vocabulary instruction, not essential for understanding the big ideas of the text
TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION
not enough contextual clues provided in the text / · Wilted (pg. 8, 15)
· Miserably (pg. 10,17)
· Appreciate (pg. 3) / · Parcheesi (pg. 12)
· Scarcely (pg. 8,11)
· Scrawny stem (pg. 20)
· Delphinium (pg. 26)
· Felt a trifle better (pg. 19)
· Route (pg. 21)
· Scales (pg. 23)
STUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANING
sufficient context clues are provided in the text / · perfect (pg. 1,2,6,8,11,14)
· dreadful (pg. 8, 15)
· chrysanthemum (pg. 19)
· appreciate (pg. 3) / · humorous (pg. 25)
· “Oh, pish “, precious, priceless, fascinating, winsome) (pg. 11)
· jealous, envious, begrudging, disconnected, jaundiced (pg. 18)
· Indescribable wonder (pg. 22)
· Nice impression (pg. 22)
Culminating Task
· Students will design a name collage for Chrysanthemum. Students will cut out, print, illustrate pictures that represent Chrysanthemum’s uniqueness and place them on printed letters of her name (pre-printed bubble letters). Students will complete the sentence, “Chrysanthemum’s name is unique because ______.”
Additional Tasks
· Essential Question to answer by the end of the unit: Based on what we have/will experience through the book, is the way you speak and act the way that you want others to speak and act toward you? How may this story change the way you treat others?
· Tactile sensorial experience: Students will each have travel size toothpaste. Have the students squeeze out all toothpaste. (Students can use toothpaste later for handwriting practice or spelling practice). Ask students to put all of the toothpaste back in the tube (this is not possible). Make a connection of the words we say to the toothpaste. Once the toothpaste or words are out, they cannot be taken back. A person can clean up the mess or apologize for the unkind words, but they cannot be taken back.
· Students extend the culminating task to include their own names.
Note to Teacher- Possible Extension Activities
· Science Connection- Bring in a field guide to flowers (or birds) and have children look through the book. If they could have a flower or bird name, what would it be? Have them share the picture of the flower or bird and explain why.
· Math Connection- Have students count the number of letters in Chrysanthemum’s name. Have them find evidence from the text that confirms this number. Students may then write the letters of their name on 1 inch graph paper squares and cut it out. These may then be used on a graph to compare and categorize the letters in their name to Chrysanthemum’s name using the following math vocabulary: More, Less, Equal
· The CCSS for this lesson:
o RL.1.1 – Ask and answer questions about key details in a text
o RL.1.3 – describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details
o RL.1.4 – identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses
o RL.1.7 – use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting or events
o SL.1.1 – participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups
o SL.1.2 – ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media
o L.1.4 – determine or clarify the meaning or unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies
o W.1.8 – with guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question
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