CHALLENGING WORDS

acrobats
bowwow
giddy-up
mistake
parakeet
pretend
rhinoceros
seesaw
tamer
weighing

SUMMARY

Oliver and ten other elephants came across the ocean to work at the circus. When they arrive, the circus owner tells Oliver that he only needs ten elephants. Oliver goes around the city trying to find something he can do. While he is dancing, the circus owner sees him and asks him to join the circus.

--- Conversation Questions---

(1) / Share your favorite part of the story.
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Share why this was your favorite part.
(2) / Imagine you are Oliver. How would you feel when the circus owner turned you away?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Why would you feel this way?
(3) / Imagine you are Oliver. How would you feel after you got to join the circus?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Tell me about a time you felt that way.
(4) / Reminisce about a time you couldn’t do something you really wanted to do.
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / What did you do instead?
(5) / Define the word “lonely”.
(Answer) / Alone, or in want of company; forsaken
(Follow Up) / Tell me about a time you were lonely.
(6) / Find what the elephants were going to do.
(Answer) / Work in the circus
(Follow Up) / How many elephants did the man need? (ten)
(7) / Look back in the story and find who told Oliver to try the zoo
(Answer) / A mouse
(Follow Up) / Why did the man give Oliver some peanuts? (because Oliver was honest)
(8) / Hunt in the story for what Oliver asked people on the street.
(Answer) / He asked if they would like to have him for a pet.
(Follow Up) / What did Oliver pretend to be? (a dog)
(9) / Find why Oliver couldn’t be the lady’s pet.
(Answer) / Because she didn’t have any hay
(Follow Up) / Why couldn’t Oliver be a horse? (because he couldn’t jump over the fence)
(10) / Search in the story to find out what Oliver and the children talked about.
(Answer) / They talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up.
(Follow Up) / Why was no one watching the parade? (because everyone was watching Oliver dance)
Activities
1.  / Draw a picture of Oliver dancing at the circus.
2.  / Make a poster advertising Oliver dancing at the circus.
3.  / Draw a picture of the elephants coming over on the boat.
4.  d / Pretend you are Oliver. Write a letter to the circus owner thanking him for letting you be in the circus.
Introduction
1.  Put a toy elephant into a bag. Have the children reach into the bag and feel the elephant. Have them try to guess what it is. Say: In today’s story we are going to read about an elephant that really wants to join the circus.
2.  Have pictures of clowns, lion tamers, acrobats, and other things found at the circus. Ask: What do you think these things have to do with the story? Say: Let’s read and see if you are right.
3.  Have the letters of the title scrambled on the table. Have the children unscramble the letters. Say: Today we are going to read about an elephant named Oliver. He wants more than anything to be in the circus. Let’s read and see if he makes it.

Book Title: Oliver

Author: Syd Hoff
/ Illustrator: Syd Hoff
ISBN: 0-06-022515-7 / # of Text Pages: 58 AR: 2.1 LEX: AD270
Building Oral Vocabulary
25 / parakeet / 38 / giddy-up / 53 / parade
Prediction Questions
13 / What do you think Oliver will do now?
33 / What do you think will happen next?
59 / How do you think the story will end?

This resource is provided by KYREADS—Barren County Board of Education, an AmeriCorps project funded in part by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service and the Corporation for National and Community Service.