THE CHALK BOX KID

Part 2 Pages 29-53

CHALLENGING WORDS

blackboard
bunches
concrete
grand
happened
hundred
leather
nursery
radishes
teacher
wondered

SUMMARY

When nine-year-old Gregory experiences several upsets in his life, he responds by creating a fantastic chalk garden on the charred walls of a burned-out factory behind his house.As his garden grows and flourishes, Gregory finds a voice through his art and, for the first time, is able to find his own place in the world.

--- Conversation Questions---

(1) / Name the reason that they had a party at school.
(Answer) / Ivy won an art contest.
(Follow Up) / Recall the last party you attended.
(2) / If you were Ivy, how would you feel about the present you received?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Do you like art?
(3) / Name the place that Mr. Hiller worked.
(Answer) / In a plant nursery.
(Follow Up) / Do you have a garden?
(4) / Define a “nursery”.
(Answer) / A place where they sell pants and seeds.
(Follow Up) / What is your favorite vegetable?
(5) / Recall the reason Gregory could not grow a garden.
(Answer) / His house was surrounded by concrete.
(Follow Up) / Do you have grass?
(6) / If someone told you they had a chalk garden, what would you think?
(Answer) / Any logical answer. .
(Follow Up) / What hobbies do you like?
(7) / Recall that it rains one night. What is Gregory afraid will happen to his garden?
(Answer) / That is will wash away.
(Follow Up) / Did it wash away?
(8) / Recall that Vance comes to see his garden. What is Vance’s reaction?
(Answer) / He laughs.
(Follow Up) / How do you think that made Gregory feel?
(9) / The kids said that Gregory was bragging. What did he say he was doing?
(Answer) / Pretending.
(Follow Up) / Do you ever pretend?
(10) / Name who went to see Gregory’s garden.
(Answer) / Ms. Cartwright and Ms. Perry.
(Follow Up) / How do you think that made Gregory feel?
Activities
1. / Draw a picture using chalk.
2. / Write a journal entry about having a room of your own.
3. / Write a journal entry about your best birthday.
4. / Write a journal entry about sharing a room with someone.
Introductions
1. / Review previous day of reading.
2.
3.

Book Title: Chalk Box Kid, The

Author: Clyde Robert Bulla / Illustrator: Thomas Allen
ISBN:0-439-70314-X / # of Text Pages: 58 AR: 2.7 LEX: 270L
Building Oral Vocabulary
29 / happened / 31 / leather / 44 / lettuce
Prediction Questions
30 / What do you think is in the box?
35 / What do you think Vance and the other kids will say about the garden?
52 / What do you think Mr. Hiller will say about the garden?

This resource is provided by THE LEARNING CORPS—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.