Text Talk Lesson
GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE
Written by Giles Andreae
Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees
Orchard Books, New York
Lesson by Jodi Helms
SUMMARY
Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. His knees buckle whenever he tries to twirl. At the jungle dance, the warthogs waltz, the chimps cha-cha, and the lions tango. “Giraffes can’t dance,” they all jeer when it’s Gerald’s turn to prance. Fortunately there is one little creature who believes in Gerald. “Everything makes music,” says the cricket, “if you really want it to.” So Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune.
FOCUS
A focus for children in the book is about differences. Each and every person can do anything they set their mind to. You should not make fun of a person because of their appearance.
COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
Cover
Introduce and show the book. Read the title. Ask the students if they have any idea about what that giraffe is doing. Begin reading the book showing each picture after the entire page spread.
Page Four
Who is Gerald? (the giraffe) Can you describe what Gerald looks like? (long skinny neck, crooked knees, thin legs) What was he good at doing? (eating leaves off trees) What can he not do? (run around) Let’s learn more about Gerald…
Page Six
What happens at this “Jungle Dance” in Africa? (all the animals skip and prance and dance) Why is Gerald so sad? (He can’t dance like the other animals at the Jungle Dance)
Page Ten
What were all the animals doing that Gerald can’t do? (They were dancing) Can you remember what dances some of the animals did? (waltz, rock n’ roll, tango, cha-cha, and Scottish reel) Do you think Gerald will try some of these dances? Let’s see…
Page Fourteen
It said that Gerald “swallowed bravely” before he walked out to dance. What does that mean? How do you think Gerald was feeling then? (Gerald is trying not to be scared, Wants to give it a try) Why didn’t Gerald even try to dance? (the animals all made fun of him and said he couldn’t dance) How do you think Gerald feels now? (sad, alone, embarrassed)
Page Eighteen
Who starts talking to Gerald out in the clearing under the moon? (the cricket) Did the cricket see what happened to Gerald? Was the cricket calling Gerald names? (Yes the cricket saw – No the cricket was being nice) How does the cricket make Gerald feel? (happier, wanted to try to dance) Do you think Gerald will try to dance again?
Page Twenty-two
Wow… now what is Gerald doing? (dancing) Did the things the cricket said help him? (yes)
Page Twenty-nine
What did Gerald finally do that the other animals said he couldn’t do? (He learned to dance) How well was Gerald dancing? (very well, best dancer that the animals had ever seen) Do you think that Gerald will keep dancing?
Wrap-Up
Can you do anything that you set your mind to, including dancing? Should we always try to do our best at everything? Is it OK to make fun of someone if they think they can’t do something? Why?
VOCABULARY
Bravely
Useless
Entranced
Bravely: In the book before Gerald walked toward the dance floor it said that “Gerald swallowed bravely”. The word brave means that you are not scared of something. The word bravely describes Gerald as he walks out to dance. He was trying not to be scared. Say the word “bravely”.
Let’s think of some times when someone would have to be really brave in order to do them. If someone has to be brave to do the things I say, then say “BRAVE!” If they don’t have to be brave say “Piece of Cake!”
· Wrestle an alligator
· Walk on a really high tight rope
· Play jump rope
· Get a shot as the doctor’s office
· Eat pizza
What’s our word… Bravely!
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Useless: In the book Gerald said that he was “useless” after he didn’t dance because the animals laughed at him. Useless means that something is not good for anything and it is not really needed. Say the word “useless”.
I’ll say two different things. One of the things will be useless and one is good to keep. Tell me which one of the two things is useless.
- A piece of paper with a pretty drawing or piece of paper with Kool-aid spilled on it
- A shoe with holes in the bottom and no shoe strings or a brand new shoe
- Old spoiled milk or a chocolate milkshake
- A pen with no ink or a blue marker
What’s our word… useless.
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Entranced: In the story the animals were entranced by Gerald’s wonderful dancing. Entranced means that the animals were so surprised and happy because Gerald’s dancing was so good that they couldn’t take their eyes off of him. Say the word “entranced”.
Think about the kinds of things that would make you entranced. Would you be entranced if:
- You saw a pig fly or a bird fly?
- Your dog started talking or your baby cousin started talking?
- A house was made out of bricks or out of gingerbread?
- You saw a person swimming in the ocean or an elephant?
What’s our word…entranced.
We talked about three words: bravely, useless, and entranced. Let’s think about them some more:
v What people do you think are brave?
v Which is useless at lunch time – a fried chicken leg or just the chicken leg bone?
v What would make you more entranced – your pet cat driving your car or your mom driving your car?