Teaching with … Barbara Park: give Junie B. Jones books a learning boost with our language arts activities and exclusive mini-poster

Instructor, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Liza Charlesworth

ACTIVITIES

Junie B. and Me (Compare/Contrast): Develop students' abilities to make personal connections to characters with this easy compare/contrast graphic organizer. Pass out large sheets of construction paper and have each student draw a shape of a face. Encourage kids to add oversized eyeglasses and label the left lens "Junie B.," the right lens "me," and the face "both." Next ask them to fill each section with appropriate personality traits. How are your students like Junie B.? How are they different?

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Dear Junie B. (Conflict Resolution): Like many kids, Junie B.'s impulsiveness often lands her in trouble. Ask students to pinpoint a time when Junie B. used bad judgement (such as copying a homework assignment or calling someone a mean name). Kids should then write her a letter offering advice on how to resolve the conflict and/or not make a similar mistake in the future.

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Junie B. Report Cube (Report Writing): Encourage kids who've read several Junie B. titles to "cube" their knowledge. Here's how: Have them cover a square tissue box with bright construction paper, then write six mini book reports--each briefly describing a different Junie B. Jones book--to affix to each side. To promote oral language skills, children can roll the cube and read aloud the report that lands heads-up.

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Junie B. Continued: In the 24 existing books in the series, Junie B. has certainly had many adventures. But there are plenty more where those came from! Challenge students to write new Junie B. tales complete with typed copy and the trademark checkerboard covers. Place the finished products in your classroom library.

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About Barbara

As a child, Barbara Park didn't particularly like writing. What she did like was entertaining her classmates with super-funny jokes. It wasn't until decades later that Barbara realized she could use her sense of humor to write stories for kids. Don't Make Me Smile was published in 1981. Since, Barbara's written dozens of titles for kids, including the popular Junie B. Jones series. In these zany tales, we see Junie go from a loveable and goofy kindergartner with trademark hair bows to a loveable and goofy first grader with trademark glasses. Along the way, this feisty heroine keeps students laughing--and honing reading skills--with each giggle-inducing escapade.

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Junie B. fans will love her easy-to-navigate Web site, www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb. Kids can click on "About Barbara Park" to read an interview with the author and on "Activities" to download puzzles and a trivia quiz. You can click on "Teacher's Corner" for teaching guides to go with each book in the series.

Using The Mini-Poster:

* Post the mini-poster in your classroom library to build excitement for Barbara Park's books.

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* Laminate it and put it in a tote bag along with a few favorite Park books to create a take-home mini-library.

* File the poster with other author info for report writers' research.

* Add it to your collection! Don't miss Janell Cannon in the next issue.