Lesson Overview:

L. Frank Baum’s timeless theme in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is that “There’s no place like home.”  In this lesson children will work with that theme in a short picture book and in a popular song from 1971.  I try to use music at least once a year with every grade level, and Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver is a wonderful choice for this unit, which focuses on a sense of belonging and home.  There are millions of choices, so match a picture book with a song, and you’re all set for this lesson.

Lesson Plan:

Suggested Grades:

1-5

Objective:

To understand that themes of a “Sense of Belonging” or “There’s No Place Like Home” can be represented in both literature and song.   (AASL 4.1.3, “Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.”)

Suggested Time:

45-50 minutes

Success Criteria:

Each child will be able to retell the story of Mole’s search for the perfect home.  Each child will also be able to sing along to Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver.  (Substitute your own picture book or song if you select other sources.)

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction:

Remind the children that in this unit they’ve seen a little pirate search for a suitable home, imagined a fantasy home of their dreams, and watched as a little girl built a new home for herself in a new country.  Today we’ll focus on feelings of home, both what it feels like to have a home and what it feels like to miss your home.  We will do this through sharing a short story and by learning to sing an old, country song!

2. Main:

Share No Place Like Home by Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban.  The text is short, so after you read it, ask questions to check for understanding such as:

• Why did Mole set out to find a new home? (Answer:  He was tired of his old one and he wanted something different.)
• What was Mole looking for at first? (Answer:  A home that was big, bright, and beautiful.)
• What did Mole end up with in the end? (Answer: A home that was safe, snug, and dry.)
• Why do you think that Mole was happy with his old home at the end of the story?
• What can we learn about homes from thinking about Mole and his search for a new home? (Possible Answer:  Sometimes what we have is already good, we just need to learn to appreciate or recognize it.)

Emphasize that most people have strong, positive feelings about their homes.  If they must leave their home, people usually miss their home very much.

About 45 years ago, three people wrote a beautiful song about home in the mountains of West Virginia, USA.  Show the children the map or globe so that they can place West Virginia.  Explain to the children that the song is called Take Me Home, Country Roads and it was made famous by a singer/songwriter named John Denver.  We will read the words of the song, listen to the song, then learn to sing it.

Pass out lyrics to Take Me Home, Country Roads (attached).  Help the children read through the lyrics.  Check to make sure that they understand the words and verses.  Essentially, this is a song about a man who misses home.  He also misses a special person at home very much.  He is traveling but asks many time for the roads to take him back home.

If you are comfortable singing, sing the song for the children.  If you are not comfortable singing to them, play one of John’s Denver’s recordings of the song.  I prefer the audio track over a video so that the kids can keep their eyes on the lyrics and follow along.  Let the kids sing the song once or twice, then, if there is time, show them John Denver performing the song in front of a live audience.

3. Conclusion:

Emphasize that there are many stories and many songs written about the idea of home. Ask the children to see what they can find in the library today that connects to the idea of home.

Resources:

1. No Place Like Home by Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban.
2. Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams (optional).
3. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (optional).
4. YouTube recording of Dorothy clicking her heels together and saying, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooM-RGUTe2E (optional)
5. A recording of Country Roads, Take Me Home by John Denver (1971)
6. A video of John Denver singing Country Roads, Take Me Home (optional) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSmh6FO3T74
7. Copies of the lyrics to Country Roads, Take Me Home (attached).
8. Map or globe to show the location of West Virginia, USA.

Notes:

If you have time, let the kids share their own songs about home.  Some of them may wish to share their songs with the class.

I have listed a few other stories and resources for teaching this lesson.  If you are working with older elementary children you may wish to use L. Frank Baum’s work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and not a picture book.

Recommended books for this lesson:

1. No Place Like Home by Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban.
2. Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams (optional).
3. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (optional).
4. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (Various authors, optional).

Key Terms:

Belonging, Homes, West Virginia, Moles

 

Lyrics, Take Me Home, Country Roads

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, children learn about a little girl who, thanks to her Dad’s new job, had to leave her family home, extended family, and friends.  Based on a true story, Sarah Stewart and David Small lead the reader to insights about creating your own “sense of belonging” in a new place.  This is not a story of loss, but of resiliency.  This lesson is extended by giving kids simple materials and letting them create, as the main character did, a familiar and comforting space for reflection and growth.

Lesson Plan:

Suggested Grades:

K-5 

Objective:

To understand that a “sense of belonging” can be created in unfamiliar environments and to use simple materials to create a symbol of home.  (AASL 4.1.3, “Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.”)

Suggested Time:

45-55 minutes

Success Criteria:

Each child will be able to retell The Quiet Place by Sarah Steward and David Small, commenting specifically on what Isabel did to create a sense of belonging in her new home.  Also, children will use simple craft materials to create a small symbol of home they can share with their classmates.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction:

Remind the children that the little pirate wanted to trade his ship for a home on land.  And Chris Van Dusen showed us how imagination can lead to lots of exciting ideas about our dream homes.  Today, we look at the concept of home and belonging through a different lens.  Our story is the tale of a young girl named Isabel and her family’s journey to a new, unfamiliar home.  As we read, think about:

• How Isabel might have felt when she had to say “goodbye” to her aunt
• How it might have felt to have to learn a new language
• What it would be like to attend a school where no one speaks your language
• What it could feel like to see snow, or play in snow for the first time
• How you might miss the sights, sounds, and smells of your old home far away
• What Isabel did to help herself adjust, learn a new language, and make friends

2. Main:

Teach The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart and David Small.  Check for understanding as you go.  Pay special attention to the front papers.  David Small starts the story before the text and the very first illustration is crucial to setting the tone.  Point out Small’s use of light – we are drawn to the women in the house hugging their last goodbye as the car is loaded. Ask the children how this illustration makes them feel.

Follow-up with questions such as:

• How did Isabel respond to her new challenges?
• What did she have to overcome to feel good in her new home?
• How did her family help her?
• Why do you think she started building the “Quiet Place”?
• In the beginning, she just had a box, but by the end of the story she had an entire village. Why do you think she worked so hard on her project?
• What do you think her village reminded her of?
• What do you do to remind yourself of your home when you are far away?

Explain that to extend the story, the children will have the chance to create a mini “Quiet Place.”  Make sure that each child has access to a small box (BandAid size and larger, but probably no larger than a cereal box.)  Let the kids work on their small boxes to create little homes, or images of homes, that remind them of their home country.

If you need or wish to add a writing extension, simply have each child write a few sentences about how they made their “Quiet Place,” what it represents, what they think about when they look at it.  (Key Concept:  Reflection.)

The “Quiet Places” can be put together to create a village much like the one Isabel created, only in miniature.

3. Conclusion:

As a wrap-up, let the kids share their work with one another.  They should make sure that their name and class is on their work, and then tidy up.  Help them take their “Quiet Places” back to class to show their teacher.  Be sure to capture some of their work for a digital portfolio or project journal.

Resources:

1. The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart and David Small
2. A small box for each child. You may assign the children to bring a small box ahead of time so that they are ready on the day of the lesson.
3. Colored paper
4. Markers, pens, crayons
5. Glue
6. Scissors
7. Tape
8. Stapler
9. Caine’s Arcade website: http://cainesarcade.com/thefoundation/
10. Imagination.org website: http://imagination.org/

Notes:

You may be familiar with the story of Caine’s Arcade.  If not, please acquaint yourself with Caine Monroy and the filmmaker who highlighted Caine’s creativity in a sensational video in 2012.  Imagination.org, a movement which grew out of Caine’s Arcade and the world’s fascination with this little boy’s accomplishments, now works to support creativity and entrepreneurship in children across the world.

Like the character of Isabel in Stewart and Small’s book, your school can take part in a global “Cardboard Challenge.”  Or, you can simply organize your own day of play and creativity.  I’ve written this lesson to use small boxes so that the activity fits within a regular library lesson.  However, if you and your kids want to build big, learn about Caine, the work going on at Imagination.org, and organize something much better!

A Cardboard Creativity Day would be the perfect way to launch a maker space for your library or school if you don’t already have one.  This lesson, using Stewart and Small’s text and a cardboard activity extension, could be just the thing to jump-start your maker space efforts.

Recommended books for this lesson:

The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart and David Small

Key Terms:

Belonging, Homes, Immigration, Emigration, Mexico, Indiana, Cardboard, Creativity, Caine’s Arcade, Sarah Stewart, David Small

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, children get to think wildly and creatively about the kinds of spaces they wish they could have at home.  Chris Van Dusen is a masterful storyteller and illustrator.  If your kids do not know his work, they will be fans after this lesson.  Make sure that you highlight Van Dusen’s works in your library.  Or, if you don’t have them, order them for your collection as soon as you can.  This lesson is easy, fun, extends the kids thinking, and introduces them to a very special author/illustrator.

Lesson Plan:

Suggested Grades:

K-2

Objective:

Use imagination to design a dream house.  (AASL 4.1.3, “Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.”)

Suggested Time:

30-45 minutes

Success Criteria:

Each student will complete an original drawing of a house with unique, imaginative features.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction:

Last week we started thinking about what we need to feel at home.  The little pirate did not like his home on the ship.  What kind of a home did he want?   (Answer:  A home that stands still, with a view from the hill, and a roof that is blue like the sky.)  Having a place to live helps us feel secure and safe.  To extend our thinking about homes, today you’ll get to use your imaginations to design a house that can be anything you want it to be!  The sky is the limit!!

If you know the work of Chris Van Dusen, you’ll be very excited that we’re reading another of his books today.  If you don’t yet know Chris Van Dusen, hold on to your hats!!  It’s going to be an exciting day to discover a new author/illustrator.

2. Main:

Share If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen.  The illustrations are rich and detailed, so give the children plenty of time to soak them in.  Point out the use of color and perspective and Van Dusen’s wild imagination.

Ask the children what they would do if they could design the home of their dreams.  What would be inside?  A roller coaster?  An anti-gravity chamber?  A basketball court?

Pass out the assignment and tell the children that they will have 15 minutes to design their own home, just like the boy in the story.  What will they design?

Ask them to be sure to do their own work.  Their project should not look like their neighbor’s project!

3. Conclusion:

Bring the class back together and have a few students share what they have created.  If there is space, make a display in the library.  If not, prepared the pieces for display elsewhere in school.

Resources:

1. If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen
2. Student Handout (attached)
3. Colored pencils or crayons

Notes:

Students should notice that the book rhymes!  They will enjoy this since well-crafted rhyming books are always kid-pleasers.

Emphasize that the children must do their own thinking and must not copy one another.  Encourage the children to do something different from their neighbors. If several children insist that they want the same feature, be sure that they distinguish their work with different team colors, different flavors, different features, etc.

Recommended Books for This Lesson:

If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen

Key Words:

Homes, Houses, Imagination, Design, Chris Van Dusen, Architecture

Student Handout, If I Built a House

Lesson Overview:

This is a simple, easy-to-prepare lesson in which the children are asked to think about the kind of home that is most comfortable to them.  With the use of Ronda Armitage’s brilliant story, students can contemplate the places they feel most at home.  This is very helpful to third-culture-kids or students who are not currently in their permanent homes.

Lesson Plan:

Suggested Grades:

1-5 (This one has universal appeal.)

Objective:

To respond to a piece of literature by drawing or writing, the place he or she is most at home.  (AASL 4.1.3, “Respond to literature and creative expression of ideas in various formats and genres.”)

Suggested Time:

30-40 minutes

Success Criteria:

Each student will make a simple drawing or write a descriptive paragraph about the place where he or she feels most at home.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction:

Explain that, in today’s lesson, we will “tune in” to the new Unit of Inquiry.  The new unit focuses on the feeling of belonging to a community and feeling at home.  A lot of wonderful literature connects to this theme, so today we’ll enjoy a story about a little pirate who didn’t want to be a pirate anymore!

How many of you have ever had to stay somewhere that didn’t feel quite right?  How many of you think that one day you might like to live in a home that is different from the one you have now?  Who would like to try out different kinds of homes, perhaps in order to find one that feels the best?

Let’s read together and see what happens to our little pirate.

2. Main:

Teach A New Home for a Pirate by Ronda Armitage and Holly Swain.  This is an enchanting read-aloud for any age group.  The kids will quickly learn the lines that repeat:

“I want a house that stands still, with a view from a hill, and a roof that’s blue like the sky.”

Even better is, that after looking carefully at what the little pirate packs, they can predict how he will help the new friends he meets on his journey.  Let the children make their predictions before you reveal his strategies!

If the children are very young, you will need to clarify some of the vocabulary like mainbrace, landlubber, cutlass, etc.  But, because all children have a fascination with pirates, this is a fun and enjoyable story.

Check for understanding at the end.  Make the children grasp these or similar ideas:

• Jed and Ted have changed places.  (What does not fit one fits the other perfectly.)
• It takes some effort to make a change.  (Ted had to go to Pirate School, Jed had to take a journey.)
• Different homes have different characteristics and offer different opportunities.  (The ship vs the hilltop farm.)
• It is good to take responsibility and make decisions that contribute to your own well-being.  (Jed and Ted both looked for a change and then took advantage of opportunities.)
• Everyone needs help and support!  (Jed had a supportive family and found new friends.  Ted made new friends and took a risk as a grown-up.)

You and your students will have different ideas – these are just a few of the ways you can work with the text.

Give the children time either to draw a picture of their ideal home or to write a short descriptive paragraph about their ideal home.  I typically teach this lesson with Grade 1 children, and I only offer the drawing option.  However, if you are working with older students and need a writing extension, this is an easy one.  The writing prompt could be:

“What would be a perfect home for you?  Write a descriptive paragraph to explain to your reader the kind of home you would like to have someday.  Be specific!”

3. Conclusion:

Ask a few of the children to share their drawings or read their paragraphs.  I am always amazed at what the children come up with, so be sure to allow enough time for sharing at the end.  Thank the children for their work and be sure that it finds its way into their UoI notebooks.

Resources:

1. Blank white paper
2. Blank lined paper (if you select the writing extension).
3. Colored pens, pencils, and markers.
4. A copy of A New Home for a Pirate by Ronda Armitage and Holly Swain.

Notes:

Ronda Armitage is best known for her classic Lighthouse Keeper series.  However, this book adapts itself so well to the PYP.  Change is a main concept in the story, but it fits well with units on homes, communities, journeys, and well-being.

Recommended books for this lesson:

A New Home for a Pirate by Ronda Armitage and Holly Swain

Key Terms:

Homes, Ships, Pirates, Well-Being, Communities, Relationships