I have been away from picture books too long- my mind is blank! Please recommend a book for my activity. I want to assign a picture book to a group of kids to read and create a play from. So, I need something that would be easy to act out and appropriate (preferrably funny). Obviously, I would have a hard time getting 5th graders to act out I Love You the Purplest or The Kissing Hand. Please help! Thanks!
This is a great idea--another one to steal! I'll look through my picture book shelf later tonight (have to take my daughter to soccer practice now) and post some titles if I find any good ones!
Oh, 5th grade. oops. Hmm, maybe my two were too young. Check out this site (Reading is Fundamental) It has some great ideas, here is the direct link... http://www.rif.org/educators/books/plays_booklist.mspx
We did something similar in college and one group did Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. It was hilarious! No, David! or David Goes to School would be funny! The Cow That Laid an Egg would be a good one, too.
What about Three Cheers for Tacky by Helen Lester, not sure if it would be too young for them, but they would might like it and I think it would be a good one to act out.
Oh you could do Rainbow Fish...or Frog and Toad and the missing button- I think that is what it is called... I like this thread- it is so fun to brainstorm. I love the responses so far and cannot wait for more!
Thanks for the ideas so far! I will be heading to the library tomorrow! I would ideally like 5 groups, so 5 books. So, keep the ideas coming!
Alice the Fairy by David Shannon would be really cute and funny! Another great one would be Arnie the Doughnut.
Edwina the Dinorsaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems- such a funny book! Maybe Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? by Judith Viorst or Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
Zen Shorts Scholastic has a new book out in Lucky Oct., Vunce Upon a Time, it'd be a fun one for Halloween. Teacher from the Black Lagoon You could choose just about any picture book and convert it. I'm especially fond of all Jan Brett's books as welll as Patricia Polacco's. Bee in a Jar would be great. All my read a louds are at school, I'm tired.
Chris Van Allsburg put out a really interesting picture book in the eighties called "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" (well he didn't actually do the pictures in it..just put the book out). Since each picture has one line of text under it and there is no linking text between pictures, you could have each group choose one picture and create a play for it.
We do this for Halloween. Each student picks a picture and writes a mystery to go along with it. Then we have a "Mystery Theatre" with creepy music and have them share them. Loads of fun.
