The+Scarebird

Submitted by Sharon House, First Grade, Literature book, __The Scarebird__

Standards: Social Awareness, 1A, 3B

Materials: book, __The Scarebird__ by Sid Fleischman, chart paper, large student paper folded in thirds, crayons

Time: 30 minutes

When to teach: Beginning of the year

Goals: To help the children understand the feeling of compassion and empathy when one is lonely and needs a friend.

Lesson: Before reading the book talk to the children about loneliness, how it makes them feel and things they do to overcome it. This book is about Lonesome John living alone deep in the country. He builds a scarecrow to be his friend. A homeless young farmhand shows up looking for work. Lonesome John is hesitant to hire him but eventually realizes he could be a better friend than the scarecrow.

After reading the book discuss how everyone was feeling in the beginning of the story, the middle of the story, and the end of the story.

Students illustrate the three parts of the story, adding feeling words or sentences to each part. Students share their illustrations, explaining how they were feeling while reading the book.

Assessment: Score the illustrations and explanations, making note of their understanding of compassion and empathy.