Leo Lionni

 

LEO LIONNI LINKS & IDEAS 

• Teacher Resource File ~ http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lionni.htm

• Discuss fables and their characteristics.

• Make mice: http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/schools/beal/Curriculum/media/Lionni/makeamouse.html

• Biography information ~ http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/dcorley/authors/Lionni.htm

• More biography information ~ http://www.yourlibrary.ws/childrens_webpage/e-author52000.htm

• PowerPoint on Lionni ~ http://students.wsc.ma.edu/jtisdell3091/lesson%20on%20Leo%20Lionni%20and%20his%20book.ppt

• WebQuest ~ http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/fall2003/cm/webquest.htm

• Write your own class fable.

 THE ALPHABET TREE

• Brainstorm for other important messages that a tree could write.  Encourage students to talk about kindness, helping others, friendship, etc…  Have each student design a tree with messages on their leaves.  Combine the trees to make a class book.

• Discuss all the trees that are native to your community.  Make a list and have students form groups to research a local tree species.

• Discuss the parts of a tree.  Have students write about the uses of each part of the tree.  

• Activity for constructing words. Teachers.net
• Lesson Plan introduces and reinforces recognition of upper and lower case letters. Scholastic

 LITTLE BLUE AND LITTLE YELLOW

• Change the story.  How would Little Blue and Little Yellow have been different if either of the characters had found a red friend?  Have children rewrite the story using their imaginations.

• Book Review and Links from Carol Hurst ~ http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/littleblue.html

• Discuss with students the things that Little Blue saw in his neighborhood.  As a class, work together to create a map of Little Blue’s neighborhood drawing Little Blue’s house across from Little Yellow’s and placing other landmarks anywhere children choose to.  Can be done in small groups or even independently. 

• Discuss hugs and how they change a person.  The change is on the inside of a person, not the outside. 

• Write a story about what Little Blue and Yellow like to do together.  Compile stories into a class book.

• Experiment with mixing other colors.

• Tie the discussion into racism.  Little Blue and Yellow were different colors, but were great friends.

MR McMOUSE

• Read the book to:  “You’ll see, said Timothy, pulling Spinny close to the back of the wall.”  STOP ~ The mice are now in a trap.  The cat is waiting outside of the trap.  Ask the students to predict what will happen next.  Write the predictions and then read the entire book.  Compare and Contrast their endings from the real endings.

• Mr. McMouse didn’t think anyone would recognize him.  Have students choose a classmate and describe him/her in writing without using their name.  Students can read their descriptions out loud for the rest of the class to guess who is being described.

• Discuss the differences between city life and country life.  What other tests might a city mouse have to pass in order to become a country mouse?  Have students write a story titled “How to Become a Country Mouse.” 

FREDERICK

•  Have students explain how people are different and unique.  Tell or write why it is good for people to be different.

• Discuss how Frederick was different from the rest of his group.  How did he help his group?

 

A COLOR OF HIS OWN

• Discuss the advantages that the Chameleon has when he changes colors.  

• Lesson plan and internet activity from Ball State University ~ http://web.bsu.edu/00smtancock/CyberLessons/colorofhisown/colorofhisown.html

• Discuss how being different makes us special.

• Divide the class into groups to research Chameleons to write or make posters.  Compile them into a class book.

 THE EXTRAORDINARY EGG

• Discuss Jessica’s adventures with the alligator.  Have students write about an adventure or a good time with a friend.

• Create a new adventure for Jessica.  Design a map to follow this adventure. 

• Brainstorm a list of animals that hatch from an egg. 

• Research facts about frogs, alligators and chickens.  Create a three-part Venn Diagram about these animals. 

• Sequence the story using the printout provided. 

  THE BIGGEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD

• Write about a time when you wished for something, but when you got it, you were disappointed. 

•  Write about the proverb “All good things come in a small package.”  List other objects that are small but ‘good.’

• Research animal homes/habitats.

• Brainstorm ideas of all the places the snail could have seen in its travels.  Brainstorm animals that the little snail could have met.  Write a story about something the snail did or an animal the snail could have met.

• Social Studies ~ Construct a map of the snails journey.

• In small groups research snails.

 A FLEA STORY

• Compare and contrast the two fleas.  Make a Venn diagram and/or write about it.

• Discuss the characteristics of the two fleas.  Have the students decide which flea they are most like.  Which flea would they like to be?  Give examples. 

 FISH IS FISH

• Postcard From A Frog ~ Have students pretend they are the frog about to send a postcard to his friend, the fish.  Have children write a brief note from frog to fish.

 INCH BY INCH

• Change the setting of the story to a zoo.  Brainstorm different animals that could live in the zoo.  Record the animal names on the chalkboard.  Beside each animal list a special feature the inch worm could measure.

 MATTHEW’S DREAM

• Discuss with your students how Matthew achieved his dream.  Have the students write or share about their dreams.  What would they like to be when they grow up?  How do they plan to achieve those dreams. 

IT’S MINE!

• Make a hanging timeline.  Divide students into small groups.  Provide each group with six 3” circles or frog cut-outs and one long piece of ribbon or string.  Have the students work together to identify six events in the story and to draw one event on each circle.  Then string the events in the order which they occurred on the ribbon.  Hang the timelines around the room.

• Make an origami frog ~ http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/origami/frog/   The origami frog is important to Japanese culture.  They are carried for good luck.  The word frog in Japanese is ‘kaeru”

• Discuss the importance of sharing.  Brainstorm ideas of objects that students can share.  Have the students write and illustrates what is ours, and how should we go about sharing it. 

• Have a class discussion of ways to settle disputes without the intervention of an adult.

 ALEXANDER AND THE WIND-UP MOUSE

• Have students brainstorm people for whom they would like to grant a wish.  Write and illustrate what or whom their wish would be for and what it would be.  Combine to make a class “Wish Book.”

• Discuss living and non-living things and collect and sort on a T-Chart items found around school or the classroom.

• Have students tell or write about their favorite toy. 

• Ask the students what they would wish for if they had a ‘magic purple pebble.’

• Have the students write what there response would be if they had a mouse in their house.  What would their parents or grown-ups do?   

• Lesson Plan from KYReads ~ Lesson Plan

• Online Guided Plan from Scholastic ~ http://books.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/teachingwithbooks/producthome.jsp?productID=11182&displayName=Description

A BUSY YEAR

• Scholastic Lesson

•  

A BUSY DAY

• Sequence the story using the printout provided.

SWIMMY

• Interactive Puzzle ~ http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98/games/slidepuzzle/swimpuzzle.html

• Have students decorate one side of a cardboard fish and on the other side pose a problem that needs a solution.  Invite students to read the problem and write a solution.  Examples of problems:  *You twist your ankle in gym class.  *You don’t like the lunch in your lunch box.  *You forgot to bring your library books back to school  * You left your backpack on the bus.  *You don’t know how to spell a word.  * A math problem seems too hard for you to do. 

• Extension ideas ~ http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Teachers/Literature/LeoL.html

 

THE GREENTAIL MOUSE

• Discuss Mardi Gras.  www.mardigras.com ; http://www.mrscarosclass.com/mardi_gras.htm

• Discuss How the mice changed throughout the story.

• Have students write about why one mouse chose to paint her tail green instead of wearing a mask.

TILLIE AND THE WALL

• Ask students if they’ve ever been curious about something.  How did they get over that curiosity?

• Read the story to:  “until suddenly, almost blinded by the bright sunlight, she was on the other side of the wall!  She couldn’t believe her eyes.”  STOP ~ Have the students write about what they thought Tilie would see on the other side of the wall.  Compile the pages into a class book.

• Discuss with the students if the mice on either side of the wall hadn’t met, would Tillie have been as curious about the other side?  Write or discuss about it.