A Getting-Acquainted Activity Using My Teacher’s Secret Life

Student Objectives

Instruction and Activities

Extensions

Student Assessment/Reflections

 

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will

• listen to the book, My Teacher's Secret Life, looking for clues to enhance their listening skills.
  
  
• discuss what they like to do outside of school.
  
  
• discover what their teacher enjoys outside of school.
  
  
• draw a picture and write about their lives away from school.

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Instruction and Activities

1. Introduce My Teacher's Secret Life to the class and read it aloud.
   
   
2. Discuss with students about what they do away from school. Allow for every student who wants to share.
   
   
3. Record individual responses on chart paper.
   
   
4. After children have responded, ask children, What do you think Ms./Mr. ______ does after school and on the weekends? Instruct the children to look around the room for clues. Expand on what is said by sharing some information about your life outside of school.
   
   
5. After the children return to their seats, list what they have guessed about you on another sheet of chart paper, including drawing some of the items.
   
   
6. Model writing a book of your life using the Stapleless Book Planning Sheet. If possible, make copies for each student to bring home.
   
   
7. Working at home with their parents, students draw glimpses of their personal lives on the planning sheet, showing what they enjoy doing when they are away from school. They can include photographs, drawings, and at least two sentences about their pictures. Have the students bring their chosen materials to school the next day.
   
   
8. Have each student create a stapleless book of their own "secret lives."
   
   
9. Finally, encourage the children to share the books with each other, reading what they wrote and decribing their artwork.

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EXTENSIONS

Students can learn more about author Stephen Krensky at his home page.

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS

• Observe students as they participate in class discussion.
  
  
• Give students feedback on their stapleless books. This is a good diagnostic tool to gauge the level of the students' writing skills at the beginning of the year.

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