Educational Resources

Activities for All Books

Activity #1: Each new book has small pictorial references to all the previous books hidden in it. If students are taught to look at the information printed in the ‘front matter’ of each book, this can be the springboard for many lessons:

• Sequencing, which books came first, second, etc?
• How many books are hidden in a specific book?
• Which books are not hidden in a specific book?
• Photocopy a grid using lucite paper. Letter the vertical lines, number the horizontal ones. When a student locates a hidden picture, he writes the book’s title, copyright date and page number. Then he defines the hidden picture’s location by placing the grid over the page and giving the proper coordinates. (This suggestion courtesy of Pauline Beder, an incredibly gifted teacher/librarian with the York Region District School Board in Toronto.)
• More or Less. Which books have more pictures hidden in them? Which ones have less? Which have the most? The least? Do any have an equal amount? Does any book have none?

Activity #2: If a book has a villain in it, create “wanted” posters. On a sheet of paper draw an open square. Print “wanted” above it and draw lines below it with the words: name, description, crime, last seen, reward. The students draw a picture of the ‘bad guy’ and fill in the blanks below. Story-telling can be encouraged by asking them to describe how the villain came to his/her life of crime. Could he possibly be reformed? How?

Activity #3: Read the book aloud up to a crisis point. The students invent their own solutions. This can be either a written or oral lesson.

Activity #4: One student pretends to be a newspaper reporter interviewing one or more characters from the book. This can be done in the form of play-acting or as a written assignment to create a newspaper article. A large sheet of paper can be used imitating a newspaper front page. Student work, with headlines, can be attached to this for display.

Activity #5: Two students choose characters from the same book or different books and invent a conversation between them.

Activity #6: Pair students. Each chooses a character and in that role writes letters to the other.

Activity #7: Classification: From a list of words, choose which best describe different characters in the book.

Activity #8: Create a mural based on the story.

Activity #9: Estimate: How many words/sentences/lines on a page.

Activity #10: More or Less: Which page or book has the most sentences in it?

Activity #11: Long & Short: Find the longest word on a page. Find the shortest word. Count the letters in each. Subtract one from the other. How many more letters did the larger one have?

Activity #12: Create a timeline that shows the order in which the events in the story happened.

Jillian Jiggs

Activity #1: There are many questions that can arise in this book, which make great written and oral exercises. Suggestions:

• I like to dress up as ———- and ———-.
• What did Jillian’s Dad say or do when he came home?
• Jillian’s Mom is talking to Rachel’s Mom. What do they say?
• What did Jillian say to herself when she looked in the mirror?

Activity #2: Print a key word on the blackboard and invite students to suggest words that rhyme with it. Working together, create a four-sentence story. Each sentence must end with one of the rhyming words on the blackboard.

• 1st sentence: Introduces a person, place or thing with a problem.
• 2nd sentence: Shows the subject beginning to solve the problem.
• 3rd sentence: Presents an obstacle to solving the problem.
• 4th sentence: The solution to the problem.

The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs

Activity #1: Adding, subtracting, and multiplying pigs. This can be done using pink paper cut out pigs or- for the really ambitious- stuffed, sewn pigs. Examples:

• If each pig cost 10 cents, how much money would Jillian make if she sold 3 pigs?
• If Rachel made 5 pigs and sold 2, how many would she have left?

Activity #2: Sorting pigs: As above, only students sort the pigs by colour, size or other distinguishing characteristics.

Activity #3: Start as above, then have students divide pigs up. How many do they each get? How many are left over? Does someone have more or less?

Activity #4: Have a pig-nic. Suggestions: Ham sandwiches, pigs in blankets, etc.

Activity #5: Collect sayings derived from pigs. For example: Go hog wild. Pig out.

Activity #6: Make stuffed pigs following instructions at the back of The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs book. A word to the wise: don’t attempt this without classroom helpers. Once students have created their pigs, have them create an environment for them using a shoebox. For instance, a space pig’s box could be covered with aluminum foil to resemble a space ship or a strange planet with 3 moons. A vampire pig could live in a cave. Then have students write or tell a story about their pigs.

Once Upon a Golden Apple

Activity #1: Students write their own mixed up stories.

Activity #2: Students invent a beginning and end to any of the wrong answers. For example: Explain how the princess came to be kissing a reluctant dragon and what happened after she did that.

Jillian Jiggs to the Rescue

Activity #1: Make monster masks using paper plates, cups, strings, bottle caps, etc. Count how many bottle caps/strings etc. were used to make a mask.

Activity #2: Pretend you are the monster in Jillian’s monster machine. What would you say to her?

Activity #3: Make a monster machine using cardboard boxes.

Activity #4: Have students draw a picture of a nightmare they’ve had. Suggest that they also draw in helpers, for instance: a magic wand, an invisible cloak, a fairy Godmother, a magic pebble. Next they draw in a barrier to protect themselves. For instance: a cage around the nightmare subject, a deep hole, a high wall etc. Once this is done, they write or speak a conversation with the nightmare subject including the nightmare subject’s response.

Pirate Pearl

Activity #1: Draw treasure maps and organize scavenger hunts using them. Instructions involve math. Take three steps forward, ten to the right, etc. etc.

Activity #2: Make a treasure chest and fill it with gold chocolate coins of varying sizes, or colored beads of varying shapes, colours and sizes or painted macaroni coins and jewels, noodle necklaces and bracelets. This can be used for all kinds of math exercises: counting, adding, subtracting, estimating, sorting, sharing, etc.