Memorial Day Read Alouds

Memorial Day is a week a way, so I thought I'd share a sample lesson and read aloud recommendations from my latest book.

MEMORIAL DAY

M

emorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It is a day intended to remember those who died while serving our country. Many people attend parades and visit cemeteries as a way to remember and honor veterans. They place flags and flowers on the graves of veterans. Memorial Day is also a time when families remember loved ones who have died. This makes Memorial Day a good time to bring up the sensitive subject of death, address your students many questions, and share memories. Unofficially, Memorial Day is considered the start of summer. People enjoy the warmer weather, get outside, and have picnics with family and friends.

Teacher References: https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States

Title: Harry & Hopper                                                             

Topic: Death of Pet

Author: Margaret Wild                                                                                  

Illustrator: Freya Blackwood                                                           

Media: Watercolor, gouache, charcoal                                                                                       

Genre/sub-genre: Fiction/Pets

Summary: Harry teaches his puppy to sit, catch, fetch, and wrestle. At night they sleep together in Harry’s bed. After an accident, Hopper dies. As he sleeps, Harry hears his dog at the window. They play together. For a few more nights, Hopper returns, but each time he is a little more faded and weaker.

Ask: What do you know about how long pets live? What questions do you have about pets dying?

Picture Walk and make predictions. As students make predictions, ask, “What evidence are you using for your prediction?” Or use listen twice activity.

Infer: From the cover, infer which is Harry and which is Hopper. What clues are you using? (Harry is the boy, Hopper is the dog; both are hairy, but it is the dog that hops up on the boy)

Listen twice activities: Listen first with eyes Closed. Imagine you are Harry feeling what he feels, seeing what he sees. Now listen with eyes Open. This time the story is about a boy you don’t know. Did your feelings and what you saw change? In what way?

During reading: Inform, Explain, Discuss, Share

·        Vocabulary Definitions:

                    1. Wriggle – twist and turn while moving in a certain direction

                    2. Mischief – misbehaving or causing trouble in a playful way

                    3. Trudge – slow heavy steps

                    4. Grieve – mourn a loss, feel sorrow, suffer heartache, cry, weep

                    5. Memorial – a structure intended to help remember someone; headstone; tomb

·        Background Knowledge:

                    1. On average, dogs live 10-13 years. In general, larger animals like elephants can live                              a  long time, while smaller animals like small dogs live a shorter time. This is because

  larger animals have fewer predators.

                    2. Indoor cats live 12-18 years. All animals can get sick at any age just like humans.

                    3. People grieve in many different ways. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.

                    4. When something sudden and unexpected happens, it can be hard for our brains to

  accept. It may feel like your whole world doesn’t make sense any more. Sometimes

  people call the death of a loved one a “traumatic loss.” They feel traumatized, as

  though they have been physically or emotionally harmed. It takes time to heal.

                    5. Sleep helps our brains function better. While we sleep, we have dreams that help us

  process the day’s events. We can often understand things better after a good night’s

  sleep. Sometimes it takes days, weeks or months for our minds to work through loss.

Basic WH Questions:

·         Who is telling the story? (narrator)

·         Who was jumpy as a grasshopper? (Hopper; the puppy)

·         What did Harry teach Hopper? (how to sit, stay, catch, fetch and wrestle)

·         When did Harry help Hopper hide? (they saw dad get the hose for Hopper’s weekly bath)

·         Where did Hopper sleep? (next to Harry)

·         Why didn’t Hopper greet Harry one afternoon after school? (he died)

·         How did he die? (in an accident)

·         Cause/Effect: What caused Harry to ignore his dad? (he couldn’t accept Hopper’s death)

·         Identify Author’s Genre: Fiction/Pets

·         How do you know? (illustrations instead of photos; dogs don’t really come back to play at night when they have died)

·      Author’s Purpose: Why did the author write this story? (to help us understand what it is like to lose someone special; to help us see one way people process their thoughts and feelings; to teach us to empathize with others who are grieving; to provide comforting thoughts)

·         Identify Illustrator’s Media: Watercolor, gouache, charcoal

·         How did the illustrations help you understand the story? (squiggly lines show how active the puppy was; see how much time they spent together and loved each other; see how alone Harry felt when Hopper died; see how his dreams provided comfort and company; help us see how Hopper was becoming transparent/less real)

·         What Questions do you have?

  

Bloom’s Taxonomy – Higher Level Thinking Questions  - (Use to stimulate thought)

·         Knowledge: Define “trauma.” (physical or emotional harm)

·    Comprehension: Defend Harry’s behavior when he watched TV while his dad buried Hopper. (he was in shock; his brain wasn’t ready to accept that Hopper was really gone)

·       Application: Produce a sketch of your pet, or other animal, that shows how active they are.

·    Analysis: Differentiate between Harry’s daytime life and his dream life after Hopper’s death. (daytime – Harry didn’t talk to anyone, he felt alone and sad; dreamtime – Harry felt happy and playful, he had company and someone to hug)

·       Synthesis: Develop a plan for Harry and his dad going forward. (allow time to heal; share their memories and feelings; when they are both ready adopt another puppy)

·    Evaluation: Summarize Harry’s dream period. (Hopper came back to life in Harry’s dreams; they played and slept together; each night Hopper faded as Harry started to accept he was gone; the dreams gave Harry a chance to say good-bye to Hopper)

Demonstrate Comprehension Using Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences - (Use to demonstrate comprehension and higher-level thinking)

• Interpersonal: Communicate your feelings to a friend about the real-life loss of someone’s pet.
• Intrapersonal: Reflect on your thoughts and feelings during this story and discussion.
• Bodily Kinesthetic: Play catch with a partner. Notice how your spirits rise with the activity.
• Linguistic: Read a newspaper article about a local Memorial Day event.
• Logical Mathematical: Choose a math game. See https://www.notsowimpyteacher.com/2017/09/free-multiplication-math-facts-games.html
• Musical: Sing patriotic songs. See: http://wildflowerramblings.com/printables-free/10-patriotic-songs-children-free-printable/#_a5y_p=3900533
• Naturalist: Bring flowers and flags to a local cemetery. Or, have a class picnic outdoors.
• Spatial: Use a globe to find the locations of wars the United States has participated in.

Practice Retell.

·         Describe the kickoff – What got the story going? (when Hopper was a puppy, he came to live with Harry and his dad; he was jumpy as a grasshopper)

·    Describe Harry. (active young boy, happy when playing, loving, hurt, in mourning, spends time alone, quiet, sad)

·         Include character’s feelings and your own feelings as you listened (shocked, sad, traumatized)

·         Describe Setting (story takes place at home, in bedroom, living room, front porch, backyard)

·       Explain the plot (a boy’s dog dies in an accident; he feels traumatized by the loss; with time he learns to accept and say good-bye to his dog)

·         Use sequence words as you retell the story.

·      Provide details about how Harry learned of Hopper’s death. (Harry’s dad was waiting on the front porch; he was hunched over; Harry noticed Hopper was not in the yard; he missed having Hopper waiting to greet him and lick his face; Harry sat down next to his dad; Dad explained there was an accident and Hopper died; Harry shouted, “No!”)

·         Explain problem/solution (problem – Harry is in shock and can’t accept Hopper’s death; solution – sleep, dreams, and time help Harry process this sad news, give him a little more time with Hopper, and eventually say good-bye)

Compare/Contrast: How is this the same as (or different from) something you have experienced?

Text – Self: How did an experience in your life help you understand this text better.

Text – Text: How is this text different from other texts you have read?

Text – World: How is this text similar to things that happen in the real world?

Opinion: In your experience, what is the best way to help a friend who is going through a sad time?

Use three or four new vocabulary words in a sentence. (teacher or student choice)

Pair with Non-Fiction book:

Memorial Day. Trudy Strain Trueit. Brief chapters on the origin of America’s Memorial Day, traditional red poppies, songs and poetry. Includes text boxes, crafts, and words to know.

Additional Memorial Day books for Third Grade:

Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines. Jeanne Walker Harvey. Biography of the artist who designed the Vietnam Memorial. Perfect for pairing with Eve Bunting’s The Wall.

Memorial Day. Mir Tamim Ansary. Focuses on Memorial Day as a result of slavery and Civil War. With a nation divided, people found it healing to honor the graves of soldiers from both North and South.

Saying Goodbye to A Friend: How to Understand and Cope When Someone You Love Dies. Nicola Edwards. Photos of friends sharing many different feelings, along with discussions of topics like it’s so unfair, illness and dying, angry and confused, feeling guilty, feeling scared, remembering a friend, and feeling happy again.

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. Judith Viorst. After his cat dies, a boy’s mother tells him to think of ten good things to say for the funeral. He easily comes up with nine good things. He can’t think of a tenth thing until a conversation with his father provides a fresh perspective.

The Wall. Eve Bunting. Many people visit the Vietnam Memorial, young, old, soldiers, survivors. Everyone reacts differently, some leave mementos.

Memorial Day Book Recommendations for:

Kindergarten

Goodbye Mousie. Robie H. Harris. The loss of a pet is hard to accept at first. There is a range of feelings, preparation for burial, a funeral in the backyard, and finally acceptance.

I’ll Always Love You. Hans Wilhelm. Elfie the dog grows old much faster than the boy he loves. The boy cares for her and each night says, “I’ll always love you.” Remembering those words, and the knowledge that Elfie understood, provides comfort after she dies.

Memorial Day. R.J. Bailey. Photos and simple text on visiting a war memorial, watching a concert on TV, and thanking veterans for their service.

Memorial Day. Emma Carlson Berne. Includes CD. Sing and clap along while looking at illustrations!

Memorial Day. Jacqueline S. Cotton. Non-fiction. Brief text explains the history of Memorial Day, visiting cemeteries, going to parades, and having picnics.

Memorial Day Surprise. Theresa Martin Golding. Mama tells Marco there is a surprise for him at the parade. It wasn’t seeing his friend there, it wasn’t the marching band, what could it be? When a group of Veteran’s come down the street, Marco runs and jumps into his Abuelo’s lap. “Happy Memory Day!”

One More Wednesday. Malika Doray. Sadness and questions about death arise after a grandmother dies. Simple illustrations and text provide just-right answers for comforting a young child.

The Purple Balloon. Chris Raschka. A story about death and dying and drawing your feelings.

What Happens When a Loved One Dies?: Our First Talk About Death. Dr. Jillian Roberts.  Simple text and illustrations offer just enough information for young children.

First Grade

Always and Forever. Alan Durant. A group of animals live together in the woods. All did their part to make the home run smoothly. The loss of Fox leaves his family feeling sad and lonely all winter. When Squirrel visits they share memories, laughter, and decide to create a garden in Fox’s memory.

Memorial Day. Rachel Grack. Non-fiction. Remembering soldiers who died in the service of their country with flags at half-staff, a moment of silence, and paper poppies.

Missing Mommy. Rebecca Cobb. Life changes after a boy’s mom dies. Told from a child’s perspective with all his tears, fears, worry and anger. Reassurances, daily chores, and memories help him heal.

Ruby in the Ruins. Shirley Hughes. Separated by war during the London blitz, Ruby barely recognizes her dad when he returns home, but guess who comes to her rescue when she gets hurt playing in the ruins? Unconditional love and a lesson in safety.

Rudi’s Pond. Eve Bunting. When friend and classmate Rudi becomes sick and dies, memories are shared, and the school decides to build a pond in his memory.

Until We Meet Again. Susan Jones. Mom’s Choice Awards. A young boy reflects on things his grandfather taught him, the fun times they shared, and quieter moments as grandfather grows weak. The memories and traditions continue to bring comfort to a grandpa who was once that little boy.

What’s Heaven? Maria Shriver. Children have many questions when someone dies. Sometimes they answer the questions themselves, sometimes they need your help. This conversation, between a mother and daughter, show one example of how the conversation might play out.

Where Do They Go? Julia Alvarez. Asked by people of all ages, a serious question is given some creative possible answers. A gentle way to turn loss into wonder.

Second Grade

Badger’s Parting Gifts. Susan Varley. Dependable, reliable Badger is very old. He doesn’t fear death. He worries about his friends and does his best to prepare them. When the time comes for Badger to go down the Long Tunnel, he finds he can run again. It was hard for his friends. They shared memories of things Badger had taught them, things that they one day can teach to others. That is his parting gift.

Blow Me a Kiss, Miss Lilly. Nancy White Carlstrom. Sara’s elderly neighbor and best friend dies in the hospital. Sara felt lonely, but as time goes on it hurts less and she shares memories with Miss Lilly’s cat.

Katie Woo: Goodbye to Goldie. Fran Manushkin. Katie’s dog, Goldie, becomes sick and dies. Katie shares memories of Goldie with her friends and makes a scrapbook.

Memorial Day. Marc Tyler Nobleman. When is it, how did it begin, how do people honor soldiers, and what does Memorial Day mean to people? Includes glossary and additional facts.

Saying Goodbye to A Grandparent: How to Understand and Cope When Someone You Love Dies. Nicola Edwards. Photos of grandparents and children spending time together, and discussions of topics like growing old, what death means, feeling sad, preparing for a funeral, and sharing memories.

The Funeral. Matt James. Although her mother is sad, for Norma, Great-Uncle Frank’s funeral is a day off from school and a chance to see her favorite cousin. As the funeral progresses, she wonders – Is Uncle Frank still a person? Use to spark a conversation about death and funeral customs.

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death. Laurie Krasny Brown. What does it mean to be “alive?” What is death? Why do people die? Is there a wrong or right way to feel when someone dies? What are funerals like? Dinosaurs make this subject approachable at any time, but you’ll treasure it most when you need to have those tough conversations. A wonderful resource for all ages.

This article is from The Pringle Plan For Holiday Read Alouds, by Laura S. Pringle.

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