Bad Case of Stripes Lesson Plan

I use A Bad Case of Stripes as a read-aloud during the first week of school to prompt discussion about why we worry about what others think, bullying, and learning to respect and accept differences in others. Students examine cause-and-effect relationships in the story and relate words to pictures.

OBJECTIVE
Students examine cause-and-effect relationships in a story. Students relate words to pictures.

MATERIALS

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
chart paper

SET UP AND PREPARE
Ask the students what worried them as they got ready for the first day of school. List their responses on chart paper.

DIRECTIONS

Allow time to discuss the problems that Camilla was having and possible solutions to the problems. Also take time to notice details in the illustrations.

Take 15 minutes to list worries on chart paper
Take 30 minutes to read and discuss the book, and to look carefully at the illustrations.
Take 15 minutes for follow-up discussion.
Take 30-60 minutes to create the Extension Activity drawing.

Here are some sample questions to use:• Why didn't Camilla want to let others know that she liked lima beans?• What do you notice in this picture?• How does Camilla feel when the children laugh at her?• Do you think that the kids are bullying Camilla?

SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
This book addresses the issue of being worried about what others think about you. It also lends itself to talking about how it makes people feel when others laugh at them or tease them.

LESSON EXTENSION
Have the students draw a large picture of themselves and decorate it with their own "Bad Case of...." You may want them to introduce themselves with this drawing. They could decorate with something they like. For example, Gayle loves to fish, so she decorates herself in the drawing with water and fish for a "Bad Case of Fishing"

Create a "We Respect Our Differences" display with the drawings.

Related Resources
Whoever You Are By Mem Fox
Those Terrible Toy-Breakers by David McPhail

ASSIGNMENTS
Discuss how Camilla worried about how others felt about her at the beginning of the story and then how she felt at the end of the story.
Referring back to the list of student worries, determine possible solutions to their worries. These may lead to rules for the classroom.
Discuss what respect means. What would disrespectful behavior look like? What would respectful behavior look like?

About the Author

Gayle has been a teacher for 35 years. She has helped teachers throughout the nation learn about technology, the Internet, and creative ways to use both in the classroom.

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Familiar ideas, objects, actions, and vocabulary
Simple, short sentences
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"New word" lists help build reading vocabularies
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