 |
| John Newbery Medal |
expect at all.
It is what I
love about life,
that things
happen
which I do
not expect."
Flora & Ulysses is
Comical, Endearing, Captivating, Adventure-packed, Memorable
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
Written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by K.G. Campbell
Published by Candlewick Press, 2013
Summary: Kate DiCamillo’s Flora & Ulysses was the 2014 Newbery Medal Award winner! This novel begins with Flora Belle Buckman, a cynic, watching as her neighbor is vacuuming her yard when suddenly a squirrel appears and she vacuums him right up! Flora is prepared for life-threatening events like this because she has read every issue of the comic series “ Terrible Things Can Happen to you!” So Flora rushes to save the Squirrel from the vacuum and she is able to revive him. When Ulysses, the Squirrel awakens he has special super powers! He is impossibly strong, he can fly and he has the ability to write poetry! Through Flora and Ulysses’ adventures, Flora learns the value of friendship and she learns that sometimes its okay to be hopeful. While reading this page-turner you will burst with laughter and wish that you too had a super-squirrel as your friend too.
Reading Level:
Lexile:520L
Grade Level: 3.1
Suggested Delivery: Read aloud or Independent Read
Summary: Kate DiCamillo’s Flora & Ulysses was the 2014 Newbery Medal Award winner! This novel begins with Flora Belle Buckman, a cynic, watching as her neighbor is vacuuming her yard when suddenly a squirrel appears and she vacuums him right up! Flora is prepared for life-threatening events like this because she has read every issue of the comic series “ Terrible Things Can Happen to you!” So Flora rushes to save the Squirrel from the vacuum and she is able to revive him. When Ulysses, the Squirrel awakens he has special super powers! He is impossibly strong, he can fly and he has the ability to write poetry! Through Flora and Ulysses’ adventures, Flora learns the value of friendship and she learns that sometimes its okay to be hopeful. While reading this page-turner you will burst with laughter and wish that you too had a super-squirrel as your friend too.
Scholastic.com is a great resource for both students and teachers. This link takes readers directly to a character scrapbook. Students can create a scrapbook by designing the characters from the book and writing about them. This will helps students organize their thoughts during the book and help them to remember each character's significance.
This link will take teachers and students to a discussion guide created by Candlewick press. It has great questions to get readers thinking before, during, after reading this book.
Teaching Suggestions:
Key Vocabulary:
Cynic-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynic
Malfeasance- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malfeasance
Hyperbole-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyperbole
Unanticipated- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unanticipated
Multiplicity-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multiplicity
Slanderous-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slanderous
Malfeasance- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malfeasance
Hyperbole-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyperbole
Unanticipated- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unanticipated
Multiplicity-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multiplicity
Slanderous-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slanderous
Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:
Before Reading Activity: It is important to determine if your students would be interested in reading this book and what aspects of the book seem interesting to them. A great way to find out if students would like to read this book is to show students the book trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6cdkkJvgaA
After students watch the video give them time to write in a reading journal about what aspects of the book seem interesting to them and why they want to or do not want to read the book. After students write, let them share their thoughts with a partner.
During Reading Activity: Break students up into groups and give them roles such as summarizer, predictor, illustrator or questioner. If this is a new activity in your classroom then you will need to model each role and share your expectations for the activity with your students. Have students work together to read a chapter or chapters and then discuss what they have read. Provide questions for students to start their conversation: Example for chapters 57-59.
What happens in chapter 57? Why does Flora go to William Spiver's house in the middle of the night? What does Flora's tone of speech tell us about how she is feeling?
Chapter 58: Why does Flora's mother have Ulysses in a sack? Where might she be taking him? What is he thinking? What would you be thinking if you were him?
Chapter 59: The cynic experiences a change during this chapter. What is the change? Why might she be thinking this way?
Each student should share their thoughts and hopefully by listening to their peers their ideas about what they have read will be extended.
Post Reading Activity:
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=11227560&height=267&width=200
Writing Activity: Everyone changes in life, and we see many changes in Flora,
Ulysses, William Spiver, and George Buckman during this story. Pick two characters and write about the changes they experience during the story. Use examples from the book to
demonstrate these changes.
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/076366040X.btg.1.pdf
After students watch the video give them time to write in a reading journal about what aspects of the book seem interesting to them and why they want to or do not want to read the book. After students write, let them share their thoughts with a partner.
During Reading Activity: Break students up into groups and give them roles such as summarizer, predictor, illustrator or questioner. If this is a new activity in your classroom then you will need to model each role and share your expectations for the activity with your students. Have students work together to read a chapter or chapters and then discuss what they have read. Provide questions for students to start their conversation: Example for chapters 57-59.
What happens in chapter 57? Why does Flora go to William Spiver's house in the middle of the night? What does Flora's tone of speech tell us about how she is feeling?
Chapter 58: Why does Flora's mother have Ulysses in a sack? Where might she be taking him? What is he thinking? What would you be thinking if you were him?
Chapter 59: The cynic experiences a change during this chapter. What is the change? Why might she be thinking this way?
Each student should share their thoughts and hopefully by listening to their peers their ideas about what they have read will be extended.
Post Reading Activity:
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=11227560&height=267&width=200
Writing Activity: Everyone changes in life, and we see many changes in Flora,
Ulysses, William Spiver, and George Buckman during this story. Pick two characters and write about the changes they experience during the story. Use examples from the book to
demonstrate these changes.
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/076366040X.btg.1.pdf
