“Tudley is a turtle,” said Timmy. Nina nodded. “He’s a green turtle,” she said. “But, he’s different from other turtles,” said Jewel. “He can do all sorts of things,” said Jake. “Tudley can fly,” said Jane. She waved her arms pretending to fly. “And, he can hop and make music,” said Melia. “He can sing like a katydid, too,” said Jake. “And . . . make his tail glow,” said Ethan. “He is special,” said Jewel, “He’s different from the other turtles.” “Tudley can do a lot of things, said Jane, “ . . . things that the other turtles can’t do.” “He’s very . . . well . . . unique,” said Jake trying to find just the right description. “Tudley does have a unique personality,” Pritka agreed, “but he is a confused little turtle,” she said with a giggle. Jewel giggled, too, and then said, “Tudley likes to help other animals.” “He helped the firefly when she fell in the water,” said Pritka,” and he helped the hummingbird when part of her nest fell.” Ethan cut in, “ He helped a frog, too,” he said. “If I were Tudley,” said Sarit, “I would help everyone.” “But, then Tudley fell out of a tree,” said Nina. “And fell on a rock, said Jane. “Then he couldn’t do anything,” said Ethan. “Tudley didn’t know that he could go inside his shell,” said Jake. “So the firefly got the elder turtles,” said Ethan. “And with their brains,” he continued,” they helped Tudley get off of the rock safely.” “They told Tudley to tuck his body in,” said Jane. “And then he rocked in his shell and he rolled.” “Basically,” said Jake, “this story was setting a moral. If you believe you can do it, you probably will be able to do it . . . as long as it’s not too extreme.” “I agree with that,” said Sarit. Ethan looked like he was pondering that thought, then he said, “Like . . . I never thought that I could ride a scooter because I thought that I would fall and break most of my bones, but once I started practicing, I found that I could ride a scooter.” “Hmmm . . . “ said Pritka. “I was having a lot of trouble with fractions in school, then my aunt taught me a really good trick and she told me that if I believed, I could do it, and I really could do it!” “You might not be able to do it at first,” said Jake, “but at least you’ll give an effort.” “Like Tudley!” Pritka interrupted. “He believes he can do anything!” TEACHER TALK I BELIEVE – TUDLEY DID! Language Arts/Writing “If only you believe like I believe, baby . . .!” Hey, the Miracles sang that song a long time ago. I wonder if they knew Tudley. Or . . . maybe Tudley listened to that song and it inspired him to do anything he wanted to. Anyhow, miracles sometimes do happen if you believe. Open the world of believable to your Kiddles. Make a list of all of their “unbelievable” believable ideas on Chart Paper. 1. Have the Kiddles think of things that they believe they can do. They can be realistic things or “far out” things. 2. Elicit an idea from each Kiddle and list all their suggestions on Chart Paper. 3. Then type each idea into the computer and pass out a copy to each Kiddle. Ex. I believe I can fly to the moon. by Sheena I believe I will drive a car someday. by Elene I believe I can eat a can of worms. by Miles I believe I can ride on a cow. by Grace 4. Next, give each Kiddle an empty booklet with enough pages in it to accommodate each idea. (Booklet - 4” x 9” manila paper pages sandwiched between colored-construction paper covers) 5. Then have them glue an “I Believe” idea on each page of their booklet. 6. Finally, have them illustrate each page. Stress the importance of illustrating what the text states, and making their illustrations beautiful. 7. When books are complete, have Kiddles meet as a group for a story-share. Then store the books in a basket in the classroom library, so the Kiddles can read them during free reading time. TURTLE ADDITION: Art/Math Turtles may be slow, but this art/math activity will surely speed up the pace for your Kiddles. Materials: Paper plate Crayons Green construction paper for turtle shell Brown construction paper for head, legs, and tail Oval tracer shapes for turtle legs Oval tracer shapes for turtle head Triangle tracer shapes for turtle tail 1. Give each Kiddle a round paper plate. 2. Have them color the paper plate green. 3. Then set out enough tracers in the shapes of triangles and ovals to make the turtle head, legs, and tail. 4. Have Kiddles trace four oval legs, one large oval head, and one triangle tail and glue each piece to the underside of the plate in the form of a turtle. 5. Have the children use a marker to write a number from 0 to 9 on each leg. Then add up the numbers and write the answer on the underside of the turtle. Ex. 2 + 3 + 7 + 0 = 12 4 + 5 + 3 + 1 = 13 6. Then they can add eyes and decorate the carapace, the shell covering the top of the turtle’s body. 7. Place the completed turtles in an old aquarium or store in the math area. 8. During “free choice” math time, the Kiddles can test their addition speed by how quickly they can add up the turtle’s legs. NOTE: Click on this URL for turtle templates. http://www.first-school.ws/activities/shapes/animals/turtle-craft.htm SUGGESTED WEBSITES: (Although I examined these websites and found them to be very helpful, please use them at your own discretion.) TURTLE PARTS TURTLE SPECIES YAHOOLIGANS! Animals: Eastern Painted Turtle PAINTED TURTLE SUGGESTED BOOKS: Let’s Draw a Turtle With Half Circles by Joanne Randolph; illustrated by Emily Muschinske Turtle Rescue by Pamela Hickman Turtles in My Sandbox by Jennifer Keats Curtis; illustrated by Emanuel Schongut |
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