Every year, I prepare to celebrate Grandparents Day by reading Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge with my class. The book, written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas, fosters intergenerational friendships and respect for others.
Prior to the lesson, I fill a brown paper bag with five items that hold special memories for me. I choose items that align to themes in the book:
Something warm
Something from long ago
Something that makes me cry
Something that makes me laugh
Something as precious as gold
To begin the lesson, I ask the students what a memory is. We start a Can-Have-Are chart for memories. For example, memories can make you happy, have a special feeling and are different for everyone. After a short discussion, I present each item from my bag and tell about the memory it holds for me. I then introduce the book and read it aloud.
The story is about a little boy, Wilfrid, who lives next door to a retirement home and gets to know all of its residents. Wilfrid befriends 96-year-old Miss Nancy and tells her all his secrets. He later finds out that Miss Nancy has lost her memory, and he makes it his mission to help her find it. But first, Wilfrid has to figure out exactly what a memory is.
After reading the story, we go back to our Can-Have-Are chart and add more information. We continue to discuss memories, compare Wilfrid’s and Miss Nancy’s memories and talk about how or why Miss Nancy lost hers. Then I give each student a brown paper bag like mine and directions to fill it with five of their own memory items. The next day, students bring their bags and share their memories. Then they write about their items and make a short illustrated book.
As a culminating activity, we invite grandparents or older family members to the classroom to share our books or we make arrangements to visit a local retirement home to create new memories.
Cameron Calland-Jones
Cogburn
Woods
Elementary School
Alpharetta,
Ga.
For more
activities with good suggestions on talking about families, visit
tolerance.org/activity/family-tapestry.
Click here for content related standards.
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