CREATIVE CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Harcourt Brace

Verdi by Janell Cannon

Before Reading

Do a word web on the word snake , or have the children complete the following sentence: Snakes make me feel.... Discuss their responses.

Many people say they are afraid of snakes. List possible reasons for such fears.

Arrange to have the children observe a snake (of any kind) for as long as possible. Pet stores or private owners may be willing to loan your classroom a snake for several days. Many zoos and pet stores will allow observation on the premises. Do not encourage the children to capture a snake or remove it from its natural habitat.

If you are able to obtain a snake for observation in the classroom, ask the snake owner how to care for the snake properly. Allow the children to touch it, feed it and watch it.

After observing the snake for several days, review the children's feelings toward snakes to see if any attitudes have changed.

Share the cover of the book with the children and have them speculate on what type of snake is pictured and where it might live.

Discuss growing older. Possible questions to ask include: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of growing up? Do adults have as much fun as children? Do you look forward to becoming an adult, or would you rather stay young for a long time?

Discuss intergenerational communication. Possible questions to ask include: Do adults speak the same way that they speak to other adults? Do adults who know you speak to you the same way as adults who do not know you? How are children expected to speak to adults? Why do adults so often tell children to 'be careful'? Are adults always wiser than children?

While Reading

Have the children scrutinize the illustrations and then make a list of all the animals they recognize.

Have the children make a brief chronological outline of the story.

After Reading

Review your discussion about growing older. Do the children think Verdi displayed any of the attitudes the class discussed? Which ones?

Ask the children how Verdi's attitude toward growing up changed over the course of the story. Why do they think it changed?

Review your discussion about communication. Possible questions to ask include: How did Verdi speak to the older snakes? How did they speak to him? Were the older snakes wiser?

Were the children surprised that the older snakes took such good care of Verdi when he got hurt? Why? Do they think that Verdi was surprised by this? Why?

Review the story outline made while reading. What do the children think will happen to Verdi as he gets older? Why?

Ask the children if they have ever heard the old saying "Children should be seen and not heard." Ask them what they think it means and how it makes them feel. Have them relate this saying to the story.

Read the Snake Notes section at the end of the book. Did the children learn anything new about snakes?

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of keeping a snake as a pet. Possible questions to ask include: What kinds of snakes might make good pets? Which kinds would not make good pets? If you had a snake for a pet, how would you need to care for it?

Across the Curriculum

Science

Have the children call the county extension office or a nearby university to learn which types of snakes are indigenous to your area. Ask the children to research the habits of local snakes and whether they are venomous. Have the children learn some safety tips to follow should they ever encounter a potentially dangerous snake.

Have each child select a green tree python, the type of snake you had in the classroom, or another jungle animal shown in the book. Then have each student make a poster report showing the creature as well as its habitat, food, and its life cycle.

Have the children research whether any of the snakes they selected are on the endangered or threatened species lists.

When a snake sheds its skin, it's called sloughing; in other animals this is called molting. Have the children research what other kinds of animals molt.

Have the children research venomous snakes and write reports about how many kinds there are, where they live, and what they eat.

In the Snake Notes section the author discusses how snakes can analyse their environment. Have the children find out more about this by using books about reptiles to research the vomeronasal organ.

Language

When people want to insult one another, they often make comparisons to a snake. For instance, they might say, "He's a real snake in the grass" or "He's lower than a snake's belly." Possible questions to ask include: Are these comments fair? How did snakes get such a bad reputation?

Discuss other animals with whom people are sometimes compared in an insulting way, and also talk about animals with whom people are compared in a complimentary way.

Have the children use the dictionary to find out why people who study snakes are called herpetologists.

Some snakes are called reticulated. Have the children look up this word in the dictionary and decide if it is an appropriate description for some snakes.

Literature

Authors carefully consider titles for their books. Ask the children why Janell Cannon might have named the book Verdi. Have them look in the Snake Notes for one possible explanation.

List ten to twenty books that are class favourites and have the class discuss how the books got their titles.

Find a book of Irish legends that include the story of St Patrick and the snakes. Read it aloud to the class.

The snake is a familiar character in literature, from Genesis to "Riki-Tiki-Tavi." find some books or stories about snakes and compare the fictional qualities of the featured reptile with its real characteristics.

Social Studies

Everyone is afraid of something - whether it be the dark, imaginary monsters, snakes, spiders, getting older, or flying in airplanes. Have the children survey at least ten young people and ten adults, asking each subject to name one thing he or she might be afraid of. From this information, have the students compare the fears of adults and young people. How are the fears alike? How are they different? Have the children present their findings to the class.

Have the children compare Verdi to a human teenager in terms of attitudes and actions.

Have the children research the ways that various snakes have developed to protect themselves from humans and other animals.

Art

Have the children construct snakes from found materials. They might try Slinky toys, paper towel holders, accordion pleated construction paper, empty cans, or socks stuffed wit newspaper. Emphasis creativity rather than realism. Present a reptile display for parents or other children.

Have the children research a specific snake then make their own snakes from clay. Encourage the children to make their clay creatures as realistic as possible.

Many snakes have colourful and intricate scale patterns. Have each child make a patterned snake skin from a reptile book or by creating an orginal one. Take some construction paper and cut it into strips to represent a snake. Next have the children pencil in patterns to make scales. For young children different coloured cereal can be glued on to make the scales and with the older children multicoloured sequins can be used.

Phsyical Education

Have the children wiggle like snakes! Have them lie on their stomachs and keep their arms along their sides and their ankles together as they try to move forward. Hold snake races.

These activities in Harcourt Brace Creative Curriculum Connections were written by Mary Lou Meerson. An educational consultant, Ms Meerson has been a classroom teacher, a language arts coordinator, an elementary school principal, and a university professor.These pages have been reproduced by Cherrol McGhee for the Verdi Book Rap with the permission of Harcourt Brace.