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Summary
"The Teddy Bear had a good home . . . a warm, cozy place to
sleep . . . many friends . . . and someone who loved him."
The little boy and his teddy bear were always together.
Every night, when the little boy went to sleep, his teddy
bear was right there next to him. When the little boy went
on a trip, his teddy bear went too-until one terrible day
when the teddy bear was left behind . . .
This is the wonderful story of a friend who is lost and
found and lost and found again, and of a little boy who
begins to understand the meaning of compassion.
Henry Holt and Company |
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Reading Strategies - Strategies That Work
Predictions/Wonderings -
There are places in the book that predictions can be made.
Have students predict what will happen to the bear when he
is left on the floor in the diner. Make predictions on the
page where the bearded man discovers that "his" bear is
lost.
Questioning -
The illustrations in this book continue the story, adding
more depth to the simple words. Have students reflect on
the differences that are shown in the little boy's home life
and the bearded man's life on the streets.
Making Connections -
Have students read and look at other David McPhail located
in the E McP section of the Media Center. Read Where's
My Teddy by Jez Alborough and compare the two stories.
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Writing Strategies - 6+1 Traits of Writing
Interesting & New Vocabulary -
Listed below are some words or phrases that you may want to
discuss with your students before you begin to read the
story.
confusion
forgetfulness
despairing
rejoiced
ambled
occupy
wailing
Interesting Quotes & Topics for Discussion
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Connections to our August B.O.M., The Ticky Tacky Doll
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The daily activities of the “bearded man” – finding the bear
in the trash can, sleeping in the dumpster, spending his
days alone in the park – how did the teddy bear change his
daily routine?
·
“The boy still missed his teddy bear, but with each passing
day, he thought about him less and less.”
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“Then they saw the bearded man approaching. ‘Come along,’
said the father. ‘Mustn’t be late,’ said the mother. And
they all walked quickly toward the park exit.” Why did the
parents seem to move the boy quickly along, away from the
stranger?
·
“I know what you mean,’ said the little boy. ‘I
used to have one just like him.’” Did the boy really have
one “just like him” or was that his bear? Why did the boy
return the bear to the bearded man? Why didn’t he argue
with the bearded man and try to keep the bear?
·
How did the boy, the bear, and the bearded man each
feel once the bear was returned to the bearded man?
Organization
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The story is organized in chronological order,
progressing through time.
-
Transition words/phrases are used to help show the
passage of time – by the time…long hours passed…spent
the rest of the day…night came on…in the morning…Days
passed. Weeks went by, then months…The winter came to
an end. The days grew warmer.
·
Ask students to write their own retelling of the
story, making sure to tell it from beginning to end. For
young students, offer them teddy bear shaped cookies and
turn the story into a rebus, substituting a cookie for each
occurrence of the word “teddy bear”.
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Mix It Up lesson
(p. 94) – You may write down the main events in the
story, or have students brainstorm and write down the
main events, and then have students work together or
individually to put them back together in the correct
sequence.
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Putting It In Order
(p. 94) – Have individual students say aloud or write
down different parts of the story, then reassemble the
story for the whole class to hear/see. Continue moving
students around as their event is recalled, making sure
to put the events in the correct order. (Did that event
come before______, or after ______?)
Voice
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The story is written in the third person, with a narrator
recounting the events from “outside.” Have students retell
the story from the point of view of the bear, the boy, or
the bearded man. The details and emotions will change
depending on the voice of the narrator.
·
Have students extend the ending of the story,
giving voice to one or all of the characters. How did each
character react to the ending? What did the bear, boy, or
bearded man think or feel when the boy returned the bear to
the man? What would they say if they had a chance to see
each other again?
·
Invite students to write a letter from the boy to
the bear, from the bear to the boy, or from the man to the
boy. Encourage them to use their “voice” to explain how
they feel and what they would say to one another.
Author Biography -
In David McPhail's autobiography, In Flight With David
McPhail, the author describes how he goes through the
process of writing and illustrating books. Have the
students compare his writing process to the writing process
that they use.
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Exemplars
K-2
Jake went to the
park with his parents. While he was there, he saw a man who
gave him 15 balloons. If Jake wants to share the balloons
with his 4 friends and himself, how many balloons will each
person get?
3-5
Tommy noticed that
his father always had lots of quarters in his pockets. He
decided to ask him if he could collect them each day so he
could save up money to give to a homeless shelter. On the
1st day he collected 2 quarters. On the 2nd day he collected
4 quarters. On the 3rd day he collected 6 quarters. If this
pattern continues, how many quarters will he have collected
on the 10th day?
How many days will
it take him to collect the $50.00 he wants to give to the
homeless shelter? |
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Activities
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Find out the history of the Teddy Bear and more by
clicking on this
link. This WebQuest was written by elementary students
in a Georgia school. The site includes the
history of the teddy bear, information about
Theodore Roosevelt, a teddy bear
timeline, and
fun activities.
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After exploring the site above, have the students
take a
Teddy Bear quiz!
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Explore the meaning of idioms containing the word
bear by clicking
here.
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Click
here for a short reading passage about teddy bears and
then have students complete the multiple choice questions to
check their reading comprehension.
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Click
here for a look at the newspaper cartoon that is
believed to be the influence for the first "Teddy's Bear".
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Check out the book, Bears, Bears, Everywhere
by Rita Milios and use teddy bear counters to count the
bears in the story.
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Explore the book, Teddy Bears: From Start to
Finish by Tanya Lee Stone to find out how a teddy bear
is made.
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Find out if any students have made their own bear
at "Build-a-Bear". Have them bring the bear to class and
share their experience.
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