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1. Alice described her zest for life as
“eating up the world.”
Ask students what they think this phrase means. Reread the book as a class, noting the
kinds of things Alice did to live life to the fullest, to experience everything
life had to offer.
As a follow-up, have students consider what kinds of things they
would like to do to “eat up the world.” Invite them to share their ideas orally,
in a written paragraph, or through making a poster.
2. Alice’s four-month tour of Asia
was a real adventure; she later wrote about the trip in her autobiography, Crowded Hours. Share the following details of her trip
with students:
A. Alice
traveled by train from Washington, D.C. to Chicago, and then on to San
Francisco. During the train trip,
she was “fairly jumping with excitement” because she had never been
west of the Mississippi River. She
later recalled, “I had a little Atlas that I used to read as though it
were a romance. I would look at it
and think I—I—am actually here at this place on the map.” To keep things interesting, she woke
early on July 4th and set off firecrackers on the back platform of
the train. Once she reached the
West Coast, she picnicked in the “sun-flecked gloom of the great redwood
trees” and visited San Francisco’s Chinatown at night.
B. Alice and the
rest of the group—mainly Congressmen and their spouses—sailed by
steamer from San Francisco. On
board, she wore white linen skirts and three-quarter coats during the day and
fancier dinner dresses each evening.
For five days, the boat steamed toward Hawaii. Alice was enchanted by the
“lovely, blazing weather” and her first sight of “flying
fish.” The group was welcomed
to Honolulu by ukulele players and officials bearing “leis of heavy,
perfumed flowers”. Alice
loved the “mountains and valleys in cloudy green” and the white
sand beaches. The group watched
hula dancers, ate tropical fruits, went swimming in the ocean, and rode the
waves on outrigger canoes.
C. The steamer
left Hawaii for a ten-day sail to Yokohama, Japan, where the group drove
“through crowded streets hung with flags and jammed with cheering
citizens” to the train station for the trip to Tokyo. There, they lunched with the Emperor and
toured the Imperial Gardens. The
next day, the Empress sent Alice an embroidered screen, a piece of gold cloth,
and a lacquer box. In Tokyo, Alice
shopped, drank tea, went to many parties, and watched sumo wrestling.
D. From Japan,
the group sailed to Manila in the Philippines. After landing, Alice was taken by
horse-drawn carriage to a palace with cool, dimly-lit rooms and “lizards
of all sizes and shapes” scuttling along the walls. She attended numerous parties and
receptions. She also stood on the
reviewing stand as thousands of troops marched by. “Though it was the hottest period
of the tropic summer,” Alice recalled, “we were up and out and
doing even in the noon heat.”
If the many official speeches got too boring during an outdoor banquet,
Alice would arrange a trail of crumbs “to point the way to the
feast” for any ants wandering by.
E. The group
sailed on to Hong Kong and then on to Peking (now called Beijing). There, she was a guest at the
Empress’s summer palace.
Alice recalled meeting the Empress, who sat on a throne and wore strings
of pearls and jade around her neck.
“I curtsied, advanced a few steps, curtsied again, advanced a few
more steps, and then curtsied for the third time in front of the
throne.” After lunch, the
Empress gave Alice a gold bracelet and ring. The next morning, two court officials
presented Alice with another present from the Empress—a little black
Pekingese dog, which Alice named “Manchu.”
F. The group’s
final stop was Korea, where they took a train from Chemulpo (now called Inchon)
to Seoul. There, they rode ponies
almost every afternoon until dusk.
Alice recalled, “I don’t think the native ponies liked
foreigners; they frequently tried to bite us as we mounted.” One pony in particular did not like
Alice. “I would stand about
ten feet off and make a face at it.
The pony would respond by laying back its ears, baring its yellow teeth,
and struggling…to get at me.”
Still, Alice found Korea fascinating—the perfect ending to an
exciting trip: two weeks later, by boat and by train, she was back in New York
City.
After sharing details of the trip, chart Alice’s
journey on a map of Asia and the Pacific.
Then, invite students to select their favorite portion of the trip and
write a short story, from Alice’s perspective, about her adventure,
drawing on details of the actual trip to give their fiction authenticity.
3. One of the songs dedicated to Alice was
the waltz “Alice Blue Gown” (J. McCarthy/H. Tierney). Share the lyrics with the class:
In my sweet little
Alice Blue Gown
When I first wandered
down into town
I was both proud and
shy
As I felt ev’ry
eye
But in ev’ry
shop window I’d primp, passing by;
Then in manner of
fashion I’d frown
And the world
seem’d to smile all around
Till it wilted I wore
it
I’ll always
adore it
My sweet little Alice
Blue Gown
Have students look at a sample of the color Alice Blue at
the site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_blue
Invite students to write another
verse for the song in which the singer attends a fancy dance or party ‘in
her sweet little Alice Blue Gown.
Finally, ask students what color
they wish could be named after them.
Using tempera/finger paint in the three primary colors (blue, yellow,
and red), plus white and black (to make tints lighter or darker), invite
students to mix ‘their’ color and then paint a picture of
themselves wearing a gown or suit of their own, personal color.
4. Guide students in researching
women’s clothing in 1900. As
a class, list how it is different from what women wear today. Then, discuss what women’s
clothing in 1900 said about how society viewed women at that time. As a follow-up, ask students to write a
paragraph about why they think nine-year-old Alice wanted to wear pants.
To see actual photos of a model
wearing the layer upon layer of women’s/girls’ clothing worn in
1900, visit this site created by the Memorial Hall Museum of Old Deerfield,
MA.
http://www.memorialhall.mass.edu/activities/dressup/index.html
The following site, created by a
faculty member of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, shows advertising and
illustrations of women’s clothing from the 1900s.
http://www.costumes.org/Classes/fashiondress/TurnoftheCentury.htm
5. Alice had several younger siblings:
Theodore Jr., Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin. Ask students to choose one of
Alice’s siblings and write or present a brief report about them.
More information about the
Roosevelt family can be found at the following sites:
The National Park Service: The
Roosevelt Children http://www.nps.gov/sahi/kids.htm
Theodore Roosevelt Association
http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/biofamily.htm
6. Washington, D.C., is famous for its
many monuments honoring American heroes, such as the Lincoln and Jefferson
Memorials. In What To Do About Alice?, artist Edwin Fotheringham depicts another
monument—Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Explore the National Parks Service
website about the memorial: http://www.nps.gov/moru/ . Then, compare a photo of the actual
monument with Fotheringham’s depiction of it in the book. Ask students to identify what is
different and what they think Fotheringham is saying with his picture.
7. What was it like to live in the White
House? Teachers may wish to explore
the following lesson plans, created by The White House Historical Association:
K-3 http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/subs/04_a01.html
4-8 http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/subs/04_a02.html
About the Book:
It’s 1977, and Theo is intrigued by a new assignment in his science class at school: to create a ‘golden record’ inspired by the record Voyager 2 will carry into space as a greeting from Earth. But it is at home, during the family celebration of Theo’s 12th birthday, that his world begins to change. An unspoken ‘rule’ never to talk about his father is challenged when Theo’s grandmother JeeBee gives Theo a birthday present ‘from his dad.’ As Theo investigates what happened to his father in Vietnam, and explores the challenging questions his science teacher asks about what it means to be human, he uncovers truths that will alter his life forever.
Understanding the
Book:
Theme
1. Theo’s class is given the assignment to share “what they think is most important about Earth.” (p. 8) As your students read the novel, create a class list of the ideas Theo considers. Ask students what they think of his ultimate choice.
2. At the beginning of the book, Theo believes that everyone in his family must follow two rules: “Number One: If you pretend everything is fine, then everything is fine. And Number Two: Don’t talk about Dad. Ever.” (p. 20) Discuss how well these rules serve the family and if the rules have changed by the end of the book.
3. Theo, Janet, Mom, and JeeBee all keep secrets. Have students identify what secrets each character keeps, and why. Ask them to analyze how Theo’s feelings about keeping secrets have changed by the end of the book.
4. Pose one of Mr. Meyer’s questions to the class:
WHO ARE WE? (pages 27-28)
WHERE DO WE LIVE? (pages 47-49)
WHAT CAN WE DO? (pages 67-68)
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN? (pages 131-133)
Read aloud how the question is discussed in Theo’s classroom and then continue the discussion with your own students.
5. Over the course of the novel, Theo breaks his bicycle, several of The Ladies, and almost all of his model airplanes. Relationships in the book are also broken: Theo isolates himself from Kenny; a disagreement leaves Mom and JeeBee barely on speaking terms. Have students write a paragraph about what Theo learns from all that is broken. How does this affect his attitude toward Dad at the end of the book?
6. During a discussion in Theo's classroom (pages 131- 133), Theo asks if NASA will be including images of war on the Golden Record sent into space. Mr. Meyer responds, "Excellent question, Theo. What do you guys think? Should they send up a message of who we really are, or who we'd like to be?" Invite students to share and give reasons for their opinions.
7. Theo notes that the Apollo 11 moon plaque reads, “We came in peace for all mankind.” (p. 163) Discuss how Theo’s thoughts about the plaque reflect on the larger themes of the book.
Character
1. After reading the opening section (pages 1-21), discuss the ways in which Janet interacts with Theo. Then take a class vote: Is Janet a "good" sister or a "bad" sister? Why? As students read the rest of the book, note what Janet does with, to, and for Theo, organizing the information into a Venn diagram of “good” and “bad.” At the end of the book, vote again. Have any students' opinions of Janet changed? As a follow-up, ask students to write a paragraph about whether or not they would want a sister like Janet, and why.
2. Both Theo and Mom collect things. Discuss what The Ladies illuminate about Mom and the model airplanes illuminate about Theo. Have students speculate what objects Janet might collect. Ask them to tell what they collect and what their collections say about them.
3. Discuss how Theo’s feelings about Mom change when he discovers the secret stash of candy and books (p. 88) and what the secret stash reveals about Mom.
4. Theo gets to know his father largely through JeeBee’s stories and the letters from Vietnam. At the end of the book, when he finally sees his father face-to-face, Theo says, “I have a million questions to ask you.” Have students write a continuation of this scene by imagining some questions Theo might ask and how his father might answer.
5. Mr. Meyer tells Theo, “You’re someone who wants to understand things.” (p. 155) Ask students if all the characters in the book “want to understand things.” Discuss Mr. Meyer’s assertion that “The road you’re choosing is the harder one. But your life will be richer because of it.”
Student Activities
1. Create a bulletin board, like the one in Theo's class, displaying photos and drawings of “what is most important about Earth.” Invite students to share why they chose a particular picture.
2. Visit http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory site, to explore the pictures, music, Earth sounds, and greetings featured on the actual Golden Record. If possible, listen to one of the pieces of music, such as Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement. Ask the class to evaluate the Golden Record and if it would need to be changed were launched today. What would students want to include today, and why?
3. Contact a veterans’ hospital in your state to ask about sending a class ‘get well soon’ letter to a veteran. To locate hospitals, see the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities Locator & Directory website http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp .
4. Apollo 11 astronauts Collins, Armstrong, and Aldrin helped design the Apollo 11 mission patch depicting an eagle landing on the moon, holding an olive branch in its talons. Visit NASA’s website, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo11.html, to see the mission patch and listen to Armstrong announce, as the lunar module Eagle touched down, “The Eagle has landed.” Then ask students to name a new spacecraft and draw a patch representing its lunar landing.
5. Visit NASA’s website, http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov/index.html, to learn more about The Great Moonbuggy Race and read the history of how real moonbuggies were built. Ask students to design their own version of a moonbuggy that can carry two astronauts “over a half-mile simulated lunar terrain course including "craters", rocks, "lava" ridges, inclines and "lunar" soil.” Invite students to present their designs to the class.
1. Discuss ways in which people can spread a little peace. Activities might include saying hello to a new student at school or child in the neighborhood, volunteering in a community group, or reading a book about a culture different than your own. Then, ask students to make Peace Posters of different ways to spread a little peace.
2. Discuss how learning about other cultures can promote tolerance and peace. Then enjoy one of the following lessons from the National Geographic teacher web site:
“Greeting Friends from Other Places”
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/01/gk2/friends.html
“Cultural Goggles: Same Holy Land, Different Holidays”
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/06/gk2/holidays.html
“Weeping Camel: Finding Rituals in Our Daily Lives”
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/10/gk2/wcamel.html
1. Ask students to keep a water diary over the weekend. Which activities used water? What are some ways they can reduce their use of water?
2. When students create their water diary,
have them include how long the water ran for each activity. (ie. a ten-minute
shower, twelve minutes to wash the car)
Calculate how many gallons/minute of water comes from the tap by filling a
gallon milk jug at your classroom sink. Have students calculate how many
gallons they used to take a shower, wash the car... Then ask students, “If you had to
haul your own water yourself, assuming you can carry a gallon jug in each hand,
how many trips to the community water tap would it take to wash the dog?”
1. Draw several fossil bones on a white piece of paper, xerox a class set, give each student one copy of the fossils and a blank piece of colored paper. Have them cut out the fossils.
Just as Waterhouse Hawkins, Richard Owen, and other early paleontologists began with a few scattered fossils and had to deduce the rest of the skeleton, ask students to design a dinosaur, using the fossils provided and then ‘filling in the blanks’ with their best estimation of what the rest of the skeleton might look like. Have them glue the fossil bones on their piece of colored paper and then draw in the rest of the skeleton.
2. As a child, Brian Selznick, the illustrator of The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, used to make small dinosaur models out of tin foil. Give each student several pieces of tin foil to create their own dinosaur models to display in the classroom.
As a follow-up, create a dinosaur feast, just as Waterhouse Hawkins did to share his own dinosaur models:
--create special invitations using the actual invitation (shown in the book’s front papers) as inspiration
--create a menu using the actual menu (shown in the book’s end papers) as inspiration
--invite important dignitaries, such as the school principal and members of the school board, to attend
3. Deinos
Sauros comes from the Greek for “terrible lizard”. Visit
the American Museum of Natural History’s site for a lesson plan on
dinosaur names (as well as many other lessons about dinosaurs).
http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/exhibitions/dinosaurs/dino_basics.php
4. When Waterhouse Hawkins's American
dinosaurs were smashed, he protested to the Parks Department. They told him not
to waste his time with "dead animals" when there were so many living
ones around. Ask students to write a letter to "Boss" Tweed,
explaining why they think that studying dinosaurs is important, or a waste of
time.
5. Adorning the walls of Waterhouse’s dinosaur feast were four names: (William) Buckland, (Georges) Cuvier, (Richard) Owen, and (Gideon) Mantell. Ask students to research these four men to learn how they contributed to the science of paleontology and then report back to the class. (For extra credit, ask students to find out how Gideon Mantell’s wife also made a contribution!)
1. Ask students to imagine SCUBA diving for the first time. What do they feel? See? Ask them to draw a picture of what they discover when they peek into an underwater cave.
2. Have students write what they think Papa says about the Blob Frog at the book's end. Alternatively, ask students to rewrite one chapter from Papa's perspective.
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