Lesson Plans

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What is the setting and context of this novel?

Bridge to Terabithia takes place in Lark Creek, which is in rural Virginia during the late 1970’s. Jesse lives on a farm and the novel starts with him sharing a room with his sisters, running in the pasture, and milking the cows. It is his desire to be the best runner so he is practicing daily so he can be noticed.

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Introduce 5 important, useful words from today’s reading. 

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What is imagination?

Imagination is the ability to form mental images based on fact or fantasy.

In today’s reading, Jess uses art and drawing as his way of escaping from the hectic parts of his life. His drawings are images he conjures in his imagination of animals.

Music reference

In today’s reading, Jess references Miss Edmund’s and the music she taught. A good opportunity to have students listen to some of the songs the kids sang. You can have students choose a song and its lyrics to interpret.

My Beautiful Balloon, The Fifth Dimension

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akEgsZSfhg

Free to be me and you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_26FOHoaC78

This Land is Your Land; Woodie Gunthrie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_26FOHoaC78

Blowing in the Wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA

Word Wall

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What were traditional schoolyard games during this novel? Discuss why these games may or may not be played today.

King of the Hill (also known as "King of the Mountain" or "King of the Castle") is a children's game, the object of which is to stay on top of a large hill or pile (or any other designated area) as the "King of the Hill". Other players attempt to knock the current King off the pile and take their place, thus becoming the new King of the Hill.

The way the "king" can be removed from the hill depends largely on the rules determined by the players before the game starts. Ordinarily pushing is the most common way of removing the king from the hill, but there are significantly rougher variations where punching or kicking is allowed. As such, the game is often banned from schools.

Hopscotch is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object.

Additional playground games:

http://www.sheknows.com/sheknows-cares/articles/827891/7-creative-playground-games-for-kids     

In today’s reading Jess describes the playground at his school and its limited resources. He talks about how the various different age groups share or use the space. His group had little left over so they started running races at recess. Traditionally, the races were only for boys. Today Leslie wanted to race the boys. Jess stood up for her and made sure she raced with the kids. She ended up beating all of the boys.

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What is the significance of Labor Day?

The first Labor Day was held in 1882. Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. It was originally intended that the day would be filled with a street parade to allow the public to appreciate the work of the trade and labor organizations. After the parade, a festival was to be held to amuse local workers and their families. In later years, prominent men and women held speeches. This is less common now, but is sometimes seen in election years. One of the reasons for choosing to celebrate this on the first Monday in September was to add a holiday in the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. 

In today’s reading, Jess describes the first week of school and how he appreciated that it was a short week due to the holiday. Leslie continued to join the boys in their races and she continued to win. By the end of the week many of the boys were going and playing other games.

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What are Dogwood and Rosebud trees?

Show your students the trees by searching for them as images. 

The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) originally evolved as a junior member of the forests of the eastern United States where it thrives under the canopy of larger trees in the shady, moist and nutrient-rich conditions it prefers. Home-owners and landscapers have long favored it for its lovely spring display, its attractive shape and luxuriant leaves and its modest size.

http://dogwood-tree.com/

Eastern Redbud is a small sturdy tree native to the United States. Growing everywhere from Canada to Florida, Eastern Redbud is a perfect tree for home landscaping. Its flowers, appearing from March to May, are light to vibrant pink in color and almost a half inch long. Flowers appear in clusters on bare stems before the leaves. At times, the flowers even appear on the trunk itself. The Eastern Redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma. Flowers attract bees and butterflies. A deciduous tree, Redbud foliage turns a distinct yellow in fall. Eastern Redbud is a wonderful urban tree that does well in well-drained soil.           

In today’s reading, Leslie and Jess spend the afternoon together in the fields. They find a dry creek bed and they describe the location. While there, they decide they need to have a “place” to hang out together.

Word Wall

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Define the term “bully” as a class.

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
• Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html

What is the most effective way to cope with a bully?

It is important to engage kids and adults in conversation about bullying. In addition adults and kids should respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe.

Do:

Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to help.

Separate the kids involved.

Make sure everyone is safe.

Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.

Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders.

Model respectful behavior when you intervene.

Avoid these common mistakes:

Don’t ignore it. Don’t think kids can work it out without adult help.

Don’t immediately try to sort out the facts.

Don’t force other kids to say publicly what they saw.

Don’t question the children involved in front of other kids.

Don’t talk to the kids involved together, only separately.

Don’t make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot.

Get police help or medical attention immediately if:

A weapon is involved.

There are threats of serious physical injury.

There are threats of hate-motivated violence, such as racism or homophobia.

There is serious bodily harm.

There is sexual abuse.

Anyone is accused of an illegal act, such as robbery or extortion—using force to get money, property, or services.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/

In today’s reading, Jess, Leslie, and May Belle are being bullied by an older student. Instead of reacting or acting out Leslie and Jess find a more passive way to “get back” at her.

Word Wall

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What is Self-Restraint or self control?

The formal definition of self-restraint is restraint imposed on oneself to control your own anger and emotions.

In today’s reading, Janice Avery steals May Belle’s Twinkie. She is angry and wants Jess to beat Janice up. Leslie and Jess know that they cannot do that and have to show restraint towards Janice. They make a plan to get back at her in a more passive way.

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What is the importance of thoughtful gifts?

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in giving a gift we forget the thoughtfulness behind the giving. It is important to focus on the person versus the cost of the gift. In order to do this we suggest:

            Concentrate on the person not the gift;

            Give a gift that means spending more time together;

            Give of your skills or talents;

            Pass on meaningful items or words;

            Add to or start a collection the person appreciates;

            Give meaningful gift cards;

            Present your gift in a creative/meaningful way;

            Give a stress-relieving gift;

            Appreciate them in words or thoughts for assisting you;

            Give a gif that supports a hobby;

            Give a gift that they may want but not purchase for themselves.

In today’s chapter, it is close to Christmas and Jess wants to give Leslie something meaningful to her and he struggles because he has little money. It is important he gets something for May Belle that is also special. He is able to get something for Free for Leslie, which she adores. She gets him something that supports talent for art. They were both able to give each other something thoughtful and meaningful without spending a lot of money.

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Who is Walter Cronkite?

Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) was an American broadcast journalist who was best known as the anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. 

In today’s reading, Leslie starts spending more time at home helping her father fix it up. Her father was very intelligent but lacked comment sense. Jess started spending more time at the house and realizes that Leslie’s parents were amazing people and had brilliance about them similar to Walter Cronkite. He wishes his parents would stop stereotyping the Burkes as “hippies” and see them for the knowledge and people that they are.

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What is empathy how does it differ from sympathy?

Empathy is the ability to mutually experience the thoughts, emotions, and direct experience of others. It goes beyond sympathy, which is a feeling of care and understanding for the suffering of others. Both words have similar usage but differ in their emotional meaning. 

In today’s reading, Janice Avery is in the bathroom crying. Leslie goes in to talk to her and hears about her situation. Leslie is able to share similar experiences to help Janice. Due to this encounter, Leslie realizes she may now have 1 ½ friends at school.

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What does spring symbolize (for discussion)?

In today’s reading, spring has arrived and it meets Leslie and Jess with lots of rain and storms. Jess’s family is going to church for Easter. Leslie wants to go with them.

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What is intuition? Why should you listen to it?

Intuition is instinctive knowledge or a belief using inference to make a decision. It is important to listen to your “gut” because sometimes your mind plays tricks on you. You may see or hear something and your mind tells you something else. People’s gut or their feeling is typically telling them the “truth” about a situation. In many times this “feeling” can keep you out of harm’s way.

In today’s reading, Jess and Leslie are on Spring Break and it is raining. They get board at home and decide to go to Terabithia. There is a lot of water in the creek so crossing it is difficult and unsafe. Jess doesn’t want to go back but he knows that Leslie will want to.

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How do you communicate effectively?

Here are 5 essential communication practices of effective leaders.

1. Mind thesay-do  This is all about trust, which is the bedrock of effective leadership. Your behavior is your single greatest mode of communication, and it must be congruent with what you say. If your actions don’t align with your words, there’s trouble. And it can turn into big trouble if not corrected swiftly and genuinely.  Since it’s often difficult to see the say-do gap in yourself, rely on a few trusted colleagues to tell it to you straight and flag discrepancies. Rule of thumb: it’s better to say nothing or delay your communication until you’re certain that your actions will ring true.
2. Make the complex simple.Your employees and customers are being bombarded 24/7 by information, making it hard for them to hear you. Simplicity has never been more powerful or necessary. Effective leaders distill complex thoughts and strategies into simple, memorable terms that colleagues and customers can grasp and act upon. If you’re having trouble distilling something to its essence, it may be that you don’t understand it. So get clear and look out for technical jargon and business speak, which add complexity. Say what you mean in as few words as possible.
3. Find your own voice.Use language that’s distinctly your own. Let your values come through in your communication. Often, executives will opt for the sanitized “corporate voice” instead of their own because they think the former is more eloquent; more appropriate. This is not to say that correct grammar and use of language aren’t important — strong leaders know how to string a sentence together. But don’t fixate on eloquence; concentrate on being distinct and real. People want real. People respect real. People follow real. Don’t disguise who you are. Be genuine, and people will respect you for it.
4. Be visible.Visibility is about letting your key stakeholders get a feel for who you are and what you care about. It’s easy to hide behind a computer and transmit messages to others without seeing or interacting with them. Although e-communication serves a valuable purpose, it is no substitute for face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication. In today’s environment, people are often burned out and need to feel a personal connection to you and the work that you believe in.  Do a “calendar test” to make sure you’re allocating time regularly to be out on the floor, in the factory, in the call center, in the lab, in the store. Show your people that you’re engaged and care about them and their work.
5. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears.Stop, look and listen. Remember that effective communication is two-way. Good leaders know how to ask good questions, and then listen with both their eyes and ears. It’s easy to be so focused on getting your message out — or persuading others — that you don’t tune in to what you see and hear. Because you’re in a position of authority, the stakes are even higher because you won’t always get direct feedback. You need to read between the lines. Listen and hear what is coming back at you. Look for the nonverbal cues. Sometimes a person’s body language will tell you everything you need to know. 

Investigate the Smithsonian Museum

http://www.si.edu/Museums

In today’s reading, Jess struggles with being able to communicate his fears of the creek with Leslie. He gets called by Miss Edmunds. She wants to know if he wants to go to a museum with her in the city. It is raining and he doesn’t know how to tell Leslie about not wanting to cross the creek so he goes with her.

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How do you help someone cope with loss or tragedy?

Tragedy strikes everyone, everywhere, at any time. There are certain steps you can take to help yourself and others cope and start your healing process.

• Reassure—give as much age appropriate information as possible in a humane way.
• Organize—help the person get organized. Give them the power of getting things done by helping them organize and prioritize.
• Reinforce—the actions the victim is taking or wants to take to emotionally survive the event as long as they are safe.
• Reach out physically and emotionally to those around you.
• Protect yourself and others from making impulsive decisions.

In today’s reading, Jess learns that Leslie is dead. This information is delivered to him in a horrible fashion from someone he does not like or trust.

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What are the stages of grief?

There are five basic stages of grief. In most cases the stages are very fluid and there is no right or wrong way to grieve a loss. This process is individual and it is a process. Just because you were in a stage once doesn’t mean you can’t revisit it. The pain gets more manageable over -time but the loss will always be permanent.

http://grief.com/the-five-stages/

The five stages are:

• Denial—Denial and shock help us to cope and make survival possible. Denial helps us to pace our feelings of grief. There is a grace in denial. It is nature’s way of letting in only as much as we can handle.
• Anger—Anger is strength and it can be an anchor, giving temporary structure to the nothingness of loss. At first grief feels like being lost at sea: no connection to anything. Then you get angry at someone, maybe a person who didn’t attend the funeral, maybe a person who isn’t around, maybe a person who is different now that your loved one has died. Suddenly you have a structure—your anger toward them. The anger becomes a bridge over the open sea, a connection from you to them. It is something to hold onto; and a connection made from the strength of anger feels better than nothing. We usually know more about suppressing anger than feeling it. The anger is just another indication of the intensity of your love.
• Bargaining—After a loss, bargaining may take the form of a temporary truce. “What if I devote the rest of my life to helping others. Then can I wake up and realize this has all been a bad dream?” We become lost in a maze of “If only…” or “What if…” statements. We want life returned to what is was; we wa
• Depression—depression is not a sign of mental illness. It is the appropriate response to a great loss. We withdraw from life, left in a fog of intense sadness, wondering, perhaps, if there is any point in going on alone? Why go on at all? Depression after a loss is too often seen as unnatural: a state to be fixed, something to snap out of.
• Acceptance is often confused with the notion of being “all right” or “OK” with what has happened. This is not the case. Most people don’t ever feel OK or all right about the loss of a loved one. This stage is about accepting the reality that our loved one is physically gone and recognizing that this new reality is the permanent reality. We will never like this reality or make it OK, but eventually we accept it. We learn to live with it. It is the new norm with which we must learn to live.

In today’s reading, Jess, his mother, and father decide they need to go and pay respects to the Burke family. While there Jess realizes that Leslie is really gone. He has left denial and is able to start his own grieving process.

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What do bridges symbolize (for class discussion)?

Share THE BRIDGE BUILDER with your class.

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him." 
WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE           

In today’s reading, Jess goes to Terabithia and realizes he needs to do something symbolic to say good-bye to Leslie. He makes her a wreath as an offering. May Belle followed and got stuck trying to cross. Jess asks Bill for lumber and he constructs a bridge for May Belle and others to cross the river into Terabithia.

Word Wall

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