Table of Contents



Table of Contents

Heading 2

Objectives 2

Overview 3

Bibliographical Information 3-4

Story Summaries 4-5

Refined Cogntive Maps

Amelia Bedelia 6

Come Back, Amelia Bedelia 7

Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia 8

Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia 9

Amelia Bedelia Helps Out 10

Activities

One 11

Two 12

Fun Culminating Activity! 12

Lesson Plans

One 13-16

Two 16-18

Three 18-21

Favorite Lines 21-23

Assessment/ Evaluation 23

Resources 23-24

Perusing Peggy Parish: Author of Amelia Bedelia

By Eileen Smith

Grade Level: 1st grade

Duration: 2 weeks

Disciplines:

- Language arts

- Social Studies

- Mathematics

- Art

Description of School and Students:

The school in which this unit is being taught is P.S. 37; a multiracial school in the Bronx, NY. The majority of the students come from low-income homes. There are few inclusion students in the class. Most students are bilingual, English and Spanish speaking, and are below grade and reading level. The school is in good condition and provides necessary materials for students and teachers. There are thirty-one students in this classroom.

Objectives:

Students will demonstrate the ability to:

❖ Recognize the difference between homophones and homographs. (Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia)

❖ Interpret idioms and apply them to real life situations. (Come Back, Amelia Bedelia)

❖ Sequence and summarize a story. (Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia)

❖ Comprehend the meaning of the story by interpreting the actual meaning of the directions given by Mrs. Rogers. (Amelia Bedelia)

❖ Recall and list four double meaning phrases (Amelia Bedelia Helps Out).

Overview:

The Amelia Bedelia series is an invaluable resource to help students learn literary skills, such as identifying idioms, homophones, and homonyms. These books are not only funny and clever; they serve a purpose in aiding in students’ learning the difference between literal and figurative meanings. These books use comical situations to portray these important literary skills through the infamous Amelia Bedelia.

The Amelia Bedelia books, by Peggy Parish, are an amazing way to teach different lessons to children.  Not only do the books usually teach a moral lesson, they are an absolute pleasure to read.  Amelia Bedelia never fails to excite her audience, and I believe the students will have fun learning homonyms and figurative language with her.

Bibliographical Information:

Peggy Parish was born in Manning, South Carolina on July 14, 1927. She developed a love for reading at an early age and, even as a child, enjoyed writing very much. She attended the University of South Carolina and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.  At the time of her graduation, not many people were becoming teachers. While visiting her brother in Kentucky, Peggy was persuaded to enter the teaching profession. She was fortunate enough to get a job in a progressive experimental school where creativity was stressed, the Dalton School in Manhattan. This is when Peggy began writing— not only the material for her classes but stories of her own.

Peggy's first book, My Golden Book of Manners, was published in 1961; this was followed by Let’s Be Indians!, in 1962. A parent of one of the students, who was an editor of adult books, found out she was trying to break into the writing field and introduced her to an editor at Harper who helped to improve her skills as a storyteller. This, of course, led to her biggest breakthrough— the creation of Amelia Bedelia in 1963.  Peggy went on to write 11 more Amelia Bedelia books; amongst these are Come Back, Amelia Bedelia, Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia, Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia, and Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping; as well as, Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower, Good Work, Amelia Bedelia, Amelia Bedelia Helps Out, Amelia Bedelia and the Baby, Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedlia, and Amelia Bedelia’s Family Album.

She also wrote a number of mystery novels, as well as arts and crafts books.  In addition to writing books, Peggy did television pieces on preschool education and children's books, wrote book review columns and led a number of in-service training workshops for teachers.  Sadly, Peggy died of an aneurysm on November 19, 1988. Her spirit, though, is very much alive, thanks in part to her loving nephew, Herman Parish.  He picked up where his aunt left off and began writing a brand new Amelia Bedelia adventure. 

Story Summaries:

❖ Amelia Bedelia (1963)

Amelia Bedelia is hired as a maid for the wealthy Rogers family. Mrs. Rogers gives her a list of chores to complete while the family goes out for the day. Amelia proceeds to take all the chores literally: she "dresses the chicken" in tiny clothes and "puts out the lights" by hanging them on the clothesline.

When the Rogers return home, Mrs. Rogers is bewildered that none of the chores are done. On the verge of firing Amelia, she tastes Amelia's lemon meringue pie and finds it so delicious, she forgives Amelia and decides to keep her--but vows to write more explicit instructions in the future.

❖ Come Back, Amelia Bedelia (1971)

When Mrs. Rogers summons her maid, Amelia Bedelia, and requests cereal and coffee, Amelia complies literally by bringing her a cupful of both, which prompts her flustered employer to tell Amelia to go away. Amelia doesn't understand what she did wrong, but she does as she is told--and leaves the house.

She responds to a "Help Wanted" sign in a beauty-shop window, is hired, and is told to pin up a customer's hair. Much to the dismay of her employer and the patron, Amelia uses safety pins, and she is again told to go away.

Similar events unfold until she is finally instructed to go home, which, of course, she does. There, Mrs. Rogers apologizes and all is well again. The book ends as Mr. Rogers requests that she heat a can of soup. True to form, not having learned her lesson, Amelia begins heating the can.

❖ Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia (1972)

Amelia Bedelia, the maid of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, joins a children’s baseball team, the Grizzlies.  Throughout the book, Amelia Bedelia has many hilarious mistakes such as “stepping into the baseball,” by literally stepping into the ball as it hits her, “wearing a uniform for the game,” and literally wearing a war costume, and “running home,” by literally running back to the Rogers’ house. 

❖ Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia (1977)

A simple misunderstanding lands Amelia Bedelia in a classroom, teaching a group of very excitable elementary school children. The students are in for quite a treat, because they witness firsthand the unusual ways in which Amelia Bedelia does roll call, plant bulbs and paint pictures. She even takes the kids on a surprise field trip. By the end of the day, the students are begging her to teach them again. Amelia's popularity is sure spreading!

❖ Amelia Bedelia Helps Out (1979)

A neighbor needs Amelia Bedelia's helping hands, so everyone's favorite housekeeper is off to Miss Emma's house for a day of work. It's a good thing Miss Emma likes to laugh, because Amelia Bedelia makes her usual merry mess.

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Activities:

1. Activity One

Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia!

Humorous Homophones-

The purpose of this activity is to introduce the students to different kinds of homophones and homographs. The students will think of their own homophones and homographs and will be able to illustrate the differences between the words. At the end of the activity, they will be more familiar with homophones and homographs, and will be able to better participate in the culminating activity.

Content Areas: Fine Arts

Materials: T-chart, markers, white paper

Procedure: The teacher will give the students different examples of homophones and homographs and illustrate the difference between the two. On a t-chart, the students will raise their hands and call out different homophones and homographs they have just read in Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia!. After, the students and the teacher will discuss the responses on the t-chart, and make sure no other homophones or homographs are missing from it. The students will then choose pairs of words to define and illustrate on pieces of white paper. The students will put all their papers together and complete “Amelia Bedelia’s Dictionary of Homographs & Homophones”. The books will be placed in the class library and throughout the rest of the school year, the students can add to it.

Evaluation: The students will be evaluated on their ability to correctly complete the idiom t-chart, as well as the discussion they have afterwards and their completion of the class book. *Because they are in first grade, the teacher and classroom aid will help the students create sentences and the students will copy and illustrate the sentence on their own*

2. Activity Two

Come Back, Amelia Bedelia!

Interesting Idioms-

The purpose of this activity will be used to introduce the students to idioms. The students will think of their own idioms and be able to decipher the true meanings of them. At the end of the activity, they will better be able to understand expressions that are used in every day life, as well as, be able to better complete their culminating activity.

Content Areas: Fine Arts

Materials: Chart Paper, Construction/White Paper, Markers

Procedure: The teacher will define idioms and give examples of them. Then the teacher will read aloud, Come Back, Amelia Bedelia. The teacher will pause when different idioms are read aloud. After, the students will pick an idiom, and its literal translation, and will illustrate both of them. The completed activity will be hung up around the classroom; the class will discuss the different idioms they learned and different ones they may have heard from family members.

Evaluation: The students will be evaluated on their responses to complete the chart paper of different idioms from the story, as well as their completion of their Fine Arts activity and how they present their illustrations to the classroom. They will also write a reflection (one or two sentences) on how they felt when presenting in front of the class.

3. Culminating Activity:

Upon completion of this Author Study Unit, the students will create their own definition and illustration book! They will use themselves as the main character and illustrate the idiom they choose as their favorite from which we discuss, e.g. “Its raining cats and dogs”. The teacher will write out what the student communicates to them as to what they think it means, and then the student will copy it onto construction paper and illustrate it. The teacher will use the students’ work to create the book and put in the class library.

Lesson Plans:

1. Summarizing and Sequencing

Grade/Subject: 1st Grade

Duration of Lesson: 20-30 minutes 

PURPOSE:

      This lesson is designed to introduce primary students to summarizing a story.  The lesson shows how to summarize a part of Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia. 

OBJECTIVE(S):

      Upon completion of this lesson, students will complete a simple story map and then illustrate a part of the story.  The students will grasp the understanding of how a plot is the main story of the book, and will be able to recognize different plots in other stories they will read.

NEW YORK STATE LEARNING STANDARDS:

ELA1.01.WR2.05:

Students state the main idea, with assistance.

ELA2.01.WR2.01:

Students develop original literary texts to:

-create a story with a beginning, middle, and end, using words that can be understood by others

ELA1.01.SP4.04:

Students retell multiple pieces of information in sequence; for example, retell a story.

INTELLIGENCES/LEARNING STYLES:

      This lesson caters to many multiple intelligences and learning styles such as auditory, visual, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences. 

PRE-ASSESSMENT:

      Before this lesson is taught, the students will already be familiar with basic story elements including character, plot, and setting.  Summarizing also requires students to be familiar with sequencing events and determining importance.

LESSON PRESENTATION:

       A. SET-INDUCTION: 

      Engage students with this activity by writing these questions on the blackboard or on a piece of chart paper: Who plays the game (characters)?, Where is the best place to play the game (setting)?, How do you play the game (events)?, Who wins the game (solution)?  Ask students to think about a favorite game or sport that they play.  Examples include neighborhood games such as kick the can or organized sports such as t-ball and soccer.  Read through each of the questions you wrote on the board, and have students answer the questions about the sport or game they choose.  Explain to students that they are going to read Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia and summarize some of the parts of the story, including the baseball game. 

       B. PROCEDURE:

1. Call students to rug.

2. Tell them that they will be sequencing, or summarizing, the important parts.

3. Explain to students that when you summarize, you use your own words to retell the most important parts of something that you read or heard. 

4. Point out that students could use their answers to the questions about their game or sport in the engagement activity to describe their game or sport to somebody who doesn’t know how to play it. 

5. Tell them that filling in a story map can help them remember the most important parts of a story so that they can summarize, or retell, it to someone. 

6. Draw a story map, without completing it on the blackboard or on a piece of chart paper and review the terms characters, setting, problem, events, and solution with students. 

7. Read aloud Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia to them, stop at certain points, and ask them to help you fill in the story map. 

8. For the first few stopping points, model your thoughts about how you decide what information to include. 

9. Read pages 5-18 and think aloud about how to record the characters and the problem by saying, “I know that I can’t include all of the information from the story.  I’m only supposed to include the people who seem to be the most important characters. 

10. The teacher will list Amelia Bedelia as a character because she is the main character of the story.  I will list the Grizzlies because they are the baseball team who needs Amelia Bedelia’s help. 

11. The problem is that Amelia Bedelia doesn’t know how to play baseball.”

12. Read pages 19-32 and then think aloud how to record more characters, the setting, and one main event by saying, “I need to add the Tornados to the character list because they are the team playing against Amelia and the Grizzlies.  The main setting is the baseball field.  And, the first event is that Amelia is playing for the Grizzlies, but she doesn’t really understand the baseball terms, so she is doing funny things, such as putting a price tag on a boy.” 

13. Have the students help you fill in the rest of the main events and the solution for the story. 

14. Have students go back to their seats and talk with a partner about their favorite parts.

       C. CLOSURE: 

      Tell students they might summarize part of a story, or an entire story, because they liked it so much that they want their friends to read the story.  Ask students to think about their most favorite part of Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia- the one part they would want to tell a friend about to get him or her to read the story.  Ask them to draw their favorite part of the story and remind them that they should only include the most important details of the story in their drawing.  While presenting to the class, ask students to act as if they are on infomercials and trying to sell this book to as many people as possible. 

Materials and Resources:

      Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia, chart paper, story map, drawing paper

Follow-Up Activity/ Assignment

      For an upcoming activity, ask children to choose a book and have them do a short book report following a simple book report form, including author, genre, characters, setting, and plot. 

Evaluation/Assessment: 

      To assess whether students have learned how to summarize a part of a story, meet the students individually to showcase their drawings.  The teacher should then ask them to summarize their favorite part of the story.  Listen to see whether students have included only the most important details that are needed to summarize this part of the story.  Ask each students a question about the topic they were assigned.  Also, successful completion of the book report will show whether or not students comprehend the concept of plot.

ADAPTATIONS:

      This lesson can be adapted to students with various learning styles including doing a small activity before the main lesson using a shorter book with a simpler plot.  Also, some students will better be able to determine plots in movies, so teacher should relate story elements to a popular movie that all children in the class have seen.   

2. Double Meanings

1st Grade

Duration of Lesson: 20-30 minutes

PURPOSE: The purpose of this lesson is to have students figure out double meaning phrases and situations.

OBJECTIVE:

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to recognize and understand the double meanings in, Amelia Bedelia Helps Out.

NYS LEARNING STANDARDS:

ELA3.01.RE1: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation

ELA4.01.RE1: Language for Social Interaction

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

ELA1.01.LI3.02:

Students identify words and sentences on a chart

ELA1.01.WR2.04:

Students take notes to record facts from lessons, with assistance

write words or draw pictures in order to capture important understandings

INTELLIGENCES/LEARNING STYLES:

This lesson accommodates visual learners, through the chart on the white board, auditory learners, through the book reading, and intrapersonal learners through group work.

PRE-ASSESSMENT:

Students have already been introduced to figurative language, such as idioms.

LESSON PRESENTATION:

A. SET-INDUCTION: Discuss the illustration on the cover of the book. Have the students discuss situations in which they didn't understand the meaning of a phrase. Have the students predict what will happen in the story.

B. PROCEDURE:

1. Call students to the rug.

2. Set the purpose; think about a time when someone said one thing but meant another.

3. Read aloud the story.

4. Pause after each of Amelia’s predicaments.

5. State what went wrong and the outcome the directions should have been.

6. Create a problem/solution chart.

- What did Mrs. Rogers and the shop keepers tell Amelia Bedelia to do?

- What did Amelia do?

- What should have Amelia done?

- What should Mrs. Rogers new direction be?

7. Model the first two three answers for students.

8. Call students back to their seats and have them write down what they think Mrs. Rogers’ new direction should be.

C. CLOSURE:

Have students think, pair and share with the last question. Walk around and see what each group came up with for Mrs. Rogers. Discuss other expressions that would confuse Amelia Bedelia.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES:

Amelia Bedelia Helps Out, by Peggy Parish

markers

pencil

chart paper

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY/ ASSIGNMENT: Have the students fill in their own problem/solution chart using an original example either from their own experience, from the story, or help from a parent.

EVALUATION/ ASSESSMENT:

The assessment for the lesson will be by observing students responses and behavior while reading the story on the rug and monitoring students back at their desks during the think, pair, share activity. The teacher should make anecdotal notes about how students are working together and whether they are grasping the information.

ADAPTATIONS:

The teacher will assist any students who are having difficulty responding to answering the question by modeling another example for the entire class. Yes, the gifted students will already understand the critical thinking it takes to get the answers, however, repetition will ensure a better grasp on the information for the struggling students.

3. Recall and Listing

1st Grade

Duration of Lesson: 20-30 minutes

PURPOSE: The purpose of this lesson is for students to be able to recall and list information with understanding from the book Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parish.

OBJECTIVE:

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to recall and list information from the book, demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of the story and interpreting the meaning of the directions given by Mrs. Rogers. They will apply their understanding of the story by rewriting directions Amelia Bedelia will understand.

NYS LEARNING STANDARDS:

ELA2.01.WR2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression

ELA4.01.WR2.01:

Students share the process of writing with peers or adults; for example, write with a partner or in a cooperative group.

ELA2.01.RE1.02:

Students engage in pre-reading and reading activities to:

← -predict what might happen next in a story read aloud or independently

← -retell a story

INTELLIGENCES/LEARNING STYLES:

This lesson accommodates visual learners, through the chart on the white board, auditory learners, through the book reading, and intrapersonal learners through group work.

PRE-ASSESSMENT: The students already have prior knowledge on double meanings and sequencing events. They will have to extend what they already know from yesterday’s lesson by doing a full problem by themselves today.

LESSON PRESENTATION:

A. Set induction: Ask how many of the children take the bus to school everyday. Tell the children that there is something that has been confusing you. Ask them if "taking the bus to school" means that they carry a bus to school in their backpack. Then, after the students have answered and laughed, introduce them to Amelia Bedelia, someone else who gets confused with sentences like that. Ask the children to look at the cover of the book at Amelia Bedelia's uniform and predict what Amelia Bedelia's job is.

B. Procedure

1. Call students to the rug.

2. Read Amelia Bedelia (make sure the pictures are visible).

3. Ask the students what they think she is doing in the picture being shown (i.e. The literal translation).

4. Then ask students what Mrs. Rogers really wanted her to do.

5. After finishing the book, make a list on the board of all the jobs that Mrs. Rogers asked Amelia Bedelia to do.

6. If the students cannot remember all of them, go back to the parts they forget and reread them.

7. Introduce the students to the storyboard you will create with them.

8. For example, the first category will say, “Dust the Furniture”

9. The second category will have a picture of Amelia putting dust on the dresser.

10. The third category will be of Amelia using a duster to take the dust off of the dresser

11. The fourth category will be blank. Ask the students to recall the directions that Mrs. Rogers has to say to Amelia (this was given in the book).

12. If students cannot remember, go back and reread it.

13. Fill in the chart with the new directions the class comes up with.

14. Call students back to their seats and put them into groups.

C. Closure:

Have students do the second example in their small groups. The first category will say "Measure two cups of rice." The second category will be a picture of Amelia Bedelia measuring the height of two cups of rice with a ruler. The third category will be a picture of Amelia Bedelia pouring rice into a measure cup. The fourth category will be blank. Ask the students to create new directions that Mrs. Rogers might give Amelia Bedelia so that she will do the job correctly.

[The children should come up with an answer such as "Put two cups of rice in a measuring cup"]. (This answer is not in the book).

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES:

Chalkboard/dry-erase board

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Storyboard with examples

Worksheets with storyboard on them

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY/ ASSIGNMENT: Have the students formulate other expressions that would confuse Amelia, like “take the bus to school” or “go fly a kite”.

EVALUATION/ ASSESSMENT:

The small group work will be evaluated and behavior (good and bad) will be noted. The teacher should take anecdotal notes during the activity to use during conferencing with the students.

ADAPTATIONS:

If the students are not grasping the material, go over another example on the board. Then, have students do the class work for homework and the next day check over it.

Favorite Lines:

Amelia Bedelia:

“Then Amelia Bedelia remembered that Mrs. Rogers had said. She must do just what the list told her. “Well, all right,” said Amelia Bedelia. Amelia Bedelia got some scissors. She snipped a little here and a little there. And she changed those towels.”

I love the literal meaning of this and I think students will too. It is easy for anyone to relate to not understanding directions given, whether because they did not understand the double meaning or because they were too afraid to ask for help.

Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia:

“Oh No!” said Amelia Bedelia. “This says to paint pictures. You can’t paint pictures without a picture to paint”.

This is a favorite quote of mine because it makes you think. When you give directions in a class, you have to say what you mean and mean what you say; otherwise, students will interpret what they think you mean. Amelia Bedelia’s painting mix up could have been easily avoided if the instructions were written as simplified as possibly, which I hope to remember to do for my students so they do not get confused.

Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia:

“Tag Jack before he gets to second base.”

“I must have a tag in here somewhere,” said Amelia Bedelia. She tagged Jack.

Misunderstandings like this happen all the time in classrooms. I feel like teachers yell at students for not doing the right things, however, perhaps the student just didn’t understand the directions. That is why I think you have to be clear when speaking to your students and have them repeat directions back to you at least once.

Come Back, Amelia Bedelia:

She picked Jane up.

“Put me down! I can walk!” screamed Jane.

“Nope,” said Amelia Bedelia, “the doctor said to bring you in”. And Amelia Bedelia brought Jane into the doctor’s office.

This is just plain funny. Hopefully, no one will pick anyone up when I call someone to the rug or into my classroom. Again, these literal translations make me aware of what I say and how I say it.

Amelia Bedelia Helps Out:

“Amelia can you dress the chickens?”

Amelia literally dressing the chickens up is hilarious. The students will not only find this funny, but I think they will understand literal and figurative language much better with such a great example.

Assessment/ Evaluation:

Students will be graded based on their work in their portfolio:

- Idiom T-charts

- Problem/Solution charts

- Story board chart

- Reflections (verbally expressed to teacher and written in journals)

- *Idiom definition/ illustration book*

Resources:

Chart Paper

Pens/Pencils

Markers

Books: Amelia Bedelia; Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia; Come Back, Amelia Bedelia; Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia; and Amelia Bedelia Helps Out

Internet sites:



~Excellent resource to strengthen lesson plans



~Excellent resource to strengthen lesson plans



~Great games for each level; remediation, average, and gifted.

People: The nephew of Peggy Parish, Herman Parish will come and read to our class!

Places: Go on a field trip to the park to see angles of the baseball field first hand, and discover idioms through the playground and nature, i.e. “I am having a ball,” “Run like the wind,” etc.

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Come Back,

Amelia

Bedelia

Language Arts

Mathematics

Art

Idioms

Figurative/ Literal Language

Conversions

(inches, cm, etc.)

Project involving expressions with double meanings

Play Ball,

Amelia Bedelia

Language Arts

Mathematics

Social Studies

Tying in Civil War dress with homophones present

Art

Angles through baseball field

Addition and Subtraction

Idioms

Figurative/Literal Language

Projects comparing homophones

Amelia

Bedelia

Language Arts

Mathematics

Social Studies

What is a housekeeper?

What is a volunteer?

What is a community?

Art

Measuring

Addition and Subtraction

Idioms

Figurative/Literal Language

Projects comparing homophones

Teach Us,

Amelia

Bedelia

Language Arts

Mathematics

Art

Idioms

Figurative/ Literal Language

Using a ruler (measure the rice)

Illustrating what Amelia “teaches” them, e.g. planting a light bulb.

Amelia

Bedelia

Helps Out

Language Arts

Mathematics

Art

Idioms

Figurative/ Literal Language

Conversions

(inches, cm, etc.)

Illustrate the garden; i.e. pulling the weeds

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