Linking Literature with The Great Kapok Tree 

Have you ever had a book that you really didn't know what or how to use it in the classroom? Well, if you have The Great Kapok Tree By: Lynn Cherry you are in luck! I'd like to share with you some ideas that I have used with it this past year in my first grade class. 

I use this book in April when we are learning about two things: The Rainforest and Persuasive Texts. It's perfect and the students LOVE this book. They could read it over and over again. 

This book lends itself to a lot of reading, writing and science activities. First, I'd like to share with you my reading activities:
I used this book with Author's Purpose, Cause and Effect and Synthesis. Here is my synthesis anchor chart: 

Synthesis Anchor Chart

When you are teaching synthesis, I tie in "I Wonder" question stems that the students ask before, during and after reading. Last, they have to tell me how their schema has changed from the beginning of the story to the end. Of course, during the mini-lesson I model what these questions sound like, so they can understand them. Then, when it is independent reading time, they can go and apply their knowledge and skills to their own book that they are reading during Reader's Workshop.
Here is the template that I use for their schema notebook: 

Synthesis Sundae

Now, we can talk about persuasive writing. In this story, the animals are trying to convince the man to not cut down the Great Kapok tree. He falls asleep and they all talk to him in his dream.
At the end, he wakes up and drops his ax and walks out of the rainforest. This story is perfect for discussing persuasive texts. So, I ask the students, "Did the animals do a great job of convincing the man not to cut down the tree?" Of course they say "YES!" Then, I ask them "How do you know?" The students write me a persuasive story from the animal's point of view to not cut down the rainforest. Here is my persuasive planning guide:

After the students have written their argument, their three reasons and conclusion, then they copy their story onto this template: 

In science, we make a craftivity called: The Layers of the Rainforest. We color rainforest animals, cut them out and glue them on the correct layer with labels. I ask the students to make the trees trunks and leaves free handed. I really want them to use their creativity! I staple their persuasive story to the bottom of this craftivity. Here is an example: 

Rainforest Layers
For a home project, I have my students make a Rainforest Diorama. They research the rainforest layers and have questions to answer. These templates get glued to the back of their diorama. These get displayed outside in the hallway under our craftivities and writing. Here are some pictures of my students with their dioramas... and by the way, they received 100 bonus bucks for these! They were so excited! 


 

I hope you got some great ideas of how to use The Great Kapok Tree. If you are interested in these ideas, check out my Linking Literature Packet below. 

Linking Literature: The Great Kapok Tree 


Love, 
Kara