Rabbit Guide

7/27/2019 Rabbit Guide

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Synopsis

All activities are linked to Oregon State Benchmarks.or Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements,

use the link below (in PD format):www.k12.wa.us/curriculuminstruct/documents/EALRs-Technical-Manual.pdf

The Velveteen Rabbitis a timeless tale, suitable for allages, kindergarten through adult. It tells the story of

stuffed toy rabbit, made of soft velveteen, which arrives ina boys room as a holiday present. At first it is difficult forthe other toys in the boys nursery to accept him. Anothertoy, the wise old skin horse, sees the love between therabbit and the boy and tells the Velveteen Rabbit to expecta wonderful change called real, which can only happenthrough the love of a child. The little rabbit stays with theboy, sleeping with him and listening to him. Even whenthe boy is stricken with scarlet fever,the Velveteen Rabbit

stays cuddled in the boys arms, because he has beentaught that we dont leave our friends when they arebroken. Although the boy recovers, the doctor orders thatall his bedding as well as the rabbit, be burned to preventspread or re-infection. While awaiting his fate, out on thetrash pile, the Velveteen Rabbit sees real rabbits runningand playing. Somehow he knows that he will never see theboy again and his tears of sadness over this loss cause himto be visited by a fairy, who turns him into a real rabbit.

As a real rabbit, he spends his days playing near the boys home, and seeing him from time to time.

Marianne Sweeney, Teacher

by Margery Williams


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DISCUSSION/

COMPREHENSION

ACTIVITIES

Before the Play

Meeting Standards in Reading

VOCABULARY

Velveteen: A cotton fabric that is madeto look like satin and velvet.(See Notes 1)

Contagious: Something that spreads rapidly from person to person.

Scarlet fever: Contagious bacterial disease that causes a dark red rash

and a high fever.WORDSORURTHERSTUDY:

bracken burrows clockwork commonplace disinfectedfronds mechanical sensitive shabbier twitched

ANTICIPATION GUIDEUse these true/false statements to introduce ideas and

encourage students to think about issues they may confrontwhile viewing the play or reading the book. It is a good idea to

answer these both before and after viewing the play or reading the book. Some ideas may change.

True or alse? If I were a doll, I would want to become a real boy or girl. Children hug, squeeze, drag and are often rough with dolls that they love. Its hard to hug a toy that is hard and sharp. Children talk to their stuffed toys. Children discard old toys when they get new ones. There are some toys that children want to have with them always.

R e a d i n g : M a k i n g C o n n e c t i o n s

R e a d i n g : L i t e r a l C o m p r e h e n s i o n

A l l G r a d e s

R e a d i n g : W o r d M e a n i n g

A l l G r a d e s


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TEACHER TO TEACHER:

MORE ABOUT ASKING QUESTIONS

Use the following pattern inasking questions:1. Ask open questions toencourage children toengage and respond.Record their responses so that they can see what others are thinking.

2. Ask focused questions to elicit and organize specific information. (conceptualize)

3. Ask connecting questions to help children learn to see the relationships between events,

characters and ideas. (conceptualize, analyze)

4. Ask broad questions to help children learn to draw conclusions. (synthesize, generalize)

STEP 1: ASK:

1. What did you notice during the play? What impressed you?

2. a. Before the Velveteen Rabbit, what was the newest toy in the Boys room?b. Name some other toys in the Boys room.c. What toys had sharp edges? What toys might break easily?d. Which toy told the Velveteen Rabbit about becoming real?

e. What did he mean? How does a toy become real in this play?f. Are there any real characters in this play? Which ones?

3. a. How are the real bunnies different from the Velveteen Rabbit?b. How is the boy different from the Velveteen Rabbit?c. If a stuffed toy gets a small tear in its fabric, does it feel the same kind of pain that youwould feel if you cut yourself?d. What happens to the boy in this play?e. What does the Velveteen Rabbit do for the boy?f. How do you think life will be different for the Velveteen Rabbit as a real rabbit?

g. How does the Velveteen Rabbit become real in this story? [Some children may offer

that he became real when he cried, and the fairy finished making him real by making itvisible. Others might offer the process: He listens as the boy tells him what is in hishearteven secrets. The boy depends upon him. The rabbit stays with the boy even whenthe boy is broken with illness. The deep sadness the rabbit feels when they are separatedbrings tears to his eyes and releases a fairy who magically changes him into the realbunny.]h. Will he change? Will he grow? Will he feel pain? Will he feel the pain of loss?i. What does the Velveteen Rabbit think are the (good things) benefits of becoming real?

What do you think might be the costs of this change? [A +/- chart helps here.]

DISCUSSION/COMPREHENSION

ACTIVITIES

After the Play

R e a d i n g : I n f e r e n t i a l C o m p r e h e n s i o n

R e a d i n g : M a k i n g C o n n e c t i o n s

G r a d e s K a n d u p


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4. a. What does this story tell you about true friendship?

b. What does it mean when the skin horse says, .Being real doesnt happen to toys who

break easily, have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept.

c. Say or write a sentence that tells what you think about being real.

STEP 2: PUTITALLTOGETHERINDI..ERENTWAYS:1. Compose a cinquain about the Velveteen Rabbit or afavorite stuffed toy of your own. A cinquain (See Notes2) is a five-line poem that is written like this:

Line 1: one word to name the subject

Line 2: two words to describe itLine 3: three action words about itLine 4: a four or five word phrase describing the

subject (a thought, not a complete sentence)Line 5: one word that means the same thing as the first word, or a word that sums it all up

2. Make a Venn Diagram showing the differences and similarities between a live and a stuffedbunny.

3. Write a story about your favorite toy coming to life.

4. Draw a picture of what you think the Velveteen Rabbits life was like after he became real.

Include a caption with your picture.5. Write and perform a dialogue between the real rabbit and the boy.

THE BIG IDEAReal living things can grow. Real living things can change. Real living

things can feel pain, happiness, loss and love. Being alive, for real, doesnt

always feel good. Real life isnt perfect... Its actually difficult. In the

words of the play, .Being real doesnt happen to toys who break

easily, have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept. But the VelveteenRabbit still wants to become real. Why? [He wants to matter. He wants

to be cared about. He doesnt want to be discarded and forgotten.]

R e a d i n g : I n f e r e n t i a l C o m p r e h e n s i o n

L i t e r a t u r e : L i t e r a r y F o r m s

W r i t i n g : K n o w l e d g e o f T o p i c

W r i t i n g : M o d e s & F o r m s

W r i t i n g : S t r u c t u r e I n f o r m a t i o n

W r i t i n g : C o n v e n t i o n s

A r t : C r e a t e , P r e s e n t , P e r f o r m

G r a d e s K - 6


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WRITING

ACTIVITIES

.or the Older Students

1. Characters (select two for written analysis)Define characters by their actions, speech, appearance, andgeneral purpose in the story. Identify protagonists,antagonists, character foils.

The Boy Skin Horse Mechanical Toys

Nana The Doctor Velveteen Rabbit

2. Themes/Symbols (select two for written analysis) Analyze themes such as: friendship, acceptance, believing in yourself magic, becoming real,growing up, etc.

Compare and contrast the belief systems of adults, children, and toys in the story. How and where does the author use foreshadowing?

The above assignments were taken from a Literary Discussion Guide for college studentsby Pat Swenson at Cal State, Northridge. http://www.csun.edu/~pjs44945/velvet.html

Meeting Standards in Writing

1. Write a letter to the boy from the Velveteen

Rabbit after he became real. Explain what life is

like now and what s/he misses about being hisVelveteen Rabbit.

2. Write a letter to Oregon Childrens Theatre telling them what you thoughtof the production, The Velveteen Rabbit. Think about the set design, costumes, acting, or anyquestions you might have. Send to OCT at 600 SW 10 th Ste 215, Portland, OR 97205.

3. Design a stuffed animal toy for yourself or a little child. Include written labels that explain what

the different parts of the toy will do [floppy ears for listening long into the night, arms for big hugs,button nose for Eskimo kisses, etc.].

4. Pretend you are a toy. Write a letter applying for a position in a childs toy box. Be sure to include

information about experience, qualifications and special talents. If you have a classroom connectionbetween older and younger students, this activity may be part of a larger unit: Letters are written byolder students and received by K-2 students, then read with assistance from the older childrenChoices will be made by the younger hiring committees as to which toys will join the toy box.

5. Referring to the Venn Diagram in Step 2, Putting it all together (above) have each student write a

single paragraph that tells whether s/he would prefer a stuffed bunny, or a live one. This paragraphmust include a topic sentence and simple supporting facts and details.

W r i t i n g : A l l c a t e g o r i e s

G r a d e s K - 5

R e a d i n g : A l l C a t e g o r i e s

L i t e r a t u r e : L i t e r a r y E l e m e n t s / D e v i c e s

W r i t i n g : A l l C a t e g o r i e s

G r a d e s 7 - 1 2


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NOTES

1What is velveteen?Velveteen is made from cotton or a cotton-blend fabric that has a short dense pile. It is woven in asingle layer with an extra set of filling yarns that are cut to form the short, closely set pile. Velveteenis available in solid colors and printed with plaid, floral or paisley designs. As a medium weightfabric, it is used whenever a velvet look is desired. It is easier to sew and more durable than velvet.http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/textiles/nf430.htm

2 Cinquains

How to write a Cinquain: This Girl Scout site has instructions and a colorful example.http://jfg.girlscouts.org/How/make/cinquain.htm

LINKS

http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.htmlThe Language of Lagomorphs Copyright 1999 Eric Mercer is not to be missed! It explainswhat your pet bunny means when it signals you in different ways.They are all interesting, but this sadness and fear page on the same site is really special!

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/velv/velvtg.htmlTeacher Cyber Guide for The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams.Although the teaching ideas are clever, many of the links are no longer usable.

http://www.buyteachercreated.com/estore/product/2629

A Guide for Using The Velveteen Rabbit in the Classroom: This guide may be purchased for $7.99from Teacher Created Materials (Level: Intermediate, Grades: 35, Pages: 48). This resource isdirectly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to dobefore, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book includes sample plans, authorinformation, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities, sectional activities and quizzes,unit tests, and ideas for culminating and extending the story.You may download a PD version of the Table of Contents and a sample activity from this page.

There is a very useful rabbit puppet cutout available here for free.

http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1969.html/An Easy un School mini unit on The Velveteen Rabbitis available here.

http://www.eduplace.com/tview/pages/v/The_Velveteen_Rabbit_Margery_Williams.htmlA Houghton Mifflin Eduplace Teacher View, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Katy Smith.

http://www.writepage.com/velvet.htmThis is an Etext transcription of the whole story, by John Mark Ockerbloom.

.URTHER READINGCorduroy, by Don reeman The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown The Giving Tree, by ShelSilverstein Pinnochio, byCarlo Collodi

Rabbit Guide

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Transcript of Rabbit Guide