Written by Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Picture Book
This is a darling
story about Zoe Fleefenbacher, a spunky first grader with wild red hair that
has a life of its own. No, really. Her hair can change the channel, pet the
cat, and take out the trash. Though her crazy hair is loved by her parents and friends,
Zoe’s no-nonsense first grade teacher is not so excited about having it in her
classroom. This is such a fun story about working together and finding
solutions. This is a
great one to use just for fun, but there are several other ways to use it in a
classroom. Here are a few ideas:
Classroom Discussion: I would love to
use this story at the beginning of the school year. Students (and teachers) are
often apprehensive about their new class. They have to learn new rules, new expectations,
and a new teacher. This silly story can help break the ice and open discussion
on how students can work together with the teacher to create the best learning
environment. This would be a great time to talk about how the “strict” teacher
was not trying to torture Zoe, but she simply wanted to create a classroom
where everyone would be able to learn. Once Zoe’s hair got on board with that
goal, the problem was solved. I am a big supporter of letting the class help come
up with classroom expectations. When they become a part of the creation of
rules, students have a greater desire to follow them. Even the “hairy” students
(pun intended) tend to respect expectations that they helped create.
Making Connections: Even though this
story is quite fantastical, its very relatable setting makes it a great one for
connections. Sometimes it’s helpful to encourage thinking by asking questions
and having a student explain or share. Some questions to promote Text-to-Self
connections might be: Can you relate to how Zoe’s parents love her odd hair?
Have you felt comfortable in a class the way Zoe did in kindergarten?
Can you relate to having a strict new teacher? Have you ever been punished for
something you didn’t think was your fault? Have you ever felt misunderstood?
Visualizing: What a fun story to
visualize! There are so many fun images in this story. I can guarantee that
every elementary student would LOVE a chance to draw you a picture of what Zoe’s
hair can do. I love descriptions that show how her hair “went on forever,”
could do several tasks “all at the same time,” and finally “exploded into the
classroom.” Just about every page describes how her hair looks or something it
could do. I love using a book as a read aloud and letting the students draw
what they visualized before I show them the illustrator’s version in the book.
Onomatopoeia: This would be a really
fun book to use to introduce the concept of onomatopoeia. There are several
examples in the story that students could identify and easily demonstrate.
After discussing the definition and several examples, I might have students
look for examples in a book they are reading on their own. They could also
incorporate them into a story they are writing or create a comic to use them.
I definitely recommend picking this one up at your next library visit. It's a fun one you and your kids will love.
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