Walt Disney

UNIT STUDY

Unit Study

SCHEDULE & NOTES

Instructor’s Guide

Walt Disney Unit Study

by the BookShark Team

D Unit Study
BookShark™ History “Walt Disney Unit Study” Sample Instructor’s Guide

Copyright © 2019 by BookShark, LLC

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—
electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
printed reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher. However, permission is hereby granted to the original
BookShark, LLC purchaser only to reproduce as many copies of the Schedule Pages; and Activity Sheets for his or her
immediate family’s use.

Published by

BookShark, LLC
8022 South Grant Way
Littleton, CO 80122-2705
USA

Phone (303) 797-2954 Fax (303) 730-1524

E-mail: main@BookShark.com

NOTE TO PURCHASER
BookShark, LLC is committed to providing the best homeschool resources on the market. This entails regular upgrades
to our curriculum and to our Instructor’s Guides. This guide is the 2019 Edition of the BookShark™ History “Walt Disney
Unit Study” Sample Instructor’s Guide.

This guide is sold with the understanding that none of the Authors nor the Publisher is engaged in rendering educational
services. Questions relevant to the specific educational or legal needs of the user should be addressed to practicing
members of those professions.

The information, ideas, and suggestions contained herein have been developed from sources, including publications and
research, that are considered and believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed insofar as they apply to any particular
classroom or homeschooling situation.

The Authors and Publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence
directly or indirectly of the use and application of any of the suggestions or contents of this guide.

Printed in the United States of America.

Not for individual resale.

 Walt Disney Unit Study
Schedule and Notes

DISCLAIMER
BookShark History curriculum is based on a mix of non-fiction and biographies. For this sample lesson we use a biographical reading
passage as a substitute for our typical reading assignments. Please see our catalog and website for a full listing of all titles included in
each program.

The sample provided here reflects typical elements you will find in BookShark History, Science, and Language Arts: reading assign-
ments, hands-on experiments, activity sheets, vocabulary words, and discussion questions, etc. In History, you will typically have a
scheduled reading assignment followed by discussion questions and vocabulary words. In Science, you will typically have a reading
assignment followed by activity sheet questions and a weekly science lab.

Please download free samples of the first three weeks of all BookShark Instructor’s Guides (all subjects and levels) from bookshark.com/
instructors-guide-samples to see exactly how the curriculum is designed.
 Understanding the Structure of This Guide
This 2-week sample provides a schedule, notes, maps,
and timeline for the book, Who Was Walt Disney? Though
the sample was designed to resemble our History guides,
it also includes activity sheets that were added for fun
more than academics.
BookShark's History Instructor's Guides include a 36-
week, 4-day Schedule and Notes. The History programs
include History, Geography, Timelines, Read-Alouds, and
Readers. BookShark’s literature-based approach enables
you to teach through reading and discussion. We do not
assign activity sheets or tests as we believe discussion
is the most effective way to retain and understand the
knowledge gained from books.
BookShark's Language Arts and Science guides include
Activity Sheets. Though they are engaging, they are de-
signed for academic purposes (they do not include word
searches!) and are used to enforce concepts in addition to
discussion.
Depending on your students' age and/or reading level
you can choose to utilize the Who Was Walt Disney? book
as a Read-Aloud or Reader. Many students will be able
to read this book on their own. However, students enjoy
being read to through their tween years, so feel free to use
the book as a Read-Aloud if you would like to join your
student in learning about Walt Disney. For parents who are
not familiar with Read-Alouds, the benefits include:
• introduce your children to great literature beyond
their personal reading capacity.
• develop a life-long love of reading. When you read
great literature to your children, it creates a thirst to
read. They’ll begin to think, “I love books! One day
I’m going to read books like this!”
• expand your children’s vocabulary.
• build important listening skills—including the abil-
ity to visualize the meaning of spoken words.
• develop an “ear” for good oral reading.
• develop oral reading skills. Having heard quality oral
reading done by you, your children will imitate you.
• give you and your children memorable and enjoy-
able times together.
Timeline and Map Activities
BookShark's History Guides also include Timeline and
Map Activities
Timelines are helpful because not every book we read
will be in chronological order. When we read them and
mark dates on our timeline, we are better able to under-
stand how events fit together: which things occured at
the same time, which things came first, and which things
came later.
Throughout the year, we will provide Timeline sugges-
tions, marked with a d symbol on the schedule page. This
will alert you to a timeline suggestion in the notes for the
assigned History books, Read-Alouds and Readers.
We also encourage use of Timelines, to see the se-
quence of history and to connect what is happening in
different parts of the world at the same time. For these
Timeline Suggestions, write the events in Walt Disney's life
on the page labeled "Timeline," underneath the column
"In Disney's Life." If the Timeline point is not referring to
Disney but rather a world event, write that in the "In the
World" column. The first Timeline Suggestion below has
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.
been done for you.
BookShark’s geography program weaves assignments
throughout the year from every appropriate book. It dem-
onstrates to your children the importance of map skills
while enhancing the learning adventure.
Completing map assignments provides geographical
context to the stories your children are reading while
expanding their geography knowledge. We provide the
 symbol on the Schedule page to alert you that a map
assignment is included in that day’s notes. n
 Walt Disney Unit Study
Week 1 Schedule

Date: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Read-Aloud or Reader
Into – chap. 2 chaps. 3–4 chaps. 5–6 chaps. 7–8
Who Was Walt Disney?
 d  d d d

Activity Sheets
Copywork
Word Search Crossword Puzzle Disney Family Tree;
or Dictation

Optional Activity
Make a Flipbook Seven Dwarfs
Videos to Watch and/or Videos to Watch and/or
Videos to Watch Videos to Watch
Other Notes
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

friends. He played the role of Peter Pan in a school play.

Day 1
Read-Aloud or Reader
Who Was Walt Disney? | Intro – Chapter 2
Vocabulary
class clown: a student who tries to make other students
laugh.
short-tempered: having a quick temper, easily angry or
irritated.
temper: state of feeling or frame of mind.
typhoid: (typhoid fever) an infectious disease marked by
fever, diarrhea, and headache.
To Discuss After You Read
Q:
What kind of child was Walt at home and at school?
Give examples to support your answer.
A: a daydreamer, playful, class clown, prankster, artistic,
entertaining. He daydreamed instead of paying attention
in class. He dressed up as Charlie Chaplin to entertain his
He got free haircuts in exchange for his art. He drew on
his house with tar! Walt got up before sunrise to deliver
newspapers
Q: Is he the kind of kid you'd like to be friends with? Why
or why not?
A: answers will vary
Timeline and Map Activities
Find the provided blank timeline at that end of this
guide. We recommend taping the two pages together and
hanging them on the wall. The first Timeline Suggestion
below has been done for you.
Find the provided blank maps and an answer key at
the end of this guide, following the timeline. After each
days reading assignment have your student map the
point(s) next to the  symbol under the Timeline and
Map Activities.
d Walter Elias Disney is born in Chicago, IL (1901)
d The Disney family moves to a farm in Marceline,
MO (1906)

N Special Note to Mom or Dad   Map Point  d Timeline Suggestion

Walt Disney Unit Study | Section Two | Week 1 | 1

 Notes
Week 1
d The Disney family moves to Kansas City, MO (1910)
 Chicago, IL Q (Midwest Map)
 Marceline, MO W (Midwest Map)
 Kansas City, MO E (Midwest Map)
Activity Sheets
Copywork & Dictation
This Unit Study was designed for ages 7-12 so we have
provided both Copywork and Dictation options. Please
choose the one appropriate for your child. If you are new
to BookShark our general recommendation would be for
children ages 7-9 to complete the copywork and children
ages 9-12 to complete the dictation.
Copywork
Have your children copy the sentences found under
"Copywork” on the Week 1 Activity Sheet.
Dictation 1
Read through the dictation passage with your children.
Note any words, capitalizations, or matters of punctuation
that require special attention. Then, read the dictation as
your children write it down (on a separate sheet of paper).
Around the farm were weeping willows and
apple, peach, and plum trees. Walt watched
rabbits, squirrels, opossums, foxes, and raccoons
scurry around the pond.
Optional
Videos to Watch
Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P
LfKqQ2GauwxLtPf0gJs7yFmCZkTZXHM5C
• Walt Disney’s Hometown
• Charlie Chaplin
Day 2
Read-Aloud or Reader
Who Was Walt Disney? | Chapters 3–4
1. Who Was Walt Disney? p. 5.
2 | Week 1 | Section Two | Walt Disney Unit Study
Vocabulary
enlist: to join the armed forces or to ask for and get help
or support from someone.
animation: moving images created from drawings, mod-
els, etc. that are photographed or created by a computer.
recruit: to persuade someone to work for a company or
become a new member of an organization, especially the
military.
bankrupt: having no money, unable to pay what you owe.
To Discuss After You Read
Q: How did Walt get his job at the post office?
A: Walt was turned away for a post office job because he was
too young. So he dressed up as someone older and got the
job!
Q: Why did Walt go to France and what did he do there?
A: Walt enlisted in the military and drove an ambulance in
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.
WWI
Q: Tell about the dishonest way that Walt made money
during WWI.
A: Walt and a friend scuffed and shot holes in German
helmets and sold them as real war souvenirs
Q: Explain what animation is and how it is created.
A: animation is actually a series of images, each with small
changes, that are shown in quick succession so as to
give the appearance of motion
Q: Why did Walt choose to move to Hollywood, CA?
A: that was the center of the entertainment business, and he
wanted to make animated movies
Timeline and Map Activities
d The first film studio opens in Hollywood (1911)
d WWI begins (1914)
d The Disney family moves back to Chicago, IL (1917)
d Walt drives an abulance in France during WWI
(1918)
d WWI ends (1918)
d Walt meets Ub Iwerks (1922)
d Walt makes Laugh-O-Grams (1922)
 Hollywood, CA Q (California Map)
Activity Sheets
Word Seach Puzzle
Have your children complete the "Word Search Puzzle"
on the Week 1 Activity Sheet.
 Walt Disney Unit Study
Optional Activity
Make a Flipbook
Walt Disney read a book from the Kansas City Public Li-
brary to learn about animation: Animated Cartoons – How
They Are Made Their Origin And Development by Edwin
George Lutz. This book was published in 1920. It is now
in the public domain, and you can read it on archive.org
here: https://archive.org/details/cu31924075701304. It
has interesting diagrams that demonstrate how to create
animations. Look on page 31 of the original book to see
kineographs, what we now call flipbooks . Look on page
17 of the original book for a thaumatrope.
Edwin George Lutz wrote other books you may enjoy
if you like drawing. You can also use some of his tutorials
to help you sketch your flipbook or thaumatrope. (These
books may be downloaded as PDFs at no cost.)
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.
• What to Draw and How to Draw It: https://archive.org/
details/whattodrawhowtod00lutz/page/n66
• Drawing Made Easy: https://archive.org/details/draw-
ingmadeeasyh00lutz/page/n9
Directions
Find the 2 pages of shark drawings labeled 1 thru 12 at
the end of this guide.
1. If desired, color the panels. Keeping them consis-
tent will work best for the animation unless you
purposely want the colors to change.
2. Cut out the panels.
3. Stack them in order with the starting panel at the
bottom and the last panel on top.
4. Staple the stack securely and flip.
***
Or if your kids prefer to make their own from scratch this
video from the Metropolitan Museum of Art shows how
to make a flipbook: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/on-
line-features/metkids/videos/MetKids-Create-a-Flip-Book.
Here are more videos for learning how to make flip-
books:
• Basic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njl-
uqnmBGA
• More advanced: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Un-BdBSOGKY
• An example: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=h6CpQsQt3P8
Notes
Week 1
Videos to Watch
Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P
LfKqQ2GauwxLtPf0gJs7yFmCZkTZXHM5C
• Walt Disney - Entrepreneur & Producer | Mini Bio
• History of Cel Animation
• Before Mickey Mouse: A History Of American Ani-
mation (1982
Day 3
Read-Aloud or Reader
Who Was Walt Disney? | Chapters 5–6
Vocabulary
shabby: looking old and in bad condition because of be-
ing used for a long time or not being cared for.
spiffed (up): to make someone or something look more
stylish, or cleaner and tidier.
double-cross: to deceive someone by working only for
your own advantage in the (usually illegal) activities you
have planned together.
spunky: courageous and determined.
bobbed (hair): cut to neck length all around the head.
double-breasted suit: a double-breasted jacket or coat
has two sets of buttons and two wide parts at the front,
one of which covers the other when the buttons are
fastened.
porter: a doorman or person whose job is to carry things,
especially travellers' bags at railway stations, airports,
hotels etc.
gimmick: something that is not serious or of real value
that is used to attract people's attention or interest.
pledge: a serious or formal promise.
To Discuss After You Read
Q: Name some of the film studios that were operating in
Hollywood when Walt moved there in 1923. Are they
still in business? What films have they released recently?
A: Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Metro-Goldwyn-
Mayer (MGM); answers will vary
Q: Walt’s first break in Hollywood was when Margaret Win-
kler hired him to create a series of Alice cartoons. What
were the obstacles Walt faced on that project, and how
did he overcome them?
Walt Disney Unit Study | Section Two | Week 1 | 3
 Notes
Week 1

A: Possible: 3-month deadline - he worked incredibly hard Activity Sheets

and then hired artists and camera operators to help; no
movie camera, no money to work with, no studio - Walt Crossword Puzzle
went into business with his older and more responsible
brother Roy. They asked their uncle to loan them money Have your children complete the "Crossword Puzzle"
for buying a movie camera and setting up a studio; no found on the Week 1 Activity Sheets..
artists - Walt convinced Ub Iwerks to come to California to
work for him; the actress was living in Kansas City - Walt Answers:
convinced her family to move to Hollywood
Across: Down:
Q: Who was Ub Iwerks and why is he important to Walt 5) Mickey Mouse 1) Elias
Disney?
A: 7) Disneyland 2) Donald Duck
he was an artist Walt knew from Kansas City. Later Ub
moved out to Hollywood to work with Walt and Roy in 8) Steamboat Willie 3) Marceline
Disney Brothers Studio and later at Walt Disney Studios 10) Animation 4) Flora
Q: What went wrong with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit? 11) Newspapers 5) Model Trains
A: although Oswald was a hit, Walt lost control of the 13) Tar 6) Lillian
character when Charlie Mintz hired away Walt’s artists.
9) Bankrupt
Mintzhad the artists who could draw Oswald, so he didn’t

©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

need Walt anymore 12) Brothers
Q: Tell the story of how Mickey Mouse came to be.
A:
Videos
answers will vary but may include any of these facts:
Mickey was created in secrecy so no one could steal the Videos to Watch
idea. Walt first wanted to name him Mortimer, but Lillian
suggested Mickey. Mickey started off playing tricks, but Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P
later Walt made him nicer and invented Donald Duck to LfKqQ2GauwxLtPf0gJs7yFmCZkTZXHM5C
be his contrast. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon featured
• Alice's Wonderland" (1923)- Walt Disney's Laugh-O-
Mickey as a daredevil pilot. This story may have been
Gram
inspired by Charles Lindbergh who had recently been the
first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. At first no one • Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - Trolley Troubles
wanted to buy Mickey Mouse cartoons, but when Walt • Steamboat Willie
added sound to the cartoons, they took off!
• The History of Mickey Mouse
Q: Tell about Mickey Mouse Clubs. • Evolution Of Mickey Mouse In Disney Parks
A: a smart theater owner started the gimmick to encourage
kids to come and watch hours and hours of Mickey Mouse
cartoons. Walt saw the club and started new clubs in other Day 4
cities
Read-Aloud or Reader
Timeline and Map Activities
d Walt and Roy found Disney Brothers Studio (1923) Who Was Walt Disney? | Chapters 7–8
d Walt marries Lillian Bounds (1925)
d Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo airplane Vocabulary
flight across the Atlantic Ocean (1927) peppy: full of energy.
d The first movie with sound, The Jazz Singer, is
unemployment: when workers cannot get work but
released (1927)
want to.
d Steamboat Willie premieres and Mickey Mouse is a
star! (1928) collapse: to fall down, pass out, faint or become uncon-
scious.
slapstick: humor based on farce and horseplay.

4 | Week 1 | Section Two | Walt Disney Unit Study

 Walt Disney Unit Study Notes
Week 1

To Discuss After You Read

Q:
Optional Activity
Why did Ub Iwerks leave Walt Disney? Do you think it
was a good reason? What could Walt have done Compare the names of the seven dwarfs (Grumpy, Hap-
differently? py, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy, Doc.) to these rejected
A: Walt took credit for Mickey even though Ub was the artist. names that were considered:
Walt also complained about Ub’s work. Other answers will
vary • Jumpy, Deafy, Puffy, Burpy, Stuffy, Lazy and Wheezy
Q: Even though Walt lost his best animator, his business • Shifty, Nifty, Woeful, Soulful, Flabby, Crabby, and Awful
grew. How could that be?
A:
Now make your own list of names for the seven dwarfs!
Walt was the most important man in the studio even if he
wasn’t the main artist. He chose what cartoons to make.
He developed the stories and made all the final decisions. Videos
He could hire artists to make his ideas happen, but the
ideas were always his own. Videos to Watch
Q: Tell about Disney’s family. Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P
A: Walt married Lillian. They had one daughter and then LfKqQ2GauwxLtPf0gJs7yFmCZkTZXHM5C
another (by adoption). Walt’s family and Roy’s family
• The Animation Process From 1938
often got together. Walt loved being a father and spent a
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

lot of time with his daughters. Walt brought his parents to • Very unique Academy Award for Snow White and
CA to live close to him, but there was a gas accident, and the Seven Dwarfs
his mother died • A photo of Walt’s Oscar for Snow White
Q: What was so special about Snow White? • Silly Symphonies Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? n
A: it was the first ever full-length animated movie. Until then all
his work had been short animations shown before the main
move. Many people said it would fail, but it was a huge
success and Walt won an Academy Award (Oscar) for it
Timeline and Map Activities
d The stock market crashes, ushering in the Great
Depression (1929)
d Walt wins an Academy Award for Best Cartoon
(1932)
d Walt’s daughter Diane is born (1933)
d Mickey Mouse makes his debut appearance in
(what is now) the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
(1934)
d Walt and Lillian adopt daughter Sharon Mae (1937)
d Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premieres (1937)
d Flora Disney dies (1938)
d Pinocchio premieres (1940)
d Bambi premieres (1942)

Activity Sheets
The Disney Family Tree
Have your children complete "The Disney Family Tree"
found on the Week 1 Activity Sheets.

Answers are at the bottom of the activity sheet.

Walt Disney Unit Study | Section Two | Week 1 | 5

This page intentionally left blank.
 Week 1 Activity Sheet

Copywork1

The teacher loved Walt’s act. She asked him to

perform it for the other classes. That was fine with
Walt. He liked showing off.
©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

1. Who Was Walt Disney?, p. 14.

Walt Disney Unit Study | Week 1 Activity Sheet 1

 Week 1 Activity Sheet

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

X I C L I L L I A N D G D N N
M H X S N O W W H I T E O O K
O K R Z X M A R C E L I N E K
R A M O D E L T R A I N S D U
T J K F R O Y Q B T I B W W B
I J S L C A R T O O N F D A R
M I C K E Y M O U S E O P L O
E P E A R L H A R B O R G T T

©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

R R L P R A N I M A T I O N H
S T E A M B O A T W I L L I E
F U Y I D O N A L D D U C K R
A Z E H N E W S P A P E R S S
T C E F T E L E V I S I O N C
C A L I F O R N I A Z S J K D
X R B D F D I S N E Y L A N D

MARCELINE ROY PEARL HARBOR

NEWSPAPERS BROTHERS MODEL TRAINS
TELEVISION CARTOON STEAMBOAT WILLIE
MORTIMER ANIMATION DONALD DUCK
CALIFORNIA DISNEYLAND MICKEY MOUSE
LILLIAN TAR SNOW WHITE
WALT

2 Week 1 Activity Sheet | Walt Disney Unit Study

 Week 1 Activity Sheet

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

2. 3.

1.

4. 12.

5.
6.
7. 9.
8.
©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

10. 11.

13.

Across: Down:

1) Walt’s dad
5) Walt’s most famous character (two words)

7) Walt’s amusement park for families 2) The angry companion of Mickey Mouse (two words)

8) The first cartoon with sound 3) Walt had a happy childhood on a farm in this city in
Missouri
10) Walt opened a studio that created cartoons with this
4) Walt’s mom
11) As a child Walt had a job delivering these
5) One of Walt’s hobbies (two words)
13) As a child, Walt used this to draw on the side of his
house 6) Walt’s wife

9) Not having money to keep a business going

12) Walt and Roy starte Disney _________ Studio

Walt Disney Unit Study | Week 1 Activity Sheet 3

 Week 1 Activity Sheet

The Disney Family Tree

Fill in Walt Disney’s family tree, starting with his parents and working down to his own
children. Indicate their first names in the space provided.
HINT: You can find their names in the book Who Was Walt Disney? on the pages listed
below.
Parents

©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

Siblings
Wife

Walt
Children

Answers: Walt’s Dad, p. 3; Walt’s Mom, p. 4; Walt’s siblings, p. 6; Walt’s wife, p. 43 ; Walt’s daughters, p. 61.
4 Week 1 Activity Sheet | Walt Disney Unit Study
 Walt Disney Unit Study
Week 2 Schedule

Date: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Read-Aloud or Reader
chaps. 9–10 chap. 11
Who Was Walt Disney?
 d d

Activity Sheets
Copywork Walt's Ups and
Character Sketch Create a Character
or Dictation Downs

Optional Activity

Videos to Watch Videos to Watch

Other Notes
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

To Discuss After You Read

Day 1
Read-Aloud or Reader
Who Was Walt Disney? | Chapters 9–10
Vocabulary
(to go on) strike: to refuse to continue working because
of an argument with an employer about working condi-
tions or pay.
tinker: to make small changes to something, especially in
an attempt to repair or improve it.
to flock to: to move or come together in large numbers.
to mob (someone): to come together around someone in
a crowd to express admiration, interest, or anger.
prototype: the first example of something, like an inven-
tion or new idea.
Q: What happened at the Disney studio in Burbank that
upset Walt greatly? What was the final outcome?
A: his workers went on strike for nine weeks because of low
wages. Walt let his brother Roy negotiate with the strike
leaders to give them what they demanded
Q: What happened Dec. 7, 1941 that changed everything
in America and in Walt’s studio?
A: the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and America
entered WW2. The US Army took over Walt’s studio, using it
for making training films and propaganda (films to make
fun of enemies or make Americans proud of their country)
Q: How was Walt different from many people in the movie
business when it came to television?
A: many filmmakers thought of television as an enemy that
would keep people from watching movies in theaters, but
Walt welcomed the power of television and used it for his
show The Mickey Mouse Club
Q: What went wrong when Disneyland opened? And how
did Walt react?
A: it was horribly hot (100 degrees). The train went to a dead
end. There were not enough trash cans or water fountains.

N Special Note to Mom or Dad   Map Point  d Timeline Suggestion

Walt Disney Unit Study | Section Two | Week 2 | 11

 Notes
Week 2

Some of the rides didn’t work. Walt fixed the broken things Videos
and trained his staff to learn how to behave towards visi-
tors to make sure they had a pleasant experience Videos to Watch
Q: When Walt was a grandfather, he would let his grand- Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P
children explore Disneyland after closing hours and LfKqQ2GauwxLtPf0gJs7yFmCZkTZXHM5C
spend the night there. Imagine that you are able to
have Disneyland all to yourself at night. What would • The Two Sides of Walt Disney
you do? Would it be more fun or less fun to you?
A:
• Donald Duck Nazi Episode (WW2 propaganda from
answers will vary
Disney)
Timeline and Map Activities • The Mickey Mouse Club - Original Mouseketeers
d WWII begins (1939) • Davy Crockett theme song
d Walt Disney Studios move to Burbank, CA (1940)
• Walt Disney's MultiPlane Camera
d Dumbo premiers (1941)
d US joins WWII after Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor
(1941) Day 2
d WWII ends (1945)
d Cinderella premieres (1950) Read-Aloud or Reader
I Love Lucy airs (1951)

©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

d
d The Mickey Mouse Club airs on television, Who Was Walt Disney? | Chapter 11
Disneyland opens in Anaheim, CA (1955)
 Burbank, CA W (map 1) To Discuss After You Read
 Anaheim, CA E (map 1) Q: How did Walt show his skill at the World’s Fair in New
York City in 1964?
A: his Abraham Lincoln robot was so real that people
Activity Sheets
thought it was an actor
Copywork Q: Walt died before one of this great accomplishments
Have your children copy the sentences found under was realized. What was it?
"Copywork” on the Week 2 Activity Sheet. A: Disney World opened in Florida in 1971; Walt died in 1966
at the age of 65

Timeline and Map Activities

Dictation1
Read through the dictation passage with your children.
Note any words, capitalizations, or matters of punctuation
that require special attention. Then, read the dictation as
your children write it down.
Everything changed at the studio after Decem-
ber 7, 1941. That was when the Japanese army
bombed an American naval base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. Now the United States was in the war,
too.
d Disney exhibits at the New York World’s Fair (1964)
d Walt dies at age 65 on December 15 (1966)
d Disney World open in Florida (1971)
Activity Sheets
Walt's Ups and Downs
Have your children complete "Walt's Ups and Downs"
found on the Week 2 Activity Sheets.
Answers will vary. Here are just a few of his ups and
downs.
Ups:

• Margaret Winkler paid Walt for a series of Alice Car-

toons, which she sold to theaters

1. Who Was Walt Disney? p. 79.

12 | Week 2 | Section Two | Walt Disney Unit Study

 Walt Disney Unit Study Notes
Week 2

• Walt formed Disney Brothers Studioe with Roy and • Strengths: courageous, strong fighter, leader of the
later named it Walt Disney Studios lost boys, can fly
• Walt marries Lillian Bounds • Weaknesses: doesn't want to grow up, mischevious,
• He created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit careless

• Steamboat Willie, Walt's first cartoon with sound was • Personality traits: likes to have fun, adventurous,
a hit, starring Mickey Mouse charasmatic

• Mickey Mouse Clubs made Mickey Mouse cartoon • Appearance: boy, elf ears, green hat, red hair, tights
even more popular • Sidekick or partner: Tinkerbell
• Walt's first color film, Flowers and Trees, won an Acad- • Enemy or foe: Captain Hook
emy Award
• Walt created Disneyland Day 4
Downs:
Activity Sheets
• Walt and Ub's first company closed after only a month
Create a Character
• Went bankrupt before he could finish Alice's Wonder-
land Thinking about the character sketch you made for a
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

Walt Disney character, create your own unique character!

• Charlie Mintz hired away most of Walt's artists
• A dishonest distributor hired away Ub Iwerks
• Walt collapses from working too hard
• Walt's mom dies from exposure to poisonous gas
Optional Activity
Videos to Watch
Video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P
LfKqQ2GauwxLtPf0gJs7yFmCZkTZXHM5C
• Walt Disney - Entrepreneur & Producer | Mini Bio
Use the same character sketch page to plan your
character. It can be an animal, a person, or even an object
come-to-life. After you outline its traits and sketch its ap-
pearance, either write a story with your character or draw
a cartoon strip.
If you would like a comic strip template, this site has an
excellent free PDF: https://picklebums.com/free-printable-
comic-book-templates/
(If it’s not to your liking, simply search “cartoon strip
printable template” for lots of free options. n

• History of Cel Animation

• Before Mickey Mouse: A History Of American Ani-
mation (1982)

Day 3
Activity Sheets
Character Sketch
Choose a Disney character and complete the "Character
Sketch" found on the Week 2 Activity Sheets.
Example character sketch:
• Name: Peter Pan
• Setting: Neverland, London

Walt Disney Unit Study | Section Two | Week 2 | 13

This page intentionally left blank.
 Week 2 Activity Sheet

Copywork1

Snow White made so much money that Roy and

Walt bought fifty-one acres of land for a new studio
in Burbank, California.
©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

1. Who Was Walt Disney?, p. 75.

Walt Disney Unit Study | Week 2 Activity Sheet 5

 Week 2 Activity Sheet

Walt’s Ups and Downs

Make a list of Walt’s obstacles and successes. Obstacles can include mistakes he made,
circumstances that went wrong, business failures, and bad decisions.

Ups Downs

©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

“All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and

obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it
when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best
thing in the world for you.”

- Walt Disney

6 Week 2 Activity Sheet | Walt Disney Unit Study

 Week 2 Activity Sheet

Character Sketch
Choose an animated character from any Disney movie and complete the character
sketch below.

Walt Disney said, “I try to build a full personality for each of

our cartoon characters—to make them personalities.”

Name:

Personality traits:
©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

Setting:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Appearance:

Sidekick or partner:

Enemy or foe:

Walt Disney Unit Study | Week 2 Activity Sheet 7

 Week 2 Activity Sheet

Character Sketch
Create your own character using the character sketch below. It can be an animal, per-
son or object come-to-life. Then write a story to go along with your character or create
a cartoon strip.

Name:
Personality traits:

Setting:

©2019 BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Appearance:

Sidekick or partner:

Enemy or foe:

8 Week 2 Activity Sheet | Walt Disney Unit Study

 TIMELINE

1900
1901 - Walt Elias Disney is born in
Chicago, IL

1905

1910

1915

1920

1925

1930
This page intentionally left blank.
1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970
This page intentionally left blank.
 ©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.
Midwest Map

Walt Disney Unit Study | Map | 23

This page intentionally left blank.
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.
California Map

Walt Disney Unit Study | Map | 25

This page intentionally left blank.
 Midwest Map

Q
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

Walt Disney Unit Study | Map Answer Key | 27

 California Map

©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

W
Q
E

28 | Map Answer Key | Walt Disney Unit Study

01 02

03 04

05 06

07 08

09 10
This page intentionally left blank.
11 12

13 14

15 16

17 18
This page intentionally left blank.
 Bibliography of Suggested Books

If your student is interested in reading more about Walt Disney, we suggest the following books:

Easy Reader Biographies

Walt Disney: Creator of Magical Worlds by Charnan Simon

Walt Disney: Meet the Cartoonist by Carin T. Ford
Walt Disney: The Man Behind the Magic by Tamra B. Orr
Walt Disney: Young Movie Maker (Childhood of Famous Americans Series)

More Advanced Books

The Wisdom of Walt: Leadership Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth by Jeffrey A. Barnes
The Man Behind the Magic: The Story of Walt Disney by Katherine and Richard Greene
©2019 by BookShark, LLC. All rights reserved.

Walt Disney Unit Study | Section Two | Week 2 | 33