William and Mary UE PALOMA MNY ECAR d ILC ee Where the NTRS ATT Ewa by Maurice Sendak Navigator Developer: Suzanna E. Henshon cor GIFTED, ot Edie, - Center for Gifted Education . School of Education a The College of William and Mary The College of William & MaryAcknowledgement Special recognition and appreciation go to Dr. Joyce WanTassel-Baska, whose leadership and vision have inspired this Navigator series. William and Mary Navigate ctober, 2008 Center for Gifted Education College of William and Mary P.O, Box 8795 Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795 Phone: (757) 221-2362 Fax: (157) 221-2184 E-mail: cfge@wm.edu Web site: www.cfge.wm.edu Credits: Fanice Robbins, Ph.D. Interim Director, Center for Gifted Education Navigator Coordinator: Kimberley Chandler, Ph.D, Editorial Assistant & Layou/Design: Kimberley ThoresenIntroduction —_—_—____———>>_—— This Navigator is a collection of questions and activities intended to support group or independent study of The Caldecott Medal winning picture book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Itis one of a series of Navigators developed by the Center for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary as a language arts resource for teachers and students, Novel studies should encourage advanced readers to develop their skills at analyzing and interpreting literature through structured questions and activities that highlight themes and concepts, literary elements, and real world connections contained within the books. In addition, novel studies are opportunities for students to develop their own vocabulary and writing skills by exploring and emulating the language and style used by authors. What are the goals of the Navigator? ‘The Navigator addresses the following leaming goals: To develop analytical and interpretive skills in literature. To develop understanding of selected literary themes. ‘To develop linguistic competency through vocabulary and language study. ‘To develop skills in written and oral communication ‘To develop higher level thinking and reasoning skills in language arts. To develop research skills. Who is the audience for the Navigator? This Navigator is intended for readers of Where the Wild Things Are, a novel appropriate for strong readers in the primary grades. This novel meets many of the criteria identified by Baskin and Harris (1980) for books for gifted readers, including rich, varied language; open-endedness to inspire contemplation: and complexity. How should the Navigator be used? ‘The Navigator may be used as an instructional tool by a teacher or as an independent study guide by a student or group of students. The central intent is for teachers to use the Navigator to support a novel study with a group of students, selecting questions and activities to assign as desired, given the context. However, teachers may also choose to make the Navigator available to students at a learning center, with expectations specified for students as to which items they should complete. ‘The Navigator incorporates several types of questions related to the novel. Some of these, identified as “while you read” questions, are specifically intended to be used for reflection and prediction as students progress through the novel. Other questions are intended for response after the reader has completed the novel, while still others may be answered either during or after reading. All of the questions on pages 13 - 22 of the Navigator may be used for writing and/or discussionAdditional activities beyond the discussion and reflection questions appear on pages 23 - 34 of the Navigator. Some of these activities support further development of the language arts skills identified in the goals, while others provide interdisciplinary connections and research applications. What are the prerequisites for students using the Navigator? Students using the Navigator should be able to complete the novel itself independently and should be familiar with the literary and reasoning terms utilized in questions. In addition, students will be asked to complete activities that utilize several specific teaching/learning models: the Literature Web, the Hamburger Model for Persuasive Writing, and the Vocabulary Web. If these terms and models are new to students, teachers may wish to conduct mini-lessons on them either prior to or during use of the Navigator. Some guidance for using the teaching models is provided on the following pages.Teaching Models eres The Literature Web ‘The Literature Web is a model designed to guide interpretation of a literature selection by encouraging a reader to connect personal response with particular elements of the text. The web may be completed independently and/or as a tool for discussion. The recommended use is to have students complete the web independently and then share ideas in a small group, followed by a teacher-facilitated debriefing. The web has five components: Key Words: interesting, unfamiliar, striking, or particularly important words and phrases contained within the text, Feelings: the reader's feelings, with discussion of specific text details inspiring them; the characters’ feelings; and the feelings the reader infers the author intended to evoke Ideas: major themes and main ideas of the text; key concepts, 2 Images and Symbols: notable sensory images in the text; “pictures ‘mind and the text that inspired them; symbols for abstract ideas Structure: the form and structure of the writing and how they contribute to meaning: may identify such features as use of unusual time sequence in narrative, use of voice, use of figurative language, etc.; style of writing READING.The Hamburger Model for Persuasive Writing The Hamburger Model uses the familiar metaphor of a sandwich to help students construct a paragraph or essay. Students begin by stating their point of view on the issue in question (the top bun). They then provide reasons, or evidence, to support their claim; they should try to incorporate at least three supportive reasons (the “patties”). Elaboration on the reasons provides additional detail (the “fixings”). A concluding sentence or paragraph wraps up the sandwich (the bottom bun). Introduction (State a point of view.)The Vocabulary Web ‘The Vocabulary Web is a tool for exploring words in depth. It asks students to investigate a single word in detail, finding its definition, synonyms and antonyms, and etymological information. With this information, students then identify “word families,” or other words using the same meaning-based stems as the original word; and they provide an example of the word, which may be a sentence or analogy using the word, a visual or dramatic representation, or another creative form, Sear unten wets yous te ampleIn addition to the models discussed here, Navigator developers also used Paul's (1992) Elements of Reasoning in preparing questions and activities. This model for critical thinking emphasizes the following eight elements: issue, purpose, point of view, assumptions, concepts, evidence, inferences, and implications or consequences. Teachers may wish to introduce these terms to students, using a familiar issue such as something being discussed in the school or community; teachers should then encourage the use of the terms and the model in approaching problems and issues. The Navigator also contains research assignments that are issue-based and connected to the novel. Students should be encouraged to explore multiple points of view and use human and organizational as well as print resources in their investigations of these real-world issues, Several resources are listed at the end of the Navigator that may be useful to students and teachers in exploring these models further.Implementing the Navigator How long does the Navigator take? Duration of study depends on teacher preference and number of activities and questions assigned How does the Navigator address standards for language arts? ‘The Navigator was designed with an eye to addressing key standards for language arts identified by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association (1996) as well as standards from several state-level education departments. Specifically, the Navigator reflects standards in the following areas: Standards Emph: Navigator = Use of strategies to ~ Provides the student with an organizer for interpreting text (the understand, interpret and Literature Web) and guiding questions to support understanding evaluate text _ and critical analysis, ~ Use of writing strategies and | - Provides writing prompts, a writing model, and emphasis on writing process elements steps of the writing process _ a ~ Use of spoken and written | - Incorporates activities for writing and speaking that emphasize Janguage for particular persuasive, reflective, informative, and narrative communication audiences and to accomplish | particular purposes ae ~ Knowledge of vocabulary, | ~ Encourages in-depth word study of advanced vocabulary, language structure, and including emphasis on etymology and usage of words | language conventions and analysis of how they are demonstrated in text ~ Research on issues and areas | ~ Provides several issue-based research assignments for students, of interest, with emphasis on | emphasizing data collection from print, non-print, and human utilizing a variety of resources; analysis and synthesis of data; and written and oral technological and communication of findings informational resources to gather data, interpret results, and communicate findings ~ Participation as members of _| - Encourages discussion within and beyond the classroom about literacy communities the specified text and invites similar exploration of other texts - Emphasis on reading a wide -ourages in-depth study of the specified text as well as range of literature selections to | comparisons to other selected works; suggests specific titles for build understanding of the _| further reading human experienceHow should the Navigator activities be assigned? Teachers should specify expectations for students about the number and type of activities and questions to be completed, as well as expectations for quality of work. Teachers may choose to assign Navigator questions and activities using a combination of required and optional items, Several sample organizations of assignments follow. Sample 1 (Teacher-led emphasis): ‘Teacher-led discussion of higher-level questions; 1 to 3 questions assigned for journal response - Required assignments: Literature Web, persuasive essay OR book review, one Vocabulary Web, one research assignment = Choice assignments: student choice of THREE remaining activities > Oral presentation of one completed piece ‘Sample 2 (Small-group emphasis): Small-group discussion of higher-level questions, with 4 to 5 questions completed in writing for teacher review Group assignments: Mlustrated story OR Caldecott standards, two Vocabulary Webs, ‘one research assignment with group present: ‘ Individual assignments: Literature Web, persuasive essay OR book review, student choice of TWO remaining activities Sample 3 (Individual emphasis): Written responses to student choice of 2 to 3 discussion questions per category Required assignments: one research assignment; student choice of THREE additional activities, of which one must be a completed writing piece ot an oral presentation of ‘one assignmentHow should the Navigator activities be assessed? Teachers should assess student progress based on the quality of individual products and achievement toward the goals of the Navigator. Decisions about which activities to require students to complete should be based on how the selected activities support multiple learning goals. Question responses should be assessed based on demonstration of insight and ability to use text to support inferences. Writing activities should be assessed based on clarity and insight, and may also be assessed for writing style and mechanics as desired. Oral presentations of completed work should be assessed based on coherence, content, and clarity of the presentation. Teachers may provide rubrics for students related to the required assignments or work with students to develop rubrics for assessment. Completed Navigator activities should be collected into a folder for as assessment may include self-evaluation by the student. ssment, and final The following chart demonstrates how the Navigator activities support the identified goals: Alignment of Assignments and Activities to Navigator Goals ‘Anal | Literary | Ling. [ Writing’ | Thinking? | Research Interp. | Themes | Comp. | Oral | Reas. | Skills Comm, _| skits | | sussion/ Writing x x x | | Questions : | | Literature Web x i [Book Review x x [Vocabulary Web x _ Creative Product x Tilustrated Story x x x [ Caldecott Standards x mi x x ‘Compare/Contrast x x x x Caldecott Winners __ _ ‘Animal Research x x Wild Thing Creation x —| Dream Script cane aaa Cinquain x x _| ‘Travel Plans X Xx xWhat additional resources are required to use the Navigator? sator require only the novel itself and regular classroom supplies. Vocabulary activities will require the use of a good dictionary, including etymological information on words. Recommended dictionaries include The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Interdisciplinary and research activities may require additional supplies and access to library and Internet resout The Guide to Teaching a Language Arts Curriculum for High-Ability Learners (Center for Gifted Education, 1998) provides guidance in the use of the literature, persuasive writing, and vocabulary study models used in the Navigator as well as other guidelines for language arts with high-ability populations. itional resources and suggestions for further reading appears at the end of the Navigator. NOTE: Page numbers used in the Navigator refer to the Harper & Row, Publishers 1964 hardcover edition of the text, ISBN: 0-060-25520-X. Pages were counted from the first page of text “The night Max wore his suit and made mischief of one kind” (p. 1).Technology Integration Several opportunities for technological connections and development of technical skills are incorporated in the Navigator. Based on the resources available in your classroom or media center, consider the following uses of technology: = Access to the Internet for research projects. Key websites are listed in the resources section. - Use of word processing and/or publishing software for writing assignments. Use of presentation software for presenting research findings and completed activities Use of Inspiration or similar software for creation of concept maps.Synop: Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of Max, a mischievous little boy. He wears a white wolf suit that has a long fluffy tail, pointy ears, big claw feet, and a set of whiskers. Because of his outfit and the trouble he gets into, his mother calls him “Wild Thing.” One night Max decides not to join his family for supper and instead grows a forest in his room where he has an encounter with other wild things just like himself.Higher-Level Questions for Di cussion and Writing While You Read... Before you read the book look at the cover and the title, What predictions can you make about this story? What makes you think this? Starting on page 7, a forest begins to grow in Max’s room. How does this happen? On pages 13-16, the book says it took Max “almost over a year” to get to where the wild things were. Why doesn’t Max look any older?Who are the wild things? Where do they live? Why are they called wild things? ‘Why does Max want fo return home? What makes you think this?Exploring the Story Reread pages | and 3 without looking at the pictures on pages 2 and 4, What kind of mischief is Max making? Now look at the pictures on pages 2 and 4. How do the pictutes in this book help give details about what is happening in the story? ‘Why isn’t Max afraid of the wild things? How does Max control the wild things? How does he know what to say to the wild things to make them behave?‘Compare and contrast Max with the wild things. Use a Venn Diagram to show how they are alike and different. Look at the pictures on pages 23 - 28. Why would the author choose to only illustrate these 6 pages of the story? Write a summary of what you think is happening in the pictures. Have a friend write a summary, too, Compare the similarities and differences in your summaries. Who is correct? How does Max’s attitude change towards the end of the story?Meeting the Characters Do you think Max made good decisions when he was causing mischief in the beginning of the book? Why or why not? Why does Max’s mother call him Wild Thing? ‘Why was Max sent to bed without dinner? 7‘After reading the story, what do you know about Max’s mother? What words can you use to describe her? Use evidence from the story to tell why you chose these words. Look at the pictures and descriptions of the wild things. What kind of animals are the wild things? What does this tell you about the wild things? ‘At the end of the story Max takes off the hood of his wolf costume, What do you think this ‘means? Why do you think this?Understanding the Ideas Look at the drawing Max made that is shown on page 4, How does this drawing relate to the story? Do you think Max thinks about the wild things often? Why do you think this? On page 11 the author writes “his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around”. What does this mean? Look at the picture on page 12 to help you decide. What clues does this sentence give you about the rest of the book? How much time passes during the story? How do you know this? How do the illustrations ‘contrast with the story that the author has written? 9Even when he has all of the wild things to play with, why is Max lonely? Go back through the story and look at Max’ facial expressions on each page. What types of emotions does Max express throughout the story? How do his emotions change throughout the story? Why? Why didn’t the author include illustrations on the very last page of the book (p. 37)? 20Connecting to You Max wore a costume throughout the story. How did wearing the costume change his behavior? Do you have a costume you like to wear? When you wear this costume do you act, differently? ‘After Max told his mother he would eat her up, he was sent to his room. Think of a time where you were sent to your room, How did you feel when this happened? What did you do to pass the time? Max is very excited to go on his journey to find the wild things; however once he stays for a little while he decides he wants to go home. Have you ever been so excited to go toa place, but once you got there things were different than you expected” Did this change make you ‘want 10 go home or did you still have a good time? 21Max is the king of all wild things and tames them with a magic trick. If you could be the king or queen of a group which group would it be? How would you control this group? At the end of the story Max finds his dinner waiting for him, How do you think that made him. feel? Think of a time when someone did something nice for you. How did it make you feel?Differentiated Activities for Gifted Learners Complete a Literature Web about the novel, or a specific chapter in the novel. Fill in responses to each of the bubbles, using the questions below as a guide. Key Words: What were some words and phrases in the novel that were especially interesting or important? Feelings: What feelings did you have while reading this novel? What feelings did the characters have? How were those feelings expressed? Ideas: What was the main idea or theme of the novel? What other major ideas and concepts were important? What message was the author trying to give about those ideas? Images/Symbols: How did the author use description and imagery in the novel? What sensory images came to your mind? How did the author use symbols? Structure: What type of writing was this? What literary and style elements did the author use? How did the structure of the writing contribute to the meaning of the novel? 2B- LITERATURE WEB READING Structure- ‘Use the Hamburger Model as a guide to help you organize your responses to the activities on the following pages. THE HAMBURGER MODEL FOR PERSUASIVE WRITING Introduction (State a point of view.)Write a book review about Where the Wild Things Are. In your review, state and explain your point of view about the quality of the story, and provide specific details about why you would or would not recommend this book to other students your age, Use the Hamburger Model as a guide, and follow the steps of the writing process to review and revise. 6Do a “word study” of one or more of the vocabulary words (listed below) from the novel. Find out the definition of the word, synonyms and antonyms, and word stems and origin, Then find at least three other words that use one or more of your word’s stems, and create an example to explain your word (a sentence, an analogy, a picture or diagram, etc.) Use the Vocabulary Web to organize your responses. mischief (p. 1) terrible (p. 17) tumbled (p. 13) tamed (p. 19) private (p. 13) rumpus (p. 22) ‘gnashed (p. 17) lonely (p. 29) VOCABULARY (sree: Source entence where you 2Reflect upon the story and how it made you feel. Write a poem, paint a picture, or create a collage that expresses your emotions at the end of the story. 28Look at the story and examine the writing that accompanies the illustrations (especially at the beginning of the story). Create a story of your own and illustrate it accordingly. Be sure to include details in the story that the reader cannot infer from looking at the illustrations. Use descriptive language such as adjectives and imagery to help the reader imagine your story. 29‘A Caldecott Medal is awarded once every year to the artist of the most distinguished picture bbook for children. If you could create a new set of standards to choose the Caldecott winner, what would they be? Why are these elements important to you?Other authors who have won a Caldecott Medal are included in “for further reading” section of this Navigator. Choose a story from this list and compare and contrast the new book to Where the Wild Things Are. If you could only pick one of these books to give a Caldecott Medal, which one would you pick? Why? 31Interdisciplinary and Research Connections Research one of the animals in the list below. Draw a picture of the animal and answer the following questions. What isthe scientific name for this animal? On which continent can you find this animal? Describe the animal’s habitat. What are some special features this, animal has? How big is this animal as an adult? Budgerigar Coconut Crab Komodo Dragon Ring Tailed Lemur + Hag fish ‘Star nosed mole + Pink Fairy Armadillo Axolotls + Flying Squircel Leaf Insect + Tarsier Platypus Go to hitp://spluch.blogspot.com/2007/05/weird-animals-created-using-photoshop.huml look at the animals that the editors have created. How do these animals remind you of the wild things? Create a vision of your own wild thing. Use clay or other materials to create a 3-D model of your new animal. Think about the best features that your new animal has and show how it can se them by writing a story or a cartoon. 32In 1997 a ballet version of the story Where the Wild Things Are toured the United States. In 2004 a musical version was produced by Emerald City Theatre Company in Chicago, which — ‘means that actors had a chance to express the story in a play. Think about one of the most dreams you have ever had. Write a script so someone could act out your dream or create a story \with illustrations to show this dream. How is your dream different from your everyday life? ‘Write a cinquain to describe one of the characters or events in the book. A cinguain is a poem that follows the following patter: + Line One: One word (subject or noun) Line Two: Two words (adjectives describing line 1) Line Three: Three words (action verbs that relate to line 1) Line Four: Four words (feelings or a complete sentence relating to line 1) + Line Five: One word (synonyin of line 1 that sums it up) (source: http:/fteams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/S- 6/activities/poetry/cinquain.htm!) frog zreen slimy hopping eating sleeping likes to eat flies amphibian 33‘When Max goes to visit the wild things he travels by boat. It takes him “in and out of weeks and almost over a year” to get where he is going. Once he is there Max finds the wild things and has lots of fun with them. If you could travel anywhere you wanted, where would you 20? How would you get there? What activities would you do? Use a travel guide or contact a local travel agent to help you complete your research. Develop a brochure to showcase this location to others.Resources ——— > ‘Teacher resources Baskin, B. H., & Hartis, K. H. (1980). Books for the gifted child. New York: Bowker. Boyce, L. N. (1997). A guide to teaching research skills and strategies in grades 4-12. Williamsburg, VA: Center for Gifted Education, Center for Gifted Education. (1998). Guide fo teaching a language arts curriculum for highabitity learners. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Miller-Lachmann, L. (1992). Our famity, our friends, our world: An annotated guide to significant ‘multicultural books for children and teenagers. New Providence, NJ: R. R. Bowker. National Council of Teachers of English & Intemational Reading Association, (1996). Standards of learning for the English language arts. Urbana, IL: Author. Paul, R, (1992). Critical thinking: What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world. Rohnert Park, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking. VanTassel-Baska, J., & Little, C.A. (Eds.) (2003). Content-based curriculum for high-ability learners. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press For further reading - some other books you might enjoy Very Far Away by Maurice Sendak In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak Flotsam by David Wiesner The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster and Chris Raschka Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback Sector 7 by David Wiesner Smoky Night by Eve Bunting and David Diaz Useful websites hutp:/www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster Dictionary site) http://spluch.blogspot.com/2007/05/weird-animals-created-using-photoshop. htm (hybrid animals) hutp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/sendak_m.html (PBS and Maurice Sendak) htp:/divaboo.info! (information on animals) hutp:/animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/sitefindex. html (scientific names of animals) 35:/Iwww.pbs.orghwneUnature/eritter.html (information on animals) hutpusvww aspea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kids_abes_home (information on animals) http://www frostfriends.org/imagery.html#imagery (website on imagery) http://genkienglish.nevadjectives.htm (adjectives) hutp://www.brainpop.convenglish/grammar/adjectivesandadverbs! (You will need a BrainPOP account to access this site, however you can obtain a free 5 day trial if your school does not have one; visit; www.brainpop.com) 36