Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Kindness Counts and The Potato Chip Champ


One of my favorite authors is Maria Dismondy.  I have purchased several of her books and recently came accross the "Potato Chip Champ".  This book can be used in so many ways AND there is a fabulous teaching guide on the author's website! I divide my students into centers for this unit and the students always have a lot of fun! 

The Potato Chip Champ


Book Description (from Maria's Site):  Champ and Walter Norbert Whipplemoore are about as different as two kids can be…well, except for their love of baseball and potato chips. Champ had everything, but always wanted more. Walter had very little, but was never seen without a smile on his face. In the end, it is Walter and some crunchy potato chips that teach Champ a lesson about character that can't be taught in school.
You can purchase the book HERE.
I love that the character's in this story are BOYS who love baseball and potato chips.  I have a hard time finding stories that the boys relate to and my 3rd graders seemed to love this one.  The story has a great message and reminds kids to be kind to others. 

Centers: All of these activities can be found HERE.

1)  Discussion Center 1:  Comprehension Chips

2)  Discussion Center 2:  Comprehension Catcher

3)  Writing Center 1:  Catching Connections

4)  Writing Center 2:  Share the Good News

5)  Service Center:  R.A.K. challenge

6)  Drama:  Sing about Character

7)  Game Center 1:  Kindness is Catching

8)  Game Center 2:  Pathway to Empathy

9)  Creativity:  Character Cards-Create a baseball card for champ

You can find the teaching guide here:  Teaching Guide

My students loved the potato chip comprehension questions!

You can connect to other lessons HERE and HERE

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