Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is an important lesson for students.  My go-to-book for sportsmanship issues in k-2 is Howard B Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship.  My favorite book for grades 3-5 is Sally Sore Loser.  

Howard B Wigglebottom Learns about Sportsmanship:

I love Howard B Wigglebottom books and so do students!  I have quit the collection going and I found a few more that I am excited to order.  In Howard B Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship, Howard has a hard time losing.  He cheats and upsets his friends because he will do whatever it takes to win.  Howard later realizes that winning isn't everything.  He learns the importance of sharing and playing fair.  You can purchase the book HERE.

 

You can find material HERE to go along with Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns about Sportsmanship.  I also love the soccer ball writing idea HERE or the Kickball Curriculum from TPT:

HOWARD B. WIGGLEBOTTOM SPORTSMANSHIP READING LESSON (Free)

Sally Sore Loser

Sally loves to be first at everything!  She is first in line at school. She is first out the door at recess.  She is first at dinner to finish her mac n' cheese!   Unfortunately, Sally dislikes losing and this can lead to hot tempers and hurt feelings.  She even gets the nickname Sally Sore Loser from her classmates at school.  With the help of her teacher and her mom, Sally learns the rules for being a good winner and a good loser, and the most important thing is having fun.  You can purchase the book HERE.

Connections:

Sportsmanship Sort (Free)

Writing Prompt

What is Sportsmanship?

Sportsmanship Checklist Poster (Free)

The Rules of Good Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship Code

The Day It Rained Hearts

I always teach my "Bucket Filling" unit in February so that I can use this book:  The Day it Rained Hearts.

Cornelia August has a big heart and when it starts raining hearts, she catches them and uses them to make Valentine's Day cards.  Cornelia August puts a lot of thought into her cards, using just the right heart for each friend. This story can be used at any point during the school year but I try to use it around Valentines Day.   We have a discussion about kindness/thoughtfulness and relate this to the bucket filling concept.

Discussion Questions:
1.  Why did Cornelia Augusta make Valentines Day cards for her friends?
2.  Why did she study the hearts?
3.  Why did she cut holes in one heart?
4.  Why do you think that it was so important for Cornelia August to pick the perfect heart for each one of her friends?
5.  How do you feel when you get a thoughtful gift?
Activity:  After your discussion, have students create their own heartfelt gift.  You can keep this super simple and provide only paper and markers or you can provide simple materials such as paint, tissue paper, glitter, string, heart stickers, etc...

Connections:  you can find free printables here:  Teachers Pay Teachers.  Free Clipart images from the story HERE.  You could also get this activity for a few dollars:  Teachers Pay Teachers.

Some ideas for heartfelt projects:

www.123teachwithme.com

www.playandlearnwithdana.blogspot.com

thechocolatemuffintree.blogspot.com

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