Basia Mietus

100579393
Teaching through the Arts

Author: B.J. Novak

Publisher: Dial Books
Date Published: September 30, 2014
ISBN Number: 9780141361789
Link to read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJy_XHLpnLA
Summary and the Big Picture
This childrens book is meant to be read out loud to younger students. The
book does not follow a standard narrative because it is more of an experience
shared with the reader and their audience. The book starts with some ordinary
sentences and a few rules about reading this book. As you continue the words
become more silly and ridiculous and it becomes really funny for the listener. You
may think a book without pictures would be boring to young kids however,
everything that is written must be said out loud no matter how ridiculous
sounding it may be.
What I really like about this book is that it allows young children to see the
value of reading. It also can show the power of the written word especially for
those kids who have not read a book without pictures yet. This book can teach
children how powerful words can be without the need for photos and how
important it is to be able to read and understand books and other written texts,
especially with the access to the internet most children will have from a young
age.
This book can be used for all grades as long as you can create
appropriate activities to suit your class. I will be creating activities using the entire
bookfor grade 4 students. Students will have to think creatively in order to create
the art pieces to accompany this childrens book.
Art Activities for Grade 4

Visual Arts
Expectations

Art Strategies

Teaching Hints

The Arts, Grades 1-6,

2009
Overall:
D1. Creating and
presenting: apply
creative process to
produce a variety of art
works
Specific:
D1.2: demonstrate an
understanding of
composition, using
selected principles of
design to create
narrative art works or art
works on a theme or
topic

-Students will create

the pictures to
accompany the book.
-As this is a book with
no pictures, students
will use their
imagination to create
the images that would
have been in the
book.
-Each student will be
assigned one page of
the storybook.
- On page 12, Also, I
am a robot monkey
Student will be able to
create their artwork
using the words as a
creative guide.

-They will have the

choice of photocopying
the page and drawing
around the words or
they recreate the page
in their own way.
-Using a variety of
media to illustrate the
pages of the book.
- Use the elements of
design (line, colour,
shape, texture, etc.) to
create the pictures to
complement the words.

Dance
Expectations

Art Strategies

Teaching Hints

The Arts, Grades 1-6,

2009
Overall:
A1. Creating and
presenting: apply
creative process to the
composition of
movement sequences
and short dance
pieces
Specific:
A1.2: use dance as a
language to explore and
communicate ideas
derived from variety of
literature sources

-In groups 4-6

students will create a
short dance piece by
choosing words from
the book to be
expressed and
communicated
through dance.
-Each student will
choose two words
from the story.
- As a group, create a

-Students may chose

music and props to help
in the communication
of their words through
dance.
- Use the elements of
dance (body, space,
time, etc.) to create
dance moves to
complement the words.
-When dance is
presented to class, the
audience (classmates)
may take the

dance that will

express the chosen
words.
-For example on page
7, the word blork is
used, students may
want to use this word
and interpret into a
dance move.

opportunity to guess
what words they chose.