Lesson Plans for How to Eat Fried Worms

How To Eat Fried Worms Lesson Plans

Day 1

• Make a worm bookmark to introduce the book.
• Vocabulary Word
  mussed (Page 2) Alan argued a lot, small, knobby-kneed, nervous., gnawing at his thumbnail, his face smudged, his red hair mussed, shirttail hanging out, shoelaces untied.
  ---- messy or untidy; rumple
• Read Chapters I-II (Pages 1-9) in small groups.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Small Group Activity - Place character traits next to each of the 4 main characters.
• English -  Lesson 1  Paragraph Structure

Day 2

• Vocabulary Word
  coax (Page 10) But half an hour later, as he was stubbornly dancing about outside in the moonlight to warm himself, Tom’s dog Martha had come along with six other dogs, all in a pack, and Billy had coaxed them into the igloo and blocked the door with an orange crate, and after the dogs had stopped wrestling and nipping and barking and sniffing around, they’d all gone to sleep in a heap with Billy in the middle, as warm as an onion in a stew.
  ---- persuade or try to persuade by pleading, sweet talk, charm
• Read Chapters III and IV (Pages 10-21) by listening to audio.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Billy eats 15 worms throughout this book. Assign each student a worm: worm #1, worm #2, . . ., worm #15. After reading each chapter in which Billy eats a worm have the student that has been assigned that particular worm to make drawing. The drawing should have the worm along with the other foods that Billy used to be able to eat the worm.
• Portals Worksheet pages 9-10 on Compound Words
• English -  Lesson 2 Making an Outline

Day 3

• Vocabulary Word
  fume (Page 29) She’d come after us fuming and shouting threats, and suddenly the doors of the coat closet would slam open, and out we’d roar on our minibike in blood-red crash helmets and white jump suits, our scarves streaming out behind us!
  ---- rage, anger, fury
• Read Chapters V, VI and VII (Pages 22-30) by listening to audio.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Oral Activity from Portals pages 13-14 on Where When or How using response cards
• Condiment Tasting - Bar Graph Activity
  Cut hot-dogs into fourths lengthwise so that they look like worms. Heat them for  a few seconds in the microwave oven. This will cause the hot-dogs to curl slightly resembling worms. Students dip the "worms" into ketchup, mustard, horseradish, Worcestershire, lemon, etc. Make a graph of condiment favorites.
• English -  Continue Lesson 2 Making an Outline using Portals Making an Outline pages 42-43

Day 4

• Vocabulary Word
  hobble (Page 36) And then Alan began to sneeze and finally had to hobble off into one of the horse stalls, hugging his stomach, to recover.
  ---- To walk or move along haltingly or with difficulty; limp, shuffle, totter, stagger
• Read Chapters VIII, IX and X (Pages 30-41) in small groups.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheet pages 16-17 (Classifying Words), page 18 (Synonyms), and pages 19-20 (Inferences)
• English -  Lesson 3 Topic Sentences

Day 5

• Vocabulary Word
  reassure (Page 43) Billy didn’t believe Joe’s story, but still . . . he’d find it reassuring if Tom ate some worm, too.
  ---- To restore confidence to, encourage, comfort, set mind at rest, support
• Read Chapters XI, XII and XIII (Pages 42-49) in small groups.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Oral Activity page 21 (Fact or Opinion) using response cards
• Portals Worksheet pages 22-23 (Main Idea)
• English -  Continue Lesson 3 Topic Sentences

Day 6

• Vocabulary Word
  antidote (Page 52) He clutched his stomach, and groaning, half fell, half staggered out of bed and hobbled toward the door, bent double. Maybe there was an antidote.
  ---- a remedy, cure, solution
• Read Chapters XIV and XV (Pages 50-59) by listening to audio.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheet pages 24 (Meaning Through Context) and page 26 (Cause and Effect)
• English -  Lesson 4  Supporting or Detail Sentences

Day 7

• Vocabulary Word
  serene (Page 60) Billy gulped it triumphantly, serene, untroubled.
  ---- calm and unruffled, peaceful, quiet
• Read Chapters XVI, XVII, XVIII, and XIX (Pages 60-67) by listening to audio.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheet p. 27-28 (Figurative Language)
• Take a piece of paper and fold it in half lengthwise. Label the two columns you have made:  "Things I Would NEVER Eat" and "Things I WOULD eat for $50.00". Now see if you can fill up the page. Think of only "yucky" foods. Class may make a bar graph of the class's "Top 10 Yuckiest Foods".
• English -  Lesson 5 Sentence Order in Paragraphs

Day 8

• Vocabulary Word
  nonchalant (Page 70) Alan and Joe gazed nonchalantly at the ceiling.
  ---- Seeming to be coolly unconcerned or indifferent, casual, relaxed, off hand
• Read Chapters XX, XXI, and XXII (Pages 68-77) by listening to audio.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheet pages 30-31 (Inferences) and page 32 (Evaluating What You Read)
• English -  Continue Lesson 5 Sentence Order in Paragraphs

Day 9

• Vocabulary Word
  bloated (Page 78) You ever seen him refuse something to eat? By the time we start home he’ll be bloated, drowsy, belching.
  ---- abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas, swollen, stuffed, full, overfed
• Read Chapters XXIII, XXIV, XXV, and XXVI (Pages 78-85) by partner reading.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheets page 33 (Antonyms) and page 34 (Feelings)
• English -  Continue Lesson 5 Sentence Order in Paragraphs

Day 10

• Vocabulary Word
  fringe (Page 90) Joe peered furtively out through the fringe of the bedspread.
  ---- a decorative border or edging of hanging threads, cords, or strips, often attached to a separate band; tassel, border, trimming
• Read Chapters XXVII and XXIX (Pages 86-95) by listening to audio.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheet page 36 (Sequencing Events)
• English -  Continue Lesson 5 Sentence Order in Paragraphs

Day 11

• Vocabulary Word
  recounting (Page 96) The four boys all began talking at once, accusing, recounting, explaining.
  ---- to narrate the facts or particulars of, telling, describing
• Read Chapters XXX, XXXI, XXXII, and XXXIV (Pages 96-104) in small groups.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Portals Worksheet pages  39-40 (Correct Meanings)
• English -  Lesson 6 Staying on Topic

Day 12

• Vocabulary Word
  cistern (Page 107) Not if we put him down the cistern. (Page 108) You can’t put Billy down in that cistern all by himself. Suppose there’s water in it? It’s fifteen feet deep.
  ---- an artificial reservoir or tank for holding water
• Read Chapters  XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, and XLI (Pages 105-116) by partner reading.
• Answer Comprehension Questions
• Review words for vocabulary quiz
• English -  Lesson 7 Concluding Sentences
• Students may take AR test.
• Make dirt cake.

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Vocabulary Quiz