Curriculum Suggestions

Activities for: The Bear Came Over to My House

1. Read the story out loud to the class. Have the kids clap or stand up and then sit down every time they hear an irregular past tense verb.

2. Play "Hangman". Players guess which verb "It" is thinking of.

3. Have a spelling bee, with players spelling verbs.

4. Have a reverse spelling bee, where players have to spell out the verbs--backwards.

5. Write about visiting a friend. Who is the friend? What do you take? What do you do together?

6. Write an imaginary story about an unusual friend visiting you. Who is the friend? What do they bring? What do you do together?

7. Read The Bear Came Over to My House. Have the kids guess what's coming up. "And what do you think the bear did?" Children guess.

8. Play Crambo. This is a good game to reinforce rhyming. Choose one person to be "It". "It" thinks of a word, and then of another word that rhymes with it. They announce, "I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with _____." The rest of the players then try to figure out what the word is. But they don't just guess the word. They ask questions. For example, if "It" chooses "dog", the game might go like this...

   It: I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with "Dog"
   Player: Is it a farm animal?
   It: No, it's not a hog.
   Player: Is it made of wood?
   It: No, it's not a log.
   Player: Does it eat flies?
   It: Yes, it's a frog.
   

The player who gets it right is then it.

9. Play "Alligator". This is a good game for reinforcing verbs. Choose one person to be "It". "It" thinks of a verb. The rest of the players then ask questions to figure out the verb. Their questions, and "It's" answers use the word "Alligator" in place of the verb. For example, if "It" chooses the verb "eat", the game might go like this...

   Player: Can I alligator?
   It: Yes, you can alligator.
   Player: Will I alligator today?
   It: Yes, you will alligator today.
   Player: Can an alligator alligator?
   It: Yes, an alligator can alligator.
   Player: Can I alligator a cat?
   It: I don't think you'd want to alligator a cat.
   Player: Are there more than four letters in the word alligator?
   It: No, there are not more than four letters in the word alligator.
   

   Questioning goes on like this until players start to figure out what the verb is. They should not say it, though, because they'll have fun, knowing what the verb is, listening to the questions of those who haven't yet figured out the verb, and to It's answers. When it's clear that most players know the verb, ask one of the Players to tell what they think the verb is. If they get it wrong, keep asking players until one of them gets it right. Then choose someone else to be "It".

   Variation: Instead of "alligator", you can use any silly name or phrase.

10. Play "Verb Bingo".
    1. To prepare, write thirty verbs on small pieces of paper. Put them in a hat or a sack.
    2. Have the kids draw a Bingo grid on a piece of paper. (Show them a grid on the board. A Bingo grid consists of twenty-five squares--five squares across and five squares down.)
    3. Have kids X out the middle square.
    4. Read out the verbs. As you read each verb, kids write the verb down in one of the blank squares on their grid. They can skip any six of the verbs.
    5. Put all the verbs back in the hat or bag. Then pull them out one at a time and read them. If a kid has the verb on their bingo grid, they cross it out.
    6. When a player has five squares in a row crossed out, they shout out "Bingo". The game can end there, or you can keep playing until everyone has a Bingo, or until all the squares on all the grids are full.

11. Play "Simon Says". Choose a player to be Simon. Simon stands in front of the class. The rest of the players stand by their chairs. Simon gives the players instructions to do things that they can do where they are. (Jump up and down. Laugh. Wave your arms. Pat yourself on your head.) If Simon prefaces the instructions with "Simon Says...", then the players perform the action. If Simon does not say "Simon Says...", then the players should not perform the action. If they do perform the action, then they are out and sit down. The last player standing is the winner and gets to be the next Simon.

12. Play "Wrong Letter". Players can be in a circle, or play can go up and down aisles, or around tables, however you define it. Choose one player to be "It". "It" says..."I'm thinking of a verb. It has ____ letters and starts with a '__'" The player tells how many letters the verb has, and what letter it starts with. The next player guesses what the second letter is. If they guess right, the third player guesses the third letter. If they guess wrong, the third player guesses the second letter. Players take turns guessing until someone gets the letter right. Play continues, with players guessing the next letter, until finally someone completes the word. Then another player is chosen to be "It".

    Competitive Variations:

    1. Class competes against itself. Score five points for each correct guess, lose one point for each wrong guess. Try each game to top your best score.
    2. Divide class into two teams. Teams take turns playing the game. Score five points for each correct guess, lose one point for each wrong guess. After each team has done five words, the team with the most points wins. Strategy here can be fun, since longer words can get the team more points, but they might also allow for more wrong answers.

13. Play "Toss the Verb". Players sit in a circle, or at their desks or tables. One player has a beanbag and starts the game. They shout out a verb and toss the beanbag to another player. They then shout a verb and toss it to another player. Players keep shouting out verbs and tossing the beanbag until someone can't think of a verb, repeats a verb, or shouts out a word that is not a verb.

    Competitive variations:

    1. All players stand while playing. If they repeat a verb, can't think of a verb, or say a word that is not a verb, then they are out and sit down. The last player standing wins.
    2. Divide the class into two teams. One team lines up on one side of the room, the other team on the other side of the room. Players toss the beanbag bag and forth, from one team to the other, and shout verbs. If they can't quickly think of a verb, or if they shout out a verb that's already been said or a word that's not a verb, the other team gets a point. The first team to get five points wins.

 
 

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Picture Credits
Original bunny climbing rope picture by Paige Miglio (copyright 2000 ©) from One More Bunny authored by Rick Walton.
Original purple monster picture by Renee Williams-Andriani (copyright 1998 ©) from Really, Really Bad School Jokes authored by Rick Walton.
Original bullfrog seated picture by Chris McAllister (copyright 1999 ©) from Bullfrog Pops! authored by Rick Walton.
Electronic modifications by Ann Walton.