Lesson Plans and Activities

Thunder Cake
From Patricia Polacco's website, a list of discussion questions and acitivity ideas: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/thundercake/thundercake_index.html 
This teaching plan includes suggestions for creating interest, making predictions, discussion questions, and a drama activity: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/thunder-cake-teaching-plan
In this lesson, students are introduced to story elements such as setting, character, and plot using Thunder Cake:http://www.lessonplanspage.com/lastoryelementsinthundercake23-htm 
The recipe to make your very own Thunder Cake! : http://www.patriciapolacco.com/participation/activity_ideas/index.html
Print out a Thunder Cake mini-poster: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/posters/thundercake_poster_big.html


Chicken Sunday
A writing prompt to use after reading Chicken Sunday: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/chicken-sunday-writing-prompt 
A teacher resource guide including several mini-lessons: http://www.zaner-bloser.com/freshimages/ChickenSunday_final.pdf
A writer's workshop mini-lesson on voice/author style using Chicken  Sunday: http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/utica/info/minilessons/6_voice.htm
Print out a Chicken Sunday mini-poster: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/posters/chicken_sunday_poster_big.html


Mrs. Katz and Tush
A list of several discussion questions and activities for Mrs.Katz and Tush: http://www.shopgpn.com/guides/rr/93.pdf
In this lesson young students examine what makes them special after reading Mrs.Katz and Tush: http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ssmakesmespecial-htm


The Keeping Quilt
In this lesson students each make their own quilt square to add to a "classroom    quilt:" http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAOQuiltsOfManyColors36.htm
This teaching plan includes a series of discussion questions and activity ideas: http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/keepingquilt.html
In this activity students bring in a piece of material that is significant to them to them to make a keeping  quilt: http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=27
Print out a mini-poster of The Keeping Quilt: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/posters/keeping_quilt_poster_big.html
Print out a Keeping Quilt bookmark: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/bookmarks/books/kq_b-mark_page.html

Pink and Say
A list of social studies and language arts activities using Pink and Say: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/reviews/61950.aspx 
A list of several activities for students before, during, and after reading Pink and Say: http://users.manchester.edu/Student/BEDawes/index.htm
In this lesson for upper grades, Pink and Say is used as an introduction to a unit on the Civil War: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/pink-and-say-lesson-plan
Print out a mini-poster of Pink and Say: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/posters/pink_and_say_poster_big.html
Print out a Pink and Say bookmark: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/bookmarks/books/pink_and_say_b-mark_page.html

Annotated Bibliography of Important Works by Patricia Polacco

Babushka's Doll. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
A demanding little girl named Natasha learns a valuable lesson after her grandmother’s doll comes to life. 

The Butterfly. New York: Philomel, 2000.
A historical fiction about two girls, Monique and Servine, who form a friendship in Nazi-occupied France. When a neighbor sees the girls playing Monique must help Servine and her family find a safe place to hide. 

Chicken Sunday. New York: Philomel, 1992.
Three friends want to buy a hat for their “gramma” but when a misunderstanding occurs between the children and the shopkeeper, the children must find a way to prove their innocence.

Just Plain Fancy. New York: Bantam, 1990.
Two Amish sisters find an exotic egg and nurture it until it hatches into a bird. They worry that the bird will be shunned in their community because it is so ‘fancy’ and take care to hide the new bird until it is finally revealed. 

The Keeping Quilt. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988.
A book about Polacco’s family history, this is the story of how her great-great-grandmother first came to the United States from Russia and the quilt that has been passed down from generation to generation in her family.

Meteor! New York: Dodd, 1987.
Polacco’s first published book for children, based on the true story of a meteor that fell into her grandparents’ yard and how that event affected their small town.

Mr. Lincoln’s Way. New York: Philomel, 2001.
The story of how a much-loved principal, Mr. Lincoln, reaches out and helps a disrespectful and racist bully of the school learn to love people who are different from him. 

Mrs. Katz and Tush. New York: Bantam, 1992.
A long-lasting friendship develops between a young African American boy and an elderly Jewish woman after he gives her an abandoned cat.

Pink and Say. New York: Philomel, 1994.
When a young African American soldier saves the life of a young white soldier during the American Civil War, they develop a close bond as they teach one another about bravery and sacrifice.

Rechenka's Eggs. New York: Philomel, 1988.
Babushka, who is famous for her beautiful hand-painted eggs, takes care of Rechenka, a wounded goose that has fallen into her yard..

Thunder Cake. New York: Philomel, 1990.
A young girl is frightened of an approaching thunderstorm but learns that she is braver than she thinks with the help of her beloved grandmother.

When Lightning Comes in a Jar. New York: Philomel, 2002.
A tale from Polacco’s own childhood, the story of a large family reunion and when her grandmother showed her how to catch “lightning in a jar.”

Book Analyses

Patricia Polacco writes about the connections between people of all different ages, races, cultures, and religions. Many of her books reflect the idea that no matter how dissimilar people may appear to be, they are alike in more ways than they are different. Polacco is also well known for writing stories from her own childhood and ones that were passed down through her family from generation to generation; although she started writing her first childrens books when she was 41 years old, she comes from a long line of storytellers. She often notes that her grandparents and her childhood spent on a farm in Michigan were a major influence on her writing and in her life. Readers will notice this influence in many of her books which feature elderly characters interacting with children; she focuses on their relationship and the lessons that they teach each other. Other common themes that readers might notice in many of her books are friendship, family, traditions, community, bravery, and self. 
Polacco usually draws the illustrations for her picture books. The style she favors is realistic art, in which she draws accurate depictions of people, animals, and scenes. She usually combines pencil drawings, watercolor, markers, and an occasional photograph in her illustrations which support and often enhance her text.

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Thunder Cake

“I’m not brave, Grandma,” I said. “I was under the bed! Remember?” “But you got out from under it,” she answered, “and you got eggs from mean old Nellie Peck Hen, you got milk from old Kick Cow, you went through Tangleweed Woods to the dry shed, you climbed the trellis in the barnyard. From where I sit, only a very brave person could have done all them things!”
Thunder Cake, published in 1990, is the story of a young girl overcoming her fears. Based on an incident from Patricia Polacco’s childhood,Thunder Cake features two central characters, a young girl and her grandmother, Babushka. The story takes place on a warm day in Michigan. The young girl, Patricia, is afraid because she hears thunder approaching. Her grandmother, however, has other plans: she says that the weather is perfect for baking thunder cakes. In the story the grandmother is a source of comfort and support as the young girl faces many fears in order to gather the ingredients to make thunder cakes. That Polacco’s childhood spent on a farm with her grandparents is a great influence to her is clear in many of her stories, including this one.  Because the young girl and the grandmother are the only characters in the story their strong bond is evident.  The story easily lends itself to discussion with children for its universal themes of fear and courage.  Although this story is about an impending storm, the illustrations are warm and soothing with clear composition of the text in relation to Polacco’s drawings. 
     

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Chicken Sunday

We spent the whole afternoon talking together, having poppy-seed cake and strong tea. He told us about his life. We told him about ours.  
Chicken Sunday was published in 1992 and is another story from Patricia Polacco’s own childhood.  In it Polacco introduces the reader to her neighbors turned best friends, Stewart and Winston. Indeed, more than best friends, by “a solemn ceremony” that they had performed in their backyard one summer Stewart and Winston were Polacco’s “brothers,” despite their religious differences. Their grandmother, Miss Eula, raises the boys and because the boys and young Patricia are family, Polacco considers Miss Eula her own “gramma.” The characters in this story include the three children, Miss Eula, and Mr. Kodinski, a nearby shop owner. When a misunderstanding occurs between Mr. Kodinski and the children, buying Miss Eula the hat of her dreams seems impossible. As Patricia, Stewart, and Winston try to make amends for the misunderstanding, an unlikely friendship blossoms. This story is touching and serves as a reminder to the reader that families come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and they are not necessarily what you are born into but who you make it. Its themes of friendship, family, and working together will resonate with young readers. In addition, young readers can take away from this story the familiar moral of not judging a book by its cover, or not judging a person based on their looks. The book is illustrated with Polacco’s own drawings, which are brought to life with her vivid colors.  If older readers look carefully they may notice that, although not mentioned in the story, Mr. Kodinski has a series of numbers tattooed on his arm indicating that he is a survivor of a concentration camp. The illustrations support the text and in this case enhance it by encouraging reader discussion. 

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Mrs. Katz and Tush

“My grandma told me about places she couldn’t stay, either,” Larnel said softly.       

“Larnel, your people and mine are alike, you know. Trouble, we’ve seen. Happiness, too. Great strength we’ve had. You and I are alike, so much alike!”
  Mrs. Katz and Tush was published in 1992. It is the story of a lonely woman, Mrs. Katz, and a boy named Larnel. When Larnel offers to give Mrs. Katz an abondoned kitten she tells him she’ll keep it, but only if Larnel will help her take care of it. Larnel agrees and soon a friendship develops between he and Mrs. Katz. The more time they spend together, Larnel comes to discover that he and Mrs. Katz are similar in some ways and that their people share a common history. Their friendship proves to be a long-lasting one, and Mrs. Katz becomes a part of Larnel’s family. This story centers around the relationship between Larnel and Mr. Katz as Mrs. Katz teaches him about her culture and religion; once again Polacco focuses on the dynamics between the young and the elderly. Polacco’s own grandparents and the time that she spent with them are a clear influence on her storytelling as most of her books feature an elderly person interacting with a child. Polacco's colorful illustrations are drawings that she has done herself in pencil and then filled in with marker and watercolor. These illustrations are appropriate to the book as they correspond with and support Polacco's text. 

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The Keeping Quilt

At night, I would trace my fingers around the edges of each animal on the quilt before I went to sleep. I told my mother stories about the animals on the quilt. She told me whose sleeve had made the horse, whose apron had made the chicken, whose dress had made the flowers, and whose babushka went around the edge of the quilt.
  The Keeping Quilt, published in 1988, is a generational story in which Patricia Polacco narrates as she tells the story of her own family’s history in America. Tracing back to when her great-grandmother Anna first came to the United States from Russia, this is the story of how the keeping quilt, a family heirloom, first came to be and how it has been passed down Polacco’s family from generation to generation. Although the people grow and times change, the quilt is always incorporated in the family’s landmark celebrations: from births to deaths, weddings to holidays. The Keeping Quilt highlights to young readers that traditions might change with time but in some ways can remain the same; in Polacco’s family the tradition of using the keeping quilt during life’s events or celebrations is retained, even though the way the events are celebrated change over time. It also reminds them of the importance of family traditions. The illustrations in this book are unique; Polacco’s sophisticated drawings are black and white and she uses color sparsely, only to emphasize the quilt on every page. The quilt is the only thing that is colorful in the drawings which represents the idea that the quilt ties the people in each generation’s lives together. The people may grow and change, but the quilt remains the same and will continue to be passed down from generation to generation.

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Pink and Say

This book serves as a written memory of Pinkus Aylee since there are no living descendants to do this for him. When you read this, before you put this book down, say his name out loud and vow to remember him always.
  Pink and Say, published in 1994, is a powerful story about two young soldiers who become friends during the Civil War. Sheldon Russell Curtis (Say) is a young soldier badly injured and stranded on a field when he is saved by another young soldier, Pinkus Aylee (Pink). Pink saves Say’s life and brings him to his mother’s house, where the two boys stay until Say recovers. What follows in the book is the emotional story of how the boys gather the courage to go back to fight in the war and how they are ultimately separated.  This story is yet another that is taken from Polacco’s family history and passed down through generations of her family; Say was her great-great grandfather and she tells the story to honor Pinkus Aylee, who did not live to have a family of his own. This book is suitable for young children but especially appropriate for older children because of the subject matter and overall tone. The story lends itself to discussions on many topics as it covers a wide range of themes including friendship, courage, sacrifice, family, and historical topics such as the Civil War and slavery in the United States. The colorful illustrations in the book are appropriate with the corresponding text and enhance it. The characters faces are shown clearly and readers can see when they feel pain, anger, fear, joy, and sorrow. Polacco pays attention to detail and the effect will strike readers both young and old. 

Biography 

Born in Michigan in 1944, Patricia Polacco lived on a farm with her mother and grandparents until she was 5 years old.  Although her parents divorced when she was 3 years old, Polacco spent time with both parents and both sets of grandparents. She says that her time on the farm with her beloved grandparents was the “most magical time of [her] life.” She spent much of her childhood with her grandparents who were and are a major inspiration in her life and her work. She says that this interaction between people both young and old is the most “valuable experience” of her life.
  At 8 years old Polacco moved to Oakland, California. There she met all kinds of people; her neighbors were of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. Polacco says that she considers herself very lucky to have known so many people that were different “and yet so much alike.” Although she eventually moved away from California, Polacco is still in touch with the people she knew and loved there, including her best friend, Stewart Grinnell Washington, who makes an appearance in her book Chicken Sunday.Polacco’s family is full of storytellers and many of her stories are inspired by specific people and events from her life. 
Although she is a prolific author and illustrator now, Polacco did not learn to read until she was 14 years old. She disliked elementary school because she was teased and felt “dumb” for being behind her classmates. At 14 years old however, Polacco’s “hero,” her teacher, realized that Polacco had dyslexia and got her the help that she needed in order to succeed. Polacco went on to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in fine art and a Ph. D. in Art History.
Polacco began writing children’s books when she was 41 years old. Since then she has written numerous books, beloved by children and adults alike. Polacco’s stories emphasize the connection between people, whether it is between generations of families or complete strangers, and her vivid illustrations help to bring her stories to life. 
Polacco lives on a farm in Michigan, where she continues to write, draw, and be inspired today.

References:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/author/bio/bio.html
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/patricia-polacco