Chester's Way Book Study

Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes teaches an important lesson in friendship. This book study includes a wealth of easy-to-differentiate resources to assist you and your students in close reading, writing, and thinking deeply about this story. These activities work well as literacy centers, or can be done as a whole class.

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The table of contents is as follows:

• Vocabulary (p. 6) - Pre-teach key vocabulary from the story with this list or copy for students to paste into notebooks. Words, definitions, and picture cues are provided.

• Comprehension Strips (p. 7) – Comprehension strips allow students to practice returning to a text to find key information to answer specific questions. They are a fun alternative to a traditional question and answer worksheet and can be used as an individual or partner literacy center, or as a whole class activity when displayed under a document camera. Eight comprehension strips for each story and differentiated recording sheets are included. One recording sheet provides only lines for responses. The other provides sentence starters to help students to answer each question.

• Sequencing the Story Printable (p. 16) – Students cut out six events from the story and paste them in the order they happened. Picture cues are provided.

• Characters Can Change Printable (p. 18) – Students write and draw to show how Chester and Wilson changed throughout the story. Two differentiated options are provided - one with handwriting lines and the other without.

• Problem and Solution Printable (p. 20) – Students identify, write about, and illustrate the problem and solution in the story. Two line options are provided.

• Lesson Learned Writing Prompt (p. 22) – Students will identify the lesson learned from Chester’s Way. Several paper options are provided.

• Making Predictions Printable (p. 26) – Students will predict what might happen when Victor moves into the neighborhood. Several paper options are provided.

• Opinion Writing Prompt (p. 30) – Students consider whether or not Lily was a good friend to Chester and Wilson and write about their opinions. Several paper options are provided.

• Compare and Contrast Activity (p. 34) – Students use a lined Venn diagram to compare Chester and Wilson with Lily. Two versions of the Venn diagram as well as several compare and contrast writing prompt paper options as provided.

• Parts of Speech Sort (p. 40) – To prep this activity, print the cards on cardstock, or laminate, and cut out. Students sort nouns and verbs from the story. Recording sheet options are provided. This activity can be done individually or in pairs and makes a great literacy center!

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These activities address the following Common Core Standards for Grade 1:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

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These activities address the following Common Core Standards for Grade 2:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5: Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

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Amanda Taylor @ Second Grade Smiles