Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007.

ISBN: 978-0-81099-313-6

Annotation: Greg Heffley doesn't have it easy: he's unpopular, he has two brothers who get away with everything, and he has to contend with the horrors of middle school.

Age Range: 7-8 grades

Media used by illustrator: pencil and ink

Personal Rating: 4Q/5P

 

ateater/07-21-09

 

Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney.  New York:  Amulet Books, 2007.

ISBN 13:  9780810993136

ISBN 10:  081099313

Illustrator:  Jeff Kinney

Media:  Pen and ink

5Q/5P

Annotation:  Printed on wide ruled notebook paper, Diary of a Wimpy Kidd journals the day-to-day experiences of middle school student Greg Heffley. Dodging physical education class and running for class treasurer isn’t as easy as it sounds. 

   KRF 6/29/09

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. New York: Amulet Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-8109-9313-6

 

 

Greg records his trials and tribulations as a middle school kid in his diary…I mean journal.  With text and simple doodle-type images, this light-hearted book looks at the rise and fall of popularity and friendship in middle school.  Don’t touch the cheese!

 

(DM 4.23.08)

 

 

APA Citation	Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal. New York: Amulet Books.
ISBN	978-0-8109-9313-6	Rating	4Q/5P	Top 10	no
Media	Web comic		Grades/Subject	5-7 (boys)
Annotation	Greg is a middle son and a typical middle schooler. Then his best friend becomes more popular and Greg is desperate to get him back.

(SK 4.27.08)

 

 

 

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: a novel in cartoons. New York: Abrams. ISBN: 9780810993136

           

 

4Q/5P

 

 

Hand-drawn pictures are integrated with the hand-written journal entries of Gregg Heffley, a boy enduring the vagaries of middle school.  Dodging bullies and seeking compatible friends while surviving school and keeping his family happy make for an engaging read.

 

 

Media: Black ink

 

TK 4/29/08

 

 

 

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: a novel in cartoons;  Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Abrams. ISBN: 978-0-8109-9313-6

 

Kinney has created the perfect blend of cartoon images and belly-laugh-inducing diary entries to reveal the minefield that Greg, an adolescent boy in his first year of middle school, must navigate.  From bullies to brothers to best friends, relationships are ever-changing, just as personal choices are subject to impulsive stupidity.

 

(For a similar book from a female perspective, try Jennifer Holm’s Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf.) 

Artwork: Black-and-white line drawings

 

Subjects: Middle school life; Friendship; Humor

 

Theme: Junior high may be difficult, but it is survivable, especially with a sense of humor.

 

Categories: Fiction; Graphic Novel

 

Age Level Recommendation: Middle School

 

 

Rating: 4Q/5P

 

AAS 5-3-08 

 

 

 

Lesson Plan (sk 5.4.08)

 

 

 

Subject: English

 

 

 

Grade Level: 5+

 

 

 

Time Duration: semester

 

 

 

Objective: reflection, self-expression, health expression of emotion

 

 

 

Overview: Maintain a journal for the entire semester.

 

 

 

 

Lesson Design

Anticipatory Set (focus) – As is seen in books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf, Autobiography of My Dead Brother and many, many other examples, maintaining a journal can be an easy way to express yourself, keep a record of your every day life, and sort out problems.   

 

 

 

 

 

Presentation – You’re only assignment is to maintain a journal for the whole semester. I will not read the journal so much as glance through it. You must have at least one entry per week, but you may write as much or as little as you like. If you prefer, you may use other modes of expression than writing in your journal, such as photography, collage, drawing, or music. Feel free to be as expressive and creative as you like, since this is your journal. Once a week, we will bring the journals into class for in-class exercises, such as warm-fuzzies (where each student must write an “I” compliment to the journal’s owner).

 

 

 

Practice – Start off with a round of warm-fuzzies, then have the students write about their plans for the upcoming weekend. No other practice.

 

 

 

Closure – At the end of the semester, the students will hand in their full journals. The entries will be counted: a minimum of two entries per week (one for class, one for home) in order to receive full credit.

 

 

Lesson Plan:  Middle/High School Survival Guide (AAS 5-4-08)

 

 

 

 

Objective:  React to literature with comprehension, insight, and understanding.  

 

 

 

 

Grade Range:  6^th -- 9th (but adaptable to higher grades)

 

 

 

 

Standards:  Applicable to a variety of Language Arts Content Standards depending on the grade level and needs of the students.

 

 

 

 

Picture Books:

 

 

 

 

American born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang ; color by Lark Pien. New York:  First Second, 2006.

 

Babymouse. 1,Queen of the world! / by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. New York:  Random House, c2005. (This book is the first in a series.  Many of the titles are primarily set in schools.)

 

Blue lipstick : concrete poems / by John Grandits. New York:  Clarion Books, c2007.

 

Diary of a wimpy kid : Greg Heffley's journal / by Jeff Kinney. New York:  Amulet Books, 2007.

 

Middle school is worse than meatloaf : a year told through stuff / by Jennifer L. Holm ; pictures by Elicia Castaldi. New York:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2007.

 

 

 

 

Anticipatory Set:

 

“Although most of my work days go well, when I first came to  ______________ school, I didn’t know anyone and had lots of questions.  Everyone gave me lots of advice and assistance to make that first year run smoothly.”

 

 

 

 

“So far in your life (or just this school year), what was the worst day you have had in school?  The best?  If you had a little brother or sister, would you offer advice to make it easier when they get to middle school/high school?  Do you feel like a survivor?  Could you help others survive?  Well, one way we learn how to approach new situations is through books and how characters cope with the same situations.  We are going to let some book characters give us advice on to do and what not to do to feel successful at school.”

 

 

 

 

Teaching:

 

1.  You will need 6-7 copies of each of the 5 books.  Separate the class into 5 literature circles and assign each group one book.  The group members each read and discuss the book giving special attention to how the characters survive the school year. (If students have not had previous experience with literature circles, set the framework and model how it is done.)  Set a timeline for the completion of the book. To spur discussion, give each group a list of 8-10 questions to discuss at various points in their reading.  Some of the questions should be the same for all the groups and some should be tailored to the text. “While you are reading this book and talking about it in your literature circles, be thinking as to what lessons the characters are learning and how that information can be used as advice.” Encourage note-taking during reading, especially of scenes in which the character has learned something new or should have learned something new from the events. The teacher roams during the literature circle time but generally doesn’t intervene.

 

 

 

 

Share with students an example of the kind of advice you will be expecting-- Example  “Always carry some energy bars in your backpack because you never know when the cafeteria is going to serve mystery meat.”  (Ginny in Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf practically has nightmares about her cafeteria’s meatloaf.)

 

 

 

 

General questions (blanks are generally for the name of the main character):

 

 

 

 

How did _________________try to fit in at school?

 

What character traits could be used to describe____________?

 

What would __________________change about him/herself?

 

What one thing could the ______________ not afford to lose?

 

How is the main character’s school the same as our school?

 

What would ____________do in ____________situation?

 

How did the pictures add to the story? Could the story have been told without the pictures?  Why or why not?

 

Have you ever wanted to be someone else?

 

What would you change about yourself?

 

What would you never change about yourself?

 

 

 

 

Specific questions:

 

 

 

 

American Born Chinese

 

In the story, the herbalist says, “It is easy to become anything you wish . . .so long as you are willing to forfeit your soul.”  Is that good advice?

 

Why were all the monkeys directed to wear shoes?  Did wearing shoes help the Monkey King achieve what he wanted?

 

What lesson does Monkey King learn that he tries to share with Jin?

 

How are Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Danny alike?

 

Babymouse

 

Are you surprised that this book was written by a brother/sister team?  Why or why not?

 

What are some of the things Babymouse imagines herself to be and why?

 

What makes Babymouse make up with Wilson Weasel?

 

Would you want to be friends with Felicia (even a little bit)?

 

Blue Lipstick

 

What is Jessie’s problem with cheerleaders?

 

How did Jessie’s likes and dislikes change?  Why is the poem depicted as The Wall?

 

Where do you do your best thinking?

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

 

Why does Greg prefer calling the book a journal rather than a diary?

 

What do you think Greg will grow up to be?  Why?

 

Should Greg’s friends tell him when he has a questionable idea?

 

How is Greg different from his friends?

 

Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf

 

What is the worst food in our cafeteria?

 

Is making a list a good strategy for getting things you want? Why or why not?

 

Should Ginny babysit for very unruly children?

 

What is Ginny’s older brother’s biggest problem?

 

What is something you figured out about Ginny that you think might not have been apparent to someone else?

 

 

 

 

Guided Practice

 

2. After reading and discussing the books, each group will meet and develop 5-7 tidbits of advice that they would give to an incoming student at their school and cite the event(s) in the book that is/are the inspiration behind the advice.  Groups need to conference with the teacher to explain the logic behind their choices and refine their advice due to teacher feedback if need be.

 

Repeat the example to get students thinking about what is expected--  “Always carry some energy bars in your backpack because you never know when the cafeteria is going to serve mystery meat.”  (Ginny in Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf practically has nightmares about her cafeteria’s meatloaf.)  Add other examples as needed to illustrate the task but not give away some of the best ideas.

 

 

 

 

3.  When all the groups have created their advice lists, each group shares a synopsis of the plot of their book with the class and then shares their tidbits of advice (or pearls of wisdom). 

 

 

 

 

4.The advice of the five groups is compared and contrasted (eliminating duplicates), then the top 10 to 15 tidbits are compiled into a general guide to survival at ____________ School.  Voting may be necessary to create a list that isn’t too cumbersome.

 

 

 

 

Optional:  The guide could be illustrated – one piece of advice per page.

 

 

 

 

Optional:  Comparing and contrasting two of the books on the list.

 

 

 

 

Independent Practice

 

5.  Students select and read a book individually from a teacher recommendation list and develop 3-5 pieces of advice based on the lives of the characters in the book.

 

 

 

Kinney, J. (2007) Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York, NY: Abrams Books.

 

 

ISBN-10: 0810993139

 

 

ISBN-13: 978-0810993136

 

 

Greg Heffley’s life couldn’t be more dramatic or entertaining.  The story follows one year of Greg’s academic and goes through the rollercoaster middle school with style.

 

 

Media: Ink (stick figures)

 

 

4Q/4P

 

 

 

CJS 5/9/08