Citation: Weslandia by Paul Fleischman and Kevin Hawkes, ill.  New York: Scholastic Inc., 2000.

One of my Top 10 selections

ISBN: 978-0-7636-1052-4

Annotation: Wesley is bullied, so he decides to create his own plant and civilization. He invents his own counting system, language, clothes, and suntan oil.  His new civilization is “Weslandia” which makes him very popular.

Media: Hawkes’ illustrations are done in acrylics and are full of bright, bold colors. His cartoon style is very visually appealing.

Personal Rating: 5Q/4P.

Curricular Connections:  This book has won numerous awards such as the A.L.A Notable Book for 2000 and it was a Parent’s Choice Honor Award winner. This is an excellent picture book for older readers because Wesley is such an unusual character.  Fleishman celebrates Wesley who doesn’t fit into the norm and learns to create his own world.  It is good for teaching creativity, love of nature, and individuality.  It is a fantastic book for kids who are different.  This is also a good book to tie into History curriculum and what makes a civilization. Students can create a “flipbook” of what makes a civilization (surplus food supply, government, culture, social levels, and specialization of labor”.  Students can also write their own stories about what their civilization would look like.

Subject: Social Studies: It is a good choice to teach what a civilization is which is a 6^th grade Standard. It is also good for Science and teaching about the environment. It is also a good book to use for teaching social kindness.

Grade Level or Age Range: 5^th-8^th grade or Middle School

 

Lesson Plans:

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

Concept To Teach

 

•       This lesson is for a 6^th grade Social Studies class

•       Students will learn the attributes of a civilization

•       This lesson can be done in a double period which is two hours or split up into two one hour block lessons

 

 

California History Standards

For Sixth Grade

 

•       6.1 Identify the location of human communities…and describe how humans adapted to a variety of environments

•       6.1 Describe the climatic changes and human modifications of the physical environment that gave rise to the domestication of plants and animals and new sources of clothing and shelter.

•       Standards Web Site:

•       http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf

 

 

Goals and Objectives

 

•            Students will develop reading comprehension skills by listening to Weslandia by Paul Fleishman

•            Students will develop an understanding of what makes a civilization

•            Students will develop an understanding of how plants and animals are domesticated

•            Students will develop cooperative learning skills by working in groups

 

Materials

 

•       Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

•       Flipbooks

•       Pencils

•       The 6^th grade Social Studies Textbook

 

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In)

 

•       The teacher will hold up Weslandia by Paul Fleischman and ask the class if they think that one boy could create his own civilization?

•       She will wait for responses and discuss

•       She will then tell the class that Wesley creates his own civilization by inventing his own food source

•       The teacher will tell the class to think about what attributes make up a civilization and whether Wesley has all these attributes in the civilization that he created

•       The teacher will then read the story to the class

 

Procedure

 

•       After the teacher has read the book, the teacher will ask the students to get into groups of four and discuss how Wesley created his own civilization.

•       She will then ask each group to share out what attributes they came up with and then she will write their responses on chart paper

•       She will guide the class to see that a civilization is made up of a surplus food supply, social levels, culture, specialization of labor, and a government

•       She will then ask the students to open their Social Studies textbooks and read about what makes a civilization. This will include the five attributes.

•       She will then discuss that all civilizations need a surplus food supply and the ability to domesticate plants and animals

•       She will then discuss how Wesley created his own food source which allowed him to create his own civilization

•       She will ask the students to come up with examples of how Wesley had created a surplus food supply, social levels, culture, specialization of labor, and a government

 

Independent Practice

 

• She will then give each student a study guide to remember the attributes of a civilization

•This study guide is a flipbook with five sections

•Students are to fill out the flipbook according to the five attributes of a civilization

•The cover will list the five attributes, the inside will give a definition of each attribute that will be found in the textbook, and the back of the flipbook will be examples of how Wesley created his own civilization

•Work time will be given in class

•The teacher will walk around and check for understanding

•This should take about two periods

 

Closure

 

•       The teacher will ask each group to share out their flipbooks with each other

•       She will end the lesson by asking students to define the five attributes of a civilization and review how Wesley achieved this by creating a food source

 

Assessment

 

•       The teacher will check for understanding as she monitors group work (informal assessment)

•       The teacher will grade the flipbooks to check for the five attributes and for the correct examples

•       This assessment could be a checklist or a rubric (formal assessment)

 

 

Adaptations (Students With Learning Disabilities or English Language Learners)

 

•       Students with writing disabilities could do a fill in the blanks or C.L.O.Z.E flipbook where they fill in some words but not all of them

•       They could also do the writing using a computer

•       They could type their flipbooks or orally record them

•       Students who are English Language Learners could be given a model of a finished flipbook, so they can see the format

•       They could also be given a list of vocabulary words to help them complete their flipbook as well as a c.l.o.z.e or fill in the blanks format

•       They could be given extra time to practice reading their stories

 

Extensions (Gifted Students)

 

•       Students could write their own stories based on Weslandia.  They could make up their own civilizations and create their own food source

•       Students could research Paul Fleischman and share this information with the class. His web site is http://www.paulfleischman.net/

•       Students could research other civilizations and see how the five attributes that were studied in class apply to the civilization that they have chosen i.e. Ancient India.

 

By: Joanne Maher (June 28th, 2009)