IS A WORRY WORRYING YOU?
by Ferida Wolff
illustrated by Marie LeTourneau
(Tanglewood Press, $15.95, ISBN 0-9749303-2-6)
*Discuss: People worry about different things. What are some things that 2nd (3rd, 4th, 5th , etc.) graders worry about? When you have a worry, how does that make you feel? How does your body feel?
*Read IS A WORRY WORRYING YOU? Then say, "Let’s see how many of the things that help you get rid of a worry that you remember." Write them on the board.
*Activity - Think of a worry from the book or one that you have, but don’t say it out loud. Imagine yourself doing one of these things to make the worry stop worrying you. Try it.
*Follow-up exercise:
Younger grades – Draw a picture of your worry. Draw a picture of what you did to help get rid of the worry.
Older grades - Write about the worry, what you did, and how it worked out. This would be a good entry for a writing journal.
Would someone like to volunteer to tell about a worry?
A note about disclosure: If a child seems about to disclose something very personal, gently stop him/her and say that you are very interested in hearing what he/she has to say so let’s make time to talk when the class is in art (library, gym, other special). You might want to read the book before a special so that if something does come up you and the child can discuss it right away.
*Read other books about a character having a worry. Discuss what other choices the character might have made to deal with the worry and what the outcomes might have been. Have this discussion about literature the children are currently reading.
Some reading suggestions:
Younger grades – Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber , Franklin Says I Love You by Paulette Bourgeois, The Three Wise Old Women by Elizabeth T. Corbett
Middle grades – Stuart Goes to School by Sara Pennypacker
Older grades – The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katharine Paterson