The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Parent-Child Book Discussion
Grades 4-5
March 2009
Questions by Julie Moran.
snack: animal cookies
1. Thumbs up/down. What did you enjoy about the book? What didn't you like? What are some of your favorite parts?
2. Which character(s) were your favorite and why?
3. Looking at a map or globe, find the country where Martine was living at the beginning of this book. (England) Find the place where her grandmother lives. (South Africa) Have you ever lived or traveled to a country outside the United States? Do you have dreams of seeing another country? Which ones? Find these on the globe/map, too.
4. According to Grace, what is the "gift" Martine possesses? Describe one way Martine uses her gift. (p 149--the gift; chapter 11 healing goose; chapter 13 healing kudu)
5. Imagine you have come to live at Sawubona for a while. What would you enjoy most about your life there? What would be hard to get used to?
6. Early int he story, Grace tells Martine, "Be very careful. The gift can be a blessin. or a curse. Make your decisions wisely." Do you think Martine's gift is a blessing or a curse? why? Give examples from the story of her decision-making. (blessing-can heal animals, can ride white giraffe).
7. What did you think of the grandmother's reaction to Martine coming to live with her?
8. If you could communicate with any animal, which one would it be?
9. Why do you think feeling a connection to a place--a sense of place-- is important?
Describe a time when you felt out of place.
10. Martine and her classmates go on some pretty amazing field trips. (Especially in Dolphin song). What is a memorable field trip you've take with your classmates?
---------------------------------------------------------------
About the author:
Giraffe Diaries blog: http://www.laurenstjohn.com/giraffediaries/?page_id=30
Giraffe Facts: http://74.125.93.104/search?q=cache:BzLLn5f1QpcJ:www.buzzle.com/articles/giraffe-facts.html+giraffe+facts&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
No comments:
Post a Comment