Book Bag Activities for
But no Elephants
by Jessica Sperfslage

• But No Elephants by Jerry Smath, Parents Magazine Press: New York, 1979.

Rationale:

• I chose this book because it was my favorite book when I was a child. My sisters and I would beg my mom to read it to us over and over. I think any child would like to read this book because it is funny and has a happy ending.

Author Information:

• Jerry Smath lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Questions to use with the story:

• Knowledge- What animals stay in Grandma Tildy’s house? Where do they all go at the end of the story?
• Comprehension- Why didn’t Grandma Tildy want the elephant?
• Application- Which zoo animal would you want to live with you? Why?
• Analysis- How do you think the elephant felt throughout the story?
• Synthesis- Imagine if Grandma Tildy would not have taken in the elephant. What might have happened?
• Evaluation- Which animal would you say is the most useful? Why?

Activities to use with the story:

• Zoo Field Trip - I would like to take my class on a field trip to the local zoo if possible. First I would send out permission slips to the parents to see if it is ok for them to go. I would make sure the parents knew the trip is for an educational purpose related to the book No Elephants. The following day after the field trip I would have the students write a reaction paper about the trip. This activity will give students a chance to express their thoughts.
• Zoo Speaker -I would ask someone at the zoo to come to my classroom to speak about various animals and possibly bring in some small animals. Before the speaker came to the classroom, I would make the students come up with at least one question to ask the speaker. If there were time, I would want each of the students to ask their question. This will give students practice with speaking up in front of the class.
• The Zoo House -First I would divide the students into groups of two to three. Tell them that they are architects. They have to design a huge house for all the animals to live comfortable with Grandma Tildy. Give them a large sheet of butcher paper and lots of supplies to draw or color. Tell them to work cooperatively. You may tell them to practice a rough sketch on a piece of notebook paper before starting on the butcher paper. Make sure all group members agree on the design. This activi“The Zoo House” -First I would divide the students into groups of
• Story Map -Give students a worksheet that leads the students through the basic parts of a story which would include main characters, setting, event 1, event 2, event 3, etc. By practicing with the story map, students will get practice with their comprehension skills.
• Order is Important -Make a list of all of the events within the story and create a worksheet. Have students cut each of the events from the worksheet and put the events in order. Then have them place the ordered events on a piece of construction paper. The students can decorate the rest of the construction paper with whatever they want. Students will get practice with comprehension skills from doing this activity.
• Important Zoo Animals -First I would assign each student an animal from the book. There are only five animals so there will be several students with the same animal. Each of the students must find at least facts about their animal and place the facts on a note card, which will be placed on a bulletin board under the picture of their animal.
• But No Elephants Play-Students would be assigned roles from the book. There would be one kid for each animal who dresses up like the animal. There would be one person who is the pet man and one who is Grandma Tildy. The animal roles would not have a speaking part in the play. The rest of the students would be the narrators throughout the story.
• Creative Animal Story -I would have students chose any animal of their choice. Then, have then write a story of something fun they did with their animal. The story could be real or as creative as they want.
• Pet Creation -Students would be given a piece of large white paper with lots of art supplies. The students would draw a picture of one or all of their pets. If the student doesn’t have any pets, have them draw an animal they wish could be their pet. Under the picture, have students write a sentence about their pet.
• Pros & Cons -Students would write up a letter about the pros and cons of all the animals that lived with Grandma Tildy. Have students exchange letters with a classmate. Then have students discuss their letters with the partner they exchanged letters with.

Props:

• pictures of the five animals in the story

Bibliography of related books:

• Bergman, Sucksdorff, Astrid. Tooni, the elephant boy. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971.
• Crozat, Francois. I am a little elephant. New York: Barron’s, 1989.
• Hanna, Jack. Jungle Jack Hanna’s what zookeepers do. New York: Scholastic, 1998.
• Knight, Bertram T. Working at a zoo. New York: Children’s Press, 1998.
• Petty, Kate. Elephants. Hauppage, N.Y.: Barron’s 1989.

Assessment Plan:

• Students would be graded on some of the activities such as “Story Map,” “Order is Important,” “ Important Zoo Animals,” “Creative Animal Story,” and “Pros & Cons” activities. The other activities would be assessed on creative and participation.