1.Wall of Idioms

  attach 10 foot strip of butcher paper to a wall in the hallway (at eye level)

  outline brick wall pattern on butcher paper (each block approx. 12” by 24”)

  have students write idioms from book (or from other sources) in each block  

2.  Map Reading / Map Making

  Xerox Fork’s map and give to each student.  Have students make their own rulers two miles long (use mile length on map)  Have students answer questions like:  "How far is Little Boy Blue’s haystack from Fork?"

“Little Boy Blue’s haystack is N S E W of Fork (circle 1)” 

  Have older students draw their own map (how they get to school, how they get to key places at school, the rooms in their house, their neighborhood)  

  Have students draw their favorite character and tell why it is their favorite

  Have students make a list of all characters who speak in the book

  Have students answer questions about certain characters (Who is leader?  Is Dog like her character in the rhyme or is she the opposite?  Why is Cow tired? Give qualities you        admire or dislike about each character.  Tell which character is most like you and why. Do the characters change?)

  The Dog, Cat, and Cow all have specific roles/talents in the nursery rhyme—describe them. (Cat fiddles, Cow jumps, Dog laughs).  During the course of the journey to find Dish and

Spoon, each one actually uses his/her talent—how?

  Who is on the “team” responsible for bringing back Dish and Spoon?

  Is there one leader or do they all take turns at leading?

  Describe at least 3 times when the main characters help each other / work as a team.  Which other characters in the book help them?  Which try to keep them from succeeding?  

  This is a journey or quest story--make a time line of the 

            key places visited in the story

  Why are the characters making the journey?  Does every

           character want to go on the journey?  How might the

           story end if they don’t go? 

  What is the main crisis?  Is there a lesser crisis?

  How do the characters resolve the crisis?

  How do you know that Dish and Spoon do not want to

           run away again?

  Have students describe the setting on the endpapers and title page

  What is the setting the rest of the story (hint: refer to Fork’s map?)  

7.  Looking for detail     

  Have students find the hidden forks

  Have students make a list of the objects in the wallpaper in Muffet’s house and Wolf’s house.

  Identify all nursery rhyme/fairy tale references in the book—in the text (“I can rub-a-dub-dub

        you down with a little seasoning . . .”), on the map and in the art (Jack’s repair shop).   For

        reference, use a Mother Goose nursery rhyme book.

  How is Spider’s dialogue like his nursery rhyme?

  Make a list of the puns used, both in the art (a fork in the road, wolf in sheep’s clothing) and in

         the text (I’ll take a stab at it, get to the point) and discuss their double meanings

  On Wolf’s wall, there is a picture of Wolf as a baby and his mother.  How does this foreshadow

         events to come?  

8.  Readers Theater

  Give students selected nursery rhymes/fairy tales and have them choose one and write their

        own endings  

  Have each student create a Wanted Poster for the Dish or the Spoon which could include: name of wanted character, drawing, wanted for _____, description,  last seen, reward