Fun in the Classroom with Amber Brown

You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown

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Summary
So many changes for Amber Brown. Third grade is over now and she's looking forward to fourth. Her best friend, Justin, has moved to Alabama. The biggest and hardest change is that her parents have not only separated, but her Dad is far away in Paris, France. Now that school is over, she's on her way to Europe to visit her father, but first she will spend a week in London with her Aunt Pam. Amber is all set for a great vacation...that is, until she comes down with the dreaded chicken pox. When will she see her Dad? Will her parents reunite at her sick bed? Nothing happens as she imagines, but by the end of the story she does realize that some things will never change.

Changes
Change can be difficult. To help students think about the theme of change, ask them to make a list of 10 changes that have affected them. You may first want to brainstorm together about the kinds of changes they may have experienced, such as moving, the births of siblings, changes in the family, pets, illnesses, or making or losing friends. Discuss how they dealt with these changes. Then ask students to make a list of five things that don't seem to change. Encourage them to think not only about the details of their individual lives but also about the world around them. You could also get your students to name one or two things that they would like to change and one or two things that they would like to stay the same.

Take an Internet Field Trip to London
Plan a class trip to London via the World Wide Web. Here's your itinerary:

First, explore England on the map.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/eur/graphics/map-bri.htm

Next, have your students chart the distance between their city and London.
http://www.indo.com/distance/

While in London, explore places that Amber Brown visited.
http://www.yahooligans.com/Around_the_World/Countries/United_Kingdom/

End your visit with a special tour of places in London just for kids.
http://www.londontown.com/kidsplaces.html

E-mail Pen Pals
Arrange for your students to correspond with keypals (e-mail pen pals) in London. Here are some helpful Web sites for finding keypals:
http://www.epals.com/home.html

What Is Different?
In London, Amber Brown experiences so many differences! The time is different, the money is different, even the same language is different! Explore these cultural differences with your class:
* Time. Use a time zone map (such as http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/world_maps/time_zone_world_98.jpg ) with your class to determine the time difference between where you are and London. Discuss time zones and what they mean.
* Money. Why do countries have different types of money? What is the value of the American dollar in United Kingdom pounds? (See http://www.xe.net/currency/ for a currency converter.)
* Language. Have students guess what the following words mean in England (answers are shown in parentheses).

Flat (apartment)
Lift (elevator)
Knickers (pants)
Pants (underwear)
Jumper (pullover sweater)
Wellies (boots)
Boot (trunk of car)
Motorway (highway)
Lorry (truck)
Loo (toilet)

Dinner (lunch)
Tea (light dinner)
Lollies or sweets (candy)
Ice-lolly (popsicle)
Crisps (potato chips)
Chips (french fries)
Biscuits (cookies)
Football (soccer)
Hoover (vacuum cleaner)

A Disappointment
Amber was disappointed that she came down with the chicken pox during her vacation in London. Have your students think of a time when they felt disappointed. Have them talk about why their disappointments made them feel sad or let down. Encourage students to write about their disappointing experiences. You could also have them write about someone or something that made them feel better after their disappointments.

Brown Amber Brown Sees Red
Amber gets angry when things start to go wrong. Ask your students to write a paragraph about something that made them angry. Ask students to describe why they were angry and how they handled it. As a follow-up, discuss constructive ways to express anger.

Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit
As you read aloud with students, ask them to guess what is going to happen next and why. Have them write down their thoughts. Then, get your students to share their different imaginings of what is going to happen with the rest of the class.

Dad's New Girlfriend
How should I go about introducing my 2 year old to my new girlfriend?

UNIT PLAN	We Are Family Let your students share stories about their own unique families with an underlying theme of all families, whether traditional or not, as loving...