Let the kids get weird: a unit plan
And honestly the most fun I've had in my teaching career... maybe ever??
Hello, readers!
Today, I’m sharing a resource you can use in your library, classroom, or with the kid readers in your life: a unit plan for exploring weird books.
Over the past five weeks, my fourth and fifth graders have been devouring all things weird in the library. Each week, we read a book that is “weird” in some way, all while interrogating what weirdness means, questioning who gets to decide, and putting the power of definition in the hands of kid readers — not grown-ups.
To tick the boxes, I could say that this unit is designed to address common core literature standards. But in my soul? It’s intended to activate my readers — shock them into electric engagement with literature like never before. I yearn to hear my readers gasp, “Wait — a book can do that?”
I’ve shared bits and pieces of this unit on Instagram and on Episode 74 of my podcast, Book Delight. Today, I’m giving it the full treatment and including photos, discussion questions, book lists, etc., that you can use to launch your own weird books unit.
Central Questions
What does it mean for a book to be “weird?”
Is it possible for a picture book to be too weird? Where is the line? Who gets to decide?
Does weirdness live inside the words? The pictures? The reader? All of the above?
What is the weirdest book of all? Are there degrees of weirdness?
What we did, week by week
For each week, I’ll include what we read, my welcome message, the setup I provided before the story, and some discussion questions/activities for after.
Note: my welcome message is inspired by the morning message from Responsive Classroom. I display it on a slide and read it to students at the start of class to give them a preview of what we’ll be doing in class. For a full peek at my start of class routines, check out this post.
Week One
Read Aloud: Tumblebaby by Adam Rex, illustrated by Audrey Helen Weber
Welcome message: “This month, we are going to do a unit exploring weird books. I’m wondering… how weird is too weird in a picture book? You be the judge. At the end of the month, we will vote which book was the weirdest of them all.”
Book intro: “Today’s book could be described as a Western. Or a fable explaining how the coyote got its howl. It could be a mountain-climbing adventure or a story of Olympic skiing. It could even be a story about you. But I’m wondering… is it weird? Let’s read to find out.”
Discussion after reading: “In your opinion, was that book weird, and why do you think so? Use evidence from the book to convince others.”
Quick post-reading activities:
Use your fingers to rate the book from 0 to 10 on the weird scale, and
Choose a word from our invisible things flashcards to describe the mood or vibe of the story. Here’s a peek at how I display our flashcards:
