Oh, the Places You'll Go!: Civics - Living, Learning, and Working Together

Day 1: Day 1: What is the theme of the book? Introduce vocabulary words.

Resources: Student journals, scissors, glue, vocabulary list, smartboard and video of "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

1. Introduce the book and vocabulary words with their definitions.  
2. Read through vocabulary words and definitions. Cut them apart and place them in your student journal.
3. Discuss the meaning of each word and how it fits your life.
4. Listen to a reading of "Oh, the Places You'll Go" on the smartboard.
5. Have a class discussion about what the theme of the story is and how the vocabulary words are connected to the story.
6. Write in your journal how each vocabulary word is connected to the story. 

Day 2: Is the path always easy to get where you want to go? Give examples from the book and in real life (the children's now and later in life).

Resources: The book "Oh, the Places You'll Go," glue, pencils, the handout, and student journal.

1. The teacher will read the story to the class.
2. Small group discussion of the obstacles found in the book and in real life you may have to face.
3. Give a handout of obstacles the story mentions and have them write down what these may be in your life now and as you grow.
4. Have each group pick a leader to answer questions in a teacher lead discussion.
5. The teacher will ask questions of each groups leader about how the students think each obstacle in the story is connected to a real-life obstacle the students have or may come across. 
6. If the instructor thinks the answer the group gave is incorrect or could be added to fix your answer on your handout.
7. Once all of the groups have answered their questions glue your handouts into your journal.
8. Take turns talking about real obstacles that each one of you have faced in a class discussion.

Day 3: What are some of the good things that can happen along the way? Give examples from the book and in real life (the children's now and later in life).

Resources: Student journal, story handouts or books for all students, and pencils.

1. Break into small groups.
2. give a handout to each student with quotes from the book of positive things in the book.
3. Students read through the story looking for these positive things in the story and connect how things in real life are connected to them.
4. Write down what the group thinks as a whole in each area.
5. Have each student say something positive that has happened to someone in their family or they know that is connected to one of these quotes.
6. Place handouts in the student journals.
7. Discuss how being positive and not letting the negative things get you down to help find their role in a democratic society.

Day 4: What things can we take from this story to be prepared for our future? Give examples from the book and in real life (the children's now and later in life).

Resources: Props from our prop room, pencils, and paper.

1. Allow the students to discuss what they think of the book and how it will help them through life.
2. Break into small groups of 3-4 students and discuss what they may become if they work past the obstacles and look towards the positives to become what they are meant to be in the world.
3. Make a short play no more than 5-10 minutes on how to overcome obstacles and see the positives.
4. Find your props from the prop room or area.
5. Give the play in front of the class.

Day 5: Have a class discussion about the book and what we have learned about how to prepare ourselves to be successful. Take a small test to match the vocabulary words with their meaning and write a paragraph on how the story prepares you for your future.

Resources: Pencils, student journals, vocabulary words, Test and essay handout.

1. Discuss the story and vocabulary words one last time as a class. Allow student journals during the discussion.
2. Hand out the test.
3. Allow 20-30 minutes for the test.
4. teacher leads a discussion on times they have failed to do what they wanted or that they were not the best at doing something. Explain how that felt and the things the teacher has done to overcome these things, even if that meant looking to become or do something else in life that was a better fit for their abilities.
5. The teacher later grades the test and it is kept in the running records.