Obedience
This book is great springboard for a
discussion on obedience. First the girl obeys her mother
remembering that markers are for coloring on paper; then at the end, she disobeys and colors on herself and her dad.
Friends
You could also talk about how Brigid's friends
influenced her decision to always need the newest and best markers.
Do your children's friends influence them?
Manners
Discuss manners with your child. What are good manners?
(Covering your mouth/nose when you sneeze, chewing your food with
your mouth closed, etc.). Manners include saying phrases such
as please, thank-you, you're welcome, and may I. Does
Brigid use these types of phrases? What does your child think
of Brigid's lack of manners? What are the rules at your house?
Go back through the book and have your child insert "please,
thank-you, and you're welcome" (etc.) when appropriate or
simply re-read the story giving Brigid some manners.
Reading Aloud
Point out the "Nnnnnnoooooo" to your student. What is
this word? Normally, how would one write it? (no) Why
did the author choose to write "Nnnnnnooooo"? How does he want
that word to be read aloud? Practice reading it with dramatic
emphasis. You may also want your reading student to practice
reading aloud. Try giving different characters different
voices (take turns reading the voices), read questions and
exclamations with dramatic emphasis as well. Demonstrate what
monotone voice sounds like. Does your student want you to read
the entire story like that? The way we read can make or break
a book; teach this to your student.
Story Telling
The author Robert Munsch is a great
story-teller. The biography of Robert Munsch says that while he was
at the 1990 storytelling festival in Toronto, he noticed a girl
named Brigid who was painting her fingernails with markers. He had
just the right story for her and told this story. Your older
student may recall a memory that would make a good story. Try
to brainstorm some ideas of memories he has of other people and
decide which
one would make a good story. Encourage him to start a first
draft.
Creative
Writing
At the end of the story, Brigid
is invisible. Would you like to be invisible? Why or why not? What
sort of things do you think you could do if you were invisible?
If your student can't write yet, let her dictate her story to you;
record it for her.
Quotes
This story has many examples of using quotation marks. On two large pieces of paper, draw some
quotation marks. Have your child wave one when you start to read
something that someone in the story said; when you finish reading
what they said, have him wave the other one.
Art
Using Markers
This story offers many opportunities for using
Markers for art-- draw red roses, yellow lemons, orange oranges. Try
drawing on different surfaces (not walls!)- draw on paper towels
instead of regular paper. Draw on cardboard. Think of
other appropriate things to draw on.
Bright Colors
The artist Helene Desputeaux used bright
colors for the pictures. Why do you think she chose these
colors? Find books with pastel or light colored pictures, compare
the two. Compare it to the black and white illustrations in Lentil, and
Andy and the
Lion (Five in a Row selections).
Math
500
Each time Brigid asks for markers her mom buys her a
box of 500 markers. This would be a great opportunity to work on
place value, 5 is in the hundreds place. Find ways to make
500. Early multiplication- 500 pennies=$5. 5 groups of 100=500.
10 groups of 50=500, what other ways can you group it?
Time
The doctor gives Brigid some medicine and tells her to
wait 5 minutes. Set a timer; find out how long 5 minutes is. See
if your children can guess when the timer will go off. Learn to
count by 5's; learn to tell time to the 5 minute marks.
Week
Each time after a week, Brigid gets bored with her
markers and wants new ones. How long is a week? Count a week on the
Calendar. Make a paper chain (and decorate with markers!)
that is seven links long, and cut one off each day to illustrate how
long a week is. When the week is up, you may want to surprise
your student with some markers! (Crayola makes some that are
scented.)
Science
Soap
Brigid's mom tells her she didn't use soap. Why do you
need to use soap? How does soap get dirt and germs (and markers)
off hands better than plain water? How does soap work? Soap is an
excellent cleanser because of its ability to act as an emulsifying
agent. An emulsifier is capable of dispersing one liquid into
another immiscible liquid. This means that while oil (which attracts
dirt) doesn't naturally mix with water, soap can suspend oil/dirt in
such a way that it can be removed.
Smells
One of the types of markers Brigid wants are markers
that smell. Talk about different smells- try and experiment- see if
your child can guess the smells you put in front of them while they
are blindfolded. What are some good smells- what are some things
that smell bad?
For fun-
read other stories by Robert Munsch. Some favorites are
I'll Love You forever, Alligator Baby, and
The Paper Bag
Princess