About This Guide

BIG CHAPTER BOOKS™

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONSGun Awareness

SafetyFriendship

Current Events

Grades 3–5

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T e a c h e r A c t i v i t y G u i d e

Random House paperback • 0-679-88953-1

Featured books and their themes are:

The Berenstain Bears . . .

. . .Accept No Substitutes Substitute Teachers

. . . and No Guns Allowed Violence

. . . and the Dress Code Individuality

. . . and the Drug Free Zone Drug Awareness

. . . and the Nerdy Nephew Appreciating Differences

. . . and the New Girl in Town Conflict Resolution

. . . and the Red-Handed Thief Stealing

. . . and the School Scandal Sheet Freedom of the Press

. . . and the Wheelchair Commando Disabilities

About This GuideThrough their books, Stan and Jan Berenstainhave helped generations of children deal withissues ranging from sibling rivalry to self-acceptance. Now, in their newest book, TheBerenstain Bears and No Guns Allowed, theycome face to face with the timely issue ofguns and violence in schools.

This guide offers educators important tools touse a number of the Big Chapter Books™ intheir classrooms.While highlighting some ofthe more universal themes, the guide focuseson the new book and examines the very realissue of children and violence. It encouragesteachers to examine, with their students,some of the factors that may be contributingto the problem—television, movies, videogames, and dangerous Internet sites.This guideis only a beginning to opening discussions withstudents. We hope you find it useful.

About the BookAbout the BookOnce again, the Berenstains have focused on a subject of great concern forparents and kids alike: guns.When Ferdy, the nerd, gets paired with Too-Tall,the jock, in an assignment to study inventions, the one subject they can agreeon is guns.While Ferdy’s interest is strictly intellectual,Too-Tall’s is, unfortu-nately, basically bang-bang.The whole class learns a valuable lesson: in thewrong hands, guns can be bad business—whether they are real or toys.

MediaDiscuss whether students think that graphic imageson television, in movies and videos, and on Internetsites have a negative influence on society. Do theyencourage some young people to commit acts of violence? Why, or why not? Divide the class into twoteams for a debate. Give each team ample time togather facts. After the debate, have the classdetermine which team won, by making a list of thepros and cons of each team’s argument. Have the students polish their debating skills by inviting in parents and other classes. Lead a group discussion.

Have each student spend time with a parent or adultand a television guide to determine the best programsto watch.Which shows are educational? Which featureintriguing plots and likable characters? Challenge students to create class criteria for ranking shows.Present the winning and losing programs on a bulletin board.

CensorshipWhen talking about the problem of violence in BearCountry, Miss Glitch recommends removing all “violent literature” from the library shelves. Have students define censorship. How would they feel ifthey were suddenly not allowed to read a book thatused to be in the school library? Have the class make a list of books that may be considered violent or disturbing to some people, including Miss Glitch.

GenderDiscuss whether “bang, bang, shoot ’em up” gamesare just for boys. Do girls also like to play thesegames? Have the class identify action figures, games,music groups, and trends that are popular today.Which ones do both girls and boys enjoy? What toysand games are specific for each? Have the class makea chart presenting this information.

Classroom Classroom

ResearchHave students work in small groups to present information about gun control and gun safety.Challenge students to find out the latest laws concerning guns.Ask them to research and explain the Brady Bill. Students can contact the Center toPrevent Handgun Violence, located at 1225 Eye StreetNW, Suite 1100,Washington, DC 20005, and use thefollowing Internet sources for more information:www.handguncontrol.org/www.childrensdefense.org/

ArtProvide groups of students with large pieces of butcher paper and art materials. Have each group illustrate a memorial to young victims of violence.

MusicDo students believe that certain songs can encourageviolent behavior? Identify some of them.What songsmight encourage peace? Can music alone be blamed?What other factors must be taken into account? Askstudents if they think that some musicians might purposely choose names for their bands that evokeviolent images.Why? Share these names of actualbands with students, and ask them to imagine themusic that each name suggests.

Social StudiesAsk students to describe what makes them feel safe atschool. Have them propose ways to make their schoola safer place.Ask students how law enforcement officialscould be involved. Parents? What kind of after-schoolprograms might be implemented to prevent schoolviolence? Encourage children to involve their communityin these safety initiatives.

MathDiscuss whether people can watch too much television.Have your students survey the school body to determinethe average number of hours a week that a studentspends watching TV, doing homework, playing videogames.Ask them to graph the results.

DramaToo-Tall turned into a “shivering, shaking bowl full of jelly,” while Ferdy “kept his cool.” Have studentsexplain how these two characters might have switchedroles. Challenge students to describe the personalitiesof each member of Too-Tall’s gang.

Pre-Reading ActivityPre-Reading ActivityAsk students about their attitudes toward guns. Do theybelieve guns have a place in society? How do they feel aboutyoung people who have access to guns? Have students collectrecent newspaper articles about young people and violence.What are the stories behind the tragedies? What conclusions canbe made about guns from the news stories? Check out the Website of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, located inWashington, D.C., to find statistics about gun violence. (See“Research,” below.)

ConnectionsConnections

The cubs have had enough of MissGlitch and her stuffy school newspa-per, so they decide to take mattersinto their own hands and publish twonewspapers—the one that Miss Glitchhas approved, and one that comes asa complete surprise to her and therest of the school! The bears learn allabout the First Amendment—whichincludes freedom of the press—asthey revamp the Glitchville Gazette.

Themes• Freedom of the Press• Honesty• School rules

Character TalkDo you think Queenie acted respon-sibly when she put the story in thepaper without Brother’s permission?Did it take guts to publish The CubReporter? Do you think the cubs gota fair punishment?

Let’s DiscussWhat does freedom of the pressmean to you? When is it not all rightto print a story? What does slandermean?

One Step BeyondPublish a class newspaper! Havethe class research what goes intomaking a newspaper.Then have students decide on the content, andchallenge them to write editorialsthat describe how they feel aboutcertain issues.

Exploring Other Berenstain BearsBig Chapter BooksExploring Other Berenstain BearsBig Chapter Books™

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Make way for Nerdy Ferdy, thegenius with the bad attitude. Ferdy isso stuck-up, he corrects textbooksand his teacher’s grammar for sport.But Brother and Sister—who areinvolved in Operation Ferdy, a planto help Ferdy fit in—soon realizethat sometimes cubs are so afraid ofnot belonging, they go out of theirway to be different.

Themes• Getting along with others• Appreciating differences• Friendship

Character TalkIs it mean for Queenie to use Ferdy?What is she trying to accomplish?Do you think Ferdy is cool or uncool?What makes someone cool?

Let’s DiscussWhat is peer pressure? How does itmake a person do something he orshe might not ordinarily do? Is fittingin always easy? What are some posi-tive ways to fit in with the crowd?What advice about fitting in could yougive a child who’s new at your school?

One Step BeyondPublish advice! Have students publish a kid’s guide to fitting in,complete with tips from students ofvarying ages and an advice column.Teachers may want to distribute thefinished product to other classes.

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Newfangled fashions are the rage atBear Country School. But when thefaculty decides that the cubs havetaken their fashion fads too far and asuper-strict dress code is enforced,the cubs protest. But isn’t Queenie’sbright red body stocking and veryshort skirt the same outfit that hermother wore as a cub? As everyonelearns, fashions come and go.

Themes• Fashion• Decision-making• Individuality

Character TalkDid Sister do anything wrong bywearing jeans with big kneeholes andkeeping it from her parents? Why doyou think she did it?

Let’s DiscussWhat do your clothes say about you?Have students describe their own per-sonal style. Do students prefer casualdress, such as jeans and a T-shirt, or dothey like to dress up in fancy clothes?

One Step BeyondThe perfect school uniform? Dostudents believe that schools shouldhave a dress code? What are thearguments for it? Against it? Whichargument is stronger? Should boysand girls wear the same thing? Haveeach student design the perfectschool uniform, encouraging them tobe as detailed as possible. Have stu-dents share their designs, and hold aclass vote on the winning uniform.

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Who is responsible for bringing drugsinto Bear Country? Is it the infamousToo-Tall and his gang? Is it RalphRipoff? Is it the new Ugly Roomer?Brother, Sister, and Freddy try tosolve the mystery, using their beginnerdetective skills. But danger lurks, andthe cubs realize that drug dealing isbig-time crime that should be solvedby Chief Bruno and his force.

Themes• Drug awareness• Detective skills

Character TalkWhat kind of character is RalphRipoff? How do you think Too-Tallshould be punished for his involvement?

Let’s DiscussWhat does it mean that “you can’talways tell a book by its cover?” Howis the saying relevant to this story?What is a drug-free zone? What doesit mean that the only drug-free zoneis the one in your heart?

One Step BeyondLaunch a schoolwide drug-freecampaign! Separate students intogroups to write drug awareness messages for the lower grades,to meet with a police officer, to organize an assembly, and to work on slogans and songs that can beused to spread the word around the community.

The Berenstain Bears provide young readers with insight into the real world. Childrenlearn how to cope with a multitude of issues—fitting in, getting along, standing up forwhat you believe, and much more.These paperback chapter books feature lively illustrations that will entertain even the most reluctant reader.

Harry McGill, the new kid in town,is determined not to make one singlefriend. Convinced that the only reasonother cubs may talk to him is to findout how he ended up in a wheelchair,he distributes computer printoutsthat explain how he became disabled.But Harry’s computer savvy and basketball-playing skills aren’t the onlythings he has to offer his schoolmates.Once he lets down his guard, Harrycan’t help but fit right in.

Themes• Disabilities• Computer skills• Making friends• Appreciating differences

Character TalkHow can you explain Too-Tall’schanging attitude toward Harry? Whywas Too-Tall jealous? Do you thinkit’s healthy for Harry to spend somuch time at his computer?

Let’s DiscussDefine the word disability. Do youthink some people act as if they areafraid of a disabled person? If so, why?

One Step BeyondRole play. Have students simulatewhat it would be like to have a disability. Have students blindfold apartner, direct him or her around theclassroom or school grounds, thenswitch roles. Discuss the experience.Was it scary? Did students feel asthough they were going to get hurt?Did they know where they were atall times? How did they feel abouttheir partners? Ask students toresearch the history of the SpecialOlympics. How does having the rightattitude help a disabled person?

When Brother catches sight of thebeautiful new cub, Bonnie Brown, hecan’t take his eyes off her. But thereare big problems: she’s a Grizzly andhe’s a Bear. Can these star-crossedcubs teach everyone a lesson by starring in Romeo and Juliet todemonstrate that family feuds canresult in tragedy?

Themes• Differences• Conflict resolution• Shakespeare• First kiss

Character TalkWhy do you think Brother is so shywhen it comes to girls?

Let’s DiscussWhy do people fight? List the mostcommon reasons for feuding amongfriends, families, and strangers.Whatusually happens when tempers flare?What are some positive ways tosolve a disagreement?

One Step BeyondHost a Shakespeare extravaganza.Research the life and plays of WilliamShakespeare. Have students shareinformation about the stories, thelanguage, and the characters inShakespeare’s plays. Have groups of students perform various scenes.Some children may interpret thescenes, while others translateShakespeare’s dialogue into contemporary language.

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Has Mr. Dweebish, the new socialstudies teacher, gone too far in hisefforts to demonstrate the principlesof his Foundations of Democracycourse? When several cubs reportthat they’ve been robbed, the cubsassume that Too-Tall and his gang areto blame. But as Mr. Dweebishexplains, without evidence,“you’reinnocent until proven guilty.” Whenthe evidence points to Mr. Dweebish,the cubs learn a valuable lesson.

Themes• Stealing• Democracy

Character TalkDo you think Mr. Dweebish was agood teacher? Was it wrong for himto demonstrate his ideas to the classthe way he did? Did he have a respon-sibility to be truthful to his students?What did they learn from him?

Let’s DiscussWhat is your school’s policy on steal-ing? What would happen if peopledidn’t need evidence to charge a person with a crime?

One Step Beyond“Innocent until proven guilty.”Challenge students to think of sever-al examples where this axiom couldwork for or against a person.

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Even though Ms. Barr, the new substitute teacher, has to endure afrog wriggling around her blouse anda bucket of ice-cold water on herhead,Too-Tall doesn’t get the best ofher. Too-Tall’s Operation Substitutefails miserably when Ms. Barr surpriseseveryone with her black belt inkarate. And Brother learns the hardlesson that fitting in with the crowdisn’t worth it when it’s at theexpense of someone else.

Themes• Substitute teacher• Karate• Fitting in

Character TalkWhy did it feel good for Brother andFreddy to be part of Too-Tall’s planand to be called “one of the guys”?

Let’s DiscussDid you ever do something for thesake of fitting in? What were theconsequences?

Why do you think some people tryto torment a substitute teacher?What advice can you think of to help a new substitute teacher?

One Step BeyondRole play. Have students pretend thatthey are substitute teachers. Howwould they endure students like Too-Tall and his gang? Have children writestories about their adventures as asubstitute teacher. Encourage themto interview a substitute for someinput as to the challenges they face.

Teaching ideas by Jamie Kyle McGillian, freelance education writer.

About the Authors Stan & Jan Berenstain got their start in 1956, when they first began the feature It’s All in the Family in

McCall’s/Good Housekeeping Magazine.Their first Berenstain Bear book, The Big Honey Hunt, was published in

1962, and the Berenstain Bears have been touching generations of young children ever since! Learn more about

Stan & Jan and all the Berenstain Bears at their official Web site: www.berenstainbears.com

Berenstain Bears Big Chapter Books™

The Perfect Read-Alouds for Your Classroom!

Random House Children’s BooksSchool & Library Marketing1540 BroadwayNew York, NY 10036

Random House Children’s Books • School & Library Marketing1540 Broadway • New York, NY 10036

BN523 2/00Printed in the U.S.A. Suggested Retail Value: $6.95

About Big Chapter Books™

Stan & Jan Berenstain’s Big Chapter Books™• tell easy-to-read, simple stories, dealing with a wide

range of subjects and contemporary situations• provide young readers with insight into the real world• teach children how to cope with a multitude of issues• feature bright illustrations that entertain and charm

even the most reluctant reader• are all available in paperback!