Let’s face it, we can all think of a time in our lives when we felt lonely or left out. Kyo Maclear’s book, Spork, is all about that feeling. Through the use of kitchen cutlery, Maclear tells a story about a character that feels like they don’t quite fit into their community. This is such an important lesson for students to learn about the importance and value of diversity within their community. We are so excited to have this book companion available for teachers to use in their classrooms with students. - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Spork was different from all of the other cutlery in his kitchen. He was part fork and park spoon. It was very unusual for cutlery to be mixed like Spork was, and people did not seem to understand what he was. Spork felt lonely and was never placed at the table like spoons and forks were. He felt like if you could just pick one thing to be, things would be easier. He decided to wear a round hat but the forks thought he was too round. Next, Spork tried a crown but the spoons thought he was too pointy.
One day, the “messy eater” arrived and made a mess of the kitchen despite the spoons and forks efforts. Spork realized the messy easter needed something that could scoop and poke, something flexible and easy to hold. When Spork presented himself to the baby, he realized he had finally found his place at the table.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Spork is a great mentor text for teaching students important reading comprehension strategies, writing skills, and grammar concepts. All of our book companions come with activities that relate to these subject areas. Check out just some of the skills included in our book companion!
- Practice sequencing the important events in the book.
- Have students practice identifying the theme of the book.
- Integrate poetry by asking students to write acrostic poems.
- Ask students to get creative and write their own versions of the story.
- Use examples from the book to teach a lesson on base words and plural nouns.
- Teach a lesson on interjections and how authors use them.
- Discuss the importance of appreciating and valuing diversity within a community.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This resource is all you will need when it comes to planning your read aloud for the book Spork. Gone are the days when you have to brainstorm discussion questions, look online for student activities, and spend hours gathering resources. Now everything you need is included in this book companion allowing you to make choices on what you want to use with your students.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Chopsticks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
- Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
- Spaghetti inΒ theΒ Hot Dog BunΒ by Maria Dismondy
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
