Children's Book Press - Cooper's Lesson

Describe, Don't Just Tell
Students practice using figurative language and sensory details in their writing.

30-40 minutes a day over one week

Large group and individual

CA Writing Standard 1.0: Students progress through the stages of the writing process.

Paper and pens or pencils; highlighters or colored pens

Plan

	In a large group, point out places in the story where the author uses figurative language to describe how Cooper feels. Some examples include page 10, “his tongue lay as heavy and still in his mouth as a dead fish;” page 12, “The Korean writing on the cans and boxes seemed to dance off the labels” and “Cooper felt hot prickles under his skin;” and page 20, “The Korean word for tree rose in his mind, surprising him, like a fish breaking the surface of a calm pond.” As a class, discuss what these descriptions mean and how they make the reader understand Cooper's experiences.
	Together, brainstorm other ways that authors can make readers see and feel what their characters are experiencing. Ask students to find examples of sensory details, active verbs, and strong adjectives in the book that inspire them.
	Tell students that they're going to write their own stories describing a time they learned a lesson. Remind students that, as in *Cooper's Lesson, their stories will be more interesting if they describe* how the characters see and feel rather than telling the reader about it.
	Ask students to plan out their writing by making notes about what they saw, heard, smelled, and touched in their stories. Then, ask them to think about some similes and metaphors they might use to explain how they felt, in the same way Sun Yung Shin uses figurative language to describe Cooper's emotions. Finally, tell students to write out the lesson they learned in a sentence that starts “I learned . . . ” – and then to cross out that sentence. Then encourage them to describe how they learned that lesson without saying so explicitly.

Draft

Using their notes, students draft their narratives. Remind students as they write that they want to make sure each story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and that they include as many sensory details, active verbs, and examples of figurative language as possible.

Revise

	Have students share their stories with a partner. Ask the partners to use a colored pen to underline or highlight examples of describe don't tell descriptions that they really like. Then, ask the partners to write underneath the story what lesson they think the character in the story learned.
	Ask students to reread their stories and their partner's feedback. Places where they don't see a lot of underlining or highlighting should be their focus for revision. How can they add figurative language, active verbs, and sensory details to their story?
	Ask authors to look at the lessons their readers wrote down under the stories. Do they match the lessons they learned? If not, how can they change their story to better show themselves learning that lesson?

Edit

Ask students to reread and edit their drafts for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Read their drafts and mark errors for correction. Encourage students to use a word wall, a dictionary, personal punctuation rules lists, or other classroom references as they edit.

Publish

Publish final drafts by posting them on a bulletin board, sharing them through an “author's chair,” or binding them and adding them to your classroom library.

Other Writing Activities

	*Stories from the Past:* Talk with your class about how Cooper was surprised by Mr. Lee's past. Have them interview an elder about their personal histories and write essays in the first person telling their stories.
	*Half and Half:* Ask students to write about a time when they've felt like they were “half and half,” or like they didn't fit in with a group of people, like Cooper feels at the beginning of the story. Alternatively, ask students to write “I belong here” essays about places that they feel connected to.

Crime and Punishment
Students discuss the ways that Cooper's theft could impact him, Mr. Lee, and the community. They draw connections between these consequences and the legal system. Finally, students consider the positive roles that they can play in their community.

30 min.

Whole class and pairs

CA Social Studies Standard 3.4.1: Students determine the reasons for rules, laws, and the U.S. Constitution; the role of citizenship in the promotion of rules and laws; and the consequences for people who violate rules and laws.

Blackboard and chalk, or chart-paper and markers

Ask your students to think about what would have happened if Cooper had successfully stolen the hairbrush from Mr. Lee. What might have been the consequences of this action, for Cooper, for Mr. Lee, and for their community? On a piece of chart paper or the blackboard, record student responses.
Ask the class whether they think there should be a rule against stealing. Why or why not? Encourage them to think about the consequences of Cooper's action as they present their opinions.
Explain to students that a law is a special kind of rule that is made and enforced by the government. Some laws work to protect the well being of individuals and their community. Discuss with students how a law against theft could help Cooper, Mr. Lee, and the community as a whole. What do students think should be the punishment for stealing?
Ask students what they would have done if they were Cooper's friends and they saw him steal the hairbrush. How could they help him understand the consequences of his decision? With partners, have students role-play the situation. Have pairs share the strategies they developed with the class.

Other Social Studies Activities

	*Breaking Stereotypes:* Discuss the different stereotypes that Cooper and Mr. Lee face. Ask your students how they make decisions about people, and whether they think those decisions are always fair. What might they not know about people based on their appearance or how they speak a language?
	*Immigration Stories:* Ask students to interview immigrants they know about their experiences, both as young people in their home countries and as newcomers to the United Sates. Encourage students to explore cultural and other differences between the two countries.
	*Korean American Connections:* As a group, explore Mr. Lee's journey from Korea to the United States. On a map, identify Korea, the United States, and the distance between the two. What traditions do immigrants bring with them? What do they have to leave behind? Have students do research on the Korean community in the United States by interviewing immigrants, reading books, or looking on the Web.
	*Drawing Words:* Explore the graphic nature of the Korean alphabet with students. Compare written Korean words with Chinese ideographs and Japanese writing to understand the differences between Asian writing systems. Practice writing simple words in each language.

Reflected Selves
Students create self-portraits illustrating what they hope to find reflected in the mirror, based on the cover of Cooper's Lesson.

45 min.

Individual

Construction paper and oil pastels, or standard copy paper and colored pencils.

With your students, examine the cover image from Cooper's Lesson. Ask students what they think Cooper sees in his reflection. Remind them that this scene is taken from the beginning of the book; it is a variation of the image on pages 4 and 5. Ask students how the image might be different if it were at the end of the book, once Cooper has learned so many lessons.

Next, ask class members to think about what they might see in their own reflections. What would they hope to find inside of themselves? How might those characteristics show in their faces? If they were to use their imaginations, what might characteristics that people normally don't see look like in a reflection?

Ask students to draw self-portraits of themselves looking in a mirror. These images should include their actual faces – what other people might see in them – and their reflected faces illustrating what they see in themselves.

Create an art gallery to showcase student work.

Other Art Activities

Mood Portraits: Ask the class to look at the colors that Kim Cogan uses in the illustrations for Cooper's Lesson. How do the different colors express Cooper's feelings? Ask students to create their own illustrations of an emotion, using colors to convey how they feel.

Making Soo Jung
Students practice multiplication and division skills to change the quantities of a recipe for a Korean sweet ginger drink. They use measurement and estimation to follow the recipe steps. As they follow the recipe, they make predictions, observations, and conclusions about the nature of physical and chemical changes.

Day One: 1 hourDay Two: 30 minutes

Whole class

CA Math Number Sense Standard 2.0: Students calculate and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

CA Math Measurement and Geometry Standard 1.1: Students choose the appropriate tools and units (metric and U.S.) and estimate and measure the length, liquid volume, and weight/mass of given objects.

CA Science Standard 1.f: Students know evaporation and melting are changes that occur when the objects are heated.

CA Science Standard 1.g: Students know that when two or more substances are combined, a new substance may be formed with properties that are different from those of the original materials.

CA Science Standard 5.c: Students will use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements

CA Science Standard 5.d: Students will predict the outcome of a simple investigation and compare the result with the prediction.

CA Science Standard 5.e: Students will collect data in an investigation and analyze those data to develop a logical conclusion.

Chart paper and markers; an overhead transparency with the recipe for soo jung (click to download); gingerroot; cinnamon sticks; brown sugar; water; pine nuts; solid and liquid measuring cups; assorted measuring spoons; soup pot; stove top or range; pitcher and cups.

Remind students that Cooper originally went to Mr. Lee's store to buy ginger. Tell students that they are going to make soo jung, which is a Korean drink made from gingerroot. Before they can make it, however, they have to figure out how much to make.

Show students the recipe for soo jung on the overhead projector. Point out that this recipe only serves 10 people. Ask students what they need to do to the quantities shown in the recipe to make it for their whole class. Have the class multiply the recipe by the appropriate factor to meet your class's needs.

Once students have decided how much of a recipe they need to make, ask them to look at the ingredients. What do they observe? Ask them to be as specific as possible and to use all of their senses in making their observations. Record their observations about each ingredient on a piece of chart paper.

Now that all of the observations are recorded, ask students to help you add the ingredients to the pot. As you add each ingredient, ask students to use their estimation skills to decide which measuring cup or spoon to use. On your chart, record how much of each ingredient you added to the mixture.

Look at the quantities of your ingredients. Add them together, calculating the total volume of what you have put in the pot. Ask the class to practice estimating the volume of the spices as you do so.

Before you boil the mixture, ask the class to predict what they think will happen to the ingredients. What will they see, hear, and smell? Record these predictions on a piece of chart paper. As steam rises, explain the concept of evaporation.

Next, ask volunteers to observe the mixture as it comes to a boil. Record their observations next to the class's original predictions. Again, prompt for data based on what students see, hear, and smell.

Before you put the mixture away, ask the class to make additional predictions. What will happen when the soo jung cools overnight? Why?

The next day, have the class observe the finished drink. Compare these observations to their observations from the day before. How did the mixture change after being chilled? Why did it change more from being boiled?

Finally, measure the total volume of the liquid. Compare the new volume to the total volume of the original ingredients and discuss why it is smaller. Ask the class to make conclusions about the nature and causes of the changes that they see.

Other Math Activities

Calculating Earnings and Savings: Create word problems to help your students practice thinking about the value of their money. Give Cooper an hourly wage at Mr. Lee's store and ask students to calculate how much money he earns in one week. How long would Cooper need to work to buy the hairbrush for his mother? How much would he have to save over time to buy himself a present? To make a donation to a group of people he wants to help?

Grocery Shopping: Ask students to pretend that they are Mr. Lee and that they have to make change for people who are buying groceries. Develop word problems that help students practice addition and subtraction skills by totaling up the cost of items, adding tax, and subtracting the total from $5, $10, or $20 bills.

Other Science Activities

	*Understanding Chemistry:* Before Mr. Lee came to the United States, he was a chemist. What is chemistry? What do chemists do? Where do they work? Have your class research the questions.
	*Plant Life Cycles:* Cooper's mother asks him to buy some gingerroot. With your students, use ginger as an example, as you identify the different parts of a plant and the roles they play in plant life cycles. If your class has access to a microscope, have students take a look at a piece of ginger under the microscope.
	*Observation Skills:* Distribute small pieces of gingerroot to the class. Ask students to practice their observation skills and to describe their pieces as specifically as possible. As a group, come up with some common characteristics of all the pieces of gingerroot. Then, provide a very specific description of one particular piece of gingerroot and ask the class to figure out which piece it is.