<p align=center><font size=5>Maria Cisneros<br>Teacher Education Portfolio</font></

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From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

For my first literature lesson in my fourth grade service learning classroom, I read Chapter 2 of the book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The children were reading the book as a class, so my literary discussion served as great review for them. In addition to reading to the class, I also created three worksheets that they got to complete and share with each other. It was a great activity and the children enjoyed it very much.

Literary Selection

Title: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Author and Illustrator: E.L. Konigsburg

Date of Publication: 1967

Number of Pages: 162

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Recommended Grade Level: Intermediate

Estimated Time: 45 minutes (will only read chapter 2)

Plot Summary

Claudia Kincaid decides to run away from home with her younger brother Jamie, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to escape the bore and injustices of every day life. In this chapter, Claudia and Jamie prepare to run away by packing some of their belongings into their trumpet and violin cases. After they board the school bus, they sit together with their heads low so the bus driver will forget about them. Once the bus driver parks the bus and gets off, they set off on their journey.

Reader Response Activity

Students will complete three worksheets in which they will draw reasons they would run away, write about the things they would pack, and use adjectives to describe what Claudia and Jamie might have seen on the floor of the bus while they were hiding out.

Lesson Objective and Arizona Reading Standard

Students will identify the reasons why Claudia and Jamie ran away. They will then imagine they are running away and will list some reasons for which they would choose to run away. Students will pretend they are only allowed to pack 5 items. Students will draw/list the items and then write a paragraph explaining why they chose the items. (RS 2/PO1) Finally, students will answer a variety of questions about the chapter (RS 2/PO7). Students will share their worksheets with the rest of the class.

Materials and Supplies

Worksheet packet
Crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.

Prediction Questions

At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler writes a letter to her lawyer, Saxonberg, in which she talks about investigating and fitting pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. Who do you think this woman is and what part will she play in this story? (KNOWLEDGE)
In chapter 1, Claudia tells Jamie her plan and he agrees to run away with her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Do you think they will be successful, or will they get caught? (KNOWLEGDE)

Comprehension Questions

Why did Jamie try to eat the list of instructions that Claudia gave him? (COMPREHENSION)
What is chain mail? (COMPREHENSION)
When Jamie says, “Bruce pays off in pennies and nickels,” who is he talking about? (KNOWLEDGE)
Why do you think Jamie was disappointed that they would be hiding in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? (COMPREHENSION)

Discussion Questions

Have you ever hid for a really long time? How difficult was it? Did anyone find you? (APPLICATION)
Where would you hide out if you could hide out anywhere you wanted? (SYNTHESIS)
What do you think would have happened if they would have gotten caught? (SYNTHESIS)
In her preparation to run away from home, Claudia wrote her parents a note that she later mailed along with cereal box tops. What other things would you have done to prepare to run away from home? (SYNTHESIS)

Do-Overs

After I finished reading the chapter, I realized I didn’t have the necessary time to allow the children to do all three worksheets, so I let them choose two of the three. When we shared at the end, I had a few children report back to the class what they had done on each one, that way they got feedback on all three, even if they didn’t do all of them.