Where is fritz in the wretched stone

The crew members first stop reading, playing music, dancing, and working, and then finally become monkeys that simply gather around the stone and stare. The eerie light reflects off the blank faces of the monkeys like the flickering light from a television. Whether the stone is an exact metaphor for television or simply invented to describe how people can be lured away from the creative activities that bring joy and energy to life, The Wretched Stone provides an excellent forum for discussing these ideas with young people.

Find Fritz: Fritz appears as just a tail near the leg of a sailor-turned-ape in the hold of the ship. The unusual structure of the book provides a wonderful opportunity to teach young writers about how a story can be told through letters, journal entries, or, as is the case in The Wretched Stone , entries in a logbook.

If you are studying historical fiction in writing workshop, or if you are studying any historical period in social studies, you can use this book as a model for children who are writing historical journal entries for example, children studying the American pioneers' westward journey on the Oregon Trail might write a series of journal entries describing the trip. Writing in journal or letter form gives us an unusual understanding of the character's voice.

When we write in the third person, we are often describing our characters from the outside. Writing journal entries immediately helps the writer get into the mind of the character. When we write in letter form, not only are we inside the mind of the character, but we are also aiming that character's emotion and thought at another specific character. Guiding Questions for a Wretched Stone Read-aloud. What do you notice about how the story is being told?

What is different about reading journal entries as opposed to hearing the story told in the third person? What do you think this stone is? Does the description remind you of anything? Why did the men bring the stone on board?

What is happening to the crew members? Why aren't they reading or dancing anymore? Why have the crew members turned into monkeys? Why do you think the crew members who knew how to read recovered most quickly? You may present the lesson without being engaged in such an investigation, but you will need to provide your students with more support in both choosing a historical period to write about and in learning historical facts to include. You will want to set aside several periods of class time for this project, as telling a story through journal entries necessitates several journal entries, which will take more than one class period to write.

Children should be familiar with the book The Wretched Stone. Introduction: Tell your students as they gather around you in a central meeting area that you will be studying the way Chris Van Allsburg tells a story though journal entries in the book The Wretched Stone , and then trying out the process themselves in the context of whichever historical period your class has been investigating.

Teaching: Open the book and read the first page. Turning the book to face your students, ask them what they notice about the way the text is arranged on the page. They will likely notice that the entries are dated and that they are relatively brief.

Brainstorm with the students the features of persuasive writing. Reinforce that paragraphs should contain 8 sentences — topic sentence, 3 supporting points with evidence from the text, and a conclusion sentence. Assignment: write a persuasive paragraph explaining why or why not Alan should dog sit for Miss Hester again. Students should use the graphic organizer for their rough drafts, revise and edit, then complete their good copy to hand in. An argument is what you are trying to prove with your points.

In a persuasive paragraph you have an introduction, three points with three examples, and a conclusion. Persuasive Paragraph Graphic Organizer Write one complete sentence in each box. Topic sentence: should Alan be allowed to dog sit again? Read story aloud. Did Alan believe in the magic at first? How do you know? Does Miss Hester believe in magic? What evidence is there of this in the story? What do you think Alan believed at the end of the story?

Children tend to believe more easily than adults in things for which they have no concrete proof: for example, Alan easily believed that Fritz was a duck until Miss Hester told him the magician was only fooling. Other Assessment Options: There are many ways to tell a story.

Keep in mind the dialog creates the story, so be sure to include rich conversation. Also include a description of each setting as would be seen on stage. What would be the lesson to be learned? Consider how cartoons focus on the characters and often emphasize humorous aspects.

Be sure to illustrate. Feel free to redraw the characters. Gasazi is a retired magician. Miss Hester does not believe in magic. Alan believed in magic at first, but doubted his beliefs after.

Do you think Alan believed in magic at the end of the story? Why or why not? What do you think Chris Van Allsburg wanted his readers to learn about magic from the story?

Support your answer with evidence from the text. Choose five stickies from each column to record on chart paper. Chris Van Allsburg has a very distinct way of creating mystery in his stories. He leaves clues that are clear enough to provoke thinking and guessing but not so blunt as to remove the sense of mystery and wonder. I wonder … Ex. I think … Ex. Brainstorm a list of possibilities as to who the stranger could be — have students support their ideas with evidence from the story. Record valuable contributions on active participation class list.

What does it mean when mercury is stuck at the bottom of a thermometer? Do you think the thermometer is really broken? Why do you think the rabbits are so comfortable with him? What do we know about the season when we see geese flying toward the south?

Why is the stranger so fascinated by the geese he sees? What is happening when the stranger blows on the leaf? Look closely at the picture. What changes about the leaf as he blows on it? Look closely at his face. What does his expression mean? Who do you think the stranger is? Give each group a piece of chart paper and markers. Groups will create a chart that shows three different theories for who the stranger is and gives two supporting points from the story for each theory.

Display posters as groups finish. I have a favorite mood I like in my art. I like things to be mysterious. What qualities of the paintings help make the mood of the story mysterious? Have students discuss their ideas with a partner then share with the whole group. Look for the contrast in each illustration.

What effect does the contrast have on the picture or the viewer. Ask students if this is how they would have drawn the stranger? How would they change him?

Why do they think Chris Van Allsburg chose to make the stranger look as he does? Oral read The Stranger to the students. Display the story on the overhead or projector so students follow along.

Hand out reading packages to groups: 3 — 4 pages per group. Have groups practise reading orally — concentrating on pronunciation, expression and phrasing paying attention to punctuation. Tell students their groups should sound like one voice.

Allow groups to practise reading aloud numerous times — provide different locations for groups to practise without distraction. The dog Van Allsburg created in that book has appeared in most of his other books since then. The dog, Fritz, is special to Van Allsburg, because he is based on a real dog Van Allsburg once knew. Can you find Fritz in The Stranger?

Groups will choral read their parts in order. Display pictures from story as groups read. Assess groups for choral reading fluency as they perform. Answer: Fritz the dog is hidden among a flock of sheep.

What character traits could we use to describe him? As a class, create a character trait web on the blackboard. For each character trait, have students provide supporting details from the story.

For each valuable contribution, record on active participation class list. In pairs, students will complete one character web — they may choose Mr.

Bailey or Katy. Character webs should contain at least 5 character traits and supporting details from the story. Webs should also include a picture of how you think they character should look. Remind students character clues can be found in the words and the pictures of a story. Extension: - Discuss the difference between a flat character that is simple and predictable and an interesting character that is complex and surprising. Who is it? How are they connected?

What effect will the character have on the stranger? Create a web to explain this new character. Make a bulletin board display about Chris Van Allsburg. Collect one or two examples of each of the activities students have completed thus far and intermix with pictures of the cover pages of Chris Van Allsburg stories. Remember to include some interesting quotes, facts, and websites to visit.

Draw it. What it the big picture? Reread The Stranger to the class. Have question on the blackboard for students to respond to: In your reflection today, discuss how the Bailey family treated the stranger.

How did their feelings toward him change? What do you think Chris Van Allsburg wants us to learn from this story? Provide supporting evidence from the story to support your ideas. Just For Fun Ideas: The stranger is not a normal human—if he is human at all. Challenge your students to create a character that has human traits, as the stranger does, but is in some way magical as well. Make your own story about how the seasons change; create an unusual explanation for a natural process.

What would happen if the seasons didn't change when they were supposed to? Write a story about the trouble this could cause. Recreate the story with tableaux. Have each group create three tableaux — one from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end. Challenge the students to come up with an idea for another illustration for the story. What event would they choose to illustrate? Create it. Do this before students enter the room. Turn off the lights.

Lead students into the darkened room and have them sit in a circle, away from the posters. Teacher will turn on her flashlight and read the introduction, written by Chris Van Allsburg, from the portfolio edition to the class see attached. Remaining silent, students will begin to walk around the room, looking at the different posters from the story.

Tell students to read the story title and caption and study the illustrations for each poster. Did you know that students can publish their stories Harris Burdick online? The contest is now finished, but students can still submit their stories online.

New stories will be posted each month, and periodically writers will be selected at random to receive books autographed by Chris Van Allsburg and other Burdick-inspired items. What can they infer from each illustration? After the ten seconds, rearrange groups, if necessary, so that there are 3 students per group.

Allow groups 3 minutes to discuss what is happening in their pictures, and create a 3 scene tableaux before, during, after for the picture. When time is up, present to the class. Have students switch groups and repeat activity a few times. Though Mr. Burdick explained that he had written fourteen stories and had drawn many pictures for each one. Peter Wenders was fascinated by the drawings. He told Burdick he would like to read the stories that went with them as soon as possible. The artist agreed to bring the stories the next morning.

He left the fourteen drawings with Wenders. But he did not return the next day. Or the day after that. Excerpts from the log of the ship the Rita Anne. Related Products. More Info Add To Wishlist. Chris Walley. A captain's log records the puzzling transformation of his ship's sailors after a glowing rock from an uncharted island is brought aboard.

Once again, Van Allsburg voyages into an unknown territory that is mystical and eerie--though his somewhat overblown prose substitutes unsettling obfuscation for dramatic storytelling. His sharp-edged, ultra-realistic paintings are a marvel in their own right, from the otherworldly luminiscence of the ominous island to the deep indigos used to create the stillness of the ship and sea by night to oddly angled, even dizzying perspectives of the ship's hold and mast.

All ages. Have a question about this product? Ask us here. What do you think this stone is? Does the description remind you of anything? Why did the men bring the stone on board? What is happening to the crew members? Why aren't they reading or dancing anymore? Why have the crew members turned into monkeys? Why do you think the crew members who knew how to read recovered most quickly?

Why do you think the boy decides to go sailing despite the fisherman's warning? Even though the sailor was kind in taking the boy in and trying to teach him to sail above the waves, the boy sneaks out and tries again on his own.

Why is he taking advantage of the sailor's hospitality? What makes the Zephyr fall? Do you think the old man's story is true, or do you think he simply became unconscious and dreamed the whole thing?

Do you have any ideas about the old man's identity? What in the book makes you think that? The students can also read the poem Queen of the mist and compare it to the book and make connections. This is a really short book Mostly Pictures.

Leaves the reader wondering if it was really just a dream, like many of his books. What is happening on the first page without words? Van Allsburg writes that Ben gets a little sleepy, "in fact, very sleepy. But then. Ben, in his house floating on the sea, passes some very interesting places. Can you recognize these places? Can you name them? Do you know where these places are in real life?

When Ben passes the Sphinx, he sees another house. Who do you think is in the window? Why do you think that? At the end, we learn that Ben and Margaret have had the same dream. Do you think it was really a dream? How could two people have the very same dream? In this story, the character transforms based on what he sees in his book.

Student can analyze hs transformation and discuss the theme or moral of the book by adding it to the chart. What do you think of the way Walter tosses his wrappers on the ground and makes fun of Rose's tree?

What do these behaviors tell us about Walter's character? At the beginning of the story, Walter thinks that life will be much easier in the future, with robots and machines to help us do everything. Do you agree or disagree? What do you think the future will be like?

As you read the story to your students, pause at several scenes in Walter's dream journey and discuss the issues described. For example: Why do you think there are no more fish in the sea in Walter's dream?