Story Summary

The story follows the notorious Herdman children, widely known as the worst kids in town. When they unexpectedly attend church and become involved in the annual Christmas pageant, they take over the leading roles. Their lack of knowledge about the Christmas story leads to confusion, unexpected questions, and humorous situations that leave the church community wondering if the pageant will be a disaster.

As rehearsals progress, the Herdmans begin to see the Christmas story in a completely different way than everyone else. Their honest and heartfelt interpretation transforms the traditional pageant into a meaningful experience, teaching the community important lessons about compassion, acceptance, and not judging people based on their reputation.

Learning Expectations

Students will:

• Practice the major strategies used during the reading process.
• Practice and reinforce a variety of language skills.
• Develop a love for humorous reading.
• Improve and develop creativity.
• Be assessed through the use of a novel as a teaching tool.

Introduction

Introduction Includes

• Expectations
• Story Summary
• Author Biography
• Teacher Input Suggestions
• Directed Reading Approach
• Informal Reading Approach
• Parts of a Novel
• Reproducible Activity Booklet Guidelines
• Novel Assessment Information
• Features of the Novel Study
• Skills Featured in the Unit
• Vocabulary by Chapter
• Group Discussion Questions by Chapter

Chapter Questions

• Student Booklet Cover
• Answer Key: Chapter Questions
• Cloze Reading Activities with Answer Key
• Characters in the Novel Worksheet
• Remembering and Predicting Worksheet

Chapter 1 - Meet the Herdmans

Skills Covered

• Reading comprehension
• Character analysis
• Scientific equipment identification
• Illustration activities
• Cause and effect
• Vocabulary development

Chapter 2 - Sunday School Dessert

Skills Covered

• Reading comprehension
• Pageant role identification
• Reverse alphabetical order
• Verb tenses
• Word manipulation
• Vocabulary activities

Chapter 3 - The Herdmans Volunteer

Skills Covered

• Character analysis
• Christmas vocabulary
• Main idea development
• Definitions
• Creative thinking
• Program design

Chapter 4 - The Christmas Story

Skills Covered

• Reading comprehension
• Similes
• FBI report writing
• Vocabulary development
• Unscrambling words
• Interpretation and inference

Chapter 5 - Rehearsals

Skills Covered

• Reading comprehension
• Synonyms
• Rebus puzzles
• Character study
• Library and research connections
• Creative responses

Chapter 6 - Where There's Smoke There's Fire

Skills Covered

• Sequencing
• Recipes
• Word webs
• Grammar and word building
• True/False comprehension
• Prediction activities

Chapter 7 - The Performance

Skills Covered

• Reading comprehension
• Prediction
• Illustration
• Theme analysis
• Character interpretation
• Reflective thinking  

Epilogue

Skills Covered

• Character development
• Prediction
• Creative writing
• Future thinking activities

Novel Extension Activities

Creative Writing

Activity 1

• Writing a Letter to the Author

Activity 2

• Writing and Directing a Skit
• Video Production Activity

Activity 3

• Composing a Song using the "Twelve Days of Christmas" format

Activity 4

• Character Riddles

Activity 5

• Writing a Sequel

Activity 6

• Writing a Cinquain Poem

Activity 7

• Writing About the Funniest Event in the Story

Activity 8

• Writing an Acrostic Poem

Art Activities

Art Activity 1

• Book Advertisement Poster

Art Activity 2

• Cartooning Fun (Comic Strip)

Art Activity 3

• Designing a Book Jacket

Art Activity 4

• Book Mobile

Art Activity 5

• A Puzzling Scene

Art Activity 6

• Scene Diorama

Art Activity 7

• Making a Model

Art Activity 8

• Book Cube

Art Activity 9

• Scene and Description Illustration

Art Activity 10

• Family Portrait of the Herdmans

Additional Activities

• Word Scramble Activity
• Word Search Activity

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