The Gullywasher

The Gullywasher

Welcome to the third year of Learning through Literature’s Homeschool Co-op Curriculum. If this is your first time here, this book: The Gullywasher, is the third of 13 books that will be covered as part of our homeschool co-op year, Learning through Literature: Exploring the United States. The class has been created for 1st – 4th graders, and is the culmination of three years of Learning through Literature together. If this is your first time looking around, please check out our first year, Learning the ABC’s through Literature. Or the second year, Learning through Literature for Homeschool Co-op.

Each year was inspired by Jane Lambert’s Five in a Row Curriculum, and uses many of the same books, but with lessons, discussion questions, and printables reworked to be more useful for a homeschool co-op.

For this third year, Learning through Literature: Exploring the United States, we will take TWO classes to cover each book. If you are using this for a co-op, you will find “Class One” and further down the page, “Class Two”. 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

The Gullywasher

If you’re not familiar with the book, you can preview it here:

by Joyce Rossi

Class 1

Things I Need:

Before the class: set out the new journal pages and the Gullywasher copywork page on their desk as you are setting up the class.

Homework:

  • Memorize the Southwest States
  • Bring in a picture of something that represents the Southwest
  • Write a story that includes “talking” / quotation marks / other words than “said” (you could also allow them to create a comic strip, explaining that what is inside of the conversation bubbles would be inside quotes)

As the class is arriving:

Encourage the students to complete the copywork on their desk. Set up maps if you haven’t already.

Review:

Take a moment to remind the class that for the last four weeks we have been reviewing the MIDWEST states. Take a moment to go through the Midwest states, either by pointing and then calling them out, or by saying them out loud together. This will be important to continue to reinforce throughout the year, as we want to have all 50 states mastered by the end of the year. As we add the new states in, we want to continue to drill the other states.

What was something significant we learned about this area of the country?

  • History: Many pioneers traveled through these places during the 1800s. Land was offered through Lincoln’s Homestead Act, and encouraged many to go farther west (into the Midwest)
  • Geography: Mostly flat, lots of prairies (fewer today), grasses,  farmland, fertile Mississippi River
  • Culture: America’s “Heartland”, laid back, slower-paced.
  • Additional answers, depending on what was discussed in class 

 

Introduce the New Book / New Region

Our story for today is called: The Gullywasher and it takes place in another region of our country called the Southwest.

Some people include Southern California in this region as well, but for our studies, we are only including four states: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

One super cool mnemonic device to remember these states:

You CAN’T cross the border without permission / passport / etc.

you California / Arizona / New Mexico / Texas cross without permission.

Or, if you want to include Oklahoma,

O, you C / A / N / ‘T cross the border without permission / passport / etc.

  • Point to the states and say their names over and over while you are mentioning these tricks to help remember.
  • Make sure they know that California is not included in this region, though southern California has a similar climate
  • Introduce Mexico (different from New Mexico) and discuss how this section of our country has been strongly influenced by the Mexican (or Spanish) culture.
  • Climate: dry, desert habitat, HOT.

 

Read the Story:

Before you begin, explain that this type of story is called a “Tall Tale” and ask if anyone knows what that means? Does anyone know of any other famous “Tall Tale” stories (John Bunyan, Davy Crockett)

If you want to involve the class in the story a little more, ask the students to raise their hands whenever they hear something in the story that is a “tall tale”. If you don’t get any responses, you could pause slightly, and then read the “tale tale” element slowly, with emphasis and turn and ask, “does THAT sound true?”

Tall Tales often have elements of truth in them, maybe a true character or a true storyline, but they include elements that are obviously stretched or completely made up as well. An exaggeration so bold that everyone who heard knew it was false.

 

After the Story:

Find The Gullywasher picture at the back of their journal, and glue it somewhere into the Southwest. The book doesn’t say what state this took place in, so just have the class glue the book somewhere in the Southwest.

After the Story Discussion:

Our class was full of giggles after this one. Bring popcorn to share and add to the story to make it more fun, if you’d like.

 

Language Arts – Quotes & Word Substitutions

Look over the copywork that they did as they were coming in. This copywork was chosen not because this is a phenomenal passage, but because of the use of two things: 1) quotations and 2) the variety of words used to express the word, “said”

For this copywork passage, it may be helpful if you write it on the board. Some children will already know this concept, for others, it will be brand new. That’s okay, that’s part of teaching in a multi-level / multi-age classroom. 

Ask the class to pull out their copywork again. Have one student read it out loud.

  • Does anyone know the name of the little “lines” scattered throughout the copywork?
  • Why is it helpful to have these quotation mark lines? (so we know who is speaking, and what is being said, this is especially helpful when reading out loud)
  • Try reading it without pauses or change in tone, and then try reading it with an extreme change in tone.
  • Write a few sample sentences on the board.
    • “I can’t wait to get home!” said Oliver.
    • “Do you like green eggs?” asked Karis

If you have time, there is one additional concept that you could introduce within the copywork: word substitution.

Tell the class: If I write a story and I only use the word “said” to mean said, my story is going to sound boring.”

Katie said, “I’m going to the store.”

“Ok,” Mom said.

Katie said, “Mom are you sure you heard me?”

Mom said, “Yes, I heard you.

Katie said, “Okay, I’m leaving now.

Mom said, “Okay”

Katie said, “MOM! I’m only 6. And you’re letting me go to the store. Are you sure you heard me?

Mom said, “KATIE! Get back here right now!”

This is just a silly story, feel free to make up your own. The point you want to get across is … when we use the same word, our writing get’s boring. In the copywork passage, the author used three different words to convey the word “said”. This makes your story more exciting. Now go back through the above example, and change a few of the words to make the story more interesting.

(Words you could substitute in place of “said”: asked, exclaimed, nodded, shouted, paused, replied, sighed, etc)

 

We also drew comic strip conversation bubbles on the board and discussed how a comic strip works, and that whatever is inside of those bubbles (not the thought bubbles), would be placed within quotes, if we were to write it in a sentence. We allowed students to create a comic strip in place of writing a conversation if they preferred.

Homework:

  • Memorize the Southwest States
  • Bring in a picture of something that represents the Southwest Region
  • The Gullywasher is the recording of a conversation between a Grandpa and his Granddaughter. Write out part of one conversation you had this week. (Or create a comic strip). Try to remember to use quotation marks, and other words other than said. For younger ones, pick a word and have them pick 3 others words that they could use instead.
  • Bonus: Read a Tall Tale and tell us about the main characters and the lessons learned.

 

 

Class 2

Things I Need:

  • The Gullywasher Book
  • Map of the United States, especially showing the Southwestern States*
  • Learning the USA through Lit Journal –The Gullywasher – Class 2 Add In Pages
  • Popcorn to share with the class (optional) may add to this story

Before the class: set out the new journal pages and the Gullywasher Bible verse page on their desk as you are setting up the class.

Homework:

  • Continue to memorize the Southwest States. Can you do the Midwest and the Southwest states?
  • Research one of the states within this region. What is special about this state? Do they have any strange festivals or history? What do they eat? Write 2-5 sentences in your journal telling us what you learned.
  • Bring in one thing that you feel represents this region and tell us about it. Food is okay
  • Bonus: Memorize Proverbs 17:22 and recite it for the class

As the class is arriving:

Encourage the students to complete the Proverbs 17:22 copywork on their desk. Set up maps if you haven’t already.

Review:

Quickly go through the midwest states together. Ask if anyone remembers the Southwest states introduced last week. Give students an opportunity to share. After several have shared, go through the states, out loud, together.

Lead into a discussion about last week’s story…

  • Last week, we started a new region called …. (The Southwest)
  • And we talked about how the southwest is (dry, desert, cactus, Spanish influence, Native American influence, etc)
  • And we read a book called (The Gullywasher)
  • Who can summarize this story for us?
  • What is this story called (a Tall Tale)
  • And what is a Tall Tale? (May include partially true events, people, or places, but exaggerated in such an obvious way that you know its fictitious)

Review the copywork:

  • While their copywork is still out, ask one of the students to read Proverbs 17:22
  • Why do you think this verse was chosen?
  • What does it mean “a joyful heart” is good medicine?
  • Can having a new perspective on a difficult situation actually change things?
  • Does anyone have any real-life examples of this? (A grandmother who greets them joyfully, though she’s in pain, a Christian who joyfully serves in church, though they’re outwardly suffering, or going through trials)

If you want to dig deeper here — you could further discuss how Christians especially are able to do this well because God gives us a new life in Christ, and a hope for the future that is far beyond ourselves or our outer circumstances)

Review the Geography Homework:

Go around the room. Ask each student to share the thing they brought that represented the Southwest to them. Affirm and add on to what is shared, as appropriate. In doing this, the class should get a good picture of the Southwest–and you can just fill in the details.

It may be good to spend a little bit of time familiarizing yourself with the battle of the Alamo, the Santa Fe Trail, The Hopi and Pueblo Indians, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches Valley, etc. You don’t need to spent hours looking up these places, but a quick google search will help you affirm and add on to any of these things that come up from your students.

 

Review the Language Arts Homework:

If you have time, go around the room again, asking each student to read their conversation or share their comic strip. If you’re running short on time, just ask a few to share, or split the class up with a helper so you can give more feedback.

As the students share their conversations and comic strips, give lots of praise and encouragement;

Don’t forget to bring out their word choices. If a student followed instructions and replaced the word “said” with something more exciting, bring it out for all to notice, “Doesn’t that sound so much more interesting?”

 

If anyone did the bonus, let them share. In our class, we give stickers for completed work and a prize box if they did something extra. Pick something that will work for your class.

Explain the Homework:

Label the states in their journal. Then, choose one to research. This doesn’t have to be in-depth. They can read a book about one of state, about something in this region, or just watch a YouTube video or look the state up on Wikipedia.

Then, ask them to write a small paragraph about what they learned. Younger students can draw several pictures to help them share something they learned about the region.

Homework:

  • Continue to memorize the Southwest States. Can you do the Midwest and the Southwest states?
  • Research one of the states within this region. What is special about this state? Do they have any strange festivals or history? What do they eat? Write 2-5 sentences in your journal telling us what you learned.
  • Bring in one thing that you feel represents this region and tell us about it. Food is okay
  • Bonus: Memorize Proverbs 17:22 and recite it for the class

 

That’s it! If you have extra time, review the states you’ve learned so far using your buzzers or pointers or some other games.