Title: Let’s Do Nothing!
Tony Fucile (Author and Illustrator)
Comprehension Strategy: Inferring, Predicting
Art Modality: Drama
Summary:
Frankie and Sal have already played every sport and board game invented, baked and eaten batches of cookies, and painted a zillion pictures. What’s left to do? Nothing! Ten seconds of nothing! Can they do it? Can they act like stone statues in the park? Can they simply hold their breath and not blink an eye? With a wink to the reader, and a command of visual humor, feature film animator Tony Fucile demonstrates the Zen-like art of doing nothing...oops! Couldn’t do it! Don’t move! A master of animation explores the elusive art of doing nothing in this comical tale of two very active imaginations. (Summary from Candlewick Press.)
Materials: Let’s Do Nothing!
Reading Lesson:
Just because a book doesn’t have a lot of words, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to think—and talk—about! And in the case of this book, just because it doesn’t have a lot words, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to imagine and act out.
Read aloud the beginning of the book to introduce your group to Sal and Frankie, two boys who’ve done everything. As soon as Sal feels the need to coach Frankie on how to do nothing, you’ll have your first chance to encourage predicting. Show the class the illustration of the boys pretending to be statues. Encourage the class to notice the pigeons and to use their prior knowledge about what birds do (or doo doo) to predict what will happen next. Show the class the illustrations of Frankie pretending to be a statue and discuss their inferences about how Frankie is feeling and why. What will he do next?
As Sal continues to coach Frankie on how to do nothing, you’ll have your second chance to encourage predicting. Show the class the illustration of the boys pretending to be trees. Encourage the class to notice the puppy and to use their prior knowledge about what puppies do to trees to predict what will happen next. Show the class the illustrations of Frankie pretending to be a tree and discuss their inferences about how Frankie is feeling and why. What will he do next?
Yep, you’re right! As Sal continues to coach Frankie on how to do nothing, you’ll have your third chance to encourage predicting. Show the class the illustration of the boys pretending to be skyscrapers.
Now since your students might not have prior knowledge about King Kong, you might have to help them predict what the hairy paw reaching up the building might lead to. Then show the class the illustrations of Frankie pretending to be the Empire State Building and discuss their inferences about how Frankie is feeling and why. What will he do next?
NOTHING will stop your students from practicing inferring when you arrive at the illustration of Sal grabbing Frankie in frustration. You’ll want to give students plenty of time to complete this sentence: “I think Sal is feeling ____________________ because ________________.
Perhaps your students will figure out the same thing about reading that Sal and Frankie discovered about people...There’s NO WAY to do nothing. As proficient readers, we already know “We can never do nothing!” Sal asked Frankie, and you should ask your kids, “You know what we have to do now, don’tch?” I hope they answer like Sal, “Let’s do something!” Now you’ve got the perfect chance to make a class chart of the “somethings” (thinking) you can do while your read! After all, there’s no way to do nothing.
Drama Follow-up
Invite your students to pretend to be statues. Encourage them to use their imaginations for ten seconds (or longer!) Now invite them to share about what happened. Pigeon visits? Bad weather? Naughty children?
Next invite students to pretend to be trees. Encourage them to use their imaginations for ten seconds (or longer!). Now invite them to share about what happened. Puppy presents? Woodpeckers? Busy bees?
Keep up the drama. Invite students to pretend to be buildings. Encourage them to use their imaginations for ten seconds (or longer!). Now invite them to share about what happened. King Kong? Window washers? Lightning strikes?
Continue with students’ suggestions of things to pretend to be to help do nothing for ten seconds. I feel some journaling on the way after all this acting!
Something About the Author
Want to find out more about Tony Fucile, the author and illustrator? Here’s something you can do! Check out this link: http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763634409.art.1.pdf
Take the Nothing Challenge
Learn more about the power of doing nothing with the “Non-Activity Kit.”
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