Title: Weslandia
By Paul
Fleischman
Candlewick Press
Genre:
F Narrative
Informational
P
Literacy Core Objective:
3 rd
Grade
400-0702 e, I.
Make inferences and draw conclusions from text
Compile information from text
Content Core Objective:
3 rd
Grade:
Standard 2 Objective 1 a,d,
Student will identify the elements of culture.
Identify and explain the interrelationship of the environment and (e.g. location, natural resources, climate) and community development (e.g. food, shelter, clothing, industries, markets, recreation artistic creations).
ELL Strategies:
If you could build your own country, what would it be like? Use the ideas from
Weslandia, and make your own country. What will be your crop. What will you make out of your crop for food, clothing, and culture. Draw or write sentences. Put it into a book format.
Enduring Understanding: development.
“I Can Statements” –


Purpose for reading
Essential Questions:
I can identify the elements of civilization as it relates to a food crop
I can explain the interrelationship of a community and its natural resources.

I can compile information from text

I can make inferences about communities using the text as a model.
Students will understand the relationship between the agricultural environment and community
Pacing:
This book will take 4-5 sessions
Day 1: vocabulary and read.
Day 2: Read
Day 3: Read and organize sticky notes
Day 4: Build graphic organizers
Before Reading
Vocabulary:
Civilization
Bedlam
Aromatic
Innovations
Bribe
Ancient
Loom
Complex
Activate/Build Prior Knowledge:
Shelter
Brussels sprouts
Myriad
Blunders
Tormentors
Entrancing
Opportunities constellations
If you had to build a civilization, what would you probably do first? Researchers tell us that civilizations begin with a staple food crop. In this book Weslandia, Wesley finds out just how important a staple food crop is as he builds he builds his summer school project Weslandia. Have you ever planted a garden? Then

Comprehension Strategy: Inference
Before reading place sticky note markers on these pages in the book.
During Reading
Today during reading we are going to stop at certain sentences and see if they author has given us a clue about what will happen next.
Pg 9: Wesley found it thrilling to open his land to chance, to invite the new a unknown.
(by naming the unknown, I can infer that something new is about to happen.)
Pg 13: On this page I see all the names of new food items that Wesley has found with his new crop.
I also see that he has also made a tool for eating, a half rind for a “cup”. Can you name all of the kinds of food that Wesley has experimented with? Now that he has food, from the picture what do you think will be the next item in his civilization? What will he make next? I can see that he needs containers and other “woven” items. I can then infer that he will use the plant’s stalks and leaves to weave textiles.
Pg: 17: I see his schoolmates here. They are purchasing something that Wesley has made, or are they making it? From what I see here I think that Wesley may be forming an economy.
Pg 19: Here I see Wesley and his schoolmates playing a game. I wonder, now that Wesley has a thriving economy, does the new crop influence his recreation in his new civilization?
Pg 21: I see here that Wesley is now able to invent culture such as games and music for his civilization. I also can infer on the next page that he maybe is also making up stories based upon the night sky.
Page 25: I wonder what will happen when Wesley returns to school in the fall? Will the civilization come to an end?
Using appropriate Guided reading strategies, students will be reading at their own pace and teachers will be listening to students read, monitoring, giving feedback, taking anecdotal notes and running records.
Attend to Comprehension Within, Beyond, & About the text:
After Reading
As you can see, the story of Weslandia is the story of a culture.
Read through the book again. This time look for all the items that come from the crop of Wesley.
What items need to be in a community? Think of which items are in our own communities. Place a sticky note it the text when you find one.
Attend to Comprehension Within, Beyond, & About the text:
Content Core Integration: (Science, Soc. St., Math, etc.)

Assessment:

Make a list of the items in a civilization (use the graphic organizer)
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Go back through label your sticky notes with the items you have found.
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Now place the sticky notes on a graphic organizer showing the elements of the interrelationship of the community and the natural resources of a crop.
 complete the graphic organizer again with the civilization of
USA.
Activities:
Contact USU AG extension for free stuff on civilizations:
Cotton bolls: Make your own bookmarks https://extension.usu.edu/aitc/cart/details.cfm?ProdID=40&category=0
Loads of activities to do with civilizations: http://extension.usu.edu/AITC/training/teacher_academy.html
They will send you free stuff. Some of it is downloadable.
* Not all activities will be done in each lesson. Some lessons may take multiple days to complete.
However, all students should be reading each time you meet.

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