Bigmama's by Donald Crews Read Aloud

Make and later confirm a prediction about the story before and after reading.

Summarize the story using a Somebody, Wanted, Because, But, So graphic organizer.

Describe how a character's feelings change over the course of the story and explain what caused that change.

Spread the activities across a week or more rather than assigning them in a single sitting, as the resource's own teacher notes recommend.

Project the book under a document camera while reading aloud, since the illustrations are described as necessary to understanding the story.

Use the Making Memories at Bigmama's and Families are Special pages as a bridge into a personal-narrative writing lesson connecting the book to students' own family experiences.

Story structure and sequencing — students identify story elements and retell the story's events in chronological order.

Summarizing — students complete a Somebody-Wanted-Because-But-So organizer to condense the story into a short summary.

Personal connection — students relate the author's childhood memories at Bigmama's to a special memory or family tradition of their own.