The World With Tomie dePaola
Students of all ages love Tomie dePaola. Touring The World
With Tomie dePaola is an author study created for a
third-grade class. The program is flexible enough to be used with
advanced second graders or fourth graders, and can be done as a
whole-class project or assigned to individuals as part of an
independent reading program. Students participating in this program
utilize technology on many different levels. In general, technology
helps bring alive the geography and culture of the places the students
read about. For instance, in conjunction with the book Helga's
Dowry, children go to assigned websites about Norway to find the
answers to a "treasure hunt."
Students know the location of places, geographic features, and
patterns of the environment; understand that culture and experience
influence people's perceptions of places and regions; gather and use
information for research purposes; and ask questions and support
answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found
in, and inferred from, the text. They comprehend basic plots of
classic fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and fables from around
the world; determine what characters are like by what they say or do
and by how the author or illustrator portrays them; determine the
underlying theme or author's message; and write compositions that
describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences.
Required material includes computers with Internet access,
Microsoft PowerPoint or any other slide-show application, a
word-processing program, and a drawing program. A digital camera would
The class consists of 32 third-grade students of mixed abilities.
Due to lack of resources, the books by Tomie dePaola were read aloud
to students. This could also be done for classes of a lower reading
level. If resources are available, have students complete the
activities as independent reading assignments. Another option in
mixed-ability classrooms is to have pairs of students share the book.
The most important goal of this program is to create an enjoyable
and educational learning experience for children. You will find that
even the most reluctant reader enjoys stories written by Tomie
dePaola, who writes in many different genres but always finds a way to
capture a child's interest and imagination. His work is great to use
when doing a unit on folktales around the world. He has written many books
about his family's heritage (Italian and Irish), and has also written
about other cultures. Students will become motivated to gain a deeper
appreciation and knowledge of their own heritage. Tomie's books are
also great to use in expanding the students' knowledge of geography.
Before starting any author study, ask yourself how much time you
have to dedicate to it in the classroom and what materials you have.
Do you have enough copies of the book to assign for homework? Would
parents be willing to purchase these books for their children? All of
the other books used here can be read within one class period. You can
use all or just one of the books; each book and activity are
independent of one another.
About the teacher:
Marion Peluso is a third-grade teacher at P.S. 101 in Brooklyn,
York. Mrs. Peluso has been involved with the Teachers Network for two
years. She is a recent recipient of an Impact II grant.