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Bud, Not Buddy Teacher Guide
Bud, Not Buddy Teacher Guide
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Guide written by Kathy Pounds
Edited by Sarah Glasscock
Cover design by Niloufar Safavieh
Interior design by Grafica, Inc.
Interior illustrations by Mona Mark
Credits: Cover: Jacket cover for BUD, NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis. Used by permission of Random
House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Interior: Author photo on page 9 by James
Keyser/Random House Childrens Books.
ISBN 0-439-35534-6
Copyright 2002 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Contents
To the Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using the Literature Circle Guides in Your Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Setting Up Literature Response Journals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Good Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
About Bud, Not Buddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
About the Author: Christopher Paul Curtis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Enrichment Readings: The 1930s, Jazz, Pullman Porters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Before Reading the Book . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Group Discussion Reproducible: Before Reading the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapters 1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapters 1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapters 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapters 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapters 9-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapters 9-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapters 11-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapters 11-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapters 13-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapters 13-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapters 16-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapters 16-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Literature Response Journal Reproducible: Chapter 19 and Afterword . . . . . . . . . . .29
Group Discussion Reproducible: Chapter 19 and Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Reproducible: After Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Reproducible: Individual Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Reproducible: Group Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Literature Discussion Evaluation Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
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To the Teacher
As a teacher, you naturally want to instill in your
students the habits of confident, critical, independent, and lifelong readers. You hope that even
when students are not in school they will seek out
books on their own, think about and question
what they are reading, and share those ideas with
friends. An excellent way to further this goal is by
using literature circles in your classroom.
Literature Circles
A literature circle consists of several students
(usually three to five) who agree to read a book
together and share their observations, questions,
and interpretations. Groups may be organized
by reading level or choice of book. Often these
groups read more than one book together since,
as students become more comfortable talking
with one another, their observations and
insights deepen.
When planning to use literature circles in your
classroom, it can be helpful to do the following:
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Reading Strategies
Since the goal of the literature circle is to empower
lifelong readers, a different reading strategy is
introduced in each section. Not only does the
reading strategy allow students to understand this
particular book better, it also instills a habit of
mind that will continue to be useful when they
read other books. A question from the Literature
Response Journal and the Group Discussion pages
is always tied to the reading strategy.
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Literature Discussion
Evaluation Sheet
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Setting Up Literature
Response Journals
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About the
Author:
Christopher
Paul Curtis
Unlike Bud,
Christopher Paul
Curtis does know
where he belongs. He
grew up in Flint,
Michigan, with parents he describes as great
readers, active in the civil rights movement, and
relatively strict by todays standards. He and his
four brothers and sisters knew the rules they had
to follow, what they had to do, and what was
expected of them.
Other Books by
Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watsons Go to Birmingham1963
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Literature Circle Guide: Bud, Not Buddy Scholastic Teaching Resources
To distract them from their daily concerns during the Depression, families enjoyed inexpensive
entertainment. At home, they played bridge,
chess, card games, and Monopoly. They read.
Home subscriptions to newspapers went down,
but public library use went up. The most popular
books were The Good Earth, Anthony Adverse,
and Gone With the Wind. Kids read comics, such
as Blondie, Dick Tracy, Lil Abner, and Popeye
the Sailor. They listened to radio, an integral part
of the day for millions. They heard President
Roosevelts fireside chats, programs like Amos
and Andy and Amateur Hour, and the music
of Rudy Vallee and Kate Smith. Not surprisingly,
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? was the song
most often sung. Radio even perked up the earnings of major league baseball. Team revenues
were down until radio stations bought broadcast
rights for games.
Two of the biggest forms of entertainment outside the home were miniature golf and movies.
For only 15 cents, families might golf at one of
30,000 miniature courses, and for about
the same price, children and adults
could forget their worries at a
movie theater. More than
60 million tickets were sold
each week for movies like
King Kong, Little Women,
and The Thin Man. It
was the heyday of
Shirley Temple, Clark
Gable, Paul Robeson, and
Oscar Micheauxs race
movies that featured all
African-American casts.
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Enrichment: Jazz
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
TIP
When you are brainstorming, remember that the goal is to collect as many different
ideas as possible without commenting on them. Everybodys ideas should be included.
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Chapters 13
Reading Strategy:
First Person Point of View
Look at the first few paragraphs of
Chapter 1. Notice that the narrator,
or person telling the story, uses the
words we, me, I, my, and our. When
the narrator of the story uses these
first-person pronouns, the story is told from the first-person point of view. You learn not
only what happens to the character, but also what he or she is thinking and feeling.
Keep in mind as you read that the story might be different if it were told from another
characters point of view.
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
Chapters 13
For Your Discussion Group
A Bud said that six is a rough age to
be because that is when kids start
becoming adults. Brainstorm with
your group to develop a definition
of adult. Is being an adult a
matter of age, life experience, or
wisdom?
A How is being an adult different from being a child? List some typical behaviors of
children and adults. What behaviors might indicate that a teenager is moving beyond
childhood into adulthood? Does every family and culture have the same expectations
for adults and children?
A Has Bud handled the problems hes faced as a child or as an adult? Write your answer
in your journal. Include examples from the story to back up your opinion. Share your
response with the rest of the group.
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Chapters 47
Reading Strategy:
Separating Fact from Fiction
Bud, Not Buddy takes place in the state of
Michigan during the time of the Great
Depression. Although the characters in the story are made up, the way the characters
live and many of the people and events mentioned in the story are real. It is this interweaving of fact and fiction that makes the story convincing. An author has to spend
time researching the past in order to portray historical times, events, and characters
accurately and believably. As you read, stop every now and then to think about which
parts of the story are fact and which are fiction. Jot down your thoughts in your journal.
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
Chapters 47
For Your Discussion Group
A At the end of Chapter 7, Bud says
the following:
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Chapter 8
Reading Strategy:
Recognizing Clues in the Text
Chapter 8 is the longest chapter in the book. Flip through the chapter until you find the
two breaks or white spaces in the text that break the chapter into three sections. Breaks
in the text are like road signs. They indicate that something in the story is changing
perhaps time has passed, the location has changed, or the point of view is switching to
another character. For instance, the first part of Chapter 8 takes place in the morning
when Bud wakes up; the second part takes place that night when he and Bugs finally
get to Hooverville; and the third part takes place the next morning when the train comes
through. Paying attention to clues in the text prevents confusion!
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
Chapter 8
For Your Discussion Group
A Working with your group, reread the pages of
Chapter 8 that tell about Bugs and Buds visit to Hooverville. What kind of town do
the boys find when they get there? What words and phrases could you use to describe
the town to someone who knew nothing about Hoovervilles?
A Who lives in Hooverville? Why are they there? How do the residents of Hooverville
manage to live together peacefully? How do they treat one another? What are the
rules of the community, both written and unwritten?
A What were your first impressions about life in Hooverville? Did your ideas change by
the time you finished the chapter?
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Chapters 910
Reading Strategy:
Making Predictions
What did you think when Bud made his plans
to walk 120 miles to Grand Rapids? Did you
think something like, Thats too far. Hell
never make it! If you made a prediction,
youve picked up one of the habits of a good
reader. Developing predictions means that you understand the basics of the story and
are thoughtfully evaluating whats going on and why. Always be sure you can supply
evidence from the story to support your predictions.
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
Chapters 910
For Your Discussion Group
A How did Bud respond when he was
bullied by Billy Burns at the
orphanage? What power did Billy have
over the other kids? What does he
have in common with real-life bullies?
A Although Bud doesnt seem very frightened of Billy, he is frightened by the behavior
of the man who stops and offers him a ride. Why is he scared? Read aloud the
passages that support your ideas. What were your first impressions of the man?
A There are a lot of funny episodes in Bud, Not Buddy. Read aloud your favorites. Talk
about what makes them so enjoyable. Does everyone agree about which passages are
humorous? What makes passages funny to different individuals?
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Chapters 1112
Reading Strategy:
Drawing Conclusions
Authors dont come right out and tell readers the
whole story all at one time. Readers must collect
information, look at the evidence the author presents,
and draw conclusions about whats happening in the
story and why. Sometimes as a story develops,
conclusions turn out to be incorrect and must be
revised. What conclusions have you reached and revised as youve read this book?
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
Chapters 1112
For Your Discussion Group
A Bud claims to be a good liar. Is he? Does
he lie more than he has to? What do you
think about his claim that lying to other
kids is different from lying to adults? Is
Bud right about that?
A Compare Kim and Scott Sleet to Todd
Amos. How is the Sleet household
different from the Amos household?
What might account for the differences?
A What was your reaction to Mr. Lewiss car being stopped by the policeman? Was Mr.
Lewiss attitude the same before and after the stop? Why do you think he is willing to
risk carrying the flyers?
A Review the comments Mr. Lewis makes about Herman Calloway. Then discuss what
your first impressions of Mr. Calloway were.
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L it e rat u
r e Re sp o n se J o u r n a l
Chapters 1315
Reading Strategy: Focusing on Details
If you carefully read the descriptions of the girls bedroom at
the beginning and end of Chapter 15, you can probably draw it
from the details the author gives. Details help readers imagine
a characters looks and physical surroundings; they also provide
clues to a characters personality and behavior. What do you
learn about the girl from the description of her room and the
things in it?
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
Chapters 1315
For Your Discussion Group
A Flip through the book and make a list of
Buds Rules and Things. Are his rules
useful? What rules would you add to help
him get along in his present situation?
A Mr. Calloway locked the closet doors in
Buds bedroom. How does that fit in with
Buds theory that when one door closes,
another opens?
A Do the characters seem real, or are they
stereotypes? Are the women all kind and loving like Miss Thomas and the men gruff
and unfeeling like Mr. Calloway?
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L it e rat u
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Chapters 1618
Reading Strategy:
Identifying Confusing Parts
As the story comes to a close, be sure you
understand whats going on. If you get to
a section that confuses you, look back
through the chapter until you find the last section you understood completely. Read
through the confusing section again and try to diagnose the problem. Are there unfamiliar words or phrases? Did you lose track of who was speaking? Are the sentences long
and complex? Often identifying a problem goes a long way towards solving it. If you run
into a confusing passage that really stumps you, discuss it with your group.
Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Literature Circle Guide: Bud, Not Buddy Scholastic Teaching Resources
Group D iscussion
Chapters 1618
For Your Discussion Group
A Did you expect that Mr. Calloway would turn out to be Buds grandfather? What hints
did the author provide? Clear up any confusion by referring back to Chapters 12-18.
A What does Miss Thomas mean when she tells Bud on page 191, Something tells me
you were a godsend to us, you keep that in mind all of the time, OK? Do you agree
with her? Why should Bud always remember that?
A Buds been very particular about his name. Why do you suppose hes so happy to
have the band give him a nickname?
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L it e rat u
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Prediction
Question
Observation
Connection
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Group D iscussion
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After Reading
An author carries out his or her purpose by developing themes or important ideas in a
story. Reflect on what youve read. What does Christopher Paul Curtis want you to
remember about families, survival, hope, and opportunity?
A Begin by writing your ideas individually. Feel free to go back to the story and check
your journal writings to refresh your memory. As a group, work together to combine
your ideas and develop a statement about each theme.
A Sometimes when you finish reading a novel, there is unfinished business. You might
have a good idea about what happened to the characters before and during the story,
but youre left wondering what might happen to them after the story.
A Think about the following questions:
1. Will Buds life with his grandfather be a happy one? Will Bud actually turn out to be
a godsend to his grandfather as Miss Thomas predicted?
2. What part will the band, Miss Thomas, and music play in Buds new life?
3. How will Herman Calloway feel about having his grandson in his life? How will he
treat Bud?
A How do you think Buds life will be affected by each person or thing in the first
column of the chart? Predict what might happen in a sequel to Bud, Not Buddy.
Reproduce the chart below on a large sheet of paper, and use it to record your
predictions.
Prediction:
Herman E. Calloway
Miss Thomas
The Band
Music
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Individual Projects
1. If youve enjoyed reading Bud, Not Buddy, you might also enjoy other awardwinning books about foster children, such as The Pinballs by Betsy Byars and The
Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Two good novels about doors opening
and closing are A Door in the Wall by Marguerite DAngeli and The Big Bazoohley by
Peter Carey. As you read these books, note how two authors may start with a similar
idea but develop it differently.
2. Start a folder of favorite passages from the books you read. Skim through the
chapters of Bud, Not Buddy that you most enjoyed. Copy three or four sections that
made you think, laugh, or imagine something new. Do the same for other books.
Include the title of the book and page number of each passage.
3. Bud carefully studied the blue flyer and the picture of his mother for clues about his
family. Examine a few photographs of people in your family. What can you learn
about them and the way they lived? What questions come to mind as you study the
pictures? Are there any objects you can study in the same way that Bud looked at his
collections of flyers and rocks?
Group Projects
1. Check books and Web sites for photographs from the 1930s that could illustrate
scenes from Bud, Not Buddy or show peoples daily lives. Look especially for pictures
of children, Hoovervilles, Big Bands, breadlines and soup kitchens, strikes, and
Pullman porters.
2. Check an encyclopedia for three or four important facts about the people, places and
events mentioned in the storyJohn Brown; Al Capone; George Washington Carver;
Ruth Dandridge; Pretty Boy Floyd; J. Edgar Hoover; Baby Face Nelson; Satchel Paige;
Allen Pinkerton; Flint, Michigan, labor organizations; Pullman porters; Redcaps;
unions; and strikes. Gather your findings into an illustrated booklet that can become
part of your classroom library, or develop a web page or PowerPoint presentation to
share with the rest of your class.
3. Look at the questions in the After Reading section on the previous page. Using one of
the questions as a springboard, write a scene that might appear in a sequel to Bud,
Not Buddy.
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