[ksuwildcat]

Does anyone have any activities or lesson plans to go with this story? I just received my book in the mail today and I love it!


Thanks in advance!

[abra123]

To start, I am going to read the book and discuss the meaning of the bucket. Then, we are going to brainstorm ideas about how we can be bucket fillers vs bucket dippers and then I will write their ideas on a t-chart. I plan to put these in the hallway so other classes can see how they can be a bucket-filler, too. I will also show them my reminder posters (I posted them here before) to help us remember to be bucket-fillers and not bucket-dippers.

On another day, I will read the book again, review our t-chart, and have the children illustrate pages for a classbook about being bucket-fillers. Something like "When I __________________, I am a bucket-filler. When I ____________________, I am a bucket-dipper." We will then compile our pages into a laminated classbook.

On another day, I will read our classbook aloud. Then, we will write a friendly letter to the other classes in the school, explaining about the great book we read and giving examples from our t-chart and classbook. In the letter, we will offer to lend our books to any class who wants to read them. We will also explain how we want others to be bucket-fillers, too, and so we, as a class, will be on the look-out for bucket-filling behaviors. If we notice a bucket-filling behavior, we will give them one of our special business cards (thanks to Vista Print) as a way to say, "Hey, we noticed your bucket-filling moment."

Here's a picture of the card I made up.

That's where I'm at.

Amy

[steach]

You filled my bucket today!!! I love your ideas!! THANK YOU!!!

[imafive]

http://www.proteacher.net/discussion...ad.php?t=96701

http://www.proteacher.net/discussion...ad.php?t=94752

http://www.proteacher.net/discussion...ad.php?t=84914

[Artbex]

Ditto ~ you filled my bucket today also, which means we filled yours too

[Jenagain]

Thanks for the bucket filler note. This is very cool!

[abra123]

Awww, thanks for filling my bucket!

Amy

[smoothsailing]

I found tiny little white buckets being sold for wedding showers in the party section of a Dollar Store. I teach first grade and thought I might have the students draw pictures of things that they do that "fill their own buckets" and then hang the pictures with the little buckets on a bulletin board in the room. I plan on keeping them up and referring to them throughout the year.

I also bought a larger bucket and some colorful foam stars and hearts that look like the pictures in the book. I was thinking of putting students' names on individual stars and hearts and putting them in the bucket. Then sometimes in a community circle we could pass the bucket and when a student pulled out a star, they could say something that they liked about the person whose name was on the heart. Or if we were we passing the stars that day, they could say something they thought that person did well ...(their "light was shining").

I bought some tiny foam shapes too but haven't thought about how I want to use them yet....if you have ideas.....

Yeah, I do have an idea! It is what I am planning on doing the 2nd grade that I student teach in. Buy a little metal bucket for 97 cents at Walmart (in the craft aisle with the seashells, and marbles and stuff.) Make it the "clasroom bucket." Whenever kids are filling each other's bucket like helping each other, and saying kind words, put some of you foam stars in the bucket. (because by filling others' u fill your own) When you catch kids bucket-dipping, then take out some of the stars. When the bucket reaches the top, the class gets some type of reward like pizza or a movie day or something. :-)