Come Back Amelia Bedelia by: Peggy Parrish

Title: Come Back, Amelia Bedelia

Author: Peggy Parrish; illustrated by Wallace Tripp

Lexile Level: 430L

Recommended for:

Ages: 6 to 8 years old

Grade Level:  1^st – 3^rd Grade

Summary

This text was originally published in 1971 by the author Peggy Parrish. This series focuses on the main character, Amelia Bedelia, who takes someone’s figures of speech literally, which causes her to perform duties incorrectly, which causes the reader to experience a laugh.

In this book, Amelia Bedelia is fired for putting coffee with Mrs. Rogers' cereal, which is depicted in the second image above. This book focuses on Amelia Bedelia exploring new jobs as a beautician, working in a dress shop, as a file clerk and a receptionist at a doctor’s office. Although, Amelia Bedelia takes figures of speech literally, her enthusiasm, her friendliness and delicious desserts endears her to Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, which they ask her to come back and appreciate her uniqueness.

This text is an Easy Reader, with label as a Level 2 book, allows students to practice their reading, while having fun. This book shows that individuals have different ways of thinking and processing information and teaches a lesson that we should understand about each other’s differences.

Learning Standards

“3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.”

(New York State P-12 CCLS-ELA; Reading Standards for Literature; Grade 3).

Learning Objectives

Students will participate in a vocabulary lesson and work in groups of three to complete a worksheet exercise. (Cognitive)

Students will understand how to identify the differences between figures of speech that are used in the text and the literal meaning of the words, which Amelia Bedelia interprets, as shown in the text and its illustrations. (Cognitive).

Learning Goal

Students will identify and understanding the meaning between the differences of figurative language and literal meaning of words through a vocabulary lesson.

Learning Activity

Students will participate in a vocabulary lesson in which they will successfully identify the meaning of the instructions that Amelia Bedelia is given by each person that hires her for a job during this adventure. For example, the lady in the beauty shop says to Amelia Bedelia, “Mrs. Hewes is waiting to have her hair pinned up.”(Parrish 15). Amelia Bedelia responds by looking for pins. She opens her purse to gather pins and begins pinning up Mrs. Hewes's hair.  

Students will be divided into groups of three. These groups will discuss the differences in the text, through examining the different scenes presented in the story, by completing a worksheet. Each group will be given a specific scene. Each group will be given time to discuss and complete this activity and discuss as a class, with they learned and their thoughts about each scene that Amelia Bedelia encounters throughout her adventure.

Learning Outcome

Students will learn a vocabulary lesson about being understanding the differences between figures of speech and literal statements, displayed throughout the text titled Come Back, Amelia Bedelia by: Peggy Parrish.

Selling Tool: Poster

References

Mid-Hudson Library System – Come Back, Amelia Bedelia / by Peggy Parrish; pictures by Wallace Tripp (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://search.midhudsonlibraries.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1341051__Scome%20back%20amelia%20bedelia__P0%2C1__Orightresult__U__X7?lang=eng&suite=cobalt

New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2017, from https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy

Come Back, Amelia Bedelia - Book Study. (2017). Teachers Pay Teachers. Retrieved 20 November 2017, from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Come-Back-Amelia-Bedelia-Book-Study-771499

Parrish, P., & Tripp, W. (1995). Come back, Amelia Bedelia (p. 64). New York: HarperCollins.