The Adventures of Captain Underpants - Tanya Beers

Tanya Beers

IST571: Children's Literature Lit Kit

Book: The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Lesson Plan and Selling Tool:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JS7_omuXEOygdnJASEgrcg1VkiWV9cV6SgSY0IN6R0Q/edit 

Tanya Beers

IST571: The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey - Lit Kit

 

Title: The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Author:  Dav Pilkey

Lexile Level: 720L

Grade Level: 2nd – 5th grade

Age Range: 7 to 10 years

ISBN #: 043908282X

This story is set in an Elementary School where two students, George and Harold, play the 

ultimate prank on their principal; they turn him into their very own superhero called Captain 

Underpants! Various adventures ensue that bring great laughs to children who read and enjoy 

this comic series.

Lesson for 3rd graders:

Students will read the following article about superheroes:

Rosenberg, Robin. “The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories”. The Smithsonian 
Magazine, February 2013, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-psychology-behind-
superhero-origin-stories-4015776/. Accessed 14 December 2017.

Then they will read The Adventures of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Novel by Dav 

Pilkey. 

Students will then design, through a 3-page essay, their own superhero and decide what 

superpowers he/she will have and describe how their superheroes will help others.

Learning Standards:

Common Core ELA Writing Standards K-5 (Grade 3).

3.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information 
clearly.

a. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrationswhen useful 
to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within 
categories of information.

d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, 

descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence 
that unfolds naturally.

b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and 
events or show the response of characters to situations.

c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.

d. Provide a sense of closure.

3.4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and 

organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types 

are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

Learning Goal:

Students will use their imagination and comprehension of the assigned article to create their 
own superhero, on paper, that will help others in some way. This assignment is meant to engage 
students in thinking about an alternative way to help others through using their creative writing 
skills.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will use their creative writing skills to write a 3-page paper in which they will
create an imagined superhero that will help people in some way. (Psychomotor)

2. Students will integrate the information from the assigned article and the reading to think 
about an alternative way of helping others and then use their conclusions to create their 
writing assignment.  (Cognitive and Affective)

Learning Outcome:

Students will create their own unique way of helping others through a creative writing 
assignment.

Works Cited:

New York State Department of Education. (2011). New York State P-12 Common Core 
Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. Retrieved from  
https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-
standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy.

Pilkey, Dav. The Adventures of Captain Underpants: The Epic First Novel. The Blue Sky 
Press, 1997.

Rosenberg, Robin. “The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories”. The Smithsonian 

Magazine, February 2013, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-psychology-

behind-superhero-origin-stories-4015776/. Accessed 14 December 2017.

Selling Tool: Scholastic Advertisement

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/547187423466567492

The Tale of Despereaux - Tanya Beers

Tanya Beers

IST571: Children's Literature Lit Kit

Book: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Lesson Plan and Selling Tool:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16cjXaL8cSyXbUa9ltidtRB_1XvcMWBN2-ZpFT4AiTh8/edit 

Tanya Beers

IST571: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo-Lit Kit

Title: The Tale of Despereaux

Author:  Kate DiCamillo

Lexile Level: 670L

Grade Level:  2nd – 5th grade

Age Range: 7 to 10 years

ISBN #: 0763617229

The Tale of Despereaux is about a mouse named Despereaux, a princess named Pea, a servant 
girl named Miggery Sow, and a rat named Roscuro and how their lives become intertwined in 
a wonderful, magical, tale of destiny about daring to dream the impossible and having the bravery 
to pursue what is told can never be. This fairy tale is a classic for readers of all ages!

Lesson for 5th graders:

Students will read the book, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. They will then examine 
the following worksheet of questions that are based on the reading and answer them in the form 
of a 3 page journal entry. Students will also describe whether they were able to identify with any 
of the characters (how and why) and describe their reactions to that discovery.

*The worksheet of questions that are based on the reading come from this website: 
 https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/teachers/blogs/genia-connell/2017/GC-Despereaux-
9-Questions.pdf.   I really liked these questions for this assignment so I wanted to use them; 
the students are only answering questions 1 through 10 in their writing assignment because I
think answering more than that will result in a paper that is too long for them. This worksheet 
is the only part of this assignment that is not mine.

Learning Standards:

Common Core ELA Reading Standards for Literature K-5 (Grade 5).

5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing 
inferences from the text.

5.3. Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing 
on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Learning Goal:

Students will examine characters in the reading to determine if they see themselves in those 
characters then express their conclusions in a journal entry.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will examine the characters in the reading (through answering the worksheet 
questions and writing the journal entry) to determine how they see themselves in the characters 
and real-life situations then describing their conclusions and emotional reactions in a journal 
entry. (Affective)

2. Students will use the reading and the worksheet of questions to examine how real-life 
people can mirror characters in a story by examining the characters in the reading and their 
choices and integrating their conclusions into a journal entry. (Cognitive and Psychomotor)

Learning Outcome:

Students will examine themselves by examining the characters in the book and the choices the 
characters made then expressing their thoughts and emotions about their conclusions in written 
form (journal entry).

Works Cited:

Connell, Genia. “The Tale of Despereaux: A Read-Along Guide”. Scholastic, 30 March 2017,
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/2017/The-Tale-of-Despereaux-
A-Read-Along-Guide/.  Accessed December 14, 2017.

New York State Department of Education. (2011). New York State P-12 Common Core Learning 
Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. Retrieved from 
 https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-standards-
for-english-language-arts-and-literacy.

 

Selling Tool: Book Trailer of The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tXKUnKykoA