Ella Minnow Pea

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Collaborative Pangram-ing”

In this activity, students will work to overcome challenges as they attempt to create the shortest pangram in the class.

In groups of four, you will try to write the shortest pangram in the class! You may use dictionaries and books, but you may not use phones, tablets, or computers. In your group of four, only two of you may talk and only two of you may write.

After completing your pangram, share your work with the class. Reflect on the challenges that arose with limited communication and your overall process for creating the pangram.

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to think outside the box both in terms of word choice and how they try to communicate with each other. It may be helpful to briefly model your own thought process first to give them a scaffold on which to build. Post-activity discussion can highlight the similarities and differences between student experiences and those presented in the novel.

“Interview a Character”

In this activity, students will write an interview with one of the characters in Ella Minnow Pea, tying in both plot and thematic concepts.

Select one of the characters from Ella Minnow Pea and “interview” them for a news story about the events that took place on Nollop:

• Brainstorm characters from the book both for their role in the plot and for why they might have something important to say about what happened to them.
• Brainstorm and develop a list of at least five questions.
• These can be factually based (e.g., “What happened to you?”) and emotionally based (e.g., “How did it feel when that happened?”).
• Using the novel to support your claims, write the character’s responses to your questions.
• Format your interview in your desired style.

After you have written your interview, write a brief reflection of your process (no more than one paragraph). Discuss both your writing process and your interview with a peer.

Teaching Suggestion: Consider discussing different types and formats of interviews with the class to help facilitate student thinking and creativity. With the class or in pairs or small groups, students can brainstorm ideas for specific interview questions and decide on an appropriate format for their interview. During the drafting process, you may encourage students to conduct Internet research to find and use particular resources to inspire and guide them in crafting their interview.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students seeking public speaking practice or those with interest and/or skill in theater or performance, consider having them perform as their chosen character. Their interviewer can be you or a fellow student, but they can give their responses orally to the class. For performances, it is important to highlight how facial expression and body language can also reveal information about a person. In this instance, the reflection prompt should change to reflect a student’s preparation process rather than writing process.