Have you had the chance to read The Bad Seed by Jory John to your class yet? If not, I won’t spoil the end, but I will have you jumping for joy over the balanced literacy activities that accompany this fun read-aloud.
In summary, the story is about a “bad” seed who had a rough start and decided to change his ways. Who doesn’t love a book about second chances? If that doesn’t convince you to read the book, maybe my Balanced Literacy Activities will do the trick.
You can pick up your own copy here with my Amazon Affiliate Link. Thanks:)
The term Balanced Literacy is a balance between word study skills, reading, and writing. So it is not surprising that you will find The Bad Seed Activities contain these three elements for Balanced Literacy.
The Bad Seed Word Study Skills
What better way to introduce word skills than to analyze the words used in the book. Author Jory Johns provides excellent examples of words in use with a purpose.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is learned best in a natural, purposeful manner. The Bad Seed has eight vocabulary words to enrich your little ones’ everyday language.
My go to vocabulary structure for teaching a new word is as follows:
- state and show the written word with a picture
- give a simple kid-friendly definition of the word
- use the vocabulary word in a complete sentence
- ask a leading question for students to apply the word
If you’re interested in making this routine part of your weekly schedule, I have an Editable Vocabulary Graphic Organizer you might want to use and a blog post with more information.
High-Frequency Words
Although students need to read for sentences to place unfamiliar words in context, they also need to master high-frequency words. Often the most used words are words that students need to see repeated for them to stick. For this reason, I have an activity that addresses this very need.
Students read through the list of most commonly used words and circle any that were not automatic. They then look for each high-frequency word throughout the book.
Simply put, it’s just another opportunity to read the high-frequency words used by the author.
Reading Activities
The Bad Seed Activities are jam-packed with reading comprehension opportunities. The story lends itself well to studying the story structure and practicing the skill of retelling.
Plus, The Bad Seed has the perfect theme, which we would not want to ignore. So, of course, the message is also discussed.
Writing Activities for The Bad Seed
My Bad Seed Writing Activities are plentiful! In striving for a Balanced Literacy program, I included two writing activities; conventions and content.
Capitalization, Punctuation, and Writing Dialogue
After explicit teaching of capitalization, punctuation, and dialogue, they need the opportunity to practice writing for themselves. The Bad Seed Activities provides these practice opportunities, all while using the book and mentor text.
Writing Prompts
Let’s face it; students want and need to relate to the literature they read. The Bad Seed Writing Prompts provides the chance to voice the connections made throughout the story. You will find the following writing prompts in The Bad Seed Activities Book Companion:
- Describe how you are “good” seed.
- Think of a time you learned from your mistakes. Describe what you have learned and how you have changed.
- What would you like people to say about you?
- Write a second part of the story.
A Balanced Literacy approach is so much fun when you have a great read-aloud such as The Bad Seed, paired with engaging activities. If you think your students will enjoy and benefit from The Bad Seed Activities, you can grab them here.
While we are on the subject of writing, make sure your students have a solid grasp of paragraph writing. Check out my FREE Structured Paragraph Handbook, which will guide you and your students through the steps needed to create the perfect paragraph.
Also, I would love to see pictures of your read-aloud or students participating in The Bad Seed Activities, so feel free to send them my way.
Melissa
