Miss Nelson Is Missing

Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and James Marshall

1. Read aloud. Discuss classroom, school, and playground rules. 2. Do a Venn diagram comparing Miss Nelson to Miss Swamp.

(Thanks to Shelley S at ProTeacher.com for these ideas.)

Writing Ideas: 1. Narrative - Students write their personal account of either a nice teacher they had, a mean teacher they had, or an experience with a substitute teacher, either good or bad. 2. Descriptive – Have students describe both Miss Nelson or Miss Swamp as descriptively as possible, even using a thesaurus to find the most colorful words they can find. Then have them write two paragraphs for each character in the story, the first paragraph being only physical description and the second paragraph being personality traits. 3. Comparison – Using the descriptive brainstorm that was created in the last lesson, students complete a Venn diagram comparing Ms. Nelson to Ms. Swamp. Then they write two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, students tell how the two characters are similar, and in the second paragraph, students tell how the two characters are different. 4. Persuasive – “Come back, Miss Nelson/Miss Swamp! – Students write a persuasive letter to Miss Nelson/Miss Swamp asking her to come back. 5. Debate – “Mean teachers get more teaching done than nice teachers.” Agree or disagree! 6. Poetry – “Ode to Miss Nelson” – The students in Miss Nelson’s class didn’t realize how nice it is to have a teacher like Miss Nelson until she is gone and replaced by Viola Swamp. Think of a time that you didn’t realize how good something or someone was until it was gone. Jot down some notes, and then write an “ode” to pay tribute to that someone or something you wish you had appreciated while you still could. Your poem can rhyme or not. Often odes are very dramatic, full of phrases like “Oh, wonderful Miss Nelson!” Give a dramatic reading of your ode in front of the class. 7. Expository – “How to be a Good Student” – Expository writings explain things step-by-step. Explain “How to be a good student” and give steps a person should take in order to make this happen. 8. Creative – “Becoming Your Opposite” – In the book, Miss Nelson is Missing, a teacher must become a person very different from herself in order to get her class’ attention. Create a character that is the opposite (or very different) from the real you. Make a list of your personality traits (shy, loud, nice, funny, etc.) and then write a second list of the opposites. Give your opposite a name. Have the class interview themselves as their “opposite personality.” Be sure to answer questions like your NEW self! Example questions could be “What is the most important thing in your life?”, “What makes you happy/sad/angry/laugh?”, or “What are you afraid of or worried about?” Then write or illustrate a diary entry about a good day or bad day in the life of your opposite. How are you alike? What advice would you give your opposite? Would he/she take this advice?

(Thanks to Mrs. Gold at www.mrsgoldsclass.com for these wonderful writing ideas.)