Here are some ideas for making your Jack and the Beanstalk unit special.

Books

*see words below*

Where is Jack

(Tune: Where is Thumbkin?)

Where is Jack?

Where is Jack?

There he is,

There he is,

Climbing up the beanstalk

Climbing up the beanstalk

Here comes the giant!

Here comes the giant!

Bean Tasting Graph

 Prepare a graph in advance using the chart paper, draw a picture of black beans on the top right hand side and a picture of baked beans on the top left.  Have students taste the two types of beans and then write their names on the chart under the appropriate picture to indicate which bean they liked best.  Discuss the results during large group and post on the wall. 

Bean Names

Cut one piece of long white construction paper hot-dog style for each student.  Write each student's name on the white pieces of construction paper with a Sharpie marker.  Supply students with a bowl of dried beans and have them glue the beans on their names. 

Take a long sheet of green butcher paper and twist into a "beanstalk".  Use butcher paper to cut leaves and attach to the beanstalk with a stapler or glue.  If you have a drop ceiling attach a length of fishing line to the top of your beanstalk and string the line through the support bars of a ceiling panel so the beanstalk will hang from the ceiling.  Make sure your fishing line is long enough to loop through the support bars and down again to the floor.   You can make the beanstalk grow or fall by pulling and  releasing the fishing line.  *If you do not have a drop ceiling attach a small, screw in cup hook to the ceiling to string your fishing line through instead.

Xerox and color the Jack and the Beanstalk page from the Frank Schaffer Fairy Tale Sequence book. Color the pictures and laminate for durability.  Next, cut the pictures apart and attach a small piece of Velcro on the back of each square.  Attach the other half of the Velcro pieces to the yardstick at equal distances along the stick.  Now your students can practice re-telling the story by placing the pictures in the correct sequence on the yardstick.  *If you don't have access to this particular book copy pictures from any Jack book, shrinking when necessary.*

After reading "Jack and the Beanstalk" to the children have them try growing their own  beanstalk by placing dirt in Dixie cups and planting a lima bean.  Have the students water their lima beans and then watch them grow over the next few weeks!

Act out the story

Select several students to be "characters" in your play.  The teacher can act as narrator as the students act out the story.  Provide students with the props they will need to act out the story.  

Compare and Contrast

Xerox the front cover of several Jack and the Beanstalk books.  Shrink the copies so they will all fit at the top of your chart paper.  Glue the copies to the top of the chart and use the markers to make the lines for a graph.  Show the students the actual books and have a discussion comparing and contrasting the stories.  Have the students write their names under their favorite Jack story and review the results in large group.  Post the chart on the wall for future reference. 

Story Sequence

Have students color the pictures from the story, cut, and glue in the correct sequence on the construction paper.  While I am not a big fan of worksheets this activity can be good tool to measure how well your students understand the sequence of the story and follow directions.