Christopher Paul Curtis
Lesson plans and teaching resources for Bud, not Buddy and The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963

|Biography and Background |Bucking the Sarge| |Bud, not Buddy| |The Watsons go to Birmingham -- 1963|

Christopher Paul Curtis
The author's official Web site.

Christopher Paul Curtis
The author's Wikipedia page, including biography, list of books published, advice to young writers, and awards.

An interview with Christopher Paul Curtis
A series of 13 short video clips dated June 2007. The first two clips discuss Elijah of Buxton.

Bucking the Sarge
Summary, book talk, and 10 discussion questions.

Bud, not Buddy
This page consists of a prereading activity, exploration of a variety of themes, interdisciplinary suggestions, and vocabulary.

Bud, not Buddy
Summary and 10 discussion questions.

Bud, not Buddy
This discussion guide has 6 questions.

Bud, not Buddy
These 10 activities integrate technology.

Bud, not Buddy
A variety of activities to support the novel.

Bud, not Buddy
These activities are designed for adult learners and will work with many age levels. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

Rules and Things for a Funner Life
Each writer will brainstorm experiences where he/she has learned some sort of lesson about life. Each will then come up with a personal list of "Rules and Things for a Funner Life," such as those shared in Bud, Not Buddy. Choosing at least one rule, each writer will expand upon the reason for the rule, using words carefully, to convince the reader of its importance. This lesson focuses on idea development and word choice.

An Author Study: Christopher Paul Curtis and his novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963
This five-day lesson will introduce the students to the author of the novel as the beginning of a unit. The students will conduct research to obtain biographical information about the author and read/analyze summaries and critiques of the author's writing. Finally, the students will create brochures or flyers to highlight the author as a guest at a mock author's conference.

Imaginative Home Movies
Inspired by the long, humorous title of Chapter 5 of the Watsons book, students will think about silly things that children do and create a title that rivals chapter 5's title. Inspired by their titles, students will then plan and create a short story where a child—like Byron in the book—pretends he's creating a movie but ends up in trouble. Student will use details and humor in telling their original stories. This lesson focuses on idea development and voice.

The Watsons go to Birmingham — 1963
A variety of activities for pre-reading and post-reading.

The Watsons go to Birmingham — 1963
Summary, 9 discussion questions, and suggested activities.

The Watsons go to Birmingham — 1963
Summary and a dozen lessons to go with the novel.

The Watsons go to Birmingham — 1963
In this webquest students investigate life in the United States in 1963 and produce a newspaper that could have come from 1963.