doo-wop popB y R o n i S c h o t t e r • I l l u s t r a t e d b y B r y a n C o l l i e r

Tr 978-0-06-057968-5 • $16.99 ($18.50)Lb 978-0-06-057974-6 • $17.89 ($18.89)

About the book

Doo-Wop Pop, a former a cappella doo-wop singer working as a school janitor, helps five shy students face their social fears with the help of music in this uplifting, vibrant picture book. Finding the rhythms and sounds of their school, the students turn their quiet ways into coordinated song and dance—and end up being cheered on by their classmates! Doo-Wop Pop was inspired in part by the real-life experiences of two former doo-wop singers who, because of unfair contractual situations, were denied royalties to their music and consequently took jobs as ordinary non-celebrities in schools. Roni Schotter’s easy- flowing text and Bryan Collier’s lively illustrations coordinate like the sounds and moves of doo-wop throughout the story.

“Roni Schotter has amazingly captured the heart and soul of one of our greatest gifts—vocal harmony—on paper. The doo-wop musical genre is a collage of human experience

and this book oozes humanity and emotion. I love it! And those illustrations—wow!” —Cousin Brucie Morrow, Sirius Satellite Radio

Hear tHe sounds. Students can hone their understanding of vowel sounds by separating the doo-wop words in Doo-Wop Pop into three lists: short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, and words with both short and long vowels. Ask children to listen to the doo-wop words as you reread the story. Call on volunteers to identify the vowel sound in each word and then add the word to one of the lists. Consider parts of the doo-wop words inde-pendently; for instance, separate “sha-boom” into “sha” and “boom.” Invite students to share any similarities they notice about each list of words.

WoRd famIlIeS. Word families are defined as groups of words that share the same combination of letters and a similar sound. For example, in Doo-Wop Pop the words day, say, stay, and way form a family of words with the “ay” sound and letter combi-nation. Ask students to identify word families in Doo-Wop Pop. What other word families do they know? Students can visualize these groups of words by making word-family wheels. Each stu-dent needs two paper circles, one smaller than the other, as well as a brass fastener and a marker. Center the smaller circle on top of the larger circle and attach them with the brass fastener in the middle. Each student writes word-family endings on the edge of the larger circle. On the edge of the inner circle, he or she writes consonant letters and blends that can begin words in the word families. Once their wheels are complete, students exchange with a partner to create words by rotating the circles. Keep the word-family wheels in a classroom bin for repeated exploration.

faCe youR feaRS. Engage your students in making a class book about handling fear. Brainstorm a list of things that children are afraid of, including the things that Elijah Earl and his friends fear. Then brainstorm ideas about ways to help people overcome their fears. Have pairs of students create two pages for a class book. Each pair draws a picture of a fear on one page and a picture of a way to help someone get over this fear on the other page. Students can write or dictate captions for their pictures. Collate the pages into a book to read as a class, and then shelve the book in your classroom library.

muSICal WoRdS. Expand students’ vocabularies by generating a list of words related to music. Begin the list with words from Doo-Wop Pop, such as a cappella and falsetto. Ask for volunteers to define the words or to look them up in a dictionary. Then have students contribute other words they know, perhaps from a music class they take. Hang the vocabulary list in the room to add to whenever someone discovers a new music-related word. Incorporate some of these words into your vocabulary program.

dream a dream. Doo-Wop Pop says, “You have to have a dream.” Facilitate a discussion about dreams your students have for their futures. Pass out writing paper or student journals for children to write about or illustrate their dreams. What do they want to do? Why? How will they accomplish their dreams?

PoetIC PRoSe. How are the words in Doo-Wop Pop like poetry? How is music like poetry? Challenge students to write a poem that incorporates doo-wop words. They may choose to write about either a dream they have for their future or about someone who has helped them, in the way that Doo-Wop Pop inspires Elijah Earl and his friends.

letteR of thankS. Guide students in thinking about a per-son who has helped them learn to do something challenging. Ask students to discuss how Doo-Wop Pop helps Elijah Earl, Alishah, Jacob, Luis, and Pam Pam overcome their shyness and loneliness. Then give students a few minutes to think about an instance when someone helped them. After a few volunteers share their experiences, provide students with time to write letters to the people who have helped them. In addition to ex-pressing their thanks, encourage students to write about how the help made them feel and how they were changed by it.

doo-wop popLAnguAge Arts Activities

feel the muSIC. Expose your students to the sounds of doo-wop by having them listen to at least two doo-wop songs. For example, you might play the songs “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers and “Blue Moon” by the Marcels. Provide students with drawing materials to sketch along with the music. Encourage students to draw the way the music makes them feel or what the music makes them think about. Have them show their drawings to a partner and talk about the different ways they interpreted the doo-wop songs.

move WIth the muSIC. Have your class listen to a doo-wop song, such as “Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)” by the Chords, and then reread the instructions Doo-Wop Pop gives Elijah Earl, Alishah, Jacob, Luis, and Pam Pam about how to move as they sing. As a class or in small groups, come up with dance moves to go with “Sh-Boom.” Perform the routines for each other or for another class.

do youR oWn doo-WoP. What kinds of sounds do Elijah Earl and his friends collect for their doo-wop song? Organize small groups to work together to create doo-wop songs based on sounds they hear at school. Provide the groups with time to practice before performing their songs in front of the class.

do the doo-WoP veRSIon. Collaborate with your school’s music teacher to help students turn a familiar or currently pop-ular song into doo-wop. Either use instruments provided by the music teacher or have children create their own. Pencils, paper, chalk, books, desks, and other common classroom materials may all be used to create rhythms and music. Have students play their instruments while singing their new doo-wop song.

muSIC on PaPeR. Give children the opportunity to express themselves through collage. After letting them look closely at Bryan Collier’s collages in Doo-Wop Pop, provide a variety of col-lage materials and glue. Students can use their piece of art to represent one of their favorite songs, their feelings about music, or some other original idea.

make ClaSS SouP. Doo-Wop Pop encourages Elijah Earl: “Stop being the carrot that stays out of the soup. Dive in with the potatoes. Be part of the group.” What does he mean? Do Elijah Earl, Alishah, Jacob, Luis, and Pam Pam become part of the soup? Enlist your class in making its own bowl of soup—a recognition of each student and something that he or she likes to do as a form of self-expression. Brainstorm a list of ingredi-ents found in various soups. Then make art materials available for the class to use in constructing the ingredients. Each child writes his or her name on an ingredient and draws a picture of himself or herself doing an expressive activity. Students then attach their ingredients to a single large piece of paper in the shape of a bowl, forming a class soup that everyone is a part of.

BeautIful faCeS. Ask students to discuss what Doo-Wop Pop means when he says, “It’s no disgrace to show your face.” Why does he share this quote with Elijah Earl? Provide a variety of colored paper, textured fabric, yarn, and other collage materials for students to create a collage of their own faces. Offer them mirrors so that they may consider the details and colors of their features. Make a proud display of the faces in your classroom.

talent ShoW. Do your students know anyone in the school who, like Doo-Wop Pop, has a hidden talent? Motivate your class to organize a school-wide talent show to allow people to perform onstage, just as Elijah Earl, Alishah, Jacob, Luis, and Pam Pam finally do. Work with your administration to set up the event. Then facilitate groups of students working together to make posters advertising the performances, post sign-up lists, and decorate the location of the show. Be sure to photo-graph the event so that you may create a display of your school’s talent and your students’ hard work.

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Prices and availability subject to change without notice.

Activities prepared by Emily Linsay, eacher at the Bank Street School for Children, New York City.

Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Bryan Collier.

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visuAL Arts Activities

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

09/08