TEACHER’S GUIDE - Jennie K. Brown · TEACHER’S GUIDE Poppy Mayberry, ... day would you choose...

Visit the author’s website at www.jenniekbrown.com Teacher resource guide created by PA certified English teacher Jennie K. Brown

TEACHER’S GUIDE Poppy Mayberry, The Monday by Jennie K. Brown

Poppy Mayberry, The Monday

By: Jennie K. Brown

What if your teacher could read your mind just because she was born on a Thursday? Or the kid next to you in class could turn back the clock just because he was a ‘Wednesday”? In the quirky town of Nova, all of this is normal, but one thing is not—Poppy Mayberry. As an almost-eleven-year-old Monday, she should be able to pass notes in class or brush her dog, Pickle, without lifting a finger. But her Monday telekinesis still has some kinks, and that plate of spaghetti she’s passing may just end up on someone’s head. And if that’s not hard enough, practically perfect Ellie Preston is out to get her, and Principal Wible wants to send her to remedial summer school to work on her powers! It’s enough to make a girl want to disappear…if only she were a Friday.

ISBN: 978-1944816704 * Tantrum Books

This guide aligns with the following ELA Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1 – CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, and 4.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and 5.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1, 6.2, 6.4, and 6.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2, 7.4, and 7.6

Poppy Mayberry, The Monday Teacher’s Guide


Discussion Questions Make sure you use FRED (facts, reasons, examples, details) from the text to support your responses.

Recall and Comprehension

v When does Poppy first realize that she is definitely a “Monday”? Describe this encounter.

v Describe three incidents where Ellie is cruel to Poppy. v Poppy makes new friends at her time at Power Academy. Use a chart to keep

track of the friends she makes and the character traits of each. v What does it mean to be a “cusp” weekday? v For each character listed, describe them in THREE words. Poppy, Pickle, Ellie,

Logan, Sam, Headmistress Larriby, Mr. Grimeley, Mark Masters, and Miss Maggie.

Analysis and Synthesis

v Give three examples of sensory details the author uses in the opening chapter. How do these details paint a picture in the reader’s mind?

v At the end of the novel, we find out Poppy has more than one power. Throughout the novel, this detail is foreshadowed. Describe two scenes that foreshadow Poppy’s “cusp” power.

v Identify a theme in the novel. In what ways is this theme explored? v In what ways has Poppy changed over the course of the book? v Even after all the cruel things Ellie did to Poppy, Poppy still forgives her. Would

you have forgiven Ellie? Explain why or why not. v Create a Venn Diagram for Poppy and Ellie. What character traits do they share,

and in what ways do they differ?

POPPY ELLIE



Short Response Prompts

v Below is a chart detailing the magical power associated with each day of the week. If you could choose what day of the week you were born, which day would you choose and why?

Monday Telekinesis (move things with mind)

Tuesday Teleportation (move wherever you want to go)

Wednesday Electricity Manipulation (control electricity flow)

Thursday Telepathy (read the thoughts of others)

Friday Invisibility (go anywhere without being seen)

Saturday and Sunday No Powers (ordinary life)

v Poppy Mayberry, The Monday is written in 1st person point-of-view. How would

the story be different if written in 3rd person? How would it be different if written from Ellie’s point-of-view?

v Poppy chooses to bring her Yorkshire terrier Pickle to Power Academy as her one personal item. If you were sent to Power Academy for the summer, what personal belonging would you bring with you and why?

v Poppy named her dog Pickle because on a Halloween night, the furry little yorkie showed up on her doorstep dressed like a – you guessed it – pickle! Do you have any pets? And if so, what is the background of their name? If you don’t have a pet, create a name you would give one and the reason why you’d choose that name.

v In the the town of Nova, people born on a Saturday or Sunday have no magical powers. If you were able to assign powers to those two days, what two magical powers would you choose and why?

v Almost every other student at Poppy’s school came in to their “week day” power right on time, which leaves Poppy feeling a bit defeated. Describe something in your life that you wish came a bit easier to you. Or describe a time in your life when you felt behind compared to others. How did this make you feel? How did you overcome this obstacle?



Creative Assignments v Letter Home

o Pretend you’ve been sent to Power Academy with Poppy and Pickle. Write a letter to be sent home to your parents describing Power Academy, Headmistress Larriby, and Mr. Grimeley. Use descriptive details from Poppy Mayberry, The Monday in your letter.

v Letter to the Author o Write a letter to Jennie K. Brown that explains your views of the

novel. You might want to explain what you liked or didn’t like about the book, suggest ideas for a sequel, or describe why the book is special to you. Use FRED to support your opinions.

v Character Trading Cards o Create a set of character trading cards for the main characters

(Poppy, Ellie, Pickle, Logan, Sam, Headmistress Larriby, Mr. Grimeley). Be sure to include: physical description, personality traits, weekday power, and a picture. This is where your artistic skills will come in hand!

POPPY ROSE MAYBERRY (MONDAY)

Eye color: green

Hair: spirally red/orange

Build: petite

Personality: bubbly, energetic, creative

Best friend: Veronica White (Monday)

Frenemy: Ellie Preston (Thursday)

Crush: Logan Elliot Prince



Chapters 1 - 2 simile, metaphor, telekinesis, prompt, manipulation, catapult

Chapters 3 - 4 obnoxious, hallmark, Roman numerals, intentional, esteemed, gait, negligent, audible

Chapters 5 - 6 delinquents, emphasizing, necessities, prohibited, compartment, gaze, imitate, sarcasm

Chapters 7 - 8 supposedly, occasional, anguished, dilapidated, chauffeur, anticipation, massive, alter

Chapters 9 - 10 idiotic, gingerly, mutter, amends, tolerate, abandon, sincerity, assume, accent, effortless

Chapters 11 - 12 vigorously, retorted, acknowledge, mischievous debris, levelheaded, hue, engrossed

Chapters 13 - 14 ensure, censor, solidified, compulsive, unison, contemplate, hostage, obsessed, simultaneously, hovered, babble

Chapters 15 - 16 combination, impaired, tardiness, engrossed, jeopardized, intimidating, backlash, manipulate, quivered

Chapters 17 - 18 reconnaissance, obvious, exasperation, haunted, apprehensively, commanded, disastrous, frantically

Chapters 19 - 20 lanky, unaware, potential, pretense, comprehend, coincidental, probation

Chapters 21 - 22 smirked, distracted, tremendously, glimmered, fantabulous!

Vocabulary Study

About the Author

Jennie K. Brown is an award-winning high school English teacher, freelance magazine writer, and author of children’s books. Her middle grade novel POPPY MAYBERRY, THE MONDAY will be published in September 2016 by Month9Books (Tantrum Books imprint), with a sequel to follow in August 2017. Jennie currently serves as president of the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts (PCTELA) and she is an active member of SCBWI, NCTE, and ALAN. When she’s not teaching or writing, Jennie can be found reading, hanging out with her awesome family, or plotting her next book! Find out more about POPPY and Jennie at jenniekbrown.com! Or follow her on twitter @jenniekaywrites

TEACHER’S GUIDE - Jennie K. Brown · TEACHER’S GUIDE Poppy Mayberry, ... day would you choose...

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