Out of Order

 

Out of Order Student Project Possibilities:

Verbal/Linguistic

Conduct some research on eating cicadas versus eating ants.  Write an essay comparing/contrasting the health benefits and/or pitfalls of eating each insect.  Conclude your essay by writing a short letter to Parker explaining which insect you think would be the best to make Insect-insides, including proof from your research.

Visual/Spatial

V and Eric’s dad builds a new kitchen table because the one they have is too small for the large family.  Create a model of a kitchen table that the family could use, using whatever materials you choose (pieces of wood, popsicle sticks, legos, etc.).  List the materials, steps you used to create the model, and your reactions to the project in a journal or blog.  (This website has a step-by-step process of how to make a full-size table:  http://www.ehow.com/how_116_build-kitchen-table.html.)

Information is provided throughout the book about the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.  Create an informational poster to share the history, rules, and/or gambits/terms used during play based on the information you learned through reading the book.  Use Comic Life or Pages to create your poster.

Information is provided throughout the book about the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.  Create a board game that can be played by 2 players that portrays a “hands-on” RPS game.  Create an actual game board, pieces that the players move, and cards that can be drawn if a player lands on a certain square.

Logical/Mathematical

V, Eric, and their dad moved from Chicago, Illinois, to Charlotte, North Carolina, while their mom moved from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California.  Use the “Directions” button on www.mapquest.com to determine how far it is from Chicago to Charlotte and from Chicago to Los Angeles.  Draw a map of the United States using Appleworks Painting/Drawing.  Include the path that V, Eric, and their dad made AND the path that their mom made (imagine they flew in an airplane), including the distance each traveled.  Also include the total distance from Charlotte to Los Angeles to illustrate how far apart the family now lives from each other.  Imagine that you are V or Eric and make some travel plans to visit your mom.  Determine if driving or flying would be the best based on the cost of gas and staying in motels versus flying.

Naturalist 

Develop a cicada exhibit that could be put on display for others to see.  In a box, create the habitat of a cicada, including food, shelter, and predators.  Depending on the season, you may be able to carefully catch a cicada and include it in your habitat.  You must also write a description of the cicada habitat, explaining why you included the items that  you did.

Musical

Conduct some research on cicadas using the sites listed below.  Share the information you learned through a song with at least 2 verses and a chorus.  That information should include regions where they live, lifespans, physical characteristics, etc.  Perform your song for your classmates and record it on an iPod to be posted as a Podcast.   Include music from GarageBand to accompany your lyrics.

Information is provided throughout the book about the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.  Create a song with at least 2 verses and a chorus to share the history, rules, and/or gambits/terms used during play based on the information you learned through reading the book.  Include music from GarageBand to accompany your lyrics.

Bodily/Kinesthetic 

Write a continuation for the book explaining how the children will raise more money to send soccer uniforms to the kids in Iraq.  Convert that into a play, including characters and props.  Make sure you include the tournament or other money-making idea they come up with and don’t forget that Parker wants to make Insect-insides Two using ants.  Perform the play for your classmates and record it using a video camera to be posted as a Podcast.

Intrapersonal 

Evaluate the birth order of the children in your family using the information on http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/birth_order.htm.  Create a chart or diagram that illustrates the traits from the website that describe each of the children in your family.  It can be similar to what Lily creates on pages 159-160 OR it can be an illustration of each child which includes those traits.

Interpersonal 

Get a group of friends together and hold a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament.  Create a bracket showing who will play which games (This site has a bracket generator: http://www.crowsdarts.com/brackets/playoff-chart.html for “single elimination.” )  Come up with a name for your tournament.  Determine who the referee will be that understands the rules of the game and can enforce them.  Determine if there will be prizes and what they will be.  Record all of your steps and reactions in a journal or blog to be shared with others.  

Additional Resources of Interest/Student Resources:

Additional Websites:

Author:  
    http://www.adamsliterary.com/auth_details.php?auth_id=12
    http://www.bookfinder.com/author/betty-hicks/

Topic:
Rock, Paper, Scissors:
    http://www.worldrps.com/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock-paper-scissors
    http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/2032
    http://www.worldrps.com/gbasics.html
    http://www.rinkworks.com/games/rps.shtml
    Online version of the game:
    http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/4543/psr.html
    http://www.playrps.com
Blended Families:
    http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/home_family/blended.html
Cicadas:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
    http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/eek/critter/insect/cicada.htm
    http://www.cicado.com/
    http://www.cicadamania.com
    http://saltthesandbox.org/cicada_hunt/CicadaLinks.htm#Stories

Possible student pole questions:

Lily’s stepsister, V, tells her that “Your name is a flower for dead people.”  How would you have reacted if you were Lily?
    -I would have just ignored what V said and tried to forget it.
    -I would have explained that the comment hurt my feelings and talked to V about how she treats me.
    Comments:

The kids work together to raise the money needed to purchase soccer balls for the kids in Iraq.  Do you think the children in Iraq would enjoy receiving those soccer balls?
    -Yes
    -No
    Comments:

If you could raise money to send something to children in Iraq, what would it be?
    -A different sport
    -Books
    -Other
    Comments:

The Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament is a huge success and a wide variety of people come to participate.  Do you think a tournament similar to that would be successful in your neighborhood or at your school?
    -Yes
    -No
    Comments:

This family is a blended family.  Do you know of anyone who lives in a blended family? (It could be you, a friend, or another member of your family.)  Has being a member of a blended family caused challenges?
    -Yes
    -No
    Comments:

Articles of news events:

    Rock-Paper-Scissors:
    http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20080412/ai_n25167417/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1
    http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060620/ai_n16491375
    http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5764888/Rock-paper-scissors-ordergarners.html#abstract
    http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/14/news/rock.php
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13221673/
    http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961028.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
    Eating Cicadas:
    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070522-cicadas-eat.html
    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070521-cicada-facts.html
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1866011
    http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_25_38/ai_n6081068
    Eating Ants:
    http://www.rawrob.com/2007/11/23/david-wolfe-on-eating-ants/
    http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-articles/eating-lemon-ants-in-the-rain/
    http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2160.html
    http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1351/do-people-really-eat-chocolate-covered-ants
    Blended Families:
    http://www.dadsrights.org/articles/some_good_news_about_blended_families.shtml
    http://www.mommyguide.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=229
    http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN2342275820080424
    http://www.watoday.com.au/lifestyle/blended-families-step-up-20080728-3m2k.html