LESSON PLAN “Snickerdoodle: What is a hero?”
Language arts, American tall tales; storytelling;creative writing;
art; character education
(Note: This lesson plan, updated and adaptable for preK-grade 3,
actually includes multiple lesson ideas and sample creative activities
based on “Snickerdoodle.” It is not necessary to have
the Snickerdoodle storybooks in order to teach these lessons, but
storytelling skills are desirable, and the books may enhance the
lesson ideas. We hope teachers will find these ideas a useful and
fun starting point for creating meaningful and fun learning experiences
with their students.)
Objectives:
To introduce positive role models that counteract negative influence
of media and toy images of violent “superheroes.”
To
stimulate children’s thinking about qualities and
behaviors expressed by both real-life and fantasy heroes.
To encourage creative writing and artwork about heroes in action,
or to create an original hero or Snickerdoodle story.
To familiarize children with the folklore of American tall
tale heroes.
To reinforce Snickerdoodle’s message
for kids: “You
can be a hero, even if you’re just a ‘little guy.’ You can “think
big”, be a peacemaker, and solve tough problems with humor,
imagination, and courage. Never be afraid to be yourself—the world needs
you and the special talents you can give. You’re never too little to
make a difference.”
Materials needed:
Snickerdoodle’s Message (for older kids)
and/or Snickerdoodle’s "RAP" Message
(for ages 3 and up). You can download and print out these poems,
along with color images of Snickerdoodle, and other characters,
from this website and make reprints for handouts to students.
Print out the poster of Snickerdoodle that says "Discover
small wonders on the road less traveled."
(Note: You can also hear/play aloud for the children the rap,
songs, and one story on this website.
Photos, images from newspapers, magazines, websites, etc. of “real-life” heroes
and fantasy “superheroes” of all kinds. (Children
can look for these and bring them to class.)
Art room materials such as scissors, paste, crayons, markers,
paper (brown butcher paper or lunch sacks are great for using
to draw and cut out “peanutmobile” shape).
Children may write/draw stories in sketchbooks or online with
computer software.
Method:
NOTE: For very young children, teacher may lead brief discussion
of “heroes,” follow-up with short introduction
to Snickerdoodle, and then proceed to have kids engage in one of
several activities:
The “Snickerdoodle Rap” (music,
movement)
Designing, drawing, their own customized “peanutmobile” fantasy
vehicle (art education)
Playing the “On the road to adventure with Snickerdoodle” game,
using the full-color poster “Discover small wonders along the
road less traveled.” (alphabet skill, memory/sequence, language
arts, storytelling)
For older children, teacher may begin with discussion of heroes
and move on to discussion of American tall tale heroes, involving
students in creating/writing their own stories.
Lesson:
Teacher leads children in discussion,
showing photos and images of heroes and favorite superheroes,
and writing key word lists and children’s responses
on blackboard or large easel chart.
“Who is your favorite hero?” (Writes “hero” and
children’s responses)
“What, exactly, IS a hero, anyway? What does he do?
What sort of person is he or she?” (Teacher
makes list on board or chart of children’s ideas. List
might include guided answers such as: )
Helps people.
Rescues people/saves lives
Brave
Strong
Courageous
Bold
Daring
Unselfish
Smart
Kind
Imaginative
Humble (doesn’t brag or boast)
Not afraid to step up and stop bad things from happening when no
one else will
Not afraid to fight for a cause, a “big” idea, that
he or she believes in.
Peacemaker—respects others, makes friends, and contributes
good ideas that work to make the world better for everyone.
“What are some things a hero is NOT?” (Examples: A bully,
a bragger, a liar, a showoff, a mean guy, etc.)
“Where do we find heroes?” (Discuss real-life everyday
heroes and fantasy “superheroes” of books, TV, movies,
cartoons, videos, etc.)
“Is being a famous person, a celebrity, or a superstar the
same thing as being a hero? Why or why not, do you think?
(Review discussion of qualities, behaviors if needed)
“Can a girl be a hero? Can you name some girls and women who are real-life
heroes or fantasy superheroes?” (examples?)
“Can animals and pets act like heroes?” (examples?)
“Does a hero have to be big or can he or she be small? Can
you think of some big, giant-size heroes? “( Sports stars may
come to mind, or you can introduce American tall tale hero Paul
Bunyan)
“Can you think of some small-size heroes?” (David
vs. Goliath is classic example, also fantasy characters like Mighty
Mouse or “Veggie Tales” , or children’s literature
characters Tom Thumb, Stuart Little, etc. )
Teacher then introduces “Snickerdoodle” as a tiny superhero.
(NOTE: With youngest children, it may be helpful to have the soft
toy doll set of Snickerdoodle® in his Peanutmobile® , available
to order from the website.)
“Today I’m going to tell you about a tiny fantasy
superhero who thought big and did big things.
He has a funny name: SNICKERDOODLE!” (Write it on blackboard or easel.
Show images of Snickerdoodle on overhead projector)
And guess what ! He rides in a peanut! See, I told you he was SMALL!
It’s a MAGIC peanut—because when Snickerdoodle
pushes a special button, that peanut can become a car, a boat,
a plane, or even a rocket ship! And Snickerdoodle could even
shrink and fold up that peanut and carry it in his pocket!
And what do you think the fuel of that peanutmobile is? Hint:
It’s
NOT gasoline!(children’s responses)You guessed
it! PEANUT BUTTER!
Snickerdoodle is called the “powerful pee-wee
with big ideas.” Why do you think he got that nickname?
(children’s responses?)He’s very tiny but very strong.
Super-strong, in fact. But he’s not strong because
of his muscles, like some other superheroes. He’s just
a little guy. But he’s not afraid of big tough bullies
or bad guys.
How do you think he fights the bad guys? Does he beat them
up? NO! Does he throw rocks or use a knife or a gun or a laser-beam
sword? NO! Why not?
Because he has a better way!
Snickerdoodle is powerful because
he knows how to think big and use his sense of humor and imagination
to surprise his enemies—and
sometimes he can turn them into friends.
So if he meets a bully,
what do you think he does? (children’s
responses?)
Because Snickerdoodle is so tiny, usually the
big guys don’t even see him coming. And if they do, they don’t
see how a little guy could possibly stop them from doing bad
stuff.
But Snickerdoodle has lots of tricks. He might tickle the
bad guys so they laugh so hard they can’t do bad stuff.
Or he might play a funny joke on the bad guys. Or he might just
totally surprise them by being friendly (a peacemaker) until
they figure out that it’s no fun to be mean.
(* Optional: Teacher can introduce storybook, Snickerdoodle! A Tall
Tale About a Powerful Pee-Wee! “Here’s a story about how
Snickerdoodle surprised the bad guys by doing something funny. How do
you think they got covered with peanut butter? Teacher can show this one picture
from storybook, or read aloud or play
the story from the website.)
(NOTE: Teacher of youngest children may stop here and introduce
activity(ies) to do with children. )
The “Snickerdoodle” Rap
(all ages)
Snickerdoodle is a dude who can do it! And each one of you can be a hero, too!
Even when you are small, your big ideas and your imagination can help each
other and help the world. Think about some ways you can be a dude who can do
it like Snickerdoodle while we do this fun rap together.
(If there are rhythm instruments in classroom, have children use them! Drums,
shakers, etc. Or have kids stand, do clapping, stomping, mouth sounds as rhythm
to accompany the rap. [Experiment with “Boom-chicka-boom-chicka boom boom
boom!” or another chant after main verses or refrain of the rap.] )
(*Optional: Teacher may follow-up the “Rap” with a free-style
drawing activity in which children can imagine themselves (or Snickerdoodle,
or their own favorite superhero) doing a heroic deed, something funny,
or something to make peace with others. [Note: Older children may want to write
a caption or more detailed story about their drawing. See tips for lengthier
story writing later in this lesson plan.] Youngest children can show/tell their
hero story in the class—and the teacher can post the drawings on the
bulletin board, with heading, “We can think BIG! Just look what
our superheroes can do!”)
Create your own “peanutmobile” (preK-1)
(This art activity can direct children to cut out pre-drawn
peanut shape on butcher brown paper and cut out 2 pre-drawn
round wheels to color and paste on. A steering wheel can
be cut and pasted, if desired, from a sort of “T” shape,
out of black or brown construction paper. Children
can color and decorate the peanutmobile in their own style.
(If glitter is desired, use with caution.) If they bring
in photos of themselves, they can (with teacher’s help)
cut it to “fit” in driver’s seat. Or a
color drawing of Snickerdoodle that children make themselves
or a cutout of Snickerdoodle image from website may be pasted
to go in driver’s seat. )
Teacher asks: What if you had your own peanutmobile like Snickerdoodle’s.
What would it look like and what could it do? Where would it go on an adventure? Would
you ride in the peanut with Snickerdoodle or would you be the
driver?
(Option: Teacher can introduce the activity using prop of the
toy doll in the peanutmobile car, and saying the “Putt-Putt-Peanut” rhyme
with the very youngest children, ages 3-5)
Putt-Putt Peanut!
Putt-Putt Peanut!
It goes on the road
It goes in the air
It goes on the ocean
It goes everywhere!
Putt-Putt Peanut!
Putt-Putt Peanut!
What do you think?
What do you feel?
Where will you go in the Peanutmobile?
Game: “On the Road to Adventure with Snickerdoodle” (K-grade
1)
(For this game, teacher needs the full-color poster of Snickerdoodle, “Discover
small wonders along the road less traveled.” This poster
is available as a pdf
for downloading/printing.
Or it can be ordered as a large-size (11 x 17) glossy poster
for your classroom (e-mail Clare@snickerdoodleforkids.com for
more information).
Teacher may use alphabet blocks or plastic letters so that
each child has a letter to work with. Teacher can hand out
letters or have children pick them out of a box or grab bag.)
Today we’re going to play a game of imagining adventures
with Snickerdoodle. (Shows the poster—display on overhead
projector or have it on easel.)
Here’s Snickerdoodle on the road to adventure. It says,
Discover small wonders on the road less traveled. What do you
think that means? What small wonders do you see in this picture?
(bee, snail, peanut car small enough to go in Snickerdoodle’s
pocket?)
Let’s use our alphabet letters and imagine we’re
on the trail with Snickerdoodle about to go on an adventure.
We’ll each use our letter to describe something Snickerdoodle
might see or something that might happen on the trail. We’ll
make up a story as we go along!
Let’s start with “A.” (who
has the “A”?
What word that starts with an “A” would be fun
to find on this trip?(For example) Let’s say, “On
the road to adventure , Snickerdoodle saw a big brown
fuzzy APE!”
(Teacher writes words on the easel list or
blackboard, as child brings his letter and says his word, and
may, if desired, draw an ape in his sketchbook or pad. Children’s
drawings can be assembled later into a collage around the poster.)
Each
child brings letter to teacher and stands and says, “On
the road to adventure, Snickerdoodle saw (or met) an APE, and
a BEAR, … and
a CAT… and a DOG… and an ELEPHANT, etc… and
so on.. in sequence, and each child repeating what last one
said.
Teacher can help make it more of a “story” with,
he turned the corner on the trail and he was in a Jungle and
then he turned the corner again and was in a dry Desert, etc… and
he decided to press the magic button on his peanutmobile and
it became a boat /submarine/jet/ rocket/etc….and then
he saw a …” And end with “ And then everyone
laughed and had fun because….” (Children make
up ending).
NOTE: Lesson ideas for older children (grades 2-3-4) continue
here and include more details about Snickerdoodle’s place
in American folklore as a tall tale hero, inviting exploration
of other tall tale heroes, discussing what makes a good tall
tale story, and having students create stories about Snickerdoodle
or a hero of their own.
Teacher continues narrative information about Snickerdoodle:
Snickerdoodle is actually a little-known tall tale hero from
American folklore, and he had lots of thrilling adventures.
What’s a tall tale?… Well, here are some examples…
In World War I, airplanes were a very new invention. At night,
cities had “blackouts,” which meant that all the
lights of a city were turned off so that enemy airplanes flying
over it couldn’t see where the city was and couldn’t
bomb it. Snickerdoodle was asked by our country’s government
to fly his peanut plane on a secret mission for peace to help
win the War. But at night, Snickerdoodle couldn’t see
the runway lights at the airport during a blackout, so
he wouldn’t be able to land his plane. What did he do
He used his imagination! He just whistled, and a whole fleet
of fireflies came to his rescue! As his escort, they blinked
their taillights on and off, shining just enough so he
could land his plane safely and deliver the Peace treaty papers!
Another time, during World War II, Snickerdoodle was on another
secret mission for our government. Like an expert Navy SEAL
deep-sea diver, Snickerdoodle helped saved a submarine that
had lost power and was stuck at the bottom of the ocean. Snickerdoodle
called his friends, a squadron of specially trained seahorses,
and together they lifted that sub to the surface again!
What’s a tall tale? Amazing, unbelievable, bold,
daring, optimistic, humorous adventures--“a larger-than-life” story
with a hero who thinks big!
Snickerdoodle comes from a famous family from American
folklore: The Doodle Family.Have you heard of “Yankee
Doodle?” (He’s Snickerdoodle’s uncle.)
Who is Yankee Doodle? (Website searches will reveal song,
origins of character, and more. Teacher might note that “Yankee
Doodle” was a caricature of America made fun
of by British troops during Revolutionary War, but who
instead became a symbol of freedom, courage, and hope to
the American colonists. Teacher can play Yankee Doodle
song for kids, and different verses and versions.
On the Snickerdoodle CD, there is a version of the
song with new lyrics about Snickerdoodle.)
Have you heard of “Polly Wolly Doodle?” (She’s
Snickerdoodle’s cousin.) No one knows much about “her,” but
a silly song about “her” was popular in the South
after the Civil War. (Play song—again, many versions
of lyrics. New lyrics on the Snickerdoodle CD) Snickerdoodle’s
cousin Polly Wolly Doodle is a spunky country western singer who
loves to play the banjo and sing all day!
In Snickerdoodle’s adventures, he sometimes
got help from his family and friends—especially his animal
friends. His pals include: Spitfire Jim the firehouse dog,
Star-Spangled Cat, and Jerry the Roller-Skating Horse. (Teacher
can print images from website or show the actual storybooks.)
(Optional: What other American folklore tall tale characters
do you know? Paul Bunyan? Johnny Appleseed? Pecos Bill? Etc.
Teacher may want to discuss within unit on folklore.)
(Also optional: Play the first story on the Snickerdoodle
CD or from the website—the “Tall Tale About a Powerful
Pee-Wee.” This is only to get students thinking more
about a tall tale THEY will write about Snickerdoodle or a
tall tale hero of their own imagining. Note that the story
is in poetry format, but a tale need not be a poem.)
(Students need sketchbooks/notebooks/writing journal.)
Now, it’s time to make up a story of your own—a
tall tale about Snickerdoodle, or maybe a superhero of your
own, from your imagination. Whether you draw pictures or write
words, -- whether it’s a poem, a rap, or a story, just
have fun and let your imagination fly!
Spitfire Jim
Star-Spangled Cat
Jerry the Roller-Skating Horse
Let’s review some things first about Snickerdoodle
(and heroes) that you need to remember:
Snickerdoodle (or a hero)
likes to help people.
Snickerdoodle solves problems by using his imagination and sense
of humor. He is never mean or violent.
Snickerdoodle ( or a hero) is humble. He doesn’t brag about
himself or try to be famous.
You may already have some neat ideas for your story. But in case
you don’t, here are a few tips to help get you started. You
could make up a story to answer questions like:
Where did Snickerdoodle get his peanutmobile?
How do you think Snickerdoodle met (other characters like
Spitfire Jim the dog, the cat, the horse?)
What’s the funniest thing you ever saw/funniest joke Snickerdoodle
could play without hurting anyone!?
(*Optional: Teacher may introduce the “unfinished” Snickerdoodle
story about “Help Snickerdoodle
Teach the Bullies A Lesson” and
invite children to provide their own creative solutions.
Here are some ways you might begin your story…
Once upon a time
Long ago and far away
Once there was
One amazing sunshiny day
One awful gloomy scary night
Did you ever hear the story about
I’ll tell you a tale
Can you imagine
Whoever heard of a
Here are some story endings you might use…
And they lived
happily ever after.
And that’s how Snickerdoodle (or your “hero”)
saved the day.
And that’s why….
Everyone cheered, and Snickerdoodle waved goodbye.
What are some settings for your story? Can you think of some interesting
places Snickerdoodle (or your “hero”) might go?
Out West
At a rodeo
In the jungle
At the beach
In the mountains
In outer space
At a circus
On a treasure hunt
Inside a magician’s hat
What about your story’s action, or plot? What is the story
about? What problem does Snickerdoodle (or your “hero”)
solve? How does he do it?
Going camping
Winning a contest
Meeting a monster
Racing in a peanut car (or some other vehicle)
Riding a rollercoaster
Rescuing a person or an animal
Outsmarting a bully
Building an invention to help people do….(what?)
These are just a few ideas to help you get started imagining adventures
for Snickerdoodle or your own superhero. You can write or draw a story
(tall tale), a poem or rap, a song, a TV script, or a cartoon. (Teacher
may oversee writing/creative process over period of time, and help
children make/bind their own books to share with their school library.
And if students make a collaborative Snickerdoodle story (a story made
up by all members of the class working together), please send it to
the website at stories@snickerdoodleforkids.com to
share! (See story posted by 2nd graders in Texas.) Learn more about
heroes at www.heroes4us.com.
It’s a MAGIC peanut—because when Snickerdoodle
pushes a special button, that peanut can become a car, a boat,
a plane, or even a rocket ship! And Snickerdoodle could even
shrink and fold up that peanut and carry it in his pocket!
And what do you think the fuel of that peanutmobile is? Hint:
It’s
NOT gasoline!(children’s responses)You guessed
it! PEANUT BUTTER!
Snickerdoodle is actually a little-known tall tale hero from
American folklore, and he had lots of thrilling adventures.
What’s a tall tale?… Well, here are some examples…
He used his imagination! He just whistled, and a whole fleet
of fireflies came to his rescue! As his escort, they blinked
their taillights on and off, shining just enough so he
could land his plane safely and deliver the Peace treaty papers!
What’s a tall tale? Amazing, unbelievable, bold,
daring, optimistic, humorous adventures--“a larger-than-life” story
with a hero who thinks big! 
