Building Background Activity | Parents & Teachers
  







  












  
  



  


    
    
     

    

		

			

				

		

        
        
                  

                                      
Building Background Activity

                                                          
 
        
        

          


  
  
  
  

    
Activity One: What's the problem?
The purpose of this activity is to help students reflect on the process of problem solving.


1. Ask your students to respond to the following prompts:

    

  • Did you ever make a mistake that you wanted to hide? If so, what was it?
    • 

  • What would you do if you threw a ball and accidentally broke a window in your neighbor’s house?
    • 

  • What would you do if you lost $20.00 that your friend’s mom had given you to buy Girl Scout cookies?
    • 

  • What would you do if your friend lent you his skateboard and you broke it?
    • 

  • What would you do if you completed your homework assignment and then forgot to bring it to school?
    • 



2. Tell the students that they are going to watch an episode of Wunderkind Little Amadeus that tells the story of how Little Amadeus made a mistake and didn’t want to get into trouble.


3. View the episode entitled “The Broken Key.” Provide each student with a copy of the Comprehension Checker handout. Have the students complete the Comprehension Checker questions. When they are finished, review their answers to ensure they understand what happened in the story.


4. Divide the class into groups of three students. Give each group a copy of the "Problem Solution Graphic Organizer" handout. Review the graphic organizer with your students. Tell them that a graphic organizer is a tool that will help them to become better writers. The Problem Solution Graphic Organizer has three main parts: 

    

  • What was the problem?
    • 

  • What action was taken to try to solve the problem?
    • 

  • How was the problem solved?
    • 



Tell the students that they should use the graphic organizer to help them write a newspaper article about what happened in this episode. Remind them to focus on the problem and the solution, and use the transition words "first," "next," and "last" in their articles.


Teacher Note: For K-2 students, you may wish to complete the graphic organizer and the article as a whole-class activity. 


5. As the students write their articles, play Mozart's Serenade in G major "A Little Night Music", K. 525, Romance Andante.


6. Provide time for each group to share its article with the entire class.