Description
Get your learners thinking! Our Print and Digital Bud, Not Buddy Novel Study Unit Plan has the activities and quizzes you need to teach a 6-week novel study of this beloved book by Christopher Paul Curtis. This Bud, Not Buddy novel study includes prereading questions, character analysis activities, vocabulary, projects, writing, and more. You’ll love the “print-and-go” activities in slideshow and .pdf, and the same fun activities converted and optimized for digital learning (635+ pages, slides, & forms for all your print and digital teaching needs).
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ And don’t forget the easy-grade Google Forms!
Your learners will have fun with the rigor and creativity of our engaging activities built from best teaching practices. We want to make your lesson plan journey easy, so you can focus on your expertise. This literature guide includes a curriculum map pacing guide that offers our day-by-day suggestion for how to plan out your weeks of fun activities.
Our pedagogy section explains the instructive idea behind the activity, gives ideas for implementation, and aligns the lesson plan to the standards. We’ve filmed some training videos on (1) how to assemble a Novel Analysis Packet that is unique to the academic needs of your learners and (2) how to effectively use our Quickwrite writing prompts.
Product Details
TEXT: BUD, NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis
LEVEL: 5th – 7th
TOTAL: 635+ combined slides/pages/forms in novel study unit
- Based off the 2000 Scholastic Edition [ISBN: 0439227534].
- Pacing Guide and Suggested Answer Keys included
- Perfect novel to teach during Black History Month.
About the Novel Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bud, Not Buddy is a historical fiction novel by Christopher Paul Curtis set during the Great Depression. The story follows Bud Caldwell, a ten-year-old orphan living in a foster home in Flint, Michigan. After escaping an abusive foster home, Bud embarks on a journey to find his father. He believes his father is a well-known jazz musician in Grand Rapids.
Along the way, Bud meets memorable characters like Lefty Lewis, a kind man who helps Bud by giving him food and transport during his journey. He also meets Miss Thomas, a nurturing vocalist who acts as a mother figure. Bud carries his important possessions in an old suitcase and relies on his own survival rules he calls “Bud’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life.”
The novel explores themes of family and belonging, hope and perseverance, and the impact of racism and poverty. The main characters in Bud, Not Buddy include Bud Caldwell, Herman E. Calloway, Bugs, Lefty Lewis, Todd Amos, and Deza Malone. The story portrays the real-life struggles faced by African Americans during the Great Depression, including soup lines and segregation. It is a powerful read that shows how family is defined by love and acceptance rather than by blood relations alone.
What Other Teachers Are Saying About This Bud, Not Buddy Novel Study Resource
♥ This is exactly what I was looking for to help me move through this novel with my class! I am super picky about layouts, graphics, wordings, and design. This is perfect!
♥ I am using this unit with my 4th grade advanced reading rotation group and LOVE it! The variety of activities is very appealing to both my students and self. I feel it is very aligned with common core standards and expectations and has opened many doors to explore and research different aspects of the book. I am using it with the professional narration available on audible and I have a very engaged group of students who can’t wait to read more! The authors of this unit have created a love for learning for students through their work.
♥ I have used other resources from Created For Learning and they never disappoint! I love the break down of the unit plan and the variety of activities from which to choose. I love that I can pick and choose activities to better cater to my students’ needs. Great resource that I highly recommend!
♥ I have used this resource for two years! I especially love the bia activity, it really makes students think!
♥ This has been the BEST purchase I have made to support our 6th grade EL curriculum. Words can not describe how WONDERFULLY easy this made for teaching Bud, Not Buddy. (I had even hoped this resource was available for our next book Dragon Wings)
♥ Perfect for my junior high resource class. Great unit plan. Very thorough!
Bud, Not Buddy Novel Study Contents
- Suggested timeline of how a teacher could plan out the unit
- Detailed explanations of the goals of each activity and how to conduct the activities
- Meets Common Core Standards (CCSS novel unit). Easy TEKS conversion.
- Easy to differentiate for different learning levels: Honors, 2nd language learners, and Sped
Before Reading
★ Pre-Reading Bias Activity
- Answer thematic questions to get students thinking about the novel
- 24 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1,2
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1
★ Google Earth Introduction Tour
- Flint, Michigan; Flint Library; Bud’s trip to Grand Rapids; all the rocks; the Sit-Down Strike at General Motors and Herman E. Calloway’s Log Cabin Lounge…and many of the 40 locations zoomed in to the 3D street view. It’s rockin awesome.
- 40-location 3D tour across the midwest
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9
During Reading
★ Plot Chart Analyzer Diagram Arc
- Analyze the 6 parts of the plot
- 9 pages & Google slides (suggested answer key included)
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2
★ Conflict Graphic Analyzer – 6 Types of Conflict
- Analyze the 6 different types of conflict in stories
- 7 pages & Google slides (suggested answer key included)
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2
★ Characters Analyzer
- Analyze the main characters using text quotes
- 21 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3
★ Settings Analyzer
- Analyze the main settings using novel quotes
- 3 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2
★ Symbols Analyzer
- Analyze the 6 different symbols in the text
- 14 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2
★ Figurative Language Instructional Slideshow
- We set out to make the most helpful, most compelling, most graphically attractive teaching resource for you to introduce your learners to all the various figurative language. This 140 slide & Google slides activity will help you introduce how every many you need to teach your level of learners.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7
★ Figurative Language Activity
- Analyze and complete 52 figures of speech specific to the novel
- 24 pages, Google slides, & easy grade Google forms
- Similes vs. Metaphors
- Figurative Language Analysis
- Similes, Metaphors, Idioms, Hyperboles, Analogies, Personification, Onomatopoeia, Puns, Symbols
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4
★ Journal Questions – Quickwrite Writing Prompts
- 1/2 writing assignments to spur much deeper conversational thinking
- 79 slide & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1,2
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1
★ 18 Comprehension Pop Quizzes
- A 5-question pop quiz per chapter
- 164 pages, slides, Google slides, & easy grade Google forms
- The purpose of these is so learners who read the chapters recently would ace the quiz and learners who didn’t read recently would not do well.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.10
★ Aesop’s Fables – 8 Stories
- Bud’s mom used to read Aesop’s Fables to him at bedtime. Here are 8 printable Aesop’s Fables like the ones Bud might have read. They’re a cool-looking way to do a Gallery Walk for students to read all 8 stories in a quick amount of time.
- 16 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7
★ Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things Activity
- Throughout the story, Bud shares various samples of his Rules and Things for a Having Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. Students will read those, draw connections between the themes and tone, then write their own rules and things. This is a fun activity that will connect students deeper with Bud and his mindset on life.
- 17 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7
★ “Shenandoah” Song Analysis Activity
- Bud hears the band playing the classic folk song “Shenandoah” and talks about it for a moment. Let’s read, listen to, and study the song and its meaning for the novel.
- 5 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7
★ Vocabulary List and Quiz Assessment
- 90 vocabulary words from the novel
- Six 15-question lists & quizzes
- 78 pages, Google slides, & Google forms (suggested answer key included)
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4
After Reading
★ Persuasive Writing Essay and Speech
- 3 response to literature essay options for students to choose from; optional delivery of essay as a speech
- Includes essay topics and speech grading rubrics
- 10 pages & Google slides
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1,2,3
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1,9
- CCSS.ELA-SpeakingListening.SL.1,4,6
★ Movie vs. Novel Comparison Activity
- 4 pages & Google slides
- Learners compare & contrast the movie and novel
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7
- NOTE: A film adaptation may be in development. Check theBud, Not Buddy IMDb page for the latest updates. This comparison tool will work with any film adaptation that is released.
Enjoy, Maams and Sirs!
