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Get Up, Gus!: a book club kit
Where it comes from. One of Peabody's own stories.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Gus is in bed and will not get up, so his mom tells him to. Then Mom is in bed too, and will not get up either. A hug from Gus gets them both going. It is a ten-page first reader with one short line a page, made of simple words a new reader can sound out.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 2 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- What is Get Up, Gus! about?
The story's answer: A boy named Gus will not get out of bed. His mom tells him to get up, then ends up in bed herself, and the two of them hug and get up together. It is a silly, warm story about a morning in a family. - What reading level is Get Up, Gus!?
The story's answer: It is a Peabody level 1 book, one of the first books a child can sound out. At level 1 every consonant and short vowel is used, plus a few sight words such as the, is, to and and. Children who can read the level 0 books are ready for it. - Is Get Up, Gus! a good book for a child just learning to read?
The story's answer: Yes. Each page has only a few words, the same line comes back so the words are easy to remember, and the picture shows what is happening. Let the child read the Get up, Gus! line aloud while you read the rest, and swap roles on a second read. - What can we talk about after reading Get Up, Gus!?
The story's answer: Ask who gets up first, why Mom is in bed, and what the hugs do. Then talk about what your own mornings are like and what helps you get up. These are the same questions the story's reading check asks. - Which character changed the most from the beginning to the end?
Listen for: Ask what changed them. - Which scene would you put on the poster if this were a film?
Listen for: A way to find the scene that mattered most to each reader.
Did you know?
- It is a Peabody level 1 first reader: ten pages, one short line a page, and a picture on every page.
- The words are short and sound-out-able, like bed, hug, up and Mom. The three words it teaches are bed, hugs and Gus.
- The line Get up, Gus! comes back on several pages, so a new reader meets the same words again and again.
Activity: Cast the film
Choose who would play each character, draw the poster with your scene on it, and give the film a one-line tagline.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- It has four reading-check questions, and the whole story is free to read in the Peabody library.
Words to teach before you start
- bed: where you sleep
- hugs: warm squeezes
- Gus: a boy
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Get Up, Gus! book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 2 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Get Up, Gus! for?
It is written at Peabody level 1, a early reader reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- The Little Blue Engine (level 7)
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit (level 7)
- How the Camel Got His Hump (level 8)
- The Elephant's Child (level 8)
- Peter Pan (level 10)
- The Case of the Missing Mangoes (level 10)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.