Wild Rilla: Teacher’s Guide

Print this page

General Themes And Connections:

  1. The empowering aspect of the imagination
    • How imagination can help empower a child when he/she is feeling small or down
    • How imagination can be used to find solutions to difficult situations
    • How imagination is used to make discoveries
  2. Imagination as a form of escape
    • How the imagination can be used positively to feel better in a bad situation
    • How imagination can be misused to avoid doing work or to avoid facing something difficult
  3. How helping others empowers both the helper and the person being helped
  4. Sharing

Classroom Activities

  1. Topics of Discussion
    1. What do you think Wild Rilla feels during the different parts of this story? Remember that you can feel more than one thing at a time.
    2. How do you feel if you are given a time out?
    3. How does Wild Rilla feel at the end of the story?
    4. How do you feel when you help someone out?
    5. Do you think Rilla really changes into a super hero, Wild Rilla, and does what the story shows?
    6. If you were given a timeout how could you make yourself feel better about it?
    7. If you could be Wild Rilla, what would you do?
    8. If you could be a superhero, what kind of powers would you like to have? What would you do to help in the school, at home and your friends and neighbours?
  2. Art Projects
    1. Draw a picture of yourself as a superhero.
    2. Bring in leaves from trees and make colour prints with poster paints.
    3. Make a welcome banner for the classroom with hand prints dipped in poster paints, linked to each other like helping hands.
    4. Make a poster of yourself as a superhero, describing the help you might offer.
    5. Using construction paper, trace the outline of your hand and cut it out. Print your name in the middle of your hand as well as the title you would use as a superhero.
  3. Writing Exercises
    1. Write down five words that make you feel strong and powerful.
    2. Write down three ways in which you can help someone else either at home or in school.
    3. Write down five words to describe a super hero.
    4. Find at least three words from the story that show how fast Wild Rilla can move: whiz, whirl, blur, swirl, hurricane.
    5. What are your favourite colours? Make up a name for each of them that shows what kind of colours they are. Eg from book: shrieking yellow.
    6. If you could be a super hero, what would your motto be? Write it down in one sentence.
    7. Write a story of you as a super hero, and the exciting things you do to help others.
    8. Write another story of Wild Rilla doing something magical to help out.
  4. Drama
    1. In small groups, create and act out a scene of Wild Rilla helping someone in the school. Make this a new helping scene, not shown in the book.

    5. Copyright © Rachna Gilmore

    One of a series of Teacher’s Guides found at www.rachnagilmore.ca

    Print this page