What Happened When We All Stopped is a children’s book and animated poem by Tom Rivett-Carnac, illustrated by Carla Kreuser and Bee Rivett-Carnac. It explores life after a health pandemic, like COVID-19, from the viewpoint of people at home observing nature. The story suggests that this time of quiet can help the Earth heal and remind us how to live in harmony with nature.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #77: Pandemic Poetry

2. Read this article about Jane Goodall.  Record 5 details about her life on your recording sheet.

3. Tom Rivett-Carnac wrote the children’s book What Happened When We All Stopped in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute. The book, read by Jane Goodall, is about what happens after a health pandemic and how to build back better.  Watch this animated poem.

3. On your recording page, write about what changed from the beginning of the poem to the end and write about your favorite part of the poem.

4. Write a personal reflections about a natural place that feels peaceful. Incorporate sensory images to help the reader understand what it feels like to be there.

5.  Write your own short poem about nature.

6. Share your language arts mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Jane Goodall Badge at the EY Website.

Wombats are like the adorable couch potatoes of the animal world! These furry little marsupials come in shades of brown, tan, or grey and can grow up to 1.3 meters long!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #76: Diary of a Wombat
2. Listen to the story Diary of a Wombat. Focus on viewpoint, voice, flow as you listen to the story.
3. Explore opposing viewpoints. On your recording page describe the same event from two points of view-Mothball vs. family members.
4. Diary of a Wombat is a humorous text. Identify the various devices Jackie French and Bruce Whatley have used to make this book entertaining. To get you started- What is Mothball describing as a ‘flat, hairy creature? How does this add humor?  Think of a few more examples and add them to your recording page.
5. In literary texts, dialogue plays an important role in character development. However, there is no dialogue in Diary of a Wombat (from Mothball). Analyze the text to glean information about Mothball. How has Jackie French developed Mothball’s character without the use of dialogue? Record your ideas.
6.  Mothballs main motive in life is to find carrots to eat. Make a list on your recording sheet of all of the ways he does this.
7. Make a tiny information page about wombats on your recording sheet after reading this National Geographic article.
8. Share your language arts mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Diary of a Creature badge at the EY website.