beverly cleary dear mr. henshaw. author notes beverly cleary biography
TRANSCRIPT
BEVERLY CLEARY
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Pages 1-8
Vocabulary
amuse
enclosure
Character DevelopmentSetting: Throughout the story,
locate the towns and states on a map of the United States.
ConflictFigurative LanguageWhat grade was Leigh in when the
story began? What grade is he in now?
What do Leigh’s letters to Mr. Henshaw reveal about his character? Has he changed since the novel began? Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.
Pages 9-15
Vocabulary
duplicated
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhy do you think Mr. Henshaw
sent Leigh a list of questions to answer? What does this say about Mr. Henshaw’s character?
As the story progresses, answer the same questions that Leigh has to answer. Who are you? What do you look like?
Pages 16-22
Vocabulary
gondolas
vocational
refinery
duplex
Character Development: What new information have you learned about Leigh?
SettingConflictFigurative LanguageHow do Leigh’s feelings about
Mr. Henshaw change? Explain using evidence from the text.
As the story progresses, answer the same questions that Leigh has to answer. What is your family like? Where do you live?
Pages 23-26
Character Development: What new information have you learned about Leigh?
SettingConflictFigurative LanguageAs the story progresses,
answer the same questions that Leigh has to answer. Do you have any pets? Do you like school? Who are your friends? Who is your favorite teacher?
Pages 27-30
Vocabulary
shrubbery
Character Development: What new information have you learned about Leigh?
SettingConflict: How is Leigh feeling
about his mother and father’s divorce? Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.
Figurative LanguageAs the story progresses, answer
the same questions that Leigh has to answer. What bothers you? What do you wish?
Pages 31-37
Vocabulary
broker
partition
halyard
nuisance
Character Development: What new information have you learned about Leigh?
SettingConflict Figurative LanguageWhy do you think someone
keeps taking things out of Leigh’s lunch? Do you think it is the same person each time? Explain.
What piece of advice does Mr. Henshaw give Leigh about writing?
Private Diary of Leigh Botts Pages 39-44
Vocabulary
fictitious
foil
Character DevelopmentSettingConflict Figurative LanguageDescribe Leigh’s Christmas
vacation. What were some of his fears and wishes?
Do you think Leigh will foil whoever is stealing things from his lunch by writing a fictitious name on it? Explain.
Private Diary of Leigh Botts Pages 45-53
Character DevelopmentSettingConflict Figurative LanguageWhy did Leigh stop writing
to the real Mr. Henshaw?What did you learn about
Leigh’s mother from the dinner conversation she had with Leigh?
Pages 55-59
Vocabulary
hibernated
Character DevelopmentSettingConflict Figurative LanguageDo you think all kids are
worried about not being noticed? What about adults?
Why did Leigh start writing to Mr. Henshaw again?
From the Diary of Leigh Botts Pages 61-72
Vocabulary
scowling
ulcers
wrath
Character DevelopmentSettingConflict: What complication has arisen?Figurative LanguageMake a list of topics Leigh could write
a story about.Describe Leigh’s dad’s character traits.
How is Leigh feeling about his father? If you could only choose one word to describe Leigh’s dad, what word would it be? Explain why you chose that word using evidence from the text to support your thinking.
Why is Leigh mad at his mom for getting a divorce when she is there for him every day?
From the Diary of Leigh Botts Pages 73-87
Vocabulary
tavern
molest
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageHas Leigh grown as a writer, like
he hoped to do at the beginning of the story? Explain using evidence from the text.
Describe Mr. Fridley’s relationship with Leigh.
What event happened to change Leigh’s mood from negative to positive? What happened as a result?
Pages 89-91
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageHas Leigh solved any
problems so far in this story? Or has he changed in any way? Explain using evidence from the text.
From the Diary of Leigh Botts Vol. 2Pages 93-104
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageHow did Leigh handle the
situation with the lunchbox thief? What happened as a result?
From the Diary of Leigh Botts Vol. 2Pages 104-121
Vocabulary
prose
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageWhat piece of writing to Leigh
decide to enter in the Young Writer’s contest? Describe what happened after he entered the contest. Be sure to include his feelings in your retelling.
Describe how Leigh’s feelings about his dad have changed over the course of the story.
Page 123
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageHow has Mr. Henshaw
shaped Leigh’s life? Use evidence from the story to support your thinking.
From the Diary of Leigh BottsPages 125
Character DevelopmentSettingConflictFigurative LanguageDescribe Leigh’s feelings at the
end of the story. Are they different from how he felt at the beginning?
Where do you see Leigh’s relationship with his father going? Do you think his dad will come to visit him more often or not? On what do you base your thinking?
Novel Projects
Letter: Write a letter to one of your favorite author’s.
Narrative: Write a short story about