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King of the Skies Teachers' Guide

For Primary Students (Grades K - 3)

 

Exploring the Setting and Basunt:

Find Pakistan, and then Lahore on a map. 

The following books describe kite flying and other Kite Festivals in other cultures.  Discuss what makes the festivals the same as Basunt and what makes them different?

Kite Flying by Grace Lin

The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen

The Kite Festival by Leyla Torres

The Tiny Kite of Eddie Wing by Maxine Trottier

For more information on Basunt (Basant) see this website:

http://www.the-south-asian.com/March2002/Basant_the_kite_festival_of_south_Asia.htm

 

Discussion Topics:

  1. What does the boy mean when he says, "I can't walk and I can't run.  But I can fly."

  2. Who are the major characters in the story?

  3. Why is the day of Basunt so important to the boy?

  4. Describe how his sister helps him with the kites.

  5. Describe the steps you would take to build a kite to compete with his at next year's celebration.

  6. Does the bully's kite match the bully?  Does the boy's kite match him too?

  7. Who is nicer to each other, the sister to the brother, or the brother to the sister?  Why?

  8. Imagine if the Bully had taken down his kite, what would the boy have done?

  9. How would you feel if you were the boy?

  10. Predict what the Bully will say to the boy the next time he sees him.

  11. What do you think will happen next year at the celebration of Basunt?

  12. In your own words define these words: Basunt, Guddi Chore, ghee, advantage, scythe, parapet. Draw a picture representing each.

 

Activities:

  1. Design a kite for height and speed. Why does the big kite move slower than the small kite?

  2. On a large diamond, design a kite that would best represent you.

  3. In pairs mime the entire story told in King of the Skies.

  4. Using the first page, tap out the rhythm of the words on your legs as the teacher reads them.

  5. The girl on the ground never says a word yet we know how she feels. Pretend you are her and tell your partner the story that girl went home and told to her own mother.

  6. As you reread the story write down all the feelings that each person would have felt throughout the tale.Example: Girl on street: disappointment, sadness, surprise, joy, excitement

  7. King of the Skies is about a boy with a disability and ability.  Make a graph for the class.  List everyone’s disabilities and abilities.  ie.  Who can skip rope, who can ride a bike, who can tie their shoes, who can whistle.  Show the students that there are many people who can do the same things as them and  there are some things only they themselves can do.

  8. Have students draw a large silhouette of themselves and cut it out.  On the front have them write all the things they can do.  On the back write they should write all the things they wish they could do.

     

Reading guide and MI projects written by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, for use as classroom material. Not to be copied for other purposes without written consent of the author. Visit this author’s website at: www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com