The Legend Of
Rock Paper Scissors
by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Adam Rex, is a great book to spark writing in
your classroom.
Just
in case you have any students who don’t know the game “Rock Paper Scissors,”
you can start off by explaining the rules. Then you can let kids practice
playing the game in pairs.
After
you explain and play the game, have fun reading the book out loud to your
class.
Once
you have finished the book, here are some related ideas to get kids writing!
1.
There
are some funny battles in this book, such as Paper versus. Half-Eaten Bag of Trail Mix and Scissors versus Dinosaur-Shaped Chicken Nuggets. Can you think of
some other battles between regular objects that might be found in your home?
Write out a battle scene between two of those everyday objects. Use dialogue!
See if you can think of funny-but-not-too-mean insults to use, like those in
the book (“Giant box monster” “tacky and vaguely round monstrosity” “weird
scissory one”).
2.
There
are humorous locations in this book, such as the “Kingdom of backyard” and the
“tiny village of Junk Drawer.” What funny names can you make up for other
locations in your home, school, or neighborhood? Write a story that takes place
in at least one of those locations.
3.
An
important theme in this book is that Rock, Paper, and Scissors are used to
winning all the time…but they don’t like it. All three of these characters wish
for well-matched opponents. Think about your own life. Do you agree that it is
more fun to play a game if there is a chance you will lose? Have you ever been
on a team that won every single game, all season? Did you like it or not? Do
you have a younger sibling who you can always beat at every game? Is it still
fun to play? Write a paragraph explaining whether you agree with Rock, Paper,
and Scissors that playing games is most fun when you have an evenly-matched
rival.
After
you complete the writing activities, you might enjoy a fast-paced classroom
battle of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Here’s what to do:
1)
Have
students pair off (if you have an uneven number, you get to play too!).
2)
When
one student wins against another student, the losing student instantly becomes
part of the “squad” for the winner and starts chanting his or her name. “Emily!
Emily! Emily!”
3)
When
two winners play against each other, the one who loses—and his or her squad—all
start cheering for the winner. Now you have a bunch of kids chanting “Nico!
Nico! Nico!”
4)
Continue
until only two students are left, with everyone else cheering for one or the
other.
5)
One
student becomes the class champion, with everyone chanting his or her name at
once! “ASHA! ASHA! ASHA!” Hooray!
