Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie



by Laura Rankin


Ruthie is a quiet, happy little girl that enjoys her teeny, tiny treasures. One day at school, she finds a teeny, tiny camera. Ruthie spends her recess enjoying her new find, until Martin, one of her classmates tells her that the camera is his. Ruthie panics; she loves this new camera and doesn't want to give it up, so she does the first thing that comes to her mind...she lies. She tells Martin that the camera is hers! Martin is so upset that he goes running in to tell the teacher, but Ruthie sticks to her story, that the camera is hers. As the day wears on she is finding it harder and harder to concentrate and by the time she gets home, she is feeling miserable and very unhappy. What will Ruthie do? Will she tell her parents what she did? Will she tell her teacher and Martin that she lied? Enjoy reading this story with your students and discovering if Ruthie will do the right thing.


Reading level: 2.0 to 2.5

Theme: Honesty, friendship, feelings

Genre: Realistic fiction

Vocabulary: imaginable, treasures, twirling, startled, mumbled, and guilty (I have added “guilty” not because it is a word in the story but because it is a feeling that Ruthie experiences.)

Reading skills and strategies: strong thought, cause and effect, sequencing, beginning, middle, end, plot, problem & solution, story elements, connections, characterization, compare & contrast, and leveled questions using Bloom’s.

Grammar: synonyms, dialogue activity using quotation marks

Writing: letter writing, personal narrative using dialogue, journal entry

Below is a compare and contrast activity to go along with this book.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Compare-and-Contrast-for-Ruthie-and-the-Not-So-Teeny-Tiny-Lie
IT'S FREE!!

A preview of the goodies included in the skills and strategies teaching packet.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Skills-and-Strategies-Packet-inspired-by-Ruthie-and-the-Not-So-Teeny-Tiny-Lie-173169
$ PACKET $


Do you have this book in your library? Tell me how YOU have used this book in your teaching. 

Happy Reading!

4 comments

  1. This is my all-time FAVORITE book on telling the truth . . . and SUCH a fun read-aloud!!! I've used it with my water displacement unit . . . drop a quarter in a bucket of water to symbolize the LIE . . . then pitch pennies in and try to cover up "the LIE" . . . no matter how many other lies you tell to try to cover it up, you can still see the LIE . . . SUCH a great visual to illustrate what happened to Ruthie. I've also had kids make character cameras as a follow up!

    Barbara

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    1. What a great idea...I L.O.V.E it, I will be using that now! This book is so great, I am so glad you like it...not a lot of people have read it. Hopefully they will now that you have shared your awesome idea!

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  2. Love this book! I teach grade 2/3 and use drama to tap into the character's feelings. We hotseat Ruthie/Martin and ask them questions as to how they feel. We also do an advice line (like her inner thoughts) as to what she should do.

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    1. What another great idea! This really is a great book, especially for looking closer at feelings, specifically after someone lies...how does one feel after they have lied and/or after someone has lied to you {and you know they are lying}. Thanks for sharing!
      Shawna

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Thoughts and comments are always welcome!