Pinkalicious Pink-or-Treat! by Victoria Kann - Teaching Ideas

Pinkalicious and her brother Peter are so excited to go trick-or-treating but to their complete disappointment the mayor has just cancelled Halloween. 

Pinkalicious decides that cancelling Halloween is just not an acceptable thing to do, so she comes up with a plan. Pinkalicious meets with the mayor and tells her her plan to save Halloween. 

To Pink’s relief the mayor loves the idea. Will Pinkalicious really save Halloween? 

Your students will LOVE reading about Pinkalicious and how she saves Halloween. If you want your students to think a little deeper about this story pick up the Theme FREEBIE I created to go with it (link below). If your students need practice with something else, you can also use the information below to come up with your own great lesson to go with this fun Halloween book. 

Reading level: 4.2
Theme/subject: Halloween
Genre: holiday fiction
 
Suggested Vocabulary/phrases: mayor, electric company, trusty sidekick, mission, radio broadcast, airwaves, anxiously

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what Pinkalicious is going to be for Halloween. {possible questions during}I wonder if Pinkalicious and Peter will be able to go trick-or-treating. I wonder if the mayor will like Pink’s plan. {possible questions after} I wonder if they will do the Halloween party in the park again next year. **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
• Author's point of view – Third person. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this (he, she, everyone).
• Author's purpose – entertain {evidence} the author uses the word pink in many words. The illustrator colors many things in pink.
• Beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} The mayor cancels Halloween. {most important event from middle} The mayor likes Pink’s plan and they announce it over the radio. {most important event from end} Everyone shows up for the Halloween party at the park.
• Cause and effect – Why was there no music playing in the kitchen? Because the power was out and the radio didn’t work. Why were Peter and Pink so upset? Because the mayor announced that Halloween was going to be cancelled unless the power was restored. Why did Pink go see the mayor? Because she had a plan to save Halloween. Why did the mayor agree with Pink’s plan? Because it would keep everyone safe. Why was Pink so anxious? Because she was afraid nobody would come. Why did the mayor tell Pink that she saved the day? Because everyone came to the Halloween party, was safe and had a great time.
• Character analysis - describe Pinkalicious {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• Classify & categorize – Have student Classify candy, how would they categorize is? By size? By ingredient? By taste?
• Compare & contrast – Compare and contrast Pink’s costume to yours or your Halloween night to Pink’s.
• Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} Being in a storm. Losing power. Being disappointed because you couldn’t do something you really wanted to do. Meeting the mayor. Having a Halloween party. Going to the park for Halloween. {possible text-to-text connections} Any Halloween book.
• Fact & opinion – {facts} There was a storm in Pinkville. The power was out. The mayor cancelled Halloween. Pinkalicious met with the mayor. Pinkville had their Halloween celebration at the park. {opinions} Storms are scary. The mayor was wrong for cancelling Halloween. Pink’s costume was the best. A Halloween party in the park is better than trick-or-treating.
• Main idea & details - {main idea} The story is about Halloween being cancelled. {details} The electric company was going to try to get the power restored. The mayor cancelled Halloween because it would be unsafe with no lights. Pinkalicious and Peter were so disappointed that there was going to be no Halloween.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when Pink met with the mayor and told her her plan.
• Predict – What do you think the story is going to be about? Do you think Halloween will really be cancelled? Will the power company get the power restored on time? What do you think Pink’s plan is? Will the mayor like the plan? Will the other people show up to the park? Will the party in the park be a success?
• Problem & solution - {problem} The mayor wants to cancel Halloween because it will be unsafe with no lights. {solution} Pink meets with the mayor and asks if they can have a Halloween party in the park that would be lit up by everyone’s jack-o-lanterns, and flashlights.
• Sequencing – Pinkalicious wakes up to no electricity. Dad pulls out a battery radio. The mayor announces that Halloween will be cancelled because it is unsafe with no light. Pink and her mom go meet with the mayor. Pink announces on the radio her plan for Halloween. Pink and her family get ready for the Halloween party in the park. Pink is nervous nobody will come. Pink and her family get to the park and set up. Everyone comes to the Halloween party in the park.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – Pinkalicious and Peter were so disappointed that the mayor cancelled Halloween. Pinkalicious came up with a plan to still have Halloween. What would you have said to Pinkalicious if the mayor didn’t like her plan?
• Summarize - {someone} Pinkalicious {wanted} wanted to wear her costume and go trick-or-treating {but} but the mayor cancelled Halloween {so} so Pink came up with a plan. Pink {then} met with the mayor and told her her plan. The mayor loved it so {finally} they ended up having a Halloween party in the park.
• Theme – there is always a solution. If you really want something, figure out how to get it. It is always good to have a plan. Sometimes changes in plans are better than the original plan.
• Visualize – Visualize what you would do if the mayor announced that Halloween was cancelled. What would you do instead of trick-or-treating?

IT'S FREE!!

Happy Halloween!