Classroom Ideas
Older Readers
Picture Books

ELEPHANTS ALOFT

By Kathi Appelt
Illustrated by Keith Baker
(Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993)

Classroom Ideas

LANGUAGE ARTS

Obviously, Elephants Aloft is a terrific way to introduce prepositions (or "location words"). On each page Rama and Raja demonstrate the actual meaning of the illustrated word. Some activities that you might do with your children are:

1. On a set of large index cards, write a series of prepositions, one on each card. Give each student a card and have him or her demonstrate the meaning. For instance, the student with the word "beside" might choose to stand beside the pencil sharpener. The student with the word "over" might decide to hold one object over another object.
2. With the same set of cards, have each student write a sentence on the back, using the preposition. Have them use Rama and Raja in their sentences. Then you could have the students form a circle and read their sentences.
   Examples:
   Student A: Rama and Raja stepped into the puddle.
   Student B: Rama and Raja walked along the riverbank.
   Student C: The balloon squeezed between two tall buildings.
   In this way, the students create their own story. (It can be just as silly as they want to make it.)
3. In groups, the students can extend #2 into making their own books. Have them use words that aren't found in the actual book.
4. Explore the language of the book itself. I chose the names Rama and Raja from the BHAGAVAD GITA, an ancient holy text for the Hindu religion. Rama means "joy" and Raja means "energy." Auntie Rwanda was named after the African country, Rwanda.

GEOGRAPHY

1. On a map that includes India and Africa, trace the route that Rama and Raja took to get from one place to the other.
2. Try to find some of the places they might have seen, such as the Taj Mahal. What ocean would you cross if you were flying from India to Africa? At one point in the book, Rama and Raja walk behind a waterfall. What famous waterfall in Africa might that be? Is it north or south of Rwanda?
3. Use this book to talk about the countries of India and Rwanda. What is special and unique about each of them? What other animals would you find in each country? Are there really mountain goats in India? Rwanda was the site for Diane Fossey's important studies about the mountain gorillas--are they still there? What kinds of plants grow in these countries?

SCIENCE & MATH

1. There are only two kinds of elephants left on earth. Both of them are in this book. What kinds of elephants are Rama and Raja? What kind is Auntie Rwanda?
2. What kinds of elephants are now extinct? Where did they live?
3. What do elephants eat? How much do they eat? What kind of habitats do they prefer? Do all elephants live in herds? Why or why not?
4. What kinds of weather are best for flying hot air balloons? What kinds of phenomena are required for flying them? For advanced students, you could calculate how large a hot air balloon would have to be to lift two young elephants.
5. Using average wind speeds of ten miles an hour, how long would it take to travel from say, the Taj Mahal to Rwanda?

SOCIAL STUDIES

1. Rama and Raja aren't the first Indian natives to migrate to Africa. South Africa especially has a large Indian population. What famous Indian peacemaker lived there?
2. Elephants are used for all kinds of tasks, from entertainment to hard work. Have your students research the ways that humans have employed elephants.
3. Rwanda is a mountainous country. Are elephants good mountain climbers? What famous general used elephants to climb the Alps in Italy? Why?
4. Some elephants have become famous--Black Diamond and Jumbo are two. Can you think of others?
5. Sadly, elephants today are the victims of poachers who kill them for their ivory tusks. They are also being squeezed out of their natural habitats. What steps are being taken today to protect elephants? What other animals have ivory tusks?
   

CREATIVE WRITING

1. If you could take a journey by hot air balloon, where would you go? What would do along the way? Who would you visit? What would you see?
2. Tell about a trip that you've taken. Where did you go? Who went with you? What did you do? How long were you gone?
3. What if you could go anywhere you wanted? Would you take a hot air balloon? You might prefer a train or a rocket or even a time machine. Tell all about your journey. What places would you pass along the way?
4. Do you have an aunt or an uncle, a close friend, or another relative who lives far away? Write that person a letter today. Tell him or her all the places you would see if you came to visit in a hot air balloon.

P.S. If you have a good idea for ways to use this book, please let me know. You can write to me care of Harcourt Brace & Co., 125 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101 or email me at .

Thanks,
Kathi Appelt

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