Mac’s Big Wish 
by 
Oregon Author Peter Vanderwall and Oregon Illustrator Janis Lillian
Nominated by the Oregon State Literacy Association for the 
Patricia Gallagher Children’s Choice Picture Book Award

Grade 6 Extension Activity
Reference to Oregon English Language Arts and Literacy Standards, Grade 6.  

Readers Theater:
(1)	Students choose characters to read in Mac’s Big Wish: Mac the Corgi Dog, Mr. Puddleton, The Man, Roxie the Parrot, Emma who Mac loves like a grandma, The Woman, The Joggers, Virginia The Nurse, and The Narrator. Encourage students to use dialects they feel are appropriate.
(2)	Once parts are assigned, take turns reading the parts aloud for each character in Mac’s Big Wish.
(3)	After reading/listening to the various parts discuss the story, conduct a small group discussion. Discussion prompts: What is the plot of Mac’s Big Wish? How do the illustrations of the characters contribute to the plot? How would you explain Mac’s Big Wish to an adult? Is it important to rescue pets? Provide examples of how Mac made friends (found in the latter part of the book).

Standards Addressed:
6.RL.2  Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. 
6.W.1d  Establish and maintain an appropriate style for content, purpose, and audience. 

Literary Vocabulary: 
A plot is the series of events that make up a story. Plots have five main parts: beginning (where exposition, or setting and characters are introduced), rising action, climax (the most exciting part), falling action, and resolution.

Writing Prompts:  Emotions are the way that you feel about the things that are happening to you. Many of the pictures in Mac’s Big Wish express a character’s emotion, for example: envy, pleasure, sadness, loneliness and/or happiness. In the story Mac begins as a lonely puppy in pet rescue. By the end of the story Mac lives in a care center being a friend.

(a)	Explain the plot of Mac’s Big Wish. Include descriptions of some relationships between characters to show why they act and speak as they do in the story. Do not include your personal opinions or judgements. Cite examples from the text. 
(Three or more paragraphs).

(b)	Think about students in second grade. Retell the story of Mac’s Big Wish so that most second graders would understand.  (Three or more paragraphs).