Ms.
Martinez's Reading Web Page
The
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
By Barbara
Robinson
Home
Ch
1-3 Vocabulary
1. Contagious
- easily spread; usually refers to a disease.
2.volunteer-
someone who does a job for no pay.
3. horrified
- very shocked or upset
4. hysterical
-
someone who is so upset that they are acting crazy.
5. penitentiary
- prison
6.
pageant - a play or a show, usually put
on for a special occasion.
7.primary
- first, most important
8. tradition
- something families do together that is passed down.
9. congregation
- people who attend the church service; a group of people.
10. hymns
-
church songs
11. minister
-
preacher
Chapter
1 Read and Respond Questions
(In complete
sentences. Use your book the find the answers! Don't guess or write from
memory.)
1. Tell
who the Herdmans are and write a descriptive paragraph about them.
2. How
did the Hermans burn down Fred Shoemaker's tool house?
3. The
firemen didn't get any doughnuts. What happened to them?
4. Describe
the Herdman's cat. Ilustrate it .
5. Claude
brought the Herdman's cat to school. Tell what happened.
6. How
did Imogene blackmail her classmates?
7. Where
is Mr. Herdman?
8. Who
takes care of the Herdman's?
9. Who
is the author of this book? What is the copyright date?
10.
Why didn't Mrs. Herdman want to stay home with her children?
Chapter
2 Read and Respond Questions
1. What is a Christmas pageant?
2. What part does Charlie
play every year?
3. What is Mother's usual
contribution to the pageant?
4. Who is usually responsible
for the performance?
5. Why does Mother end up
doing the pageant?
6. What does charlie like
best about Sunday school?
7. Who was always giving Charlie
bruises?
8. Why is it Charlie's fault
that the herdman's came to church?
9. Why did the Herdmans come
to church?
10. What did imogene do when
the collection basket was passed in front of her?
Chapter
3 Read and Respond Questions
1. One lady
was always calling Mother about the pageant. What was her name?
2. Alice
Wendleken always had the same part in the pageant. What was it?
3. Who
was standing at the door when Mother was on the phone?
4. What
was Father's biggest complaint about Mother's involvement in the pageant?
5. Who
volunteered to be Mary?
6. What
part did Elmer Hopkins always have in the pageant?
7. Who
wanted to be Joseph this time?
8. Why
didn't anyone else volunteer for any of the parts in the pageant?
9. What
caused Ollie Herdman's earache?
10.
How did the community react to the fact that the Herdmans were going to
be the cast in the pageant?
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Chapters
4-5 Vocabulary
1.
outlaws
- people who break the law.
2.snitching
- telling on a person to get them in trouble; stealing.
3.
swaddling
- long, narrow bands of cloth
4.
disgraceful
- having no honor; shameful
5.
saloon-
a bar in the old west
6.
truant
- describes a student who skips school a lot.
7.
myrrh
-
perfume, a gift the wide men brought to baby Jesus.
8.
retire
- to quit working
9.
stable
- a building wehre horses and cattle are kept
Chapter
4-5 Read and Respond Questions
(In complete
sentences. Use your book the find the answers! Don't guess or write from
memory.)
1.
What was the "Herdman smile" like?
2.
What did Gladys and Ollie do to the primary Bible?
3.
Where did Gladys sleep when she was born?
4.
How did the Herdmans react to the Christmas story?
5.
How did the Herdman's feel about King Herod?
6.
Where did the Herdmans go the next day to learn more about King Herod and
Jesus?
7.
Who was King Herod?
8.
Why was Alice keeping notes on the Herdmans'behavior?
9.
In the beginning, many mothers offered their babies to play the part
of baby Jesus in the pageant. Why did they change their minds?
10.
What did Mother decide to use for Jesus in the pageant?
Back To Top
Chapters
6-7 Vocabulary
1. cockeyed
- having eyes that look in different directins
at once.
2. colic
- an illness that causes babies to be fussy.
3. parsonage
- the house that a minister lives in.
4. refugee
- a person who leaves his or her home and
has few possessions.
5. confer-
to
meet and discuss
Chapter
6-7 Questions
1. Who was using the church the
night of the dress rehearsal?
2. What did Alice put on her
eyelids to make her look more lovely?
3. Imogene's ears had been
pierced. Did a doctor do it for her?
4. What was Imogene doing
in the lady's room?
5. Why was the fire department
called?
6. What happened to the applesauce
cake?
7. How were the Herdmans like
the real Holy Family?
8. What did the Wise Men bring
as their gifts?
9. How did the Herdmans improve
the pageant?
10. Why was Imogene crying?
Book
Report Ideas
After
you have finished reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever , choose one
method of reporting that interests you.
1.
From the Artist
A model of a scene from the story can be created, or a likeness of one
or more of the characters from the story can be drawn or sculpted.
2.
Time Capsule
Make a time capsule type design for future readers. Neatly
print your reasons why The Best Christ Pageant Ever is such a good book.
Store your time capsule in the library for future readers.
3.
Come to Life!
in a group , dress as characters from a scene in the book. Using
props act out that scene for the rest of the class.
4.
Twenty Questions
A reporter gives a series of clues about a character or an event in the
story, ina vague-to-precise , general - to - specific order. After
all clues have been given, the identity of the mystery character or event
is guessed.
5.
Into the Future
This report predicts what might happe if The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
were to continue. It may take the form of a story in narrative or
dramatic form, or a visual display.
6.
A Character Comes to Life
Suppose one of the characters in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever came to
life and walked into your home or school. Write about what the character
sees, hears, and feels as he or she experiences the world in which you
live.
7
Sales Talk
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