The Money Tree Text Talk

The Money Tree

 Text Talk Lesson Plan

By: Sarah Stewart

Illustrations by: David Small

Summary: Ms. McGillicuddy’s notices something strange growing in her yard. Come to find out it was a money tree. She just sits back and watches her fellow townspeople become ate up with greed. They come to her house and get bags of money at a time. Ms. Gillicuddy, in the end, chops down the tree and uses it for firewood.

Comments and Questions:

Cover: Read title and show it to the students

• What can you tell from the cover?
• What does this woman like to do?
• (She seems to like flowers, bushes, and trees)

Page 2: What do you think Mrs. Gillicuddy sees out her window?

Page 3: “A gift from the birds” she said.

• How do you think the tree got there?
• How could a bird give Ms. Gillicuddy a tree?

Page 6: Show the tree…

• Has anyone ever seen a tree like this?

Page 9: What does Foliage mean?

• “She gave each child some of the tree’s green crisp foliage…
• She gave them leaves…so foliage means a mass or a lot of leaves
• Has anyone ever paid you in leaves?

Page 10: What does the tree seem to have growing from it?

Page 13: What did the townspeople want?

Page 15: The branches would break from their burden if people weren’t picking the money off of the tree!

• What do you think burden means?
• What are the branches of the tree doing? (they’re holding leaves/money)
• So…the branches are burdened from holding all of that money
• Burden means something carried or a load taken as a responsibility

Page 19-20: What are the people doing?

• What seems to be falling from the tree?

Page 21: Ms. Gillicuddy sighed with relief when the leaves were turning yellow and brown.

• Why do you think she felt relieved?

Page 23: What were these strangers looking for?

• Where had the leaves gone?
• Why were they not on the tree anymore?

Page 25: Why do you think Ms. Gillicuddy cut down the tree?

• What was she going to use the wood for?

Page 27:  The boys received a loaf of bread, strawberry jam, and dried flowers for helping Ms. Gillicuddy.

• What do you think they really expected from her?

Wrap Up: Why do you think she cut down the tree? Do you think that she enjoyed all of those strangers around her house at all hours of the day and night? Why do you think she never really said anything or used any of the money?

Vocabulary

Foliage

Burden

Foliage: In our story the tree had green crisp foliage. We learned that foliage was what a tree produced. So usually tree’s foliage is leaves but in our story the tree’s foliage was money.

Burden: From our story we learned that the tree had a burden of holding all of that money. We decided that a burden was a responsibility that was difficult or not always easy; or is a load or something carried. What are some things in our everyday life that could be seen as a burden?

Playing (NO)

Cleaning the whole house (YES)

A lot of Hard Homewor (YES)

Eatting Lunch (NO)