Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair is the Perfect Upper Elementary Picture Book Read Aloud

Patricia Polacco’s book, Aunt Chip and the Great trip Creek Dam Affair is the perfect upper elementary picture book read aloud!

In a world of constant screen time, Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Dam Creek Affair is a picture book with an important and sweet message that celebrates the power of reading. This Patricia Polacco classic is a perfect upper elementary picture book read aloud.

I have used this book with struggling readers in the middle school as well as my class of fifth grade students. The story would be fine for primary students, but the deeper message of the book might be more appreciated and understood starting around third grade.

Aunt Chip Summary

Eli lives in a town of idiots, truly stupid people who love to watch TV. They love to watch TV so much that they forgot about the importance and enjoyment found in reading. Over 50 years ago the TV tower was put up and the library closed down and the entire town soon forgot how to read.

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Eli’s Aunt Chip teaches Eli and his friends how to read after she learns that no one knows how to read. When Eli is the first to learn how to read, the kids think the books are talking to him because they can’t hear the stories in the books!

The book culminates in a wonderful twist as the townsfolk are looking for a sign on the importance of books and boy do they get a sign!

Preview Aunt Chip Before Read Aloud

You might want to prepare your class for the focus on Moby Dick.

Before you read this book aloud you can create a little slide show discussing the book Moby Dick. Let the kids know that it is a real book, considered one of the greatest pieces of literature.

If you have ever read Aunt Chip aloud you know that you say the name ‘Moby Dick’ quite a few times. As I teach fifth grade, this has often resulted in many silly faces looking at and giggling at one another.

The little presentation about the book gives the students a heads up that Moby Dick is going to show up in this book and helps to reduce the giggles. My advice, you should just say the title and plow through it knowing that you will say it about 5 or 6 times.

Teaching Applications for this Upper Elementary Picture Book

This book would be a great story to read on one of the first days of school. It so nicely packages the powerful message of reading as well as the consequences of too much screen time. Not only did the entire town forget how to read, but teachers were replaced with televisions, the entire town fell into disrepair, Aunt Chip took to her bed and people used books only as tools to fix things.

Aunt Chip could also be used as a mentor text for types of conflict, showcasing nicely Man V. Society. This type of conflict can be tricky to find examples for the elementary ages. Even the drab and dreary illustrations for most of book highlight what an affect of watching too much TV can have on an entire town.

As a beginning of the school year book, it would make a nice review for a plot diagram. You could review with the students the various elements of plot used throughout the story.

The climax, the most exciting part of the story, is very clear in the book with the explosion of books breaking the dam. There are very clear spots to discuss the rising action and resolution.

The inciting incident would be a good conversation to have with students as well. The book is supposed to take place in ‘present day’ while the inciting incident occurred over 50 years ago when the TV tower was installed in the town.

How to Read Aunt Chip to Your Upper Elementary Class

If you have a choice between using the document camera to display the text or reading to your class on a rug, with your students gathered at your feet, you should read with the students gathered at the rug. I like to read my picture books with the students seated this way.

There are a few reasons I prefer picture books at the rug over the document camera. I love the community the rug creates as well as the additional movement break from the students being continuously seated at their desks. Calling the students to the rug signifies that we are going to do something special.

Displaying a picture book on the document camera can be challenging to showcase the entire landscape view of the pages. It is much easier to read the book aloft for all to see the entire spread and the pausing to slowly wave the book in front of you to show the class.

As I read the book, I like to point out the dreary looking illustrations. Aunt Chip appears to have a lot of dark, depressing colors and illustrations in the beginning of the book. The transformation of the town at the end of the book is illustrated nicely with its vibrant colors, highlighting how the town has grown and improved.

Reading Aunt Chip at a rug in your classroom is another way to help build a classroom community of readers. If you have a rug, try it out. If you don’t, talk to your principal to see if they could possibly purchase one for you- if you have the space in your classroom and the budget.