The Whipping Boy Lesson Plans
Author: Sid Fleischman

On this page, you will find teaching resources for fun individual and/or group projects to use with Sid Fleischman's book.

In addition, this page contains teaching resources with castle, knight, and Middle Ages themes.

If you are doing a Newbery Medal study in your classroom, this is a great book choice to use as a whole class novel, or as a historical fiction novel study. The Whipping Boy won the Newbery Medal in 1987.

When I read this novel with my students, I combine it with a medieval times unit and my students also complete writing assignments related to castles and knights. Many of The Whipping Boy lesson plans on this page can be used for any Middle Ages theme.

Below you will find some of The Whipping Boy lesson plans that I have developed over the years as I have used this novel with my students during our Newbery Medal book study.

All of The Whipping Boy lesson plans on this page include a second version of each resource that contains UK spelling and punctuation rules.

Below you will find short descriptions for the
4 teaching resource sets that are found on this page.

Below: Related Resources to Use With
Castles, Knights, and Medieval Themes

The Whipping Boy Lesson Plans

Castle Shaped Book Report Project Templates

One of my students' favorite activities during the school year is completing this castle group project.

For this fun project, students work together to write about the following characters and story elements:

• Prince Horace (Prince Brat)
• Jemmy
• Cutwater
• Hold Your Nose Billy
• setting
• plot
• problem
• solution
• conclusion.

This teaching resources set includes step by step directions on how to assemble the 11 templates into a large castle that looks like the one shown below.

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Depending on the age of your students, you could assemble these projects ahead of time for your students. Each castle takes me approximately 10 minutes to assemble.

I have given my fifth grade students the direction sheets, and they were able to assemble their projects themselves. I cut out the two templates that have flags on them ahead of time for my students because they have narrow lines to cut along.

There are 3 pages of directions that describe how to assemble this project, the first 2 worksheets are shown below. There are also assembling directions and tips written on the actual castle templates.

This is a cooperative group project and students begin their projects by completing their first drafts together. Students proofread and edit their first drafts together before they begin their final drafts.

Using their first draft worksheets, students describe these four characters: Prince Horace (Prince Brat), Jemmy, Cutwater, and Hold Your Nose Billy.

Next, students write about these 5 parts of the story: setting, plot, problem, solution, and conclusion.

This unique and fun group project for The Whipping Boy includes 11 templates that assemble into a large castle. The finished castle projects measure 25 inches in width and 18 inches in height.

Your students will love working on this large group project together and their finished projects will make an eye catching classroom or hallway display.

When I am first introducing my students to a new group project, I believe that it is important for them to have a visual example of what the completed project will look like. I always complete an example of this castle project before I introduce this activity to my students.

Before my students begin writing their first drafts, I show them my finished castle project. This visual example immediately grabs my students' attention and they are excited to start working on this project together from the very beginning. I have found that my students are engaged and use their best effort as they go through the steps of the writing process and complete this fun project with their group members.

To save you time in coloring your example that you show to your students, I have included color castle templates in this teaching resources set. I display my finished castle project at the front of my classroom so that students can refer to it as they are completing their projects together.

After each group has completed their project, they can evaluate it using the group project grading rubric that is provided in this set.

After the group has graded their project, there is also an area on the rubric for the teacher to evaluate the castle project.

I know that it takes teachers a lot of time to design and assemble their classroom bulletin board displays. Many teachers spend their valuable time cutting out large display letters or making a banner at home on their own computers.

In order to help save you time in assembling a bulletin board display featuring your students' group projects, I have designed a 5 page banner that is included for free in this set of teaching resources.

If you have access to a laminating machine, I recommend that you laminate your banner so that it will be more durable and you can use it again in the future.

EXTRA FREE TEACHING RESOURCES #1: For many of the projects that are available on Unique Teaching Resources, I try to design some extra bulletin board accent pieces that will help you to decorate your classroom bulletin board display that features your students' work.

This set of The Whipping Boy lesson plans includes 5 bulletin board accent pieces that are shaped like knight helmets. I have written the title of the book and the main characters' names on these 5 accent pieces.

EXTRA FREE TEACHING RESOURCES #2: This set of The Whipping Boy lesson plans also includes 4 bulletin board accent pieces that are shaped like shields that contain graphics related to the Middle Ages on them.

The Whipping Boy Lesson Plans:
Wanted Posters (Set For 4 Characters)

The Whipping Boy Lesson Plans

Students love creating wanted posters for characters from the books that they have read. The Whipping Boy is an ideal book for wanted characters because of the four main characters in this book.

This set includes separate wanted posters for Prince Brat, Jemmy, Cutwater, and Hold-Your-Nose Billy.

All of these characters have done something wrong during the plot of the story, so students can write about an actual event from the book for these reading response projects. They can also use their imaginations and create a new crime that these characters committed.

For this writing assignment, students:

• describe the character's appearance
• what he is wanted for
• where he was last seen
• reward amount
• narrative describing the action that happened and what made the character commit this crime

For students who are often reluctant about writing, I have found that my students think that this writing task is criminally fun and they tackle this assignment with great enthusiasm and creativity! You can let each student select which one of the 4 characters from the story that they want to write about. These wanted posters are also ideal for collaborative group student projects.

This set of teaching resources contains two templates that assemble into a Wanted Poster. The completed wanted posters measure 13 inches in height and 10 inches in width.

There are individual Wanted Posters for these 4 characters:

• Prince Horace (Prince Brat)
• Jemmy
• Cutwater
• Hold Your Nose Billy

This set of The Whipping Boy lesson plans includes:

• Assembling Directions
• First Draft Worksheets
• Final Draft Black and White Templates
• Final Draft Color Templates
• Grading Rubric
• 5 Page Bulletin Board Banner

There is a second version of each resource that contains UK spelling and punctuation rules.

Each character's set includes two first draft worksheets. Students should complete their first drafts and then proofread and edit them before they begin their final draft templates.

Assembling these Wanted Posters is easy!

Students cut the dotted line off the bottom section, glue this piece onto the top section, and then trim along the thick black border of the Wanted Poster. Students draw a picture of their character inside the empty box.

Below are 4 examples of the final draft Wanted Poster color templates. Each one has a different color scheme.

As you are introducing this creative writing assignment to your students, it is helpful to have a visual example of a finished Wanted Poster for your students to see. I have provided color templates of the 4 different Wanted Posters to save you time in having to color your example.

You can also choose to print out these color templates to give to your students, instead of having them color their templates themselves using the black and white templates.

Click on the book covers below to view
the fun, unique, and extra large projects that I have
designed for these popular novels and picture books.