Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Written by Judith Viorst

Illustrated by Ray Cruz

Published in 1972

Grade Level: 3rd-4th grade

Synopsis: From the moment Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go the way he would like them to.  When Alexander gets out of bed, he trips on the skateboard and drops his sweater into the sink while the water was running.  At breakfast, Alexander's brothers, Anthony and Nick reach into their cereal boxes and find amazing prizes while Alexander ends up with just the cereal.  The terrible, horrible things to not stop for little Alexander.  On the way to school, he doesn't get the window seat and when he gets to school his teacher, Mrs. Dickens doesn't like his picture of the invisible castle (which is actually just a blank sheet of paper).  She criticizes his singing while his friend, Paul, doesn't play with him.  There is no dessert in Alexander's lunch.  After school, his mother takes him to the dentist, who informs them that Alexander has a cavity.  Furthermore, Alexander's foot gets caught in the elevator door, his brother Anthony accidentally pushes him into some mud, his brother, Nick, calls him a crybaby, and their mother punishes him for trying to punch Nick.  The shoe store is sold out of Alexander's choice of sneakers (blue ones with red stripes).  A his father's office, Alexander makes a mess of things when he fools around with the copy machine, the books, and the telephone.  At home, the family has lima beans for dinner (which he hates), he gets soap in his eyes during his bath, and he has to wear his least favorite pajamas to bed.  At bedtime, his nightlight burns out, he bites his tongue, Nick takes his pillow, and the family cat chooses to sleep with Anthony.  Throughout the story Alexander has been saying how he wants to move to Australia so at the end, his mother assures him that everybody has bad days, even people who live in Australia.

Theme/Skill: The theme of a lesson or unit about this book could be one about conflict resolution.  The teacher could create activities that required students to think, speak, and write about what they would do in certain situations.  Teacher should help students learn how to deal with frustrations and other feelings. 

Pre-reading activities: Choose five to ten vocabulary words from the book that you believe would be unfamiliar or challenging to students.  The teacher could type or hand write the words onto construction paper and cut them into fun shapes.  Before reading the book, the teacher should pull out the vocabulary words and ask the students what the words mean.  Put the word on a bulletin board and write related words (synonyms) below each new term.  This would allow for students to reference the words while the teacher is reading the story. 

Post-reading activities: After reading this book with the class, the teacher could talk with students about what made Alexander's day "terrible, horrible, no good," and "very bad."  The teacher can ask students what could have happened to improve Alexander's day.  The teacher could then show the film version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to students.  Students can share personal experiences with the teacher and peers.  The teacher could then have students write and illustrate what their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day would be like.  The story should begin when they get up in the morning and continue until bedtime.  The stories can be made into books with a cover pages ad staples.  Students who struggle with writing can dictate stories to the teacher individually or in small groups.

Assessment: The teacher should make sure that the students' drawings match the meaning from the text.  It is important for students to make the connection between image and text.  This aspect of their writing will be assessed as will their understanding of the theme.  The theme should be apparent to students after discussion about the book, film, and writing assignment. 

Reflection: Every person, young or old, has wished to be somewhere other than where they are.  The fact that Alexander wishes he was in Australia is similar to how I wished I could be in an enchanted castle like Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  Alexander is a good kid who just happens to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  We have all had those days when it seems as though nothing will ever go our way.  If you are ever feeling down about the darker parts of your own day, pick up Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day because you will see that you are not the only one.  Things will get better.  Nothing is perfect...not even in Australia.