The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

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The Phantom Tollboothby Norton Juster

• A Literary Quest for 4th Grade Collaboration,
  Exploration and Imagination
• By Angie Roberts

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A Literary Adventure

• I first read The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton
  Juster, as an adult. I became enamored with the
  book, its figurative language, wordplay, and the
  sheer creativity of making language come alive
  and represent something completely unique. While
  reading the book, it is almost impossible NOT to
  think of the immense educational opportunities
  for students. As with any good book, every time
  I re-read The Phantom Tollbooth, I discover
  something new or interpret a familiar passage in
  a completely new way! Join me as we take a quick
  journey along with Milo, to see how to
  incorporate The Phantom Tollbooth into an amazing
  learning adventure!

3
Meet MiloIt seems to me that almost everything
is a waste of time, he remarked one day as he
walked dejectedly home from school. And, since
no one bothered to explain otherwise, he regarded
the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest
waste of time of all. (9)

• Like many of our students, Milo would rather be
  somewhere else, doing something else. Nothing
  captures his attention for long, for hes
  perpetually bored and restless.
• In the story, Milo returns home after a typical
  non-eventful school day, to discover a large box
  in his room. With its contents, Milo constructs
  a magical tollbooth which transports him to the
  Kingdom of Wisdom. He is given a map, some coins
  to pay the toll, precautionary road signs, and a
  book of rules and traffic regulations.

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The TollboothOne genuine turnpike
tollbootheasily assembled at home, and for use
by those who have never traveled in lands
beyond. (12) Results are not guaranteed, but
if not perfectly satisfied, your wasted time will
be refunded. Tollbooth directions (13)

• In the world of education, our tollbooth is the
  school door The map, our curriculum Our
  kingdom, the school building Our traveling
  companions, the other faculty and staff The
  traveler, our students. As educators, how can we
  ensure that our students get the most out of
  their educational travels?
• Media specialists have the advantage of working
  with the entire faculty and student body, knowing
  the entire curriculum, and having the skills to
  incorporate collaboration and information
  literacy into every aspect of education.
• How can media specialists help teachers integrate
  literature and collaboration into many of their
  lessons? By thinking outside of the box (or
  through the tollbooth), media specialists have a
  unique opportunity to introduce teachers to
  literature that meets a variety of curriculum
  needs, with methods and ideas to peak student
  interest. Danny Callison states, Collaboration
  does not take place because on an educator needs
  the others expertise as much as the
  collaboration is built on shared goals and
  knowledge that are enriched by a partnership for
  instruction. (2001)

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Instructions for Assembly

• The following slides are a combination of ideas
  and learning opportunities presented within the
  context of The Phantom Tollbooth, as they could
  be suggested by a media specialist to teachers.
  They can be used to support comprehension of the
  book or to expand upon the books ideas to
  enhance student learning. Ive included an
  occasional standard from the Fourth Grade Indiana
  Academic Standards, to demonstrate how these
  activities meet additional educational standards
  as well. The slides follow the plot, as Milo
  makes his way through the Kingdom of Wisdom.
  Throughout the slides, Ive added a few
  cautionary road signs of my own, to aid in our
  exploration. Be sure to look for the following
  signs
• Stop Sign Journal or inquiry opportunities
• Slow Sign Take time to enjoy these fun
  activities
• Curves Ahead Multiple educational opportunities
  rolled into one concept
• Detour An idea for extended study
• The tollbooth has been constructed. Open your
  book and your minds. Its time for our journey
  to begin.

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ExpectationsExpectations is the place you must
always go before you get to where you are going.
Of course, some people never get beyond
Expectations. the Whether Man (19)

• Through the tollbooth, the first person Milo
  encounters is the Whether man. The Whether Man
  predicts not the weather, but whether people can
  make their own decisions.
• Explore homophones. IAS 4.1.2- language arts
• Explore weather patterns in the United States.
  (science geography)

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The DoldrumsWell, continued the Watchdog,
since you got here by not thinking, it seems
reasonable to expect that, in order to get out,
you must start thinking. Milo began to think as
hard as he couldAnd as he thought, the wheels
began to turn. (31)

• It is here that Milo meets Tock the Watchdog, a
  dog whose body is made of a large clock. Explore
  compound words (language arts). Explore time
  zones (geography) time as years, months, weeks,
  hours, minutes, etc IAS 4.5.9- math 4.3.8-
  science
• In the Doldrums, Milo encounters the
  Lethargarians, who promote laziness. What can we
  do to give our bodies energy? Discuss proper
  nutrition and exercise. (health, physical
  education)

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Dictionopolis

• In Dictionopolis, the word market is like a
  Scrabble game. In Scrabble, letters are given
  point values according to their use- the more
  frequently a letter is used, the lower the point
  value. In the word market, letters taste
  according to their use, the more frequently the
  letter is used, the sweeter it tastes. Using
  Scrabble tiles, add up the values of this weeks
  spelling words. Which word has the most points?
  Which word has the least? Which word would taste
  the best? Why? P7
• In small groups, view one page or paragraph of a
  book. Begin to count Which word occurs most
  frequently? Which letter is used most
  frequently? How many words in a sentence? How
  many sentences in a paragraph? How can we show
  this information in a graph? IAS 4.6.3- math
  K3 K5
• Hold a Spelling Bee- have students spell this
  weeks words or frequently used words.

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King Azaz the Unabridged- Ruler of Dictionopolis

• King Azaz the Unabridged is the ruler of
  Dictionopolis. The Media Specialist can review
  or introduce the following literacy skills and
  terminology- abridged vs. unabridged the use of
  dictionary guide words the use of dictionary
  versus a thesaurus. IAS 4.4.7- language arts
  P5 P2
• The members of the Dictionopolis Cabinet use as
  many words as possible to explain a situation.
  Explore synonyms- write 8 words to describe you,
  then look them up in thesaurus to find synonyms
  to those words. How can we enrich our writing by
  using synonyms? IAS 4.1.5 4.5.5- language arts

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Faintly Macabretoday people use as many words
as they can and think themselves very wise for
doing so. For always remember that while it is
wrong to use too few words, it is far worse to
use too many. - Faintly Macabre (68).

• To Faintly Macabre (a which, not a witch),
  Silence is Golden. Explore figurative
  language clichés, metaphors, similes, oxymoron,
  puns, irony, etcWhat kinds of phrases do you
  hear your parents or grandparents say? What
  kinds of phrases do you say? Explore popular
  sayings or phrases from recent decades and
  compare them to current language trends.
  (example groovy vs. sweet)
• Compare and contrast sentences that essentially
  have the same meaning, but contain a
  significantly different number of words. Which
  sentence sounds better? Which is easiest to
  understand? In what situation is each sentence
  more appropriate? K9

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The Princesses Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason

• It was the princesses who kept harmony in the
  Kingdom of Wisdom. Discuss why King Azaz and the
  Mathemagician are at war. Why do these two
  kingdoms disagree? What types of characters are
  found in each kingdom? Think of reasons why
  countries go to war today. What, besides rhyme
  and reason, can bring peace to our world? IAS
  4.5.1 4.5.2- social studies K5 K8 K9 P8

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The Royal Feast

• Milo learns at the Royal Feast that he must eat
  his words. Ask the assistance of the Cafeteria
  Staff to create word pancakes (students write
  words with batter onto a griddle using a ketchup
  bottle). Other options alphabet soup, Alphabets
  cereal. Similar to Milo, students must create a
  three word speech to eat. K7 K6

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Chroma the Great and the Colorful Symphony P2
P4 P6 K4 K6

• With the Art Teacher, discuss colors and
  interpret how they make us feel. Look at a
  variety of paintings and discuss how color
  impacts what the painting/ artist is trying to
  convey.
• With the Music Teacher, listen to a variety of
  symphony performances. How does the music evoke
  feeling? If they were playing colors, what
  colors do you hear?
• Chromas symphony plays the colors of the world,
  without which, the world would look like a blank
  coloring book- a white background with black
  lines. Allow for coloring time while listening
  to symphony pieces. Journal Did the music
  inspire you to color a certain way or use
  specific colors?

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Dr. Dischord Dynne

• The Library Media Specialist will create a
  library of sounds on the computer. Students
  must compose a 10 second sound song. P9 K10
• Discuss onomatopoeia and sounds both frequently
  and not frequently heard in your community. IAS
  4.1.2- language arts
• also read Gerald Mc Boing Boing by Dr. Seuss
• Dynne has collected all of the sounds. How do
  Deaf people function effectively and happily in a
  world without sound? Have small groups construct
  an inquiry about the various methods used by the
  Deaf in a hearing world. (communication sign
  language, oral communication, TTD devices,
  e-mail everyday devices used by the Deaf such
  as vibrating alarm clocks, hearing aids, closed
  captioning, flashing lights connected to
  doorbells and baby monitors, hearing dogs, etc)
  K2 K7 K8 P8

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The Island of ConclusionsNow will you tell me
where we are? asked Tock as he looked around the
desolate island. To be sure, said Canby
youre on the island of Conclusions. But how
did we get here? asked Milo You jumped of
course, explained Canby, every time you decide
something without having a good reason, you jump
to Conclusions (168)

• With the PE teacher, explore moveable
  figurative language phrases hop to it, jump to
  conclusions, run amok, spring into action, roll
  with the punches, on a roll, walk in someone
  elses shoes, rub elbows, kick the bucket, etc...
  
• Explore idioms. also read Even More Parts by
  Tedd Arnold
• Canby is introduced only if Milo can figure out
  the riddle. In the media center, explore the
  800s section of the Dewey Decimal System
  jokes, riddles, puns, limericks, poetry, plays,
  etc

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Stop and Pay Your Toll

• Journal Now that Milo has encountered
  Dictionopolis, what do you think will happen when
  he visits a place called Digitopolis? What might
  it be like there? Who might be the Ruler? How
  will Milo behave, as you know him from home and
  from his travels thus far? IAS 4.2.3 4.3.2-
  language arts

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Digitopolis

• Dodecahedron has a twelve-sided head. Use
  construction paper tangram shapes to create your
  own Digitopolis resident. IAS 4.4.3- math
• also read Sir Cumference and the First Round
  Table A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander
• Explore measurement Miles/meters/rods/feet/inches
  IAS 4.3.2- social studies
• Mining for numbers- fractions. With help from
  the Custodial Staff, ask for a variety of trash
  cans or other large containers. Fill with
  crumpled newspaper, and fraction puzzle pieces.
  Students must mine for fractions to try to
  complete a whole puzzle or write the mixed
  number to represent the fractions they have
  mined. IAS 4.1.5 4.1.6- math

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The Mathemagician- Ruler of Digitopolis

• The Mathemagicians circular office corresponds
  to the points of a compass. Explore direction,
  using and reading maps and keys, using a compass.
  Map the playground or your own version of the
  Kingdom of Wisdom. (geography)
• Explore the various ways in which we measure
  things- ruler, compass, scales, weights, etc In
  what instances do you use each item? Have
  students convert their height to another
  measurement, or the weight or size of their math
  book. IAS 4.2.1 4.2.2- science

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The Land of Infinitysort of. Where the
tallest, the shortest, the biggest, the smallest,
and the most and the least of everything are
kept. The Mathemagician (191)

• Explore the term infinity.
• Explore averages What is the average amount of
  rainfall in Indiana? The USA? How many times a
  day do we change classrooms on average? How many
  people in the classroom eat hot lunch in a week
  on average?
• Like The Mathemagicians letter to King Azaz,
  write a letter using numbers only. (each letter
  of the alphabet corresponds to its number within
  the alphabet. A1, B2, etc) Decode a
  classmates letter.

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Stop and Pay Your Toll

• King Azaz and the Mathemagician were afraid Milo
  would fail to rescue the princesses if he knew
  the task was impossible. Journal Why do you
  think Milo agreed to the task? In what ways did
  Milo change from the boy he was before
  discovering the tollbooth? K1 K5
• How is the Kingdom of Wisdom like your school or
  like your community? In small groups, construct a
  board game to demonstrate your school or
  community. P8 K2

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The Castle in the Air

• Throughout his travels, Milos new friends gave
  him the tools he needed to be successful in
  rescuing the Princesses Sweet Rhyme and Pure
  Reason. As educators, we too, give our students
  the tools to be successful. Milos traveling
  companions helped to remind him of what he had
  and how to use it, and so must we remind students
  of how their prior knowledge and skills continue
  to assist them in new endeavors.
• As Rhyme reminds Milo, many places that you
  would like to see are just off the map and many
  things you want to know are just out of sight or
  a little beyond your reach. But someday, youll
  reach them all, for what you learn today, for no
  reason at all, will help you discover all the
  wonderful secrets of tomorrow. (234)

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Avoid the Terrible Trivium!I am the Terrible
Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs,
ogre of wasted effort and monster of habit. (213)

• It is easy to rely on workbooks and texts to
  guide our educational instruction. How much more
  interesting and valuable it can be for both
  students and educators to add inquiry and
  collaboration to our instruction. But, its not
  easy
• As the Terrible Trivium tells Milo, Think of all
  the trouble it saves If you only do the easy and
  useless jobs, youll never have to worry about
  the important ones which are so difficult.
  (213)
• By enriching classroom activities with
  literature, or vice versa, we open new doors of
  discovery for our students. I hope that youve
  been as intrigued by Milos world as I am, and I
  hope that this brief presentation has been like a
  tollbooth to new kingdoms of ideas for you as
  educators. Our ride stops here, but the journey
  continuesin your classroom and media center.

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Words of Wisdom from Rhyme and Reason

• You must never feel badly about making
  mistakes, explained Reason quietly, as long as
  you take the trouble to learn from them. For you
  often learn more by being wrong for the right
  reasons, than you do by being right for the wrong
  reasons. (233)
• but its not just learning things thats
  important. Its learning what to do with what
  you learn and learning why you learn things at
  all that matters. - Rhyme (223)

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Perhaps a Smaller Kingdom?

• Though a wide variety of units and areas of study
  have been explored here, one could instead create
  a kingdom within a classroom- set up a variety of
  stations for students to explore some of these
  activities and work their way through Milos
  journey. Students can create a map and journal
  their experiences as they move through the
  stations. K3

• Dictionopolis use the dictionary, thesaurus
• Digitopolis fractions, tangrams, time,
  measurement
• Valley of Sound using headphones-listen to
  symphony music
• Conduct with Chroma create your own colorful
  world.
• The Doldrums relax and read

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Collaboration

• They say it takes a village to raise a child, but
  it also takes an entire school staff to educate a
  student. By including all staff and faculty into
  the educational experience, everyone learns more.
  P3 P1 P10 Here are some of the staff members
  listed in The Phantom Tollbooth quest slides

• Classroom teacher
• Library Media Specialist
• Music Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodial Staff

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10 Principals of School Library Media Programs-
Information Power

• P1 The library media program is essential to
  learning and teaching and must be fully
  integrated into the curriculum to promote
  students achievement of learning goals.
• P2 The information literacy standards for
  student learning are integral to the contend and
  objectives of the schools curriculum.
• P3 The library media program models and
  promotes collaborative planning and curriculum
  development.
• P4 The library media program models and
  promotes creative, effective, and collaborative
  teaching.
• P5 Access to the full range of information
  resources and services through the library media
  program is fundamental to learning.

• P6 The library media program encourages and
  engages students in reading, viewing, and
  listening for understanding and enjoyment.
• P7 The library media program supports the
  learning for all students and other members of
  the learning community who have diverse learning
  capabilities, styles, and needs.
• P8 The library media program fosters
  individual and collaborative inquiry.
• P9 The library media program integrates the
  uses of technology for learning and teaching.
• P10 The library media program is an essential
  link to the larger learning community.

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10 Key Ideas

• K1- Assessment
• K2-Constructivism
• K3- Cooperative Learning
• K4- Creative Thinking
• K5-Critical Thinking

• K6-Individual Differences
• K7- Meaningfulness Motivation
• K8-Problem- Based Learning
• K9-Questioning
• K10- Technology

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Indiana Academic Standards- 4th Grade Language
Arts

• Language Arts
• 4.1.2 Apply knowledge of synonyms (words with
  the same meaning), antonyms (words with opposite
  meanings), homographs (words that are spelled the
  same but have different meanings), and idioms
  (expressions that cannot be understood just by
  knowing the meanings of the words in the
  expression, such as couch potato) to determine
  the meaning of words and phrases.
• 4.1.5 Use a thesaurus to find related words and
  ideas.
• 4.2.3 Make and confirm predictions about text by
  using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the
  text itself, including illustrations, titles,
  topic sentences, important words, foreshadowing
  clues (clues that indicate what might happen
  next), and direct quotations
• 4.3.2 Identify the main events of the plot,
  including their causes and the effects of each
  event on future actions, and the major theme from
  the story action.
• 4.4.7 Use multiple reference materials and online
  information (the Internet) as aids to writing
• 4.5.5 Use varied word choices to make writing
  interesting.Example Write stories using
  descriptive words in place of common words for
  instance, use enormous, gigantic, or giant for
  the word big.

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Indiana Academic Standards -4th Grade Science

• Science
• 4.3.8 Explain that the rotation of Earth on
  its axis every 24 hours produces the
  night-and-day cycle.
• 4.2.1 Judge whether measurements and
  computations of quantities, such as length,
  area, volume, weight, or time, are reasonable.
• 4.2.2 State the purpose, orally or in writing,
  of each step in a computation.
• observation gaining information through the
  use of one or more of the senses, such as sight,
  smell, etc.
• area a measure of the size of a
  two-dimensional region
• volume a measure of the size of a
  three-dimensional object

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Indiana Academic Standards- 4th Grade Math

• Math
• 4.4.3 Identify, describe, and draw
  parallelograms, rhombuses, and trapezoids,
  using appropriate mathematical tools and
  technology.Example Use a geoboard to make a
  parallelogram. How do you know it is a
  parallelogram?
• 4.5.9 Add time intervals involving hours and
  minutes. Example During the school week, you
  have 5 recess periods of 15 minutes. Find how
  long that is in hours and minutes.
• 4.1.5 Rename and rewrite whole numbers as
  fractions.Example 3 .
• 4.1.6 Name and write mixed numbers, using
  objects or pictures.Example You have 5 whole
  straws and half a straw. Write the number that
  represents these objects.
• 4.6.3 Summarize and display the results of
  probability experiments in a clear and organized
  way. Example Roll a number cube 36 times and
  keep a tally of the number of times that 1, 2, 3,
  4, 5, and 6 appear. Draw a bar graph to show your
  results.

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Indiana Academic Standards- 4th Grade Social
Studies

• Social Studies
• 4.3.2 Estimate distances between two places on
  a map, using a scale of miles, and use cardinal
  and intermediate directions when referring to
  relative location.
• 4.5.1 Identify ways that social groups
  influence individual behavior and
  responsibilities.Example When people belong to
  a group they usually interact with each other
  frequently and follow the rules of the group.
• 4.5.2 Identify the different types of social
  groups to which people belong and the functions
  these groups perform.Example Social groups may
  have social, religious, recreational, cultural,
  educational, service, civic, political, or other
  functions.

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Bibliography

• Arnold, Tedd. Even More Parts Idioms from Head
  to Toe. New York Dial, 2004.
• Callison, Daniel. Key Words, Concepts and Methods
  for Information Age Instruction A Guide to
  Teaching Information Inquiry. Baltimore, MD
  LMS Associates, 2001.
• Information Power Building Partnerships for
  Learning. Chicago American Library Association,
  1998.
• Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth. New York
  Random House, 1961.
• Neuschwander, Cindy. Sir Cumference and the First
  Round Table A Math Adventure. Watertown, MA
  Charlesbridge, 1997.
• Seuss, Dr. Gerald McBoing Boing. New York Random
  House, 2000.