The Wednesday Wars (1st ed)
by Gary Schmidt
Strategy: Calendar Timeline
Context: This strategy should be introduced in the beginning of the unit. It will be ongoing
throughout the reading of the novel, as it is a continual organizer that will help students pull out
the most important parts of each chapter. It would be beneficial to complete the first chapter or
two as a class, and then allow the students to fill out the rest on their own.
Statement of Purpose: This strategy helps students see the “big picture” of the novel and will
hopefully allow them to be able to make connections and see how events, although far apart in
time, are related to each other and effect consequences. The calendar timeline should be given to
students when they start reading, and at the end of each chapter (which represents a month in the
story) the students will write down the most important events in that chapter. This will help
students synthesize the main ideas of the chapter and help them understand the major themes of
the novel.
Directions:
a.) Explain to students that this novel takes place over an extended period of time—almost a
full year—and that a lot of different things happen to the main character (Holling) and his
friends and family throughout the story. In order for the students to keep track of the
major events in the novel, they will fill out a calendar timeline detailing these things
when they have finished reading the chapter.
b.) Give the students the empty calendar timeline (attached worksheet). Stress to them that
they need to keep it with them throughout the entire time that they read the novel, so
DON’T LOSE IT, and that they will be adding to it at the end of each chapter.
c.) At the end of each chapter, students should fill in at least four (or more) major/important
events that happened. This can be assigned as homework, or, if the reading is done in
class, can be done together as a class activity. Students can discuss in small groups what
they think the most import events were, and then it can be discussed as a class.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on whether or not they completed the strategy with appropriate
information. The calendars could be collected half way through the reading to see if they are
indeed pulling out the most important parts of the story. Questions to ask students as they fill in
their charts are: What were the main events of this chapter? What happened to the characters
(especially Holling)? What did we learn about the characters personalities and what they liked
to do? What did the characters learn?
Students could write a reflection/ paragraph when they finish the novel that focuses on how an
event in the first half of the novel directly relates to an event in the second half of the novel (ex:
Sycorax and Caliban the rats escape in October, but reappear in March and help Holling get the
fastest running time before they are run over by the bus.) This will help the students make
connections and understand how all the events in the story relate. Students could also write a
personal narrative about a similar situation in their life for a final writing assessment.
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Wednesday Wars Calendar
Fill in the most important events that happen in the novel in the boxes above.
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
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September
October
November
December
January
* School starts
* The cream puff
fiasco happens
* Holling
memorizes
Caliban’s curses,
and uses them
throughout the
school day.
* Hoodhood &
Assoc wins Baker
Sporting Emp
contract.
* Holling agrees to
act in a
Shakespeare play
for Mr.Goldman.
*The rats eat all the
cream puffs, but
Mrs. Baker
replaces them.
*Mrs. Bigio’s
husband dies.
* Holling has to wear
yellow tights with
feathers for his part as
Ariel.
*Mickey Mantle, the
best Yankee player
comes to sign
baseballs.
* Holling performs in
The Tempest, and
Danny, Meryl Lee and
Mai Thi all come to
watch.
* Mickey Mantle
refuses to sign
Holling’s baseball.
* Students and staff are
cruel to Mai Thi
*Holling, Danny and
Doug play baseball
with Joe Pepitone and
Horace Clark
* Holling’s picture
is published in the
newspaper, and
Doug’s brother puts
them all over the
school.
*Mr. Hoodhood
unveils his designs
for the new junior
high.
*The weather turns
snowy and icy.
*The power at the
school goes out.
*Students take the
NY State SATs
*Holling saves his
sister from being hit
by a bus.
*Holling starts his
afternoon lessons
with Mrs.Baker.
*Me meet the
Hoodhoods; find out
that Mr.Hoodhood is
an architect
*Holling knocks out
Doug Swieteck’s
brother playing
soccer.
*Holling must be
cream puffs for the
entire class.
*Holling’s sister says
she is a flower child.
*Mrs. Baker decides
that Wednesday’s
will be spent studying
Shakespeare.
*Holling accidentally
lets Sycorax and
Caliban free.
February
March
April
May
June
*Mr. Hoodhood is
named the Chamber
of Commerce
Businessman of
1967.
*School board
members come in to
evaluate
*Coach Quatrini
makes everyone try
out for cross country.
*Mrs. Baker (the
Olympian!)teaches
Holling how to run.
*Mrs. Sidman takes
care of the rats
*Holling has the
fastest running time
and makes the varsity
team
*The rats are run over
by the bus
*Danny gets in a
fight defending Mai
Thi.
*Mrs. Baker and Mrs.
Bigio make a recipe
from Vietnam
*Mrs. Sidman
become principal.
*Atomic Bomb
Awareness Month
* Kowalski and
Assoc shuts down
*Kowalski & Assoc
gets the Yankee
Stadium job
*Mrs. Baker takes
the class on a
campout.
*Holling takes
Meryl Lee out for
Vday.
* Mr. Kowalski
“steals” Mr.
Hoodhood’s idea for
the new junior high.
* Holling and Meryl
Lee fight, but
Holling apologizes.
*Mr. Kowalski pulls
out his bid for
building the new
junior high.
*Lt. Baker goes
missing.
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*Martain Luther
King Jr is shot
*Opening Day at
Yankee Stadium
with Mrs. Baker
*Holling’s sister is
told she can’t go to
college
*Holling wins the
race
*Holling’s sister leaves
for CA
*Holling admits he
might not want to be an
architect
*Mrs. Baker takes
Holling on a field trip
*Holling lights a candle
at the Catholic church
*Holling gives money
to his sister so she can
come home, against the
wishes of his father.
*Lt. Baker is found
*Bobby Kennedy
gets shot and dies.
* Mai Thi decides to
go live with Mrs.
Bigio
*Danny successfully
does his Bar
Mitzvah and
everyone celebrates
with him
*Lt. Baker and Mrs.
Baker are reunited.
Rallison, BYU, 2009