Crayon Rebellion Lesson Plan Simplified Lesson Plan
Crayon Rebellion
Exploring Basic Feelings & Perspectives in The Day the Crayons Quit
Suggested Grades K - 2nd Grade
Duration
45 - 60 Minutes
Standards
CCSS.RL.K.6, RL.1.6
Primary Focus
Feelings & Drawing
Simplified Objectives
• Identify how different crayons feel (e.g., angry, sad, happy ) using pictures and book text.
• Connect basic feelings to specific colors.
• Complete a simple fill-in-the-blank letter and draw a picture from a crayon's point of view.
Handout Checklist
Book: The Day the Crayons Quit
Interactive Slides (Simplified)
"Crayon Feelings" Scaffolded Worksheet
Primary-level Center Cards
Scaffolded Lesson Outline
Step 1
Crayon Emotions warm-up (10 min)
Show students a single crayon (e.g., Red). Ask: "If this crayon could talk, would it sound happy or grumpy? Why?" Have students practice making happy faces, tired faces, and angry faces. Introduce the term feelings and explain that each crayon has their own special feelings.
Step 2
Guided Story Time (20 min)
Read The Day the Crayons Quit aloud. Stop at key pages and use simple question guides:
RED & BLUE (TIRED)
Ask: "Why is Red tired? What red things did Duncan paint?" Connect heavy coloring to the feeling of needing a nap.
PEACH (SHY)
Ask: "Why is Peach hiding inside the box? How would you feel without your wrapper?"
Crayon Rebellion ELA Unit (K-2) Page 1 of 2
Step 3
Sensory / Emotion Stations (15 min)
Place simple center task cards at tables. Have students look at the colored crayon drawing and choose an emoji or a basic feeling word card (e.g., mad, sad, tired, happy) that matches that crayon's feeling. This helps reinforce visual reading cues and feelings.
Step 4
Scaffolded Letter Workshop (15 min)
Distribute the simplified "Crayon Feelings" Worksheet . Guide students through Page 1 to draw lines matching crayons to emojis, then lead them in filling out the three simple blank lines on Page 2 ("Dear Duncan, I feel..."). Allow students to draw their favorite crayon.
Step 5
Crayon Parade: Wrap-Up (5 min)
Have students stand up and hold their drawn crayons in a "Crayon Parade" or share their crayon feeling with a partner. Ask: "How can we make sure all our crayons feel happy and useful in our classroom?"
Early Childhood Reference Guide
Crayon Emoji / Easy Feeling Simple Reason why they feel this way Red 😫 Tired / Overworked Colors too many apples, fire engines, and Santa Claus! Yellow 😠 Angry / Grumpy Thinks Orange is stealing the sun. Refuses to share. Blue 🥱 Stubby / Sleepy Colors whole skies and oceans. Needs a tiny rest! Peach 🫣 Shy / Cold Lacks a wrapper and is embarrassed to come out of the box!
For Pre-Writers
Pre-writers can dictate their answers to the teacher or simply draw their crayon's feeling inside the blank letter box.
Kinesthetic Idea
Provide a physically empty crayon box. Have students place toy crayons in or out of the box based on how the character is feeling in the story.
Crayon Rebellion ELA Unit (K-2) Page 2 of 2
Crayon Rebellion Slides Let's Learn About Feelings!
Crayon Rebellion
How do our crayons feel today?
The Day the Crayons Quit
SLIDE 1/6
Crayon Feelings
How do they feel?
Perspective
Different crayons can look at the same coloring page and feel completely different!
Let's find out why:
1
Are they used too much and tired?
2
Are they never used and lonely?
3
Are they missing their wrappers?
Let's look inside the box... SLIDE 2/6
Super Tired Crayons
Red & Blue
Red Crayon
"I have to color fire engines, apples, and Santa Claus! I work too hard and need a good nap!"
Feeling: Grumpy & Tired
Blue Crayon
"I love coloring big blue oceans and skies. But look at me! I am so short and stubby now!"
Feeling: Small & Sleepy
Let's Talk:
How do you feel when you work super hard and get tired? What can Duncan do to help them rest?
Can we color smaller things? SLIDE 3/6
The Big Sun Fight!
Yellow vs. Orange
Yellow Crayon
"I am the real sun! Orange is trying to steal my spot. Tell him I'm the winner!"
Feeling: Grumpy & Mad
Orange Crayon
"No way! I colored the sun on the zoo page. Yellow is just being silly!"
Feeling: Annoyed & Stubborn
Friendly Compromise:
Can a sun be BOTH yellow and orange? How can they share the sky together?
Sharing is caring! SLIDE 4/6
The Embarrassed Crayon
Peach Crayon
Peach's Story
Duncan peeled off Peach Crayon's paper wrapper! Now Peach feels cold and too embarrassed to leave the crayon box.
🫣
How Peach Feels
"I am naked! I cannot come out of the box. Please dress me or help me!"
Let's Be Kind:
How can we help Peach Crayon feel brave enough to come out and color with us?
Helping our shy friends SLIDE 5/6
Let's Write a Letter!
Your Turn
Pick a crayon and share their feelings!
Choose a color and fill out your letter to Duncan. Tell him how you feel!
Fill in the blanks:
"Dear Duncan..."
"I feel _____ (happy / sad / mad / tired)..."
Crayon Rebellion Worksheets Crayon Feelings
How do the crayons feel in the book?
My Name
Date
Part 1: Draw a Line to Match the Feeling!
Look at each crayon on the left. Draw a line to match them to how they feel on the right.
Crayon
Red Crayon
Yellow Crayon
Blue Crayon
Peach Crayon
Feeling
😠 Angry / Mad
😫 Overworked / Tired
🫣 Naked / Shy
🥱 Stubby / Sleepy
Part 2: Color Your Feeling
What color are you feeling like today? Draw and color a happy face or a tired face inside the box.
Crayon Feelings Activity Pack Page 1 of 2
My Crayon Letter
Let's write a friendly letter!
Easy Writing Part 3
Write to Duncan!
Pretend you are a crayon. Fill in the blank lines to tell Duncan how you feel, then draw a picture of yourself at the bottom!
Dear Duncan,
I am the
crayon.
I feel really
today.
Because
Your friend,
Draw Your Crayon!
Draw a happy, mad, or tired crayon in this box!
Crayon Feelings Activity Pack Page 2 of 2
Crayon Rebellion Discussion Cards Crayon Discussion Cards
Print, Cut, and Use for Circle Time or Quick Peer Conversations
K-2 Friendly
Teacher Tip: Cut along the lines. Have partners ask each other these easy questions about the book!
😫 Card 1 TIRED
The Tired Crew
Red Crayon is too tired. Blue Crayon is very short.
Let's Talk:
• What red and blue things do you like to draw? How can we help these tired crayons rest?
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
☀️ Card 2 SHARING
The Sun Fight!
Yellow and Orange both want to color the sun. They are mad at each other.
Let's Talk:
• Have you ever had a fight with a friend about a toy? How did you learn to share?
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
🫣 Card 3 SHY
The Naked Peach
Peach Crayon won't leave the box because his paper wrapper was peeled off.
Let's Talk:
• Why is Peach Crayon feeling shy or embarrassed? What can we draw to make him happy?
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
🏫 Card 4 OUR CLASSROOM
Crayon Helpers
Duncan's crayons wrote him letters because they wanted to be cared for and used.
Let's Talk:
• How can we take good care of our crayons, pencils, and books in our classroom?
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
Crayon Rebellion Discussion Cards K-2 Friendly Resource
Crayon Rebellion Sorting Task Cards Crayon Center Task Cards
Self-Directed Creative Activities exploring Feelings, Colors, and Sharing
K-2 Station
Student Instructions: Complete these fun crayon challenges at your center tables! Draw or write in your notebook.
✏️ Task A DRAWING
Happy Crayon!
Green Crayon is very content coloring grasslands and dinosaurs.
• Grab a green crayon and draw a huge smiling happy face!
• Draw one happy dinosaur next to it.
How does coloring make Green happy?
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
😄 Task B EMOJIS
Emoji Copycat
Match the crayon feelings with your face!
• Red: Make an overworked face (😫)
• Yellow: Make a super mad face (😠)
• Peach: Make a shy, blushing face (🫣)
Challenge: Show your partner your best sleepy blue face!
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
🤝 Task C SHARING
Sunny Friends
Yellow and Orange are fighting over who gets to color the sun in the sky.
• Draw a big beautiful sun using BOTH yellow and orange!
• Can you draw orange stripes on a yellow sun?
How does sharing a drawing make it look even cooler?
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
🎨 Task D CREATIVE
The Wrapper Designer
Peach Crayon is cold and embarrassed because he doesn't have his paper wrapper.
• Draw a brand-new colorful jacket or coat on your paper.
• Color it with beautiful patterns to make Peach look awesome!
Challenge: Draw a funny hat for Peach Crayon too!
Crayon Rebellion • K-2 Unit
Crayon Rebellion ELA Centers K-2 Friendly Resource
