How To Eat Fried Worms

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“College Essay”

In this activity, students discuss what Billy might write about his experience with the bet in a college essay; then they write a brief essay of their own, describing lessons they have learned from difficult challenges.

Part A

Imagine that years have passed; Billy Forrester is preparing to go to college. Typically, students must write essays as part of their college applications, trying to demonstrate why they should be admitted. What might Billy write in an application essay about the lessons he learned from eating worms during his bet with Alan and Joe? What might Tom, Alan, or Joe write in their own essay? Discuss your ideas with a small group of classmates. Use the following questions to guide your discussion:

• What values or lessons do Billy and his friends learn?
• Why might these be useful throughout life?
• How might Billy and his friends continue to grow after the end of the novel?

Part B

Now, think about an experience in your life that you learned from. Using the same questions from Part A, write your own mini application essay.

Teaching Suggestion: Middle grade students may not be familiar with the college admissions process. Explaining to them the purpose of an essay like this will be useful in introducing the activity; you might display some actual college applications with essay questions or allow them to view the essay questions on the Common App. You could also alter this activity by having students write persuasive essays that argue why eating fried worms is good for a person.

Differentiation Suggestion: English language learners or students who struggle with longer writing assignments could instead make a T-chart in which they first list the pros and cons of the bet Billy made (i.e., the challenge versus what Billy learned from it) and then the pros and cons of an experience in their life.