In the story, Freddy plays a special role in a school play. Use a script-adapted version of "The One in the Middle is a Green Kangaroo" and assign each member of the class a role to read. Make enough copies of the script for each student and ask him to highlight his lines in the play. If you have more students in the class than roles, assign the extra students to design costumes or the set. Rehearse the play and present it to another class.
One of the themes of the story is about how each person is special. Have students write essays on why they are special. Ask them to include interesting talents or qualities and explain them in detail. Allow them to illustrate these talents, and combine all the essays to create a class book. Take the pages to a local printer to have the book bound and place it in the class library.
Literature enhances a child's reading skills as well as vocabulary development. Choose 10 key words from "The One in the Middle is a the Green Kangaroo" and create a word wall to highlight this vocabulary list. Depending on the grade level you teach, choose developmentally appropriate words for your students. Write these 10 words on sentence strips and display them on your word wall. Review these words during circle time and ask students to read and define them throughout the literature unit.
Freddy stars as the green kangaroo in the school play and wears a special costume that only fits him. Ask students to come up with designs for costumes for the play in the story. They can choose between a costume for Freddy or any other character. Ask them to draw the costumes on paper, color them and describe in short essays how to make the costumes. The description should include materials and basic steps.