You can use the text of “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” to introduce new vocabulary words that might be unfamiliar, such as “cease,” “extraordinary” or “mutter.” You can have your students attempt to discern the meaning of these words using the cues given from the text and how these words convey elements of the story. You can also reinforce your students' abilities to spell these new words by incorporating them into a word search or have them use the acquired words in their own sentences. You can also assign a reading of another of Stag's books, such as “Doctor DeSoto” or “Dominic,” and have your students compare and contrast each book's narratives and characters.
“Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” also presents the opportunity to incorporate imaginative artistic exercises into your classroom. You can pick several scenes from the book, have your students describe how the images support the text, and then have them create their own illustration interpretation. You can also have your children imagine what scene would come next after the last illustration of the book or create an alternate path for the story. For example, you could ask your students to imagine what would happen had Sylvester turned into a tree versus a rock.
Having your students act out the different roles in the story would allow them to explore the different emotions expressed in the book. You can have your students make masks or puppets to assume the roles of the different characters and then have them reenact parts of the story. For example, you could have your students act out Mr. and Mrs. Duncan’s search for Sylvester while Sylvester is trapped as a stone to examine the feeling of empathy or compassion. Following this role-play you can discuss with your students the emotions they felt while taking on these roles and then have them switch roles for another reenactment to gain a different perspective.
You can also take your study of “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” outdoors. Since Sylvester enjoyed collecting all types of pebbles, you can organize a nearby magic pebble treasure hunt where students will seek to find the pebbles you've hidden, one of which looks just like Sylvester's magic one. The student who finds this “magic” stone gets as a prize a wish that benefits the entire class. You can also take your class on a nature walk and ask them to imagine what Sylvester felt being exposed to the elements for so long.