• Any book from the My Weird School series (Example: Miss Daisy Is Crazy! or Mr. Klutz Is Nuts!)
• A dedicated "Weird School Project Journal" (notebook or digital document)
• Sticky notes for marking book passages

• Grid paper (graph paper) and a metric ruler
• Basic calculator or spreadsheet software (Excel/Google Sheets)
• Poster board, cardboard boxes, or 3D design software (like Tinkercad)
• Art supplies: Colored pencils, markers, glue, scissors

"Troy, today we are looking at why this book is funny. It’s written from the perspective of A.J., a kid who hates school. A.J. is an unreliable narrator—meaning we can't always trust his interpretation of reality. When he says Miss Daisy is crazy because she doesn't know how to multiply, is she actually clueless, or is she using a clever teaching strategy? That’s dramatic irony!"

Find one passage in Chapter 1 or 2 where A.J. makes a bold claim. Together, write down the "A.J. Version" of reality on a sticky note, and then write down the "Actual Reality" underneath it. Notice how the gap between the two creates the humor.

In your Project Journal, create a "Comedy Formula Guide." Define hyperbole (extreme exaggeration) and unreliable narrator in your own words. Write down three quotes from your book that illustrate these techniques.

"In the book, school seems like a wild playground. But why does school look the way it does in real life? Why do we have grade levels, desks in rows, and bells? We have to look back to the 19th century and a reformer named Horace Mann, who helped design the 'Common School.' Let’s explore how schooling changed from one-room schoolhouses to modern systems."

Watch a short educational video on the history of education (e.g., "The History of Education in the US" or similar resource). Create a quick Venn Diagram comparing: (1) A 19th-century One-Room Schoolhouse, (2) Troy's current learning setup, and (3) The Ella Mentry School from the book.

Write a short, satirical journal entry from the perspective of Horace Mann visiting Troy's chosen My Weird School book setting. What would Horace say about the principal, the teachers, and the students?

"Principals have massive power, but they answer to a School Board. In Mr. Klutz Is Nuts!, the principal does wild things to motivate kids (like climbing the flagpole). Today, you are running for Principal of Ella Mentry School. To win, you must master the three pillars of persuasion: Ethos (credibility), Pathos (emotion), and Logos (logic)."

Brainstorm three school rules Troy would change. Categorize them: Is a rule change designed to make kids happy (Pathos)? Save money (Logos)? Or prove Troy is a responsible leader (Ethos)?

Create a campaign poster or write a 2-minute speech persuading the students and School Board to elect you as Principal. You must use at least one clearly labeled example of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in your campaign material.

"Schools don't just exist in a vacuum. They are carefully placed based on local neighborhoods, population density, transport routes, and environmental factors. Today, we look at the 'where' and 'how' of school placement."

Open up Google Maps or a local city map. Locate Troy's nearest public middle school. Together, analyze what surrounds it (roads, parks, residential zones). Why is it located there? Are there physical barriers like rivers or highways that define who can walk there?

Draw a rough, top-down regional map of where "Ella Mentry School" would be in a town. Include key landmarks from the book (e.g., the playground, local streets, a nearby fast-food place, or student homes) using a proper map key/legend, scale, and compass rose.

"Architects have to balance wild creative ideas with real spatial limits. If you were building a classroom for a teacher who is crazy about video games, skateboarding, or marine biology, how would you design it? Today, we are drafting a scaled 2D floor plan of your custom 'Weird Classroom.'"

Establish a scale rule: 1 grid square on your graph paper = 1 square meter (or 2 square feet) in real life. Measure a desk or table in your room to see how many grid squares it would take up.

On a sheet of graph paper, draw a beautifully colored, scaled floor plan of your custom classroom. It must include at least 5 specialized items (e.g., a mini-skate-ramp, a giant terrarium, a gaming wall) drawn precisely to scale. Label each area clearly.

"A.J. loves recess, and recess is secretly a giant physics lab! The slide is an inclined plane. The seesaw is a lever. The flagpole is a pulley. Today, we are analyzing how simple machines make work (and fun) easier by altering force and distance."

Draw a quick sketch of a seesaw. Locate the fulcrum, the effort force (the kid pushing off the ground), and the load (the kid in the air). Talk about how moving closer to or further from the fulcrum changes the balance of force.

Write a page in your Project Journal analyzing 3 school playground structures. For each, identify the primary simple machine used, draw a labeled schematic diagram of it, and explain the mechanical advantage it provides.

"In Miss Daisy Is Crazy!, she claims she doesn't know anything, prompting the kids to teach her. While that's a funny gimmick, how does our brain actually learn? Today we learn about neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to build stronger neural pathways (connections) when we practice and make mistakes."

Perform a simple physical challenge together (like juggling a ball or writing with your non-dominant hand for 2 minutes). Discuss what it feels like when your brain is struggling to build new connections. That struggle is literally your neurons growing!

Write an "Advice Guide for Teachers" from a neuroscientist's perspective. Explain what synapses and myelin are, and give three real tips on how to teach so that students actually remember information (e.g., active recall, spacing, mistake analysis).

"Schools cost money to run! Electricity, books, desks, and especially salaries for the teachers and clean-up crews. You have a budget of $100,000 to fund your dream Weird School's operations for one month. Let's figure out how to allocate those funds without going broke!"

Set up a basic spreadsheet table: Column A (Expense Item), Column B (Category), Column C (Estimated Cost). Input basic mandatory items together (e.g., Electricity = $3,000; Textbooks = $5,000; Teacher salaries = $50,000). See how much room remains for "weird additions" like laser tag gear or indoor slides.

Complete your balanced budget. You must: (1) Spend at least 60% of your budget on critical essentials (salaries, building maintenance), (2) Allocate the remaining funds to wacky upgrades of your choosing, (3) Use formulas or equations to prove your total expenditures equal exactly $100,000. Write a 1-paragraph justification explaining why your investments make sense.

"To write in another author's voice, you have to break down their style. Dan Gutman writes with short, punchy sentences, lots of exclamation marks, hyperbole, and funny observations. For example: 'The door flew open. It was Mr. Klutz. He was standing on his head and juggling tomatoes. I am not making this up.' Today, we are writing a brand-new chapter for your book."

Brainstorm a new "Weird" staff member together. What about "Mr. Byte, the Tech Teacher who lives inside a computer" or "Mrs. Goggles, the Chemistry Teacher who keeps accidentally creating portals"? Outline a quick 3-step plot: (1) Weird introduction, (2) A hilarious misunderstanding, (3) A resolve where the kids learn something despite the craziness.

Write a complete, original chapter (approx. 300–500 words) featuring your new character. Use first-person point-of-view, dramatic irony, and at least three attempts at humor. Illustrate the chapter header in classic My Weird School cartoon style.

"Troy, you have spent two weeks being an author, historian, urban geographer, architect, physicist, cognitive scientist, and accountant. Today is your chance to present your 'Weird School' concept. Think of this as pitched to a board of wealthy investors who want to fund your school!"

Help Troy arrange his workspace. Set up his custom floor plan, his balanced budget sheet, his campaign poster, his physics diagrams, and his original chapter into a cohesive physical or digital showcase layout.

Give a 5-to-10 minute multimedia walkthrough of your "Weird School" project. Answer questions from "investors" (parents/teachers) about your budget, spatial design decisions, and how you will ensure children actually learn there.

• Reading Support: Utilize audiobooks alongside physical copies to boost auditory retention.
• Writing Prompts: Provide sentence starters for his original chapter (e.g., "I thought the cafeteria was normal until I saw Mrs. Spoon...").
• Budget Template: Provide a pre-formatted spreadsheet containing preset arithmetic formulas.

• Digital Drafting: Learn 3D computer-aided design (CAD) inside Tinkercad to turn the 2D classroom into a full virtual walk-through.
• Micro-Economics: Calculate the return on investment (ROI) for "weird school" upgrades like a vending machine system.
• Creative Media: Record the Day 9 narrative chapter as an audio podcast, designing original sound effects.