The Teacher's Guide is designed for students in grades 2-4. Open-ended activities and multilevel teaching strategies make the lesson plans ideal for classrooms in which some students are in the process of learning English and others are native English speakers.
The activities build children's awareness and appreciation of the many cultures in America and encourage them to make connections to their own lives.
The Teacher's Guide provides a complete teaching resource for Postcards from Buster, including:
You can download either the entire Teacher's Guide, or any of the three separate sections.
The pages of the Teacher's Guide are presented here as PDF documents. You'll need Adobe Reader to use these PDF files.
Record and preview Postcards from Buster television episodes. Read the Teaching Strategies and Learning Activities section, plus the lesson plans for the specific episodes. Make copies of reproducibles as needed, and gather the Recommended Books listed on the lesson plan. (An expanded list of Recommended Books for each episode is provided on this Web site.) Download and print the files you require:
Meet Me at the Fair (Knox, Indiana)
Buster visits Lauren and Nathan on a farm and meets their pig, Francine.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Farm life, Chores, responsibilities
A Sense of Direction (Chicago, Illinois)
Farah, a young Muslim girl, invites Buster to visit her home and school.
TOPICS/THEMES:
City life, Cultural traditions
Buster and Beatrice (San Antonio, Texas)
In San Antonio, Buster discovers conjunto music and breakfast tacos.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Music, Food
The Giant Pumpkins (Mt. Hood, Oregon)
Just how big can a pumpkin grow? Join Buster and find out!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Farm life, Measurement
Among the Hmong (Madison, Wisconsin)
What's it like to be part of a clan? Meet the Vangs of Vang Lane.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Families, Sports/Recreation: dance, Animals: insects/spiders
Sleepy in Seattle (Seattle, Washington)
Can Tai Chi, bubble tea, and flying fish keep Buster awake?
TOPICS/THEMES:
Feelings, Food, Sports/Recreation: martial arts
Up the River (Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota)
Buster and Bo paddle up the Missouri River...just like Lewis and Clark!
TOPICS/THEMES:
U.S. history, Families
Rodeo Cowgirl (Houston, Texas)
Swing up in the saddle, Buster. It's rodeo time!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Sports/Recreation: horseback riding, Friendship
Buster's Buffalo Round-Up (Rapid City, South Dakota)
Visit the Crazy Horse monument-where they carve with dynamite!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Values: perseverance, Cultural traditions, U.S. history
Moose on the Loose (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)
Buster gets some expert help as he tracks the elusive moose.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Animals/Nature, Sports/Recreation
Bayou, by Me (Larose and Slidell, Louisiana)
Life on the Louisiana bayou is full of adventure.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Nature/Geography: the bayou, Disagreements
Star Search (Charleston, South Carolina)
Buster discovers theater, red rice, and close-knit families in South Carolina.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Performing arts, Families
Best Friends (Winchester, Kentucky)
Will Buster and Arthur find a way to patch up their long-distance quarrel?
TOPICS/THEMES:
Friendship, Dance: clogging
Buster's Road Rules (Tucson, Arizona)
On an Arizona road trip, you never know what you'll find!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Transportation, Music, Nature/Geography: the desert
Rock and Roll (Boulder, Colorado)
Rock climbing in Colorado? You can do it, Buster!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Sports/Recreation: rock climbing, Nature/Geography, Feelings
Winter Gold (Park City, Utah)
Welcome to the world of speed skaters, ski jumpers, and the luge.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Winter sports
Hoops and Drums (Wind River Reservation, Wyoming)
Powwows and a prize basketball team are traditions at Wind River Reservation.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Cultural traditions, Sports/Fitness: dance
Good Ol' Tyme (Whitesburg, Kentucky)
In Kentucky, Buster discovers "living history" he can dance to.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Music and dance, Cultural traditions
Swimming in the Desert (Phoenix, Arizona)
What would you rather be? A swimmer? An astronaut? A filmmaker?
TOPICS/THEMES:
Sports/Fitness: swimming, Careers
We Are Family (Salt Lake City, Utah)
In this Mormon family, everyone pitches in and helps out..
TOPICS/THEMES:
Chores/Responsibilities, Families
Buster's League of Champions (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
Ready, set, action! Buster's making a movie.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Movie making, Family, Cooperation/Community
A Bridge Back Home (New York City, New York)
Buster and Carlos go to Brooklyn to search for a family treasure.
TOPICS/THEMES:
City life, Food
Lost and Found (Guanajuato, Mexico)
In Mexico, Buster discovers markets, masks, mime, and a new language.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Second language learning, Cultural traditions
The Music Mystery (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Buster Baxter, private eye, uncovers the secrets of New Orleans.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Story writing, Music and dance, Cultural traditions
The Low Riders (Los Angeles, California)
Cousins show Buster the ins and outs of East L.A. and lowrider bikes.
TOPICS/THEMES:
City life, Sports/Recreation: bikes
Beats by the Bay (San Francisco, California)
Three hip hopping kids show Buster the sights of San Francisco.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Music and dance, Community, City life
A City View (New York City, New York)
Buster observes shabbos and goes to a bat mitzvah party in Manhattan.
TOPICS/THEMES:
City life, Cultural traditions: Orthodox Jewish
Homes Sweet Homes (Miami, Florida)
Athena welcomes Buster into both her homes and cultures.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Feelings, Cultural heritage, Food
Riding the Wave (Cocoa Beach, Florida)
Buster braves the waves as he joins young surfers on Cocoa Beach.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Sports/Recreation: surfing, Nature/Geography: ocean
Buster's Lucky Year (San Francisco, California)
It's Chinese New Year! Buster joins the San Francisco celebration.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Celebrations, Cultural traditions
Spring Break (Iqaluit, Canada)
Buster celebrates spring near the Arctic Circle, in snowy Iqaluit, Canada.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Weather, Sports/Recreation
Buster Gets on Board (Los Angeles, California)
Skateboarding kids from LA are the stars in Buster's latest action flick.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Friendship, Movie making, Sports/Recreation: skateboarding
Buster's Sweet Song (Nashville, Tennessee)
Buster sets out to write a country music song. Will it be a hit?
TOPICS/THEMES:
Music: country western, Media literacy
Family Reunion (Nashville, Tennessee)
Buster makes a home video for the Read family and for a new Kurdish friend.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Family, Cultural traditions
Alien Adventure (Roswell, New Mexico)
Buster goes caving in Carlsbad Caverns and sees a UFO (well, maybe) in Roswell
TOPICS/THEMES:
UFOs, Nature/Geography: caves
Coming Together (Seattle, Washington)
Gospel choirs, community service, and a day at summer camp... Seattle rocks!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Community service, Music, Summer camp
Treasure Island (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Buster is on a mission to capture the sights, sounds, and smells of Puerto Rico.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Memories, Nature
Step by Step (Hartford, Connecticut)
Francine is planning a salsa party. But how do you salsa? Buster asks the experts.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Music and dance, Plans and instructions, Health: hearing aides
Buster's Big Goal (Boston, Massachusetts)
In Boston, Buster plays a lot of soccer and learns a bit of history.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Sports/Recreation: soccer, Boats
Mykala, Pono & Buster's Big Hawaii Show (The Big Island, Hawaii)
Mykala, the 8-year-old host of a local TV show, shows Buster around her island.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Hawaiian Culture, Geography, Geology, Volcanoes
The Mitten of Mackinac Island (Mackinac Island, Michigan)
Buster and his new friends make a very scary movie.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Winter Weather, Filmmaking
Buster's Baseball Merengue (The Dominican Republic)
Baseball, merengue, and pasteles! The Dominican Republic is great!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Baseball, Dominican Culture
The Case of the Coin Purloined (Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri)
Buster loses a coin, but finds some great new friends.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Military Families, Clues, Codes, Mysteries
Philadelphia Masala (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Buster learns about yoga, Indian food, and the importance of practice.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Indian American Communities, Practice, Focus
A Capital Egg Hunt (Washington, D.C.)
Buster celebrates Easter with new friends at church and at the zoo!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Easter, Making Plans
La Belle Poutine (Montréal, Québec, Canada)
Buster gathers his own great memories as he films a nostalgic video for Carlos.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Ice Hockey, Tap Dance
Your Friend, My Friend (San Diego, California & Tijuana, Mexico)
Buster visits his California pen pals - and their pen pals in Mexico, too!
TOPICS/THEMES:
Letter Writing, Bilingual Schools
This Just In! (Talladega, Alabama)
At Alabama School for the Blind, Buster finds new friends and a great news story.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Blindness, News Reporting, Honesty
Back to the Bayou (New Orleans & Slidell, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia)
After Hurricane Katrina, Buster returns to visit his Louisiana friends.
TOPICS/THEMES:
Loss, Thankfulness, Weather
