Ursula Down Upside

by Corey R. Tabor

Pacing Material

A curious axolotl discovers the wonder of seeing the world from a different angle — upside down!

Big Idea

Looking at things from a new perspective can change how we understand the world.

Discussion Questions

1.What does Ursula see when she flips upside down?
2.Have you ever looked at something from a new angle?
3.Why is it important to be curious?

Classroom Activity

Upside-Down Observation Journal

Students flip their perspective by observing the classroom from a different angle and recording what they notice.

Lesson Plan

⏱ 30 minutes📦 Journals, pencils

Learning Goals

Practice careful observation
Understand perspective
Write descriptive sentences

Activity Steps

1.Read the story aloud
2.Students lie down or sit low to observe the room
3.Record three new things they notice
4.Share observations with the class

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.K.1 — Ask and answer questions about key details
ELA: RL.K.2 — Retell stories, including key details
ELA: RL.K.3 — Describe characters, setting, and events
ELA: RL.2.6 — Acknowledge differences in characters' points of view
ELA: SL.K.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations about the text
ELA: W.K.3 — Write narratives recounting events with descriptive details
SEL: Social Awareness
SEL: Relationship Skills
Art: VA:Re7 — Perceive and analyze artistic work

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Focus question: How does changing the way we look at something change the story we tell about it? In Ursula Down Upside by Corey R. Tabor, a curious axolotl explores her world by turning upside down and noticing familiar things in a brand-new way. The pacing feels playful and thoughtful, slowing down for Ursula’s observations and discoveries, then moving quickly as readers turn pages to see each new upside-down surprise.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Read: Notice how the story moves at a calm, curious pace as Ursula studies her surroundings, then speeds up a little when each new upside-down discovery appears. Classroom Activity: Write 3 short sentences about a character who changes how they look at one place, using one slow noticing sentence, one quick discovery sentence, and one reaction sentence.
Plot	Read: Notice the simple but satisfying plot: Ursula wonders, experiments by turning upside down, and discovers a new perspective on her underwater world. Classroom Activity: Draw and label a beginning-middle-end plot map for a character who solves a problem by looking at something in a different way.
Prosody	Read: Notice how the language invites expressive read-aloud, with moments that sound gentle, surprised, and delighted as Ursula explores. Classroom Activity: Write 4 read-aloud lines for a narrator describing one surprising discovery, and mark one word in each line to read with extra expression.
Word pause	Read: Notice where a reader might naturally pause before or after an important discovery Ursula makes, giving the surprise time to land. Classroom Activity: Write 2 sentences about seeing something familiar in a new way, and add a slash / where the reader should pause for effect.
Concept	Read: Notice that the big concept is perspective: Ursula learns that the same world can look different when you change your angle. Classroom Activity: Finish this frame: “When my character looked at _____ differently, they noticed _____.” Then add one more sentence telling why that mattered.
Voice & World View	Read: Notice the book’s warm, playful voice and the way Ursula’s curious worldview makes ordinary underwater details feel exciting. Classroom Activity: Write in the voice of a curious character who says what is interesting about one ordinary place.
Setting & Place	Read: Notice how the underwater setting shapes everything Ursula sees, from the floating feeling to the way objects and creatures appear from below. Classroom Activity: Write 3 setting details about a pond, tank, stream, or other watery place that a character could explore from a new angle.
Point of View	Read: Notice how the story centers Ursula’s experience so readers discover the upside-down world with her. Classroom Activity: Rewrite one small moment from the viewpoint of another underwater creature watching Ursula turn upside down.
Original Characters	Read: Notice how Ursula stands out as an original main character because she is an axolotl whose curiosity drives the story. Classroom Activity: Invent an animal character with one unusual habit that helps them discover something new.
Dialogue	Read: Notice how any spoken words or implied speech moments can help show wonder, confusion, or excitement without slowing the story too much. Classroom Activity: Write a short dialogue between Ursula and a friend about why looking upside down is interesting.
Details	Read: Notice the small visual and text details that help readers track what Ursula notices when the world shifts. Classroom Activity: Make a list of 5 tiny details a character could notice after changing their position, such as lying down, peeking under a table, or looking through water.
Descriptions	Read: Notice how descriptions help readers picture familiar things becoming unfamiliar when Ursula flips her view. Classroom Activity: Describe one classroom object from an upside-down view using at least 3 describing words.
Strong First Lines	Read: Notice how the opening quickly introduces Ursula and her curious way of seeing, inviting readers into the story right away. Classroom Activity: Write an opening line for a story about a character who explores the world in an unusual way.
Immediacy & Engagement	Read: Notice how readers feel close to Ursula’s discoveries because each moment focuses on what she is seeing and wondering right now. Classroom Activity: Write 3 present-tense sentences that make a reader feel they are discovering something alongside the character.
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Read: Notice how the book uses short scenes of observation and discovery rather than long explanations, creating a pattern of wonder. Classroom Activity: Plan a mini-book with 3 short scenes: normal view, changed view, and new understanding.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Read: Notice that this story mostly stays in the present, which keeps attention on Ursula’s immediate discoveries instead of jumping in time. Classroom Activity: Add a tiny cliffhanger ending to a page by writing: “Then my character saw something else...” and tell what readers would want to turn the page to see.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Read: Notice the gentle suspense as readers wonder what Ursula will notice next and the surprise when ordinary things look different upside down. Classroom Activity: Write 2 sentences that build suspense before a character makes a surprising discovery.
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Read: Notice how page turns can reveal each new upside-down image or idea, helping the pacing feel playful and surprising. Classroom Activity: Fold a paper into 4 pages and plan one page-turn surprise where the next page reveals the same object from a new angle.
Performance	Read: Notice how this book invites performance through body movement—readers can tilt their heads or pretend to turn like Ursula. Classroom Activity: Write 3 action lines for a partner read-aloud and add a motion students can do with each line.
Personality	Read: Notice how Ursula’s personality—curious, observant, and brave enough to try something unusual—drives the pacing of the whole story. Classroom Activity: Write a character card naming one personality trait that helps your character discover something new.
Humor	Read: Notice the gentle humor in the idea that simply turning upside down can make a whole world seem wonderfully different. Classroom Activity: Write a funny sentence about a character misunderstanding what they see because they are looking from a strange angle.
Pause	Read: Notice how the story creates quiet pause moments when Ursula studies what she sees before the next discovery. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence of action and one sentence of pause to show a character stopping to really look.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Read: Notice the lyrical potential in repeated noticing and image-making as Ursula observes her watery world. Classroom Activity: Write a 3-line poem beginning with “Upside down, I see...” and include one simile.
Repetition	Read: Notice how repeated patterns of looking, noticing, and discovering help build rhythm and support young readers. Classroom Activity: Write 4 sentences that begin the same way, such as “Ursula saw...” or “From below...” to show repeated discoveries.
Rhythm	Read: Notice how the sentence lengths can create a gentle rhythm that matches floating underwater and sudden bursts of discovery. Classroom Activity: Write one long flowing sentence and one short surprising sentence about the same scene.
Punctuation	Read: Notice how punctuation can help show Ursula’s wonder, pauses, and excitement as her perspective changes. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences about a new discovery—one with a period, one with a question mark, and one with an exclamation mark.
Questions	Read: Notice how curiosity grows when readers and characters ask questions about what they are seeing. Classroom Activity: Write 3 questions Ursula might ask while exploring upside down, then answer one of them in a complete sentence.
Compare-Contrast	Read: Notice how the book naturally invites comparing the regular view and the upside-down view of the same world. Classroom Activity: Use this frame: “Right side up, I see ____. Upside down, I see ____.” Then add one sentence comparing the two.
Objects	Read: Notice how everyday objects or natural features become interesting when Ursula sees them from a different angle. Classroom Activity: Choose one object from the classroom and describe how it looks from above, below, and upside down.
Threes	Read: Notice how listing discoveries or details in groups of three can make the pacing feel complete and memorable. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence naming 3 things your character notices in a new view.
Whitespace & Negative Space	Read: Notice how open space in a picture book can slow readers down and help them focus on Ursula and what she notices. Classroom Activity: Make a sketch with lots of blank space around one important thing your character discovers, then write one sentence to match it.
Art & Graphics	Read: Notice how the illustrations are essential in showing perspective, helping readers understand Ursula’s upside-down discoveries even before reading all the words. Classroom Activity: Draw one scene twice—right side up and upside down—and write a caption for each version.
Interactives & Gamification	Read: Notice how this story invites playful interaction because readers can physically tilt their heads, turn the book, or predict what Ursula will notice next. Classroom Activity: Create a “Perspective Hunt” where students find 3 things in the room to sketch from an unusual angle and write one sentence about each.

Pace-Write It!

20-Minute Classroom Flow Read (5 min): Read Ursula Down Upside by Corey R. Tabor aloud. Pause at key pages to let students notice how Ursula’s upside-down view changes what she sees. Notice (5 min): Ask: “What changed first—the world or Ursula’s point of view?” Chart student ideas under two headings: Right Side Up / Upside Down. Highlight how pacing slows when Ursula studies something and speeds up when a new discovery is revealed. Write (7 min): Students write a short perspective scene about a character looking at something in a new way. Writing frame: “My character is a ________. At first, they see ________. Then they look ________. Now they notice ________, ________, and ________. They feel ________ because ________.” Encourage students to include one question and one strong describing word. Share (3 min): Partners read their scenes aloud with expression. Listeners tell what detail helped them picture the new perspective. Exit ticket: Complete this sentence on a sticky note: “Changing perspective changes a story because ________.”