Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone / The Feud
From Arthur · 2019
Summary
Two stories (~27 min). In "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone," the kids are sure their strict teacher's mystery friend must be scary -- and learn a lesson about not judging by first impressions as the whole community celebrates Mr. Ratburn's wedding. In "The Feud," two grandmothers' long-running argument leaves the kids caught in the middle. Free on the official PBS KIDS YouTube channel.
Viewer safety
Mr. Ratburn gets married; the story is a warm look at celebrating people we care about and looking past first impressions.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Arthur stories open the door to talking about feelings, friendship and doing the right thing. Use these questions to talk about “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone / The Feud.”
- What did the kids assume about Mr. Ratburn's special someone, and were they right?
- How do the grown-ups in "The Feud" finally work things out?
- When have you changed your mind about someone after getting to know them?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: assume, first impression, celebrate, community, feud.
Try it: Think of a time a first impression was wrong. Write what you learned later.