Cookies & Milk: A Novel Study & New Writer’s Guide (3.1)

Cookies & Milk: A Novel Study & New Writer’s Guide

🎯 Grades 3-4

Novel synopsis:

In this funny and heartfelt novel, Ellis Bailey Johnson spends the summer helping his dad launch the world’s first chocolate chip cookie store—whether he wants to or not. With just six weeks to succeed, unexpected challenges and family secrets arise, turning his plans upside down. Inspired by the author’s own life, Cookies & Milk is a sweet story about family, self-discovery, and chasing big dreams.

Content warning: This novel includes 2 instances of mild language an incidence of racism.

Book not included, but it may be available for free at your local library. It can also be purchased HERE (affiliate link).

Give your child the gift of confident reading and writing with this step-by-step novel study based on Cookies & Milk by Shawn Amos. Designed for 3rd graders (or learners that need an introduction to formal writing instruction), this unit guides students through the story while teaching essential writing skills in a clear, manageable way.

Over the course of the book, your child will:

• Read the novel in short, accessible sections,
• Explore characters, plot, and themes through discussion prompts,
• Practice building strong sentences, choosing meaningful verbs and adjectives, and use correct punctuation,
• Strengthen comprehension, critical thinking, and self-expression through guided discussion prompts,
• Enjoy hands-on activities and crafts to bring the story to life,
• Listen to amazing music,
• And MORE!

This curriculum is adult-led and flexible, supporting a variety of learning styles. Children can read aloud, take turns with a parent, or listen to the engaging audiobook performed by Shawn Amos himself.

What is a New Writer’s Guide?

Cookies and Milk is the first is a six-unit series of New Writer's Guides designed to build confident writers. Guides will cover writing strong sentences, expanding sentences, paragraphs, letters and expository writing, opinion writing, and creative writing.

Cookies & Milk covers the following topics for sentence writing:

• What is a sentence
• Punctuation
• Basic editing
• Sentence types

** SAMPLE PAGES **

Secular Disclaimer:

While this guide is secular, please note that Author Shawn Amos is also a musician by the name of ‘The Reverend Shawn Amos’. His stage name is not referenced in this guide. There are three instances in the book where a character declares “Not today, Satan!”. Amos has a single song listed in the playlist at the back of the book that has NOT been included in the playlist linked in this guide. The note from the author signs off with ’keep the faith’. If you listen to the audio, the closing remarks do mention Amos’s stage name, as well as an instance of ‘Amen’.

This novel includes mild language and some instances of racism.

Digital purchase of this unit is copyright limited to students in one household or classroom.