Educators' Guides for Little Mouse Gets Ready:
TOON Books Level 1
Common Core Guide:
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS |
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Ask students: What is Little Mouse getting ready to do? How does he get ready? | RL.K.1, RL.1.1 |
Ask students to retell the story in their own words, listing the steps that Little Mouse takes to get ready. Where is Little Mouse Getting ready to go? Why is he excited to go there? Were the students surprised when Little Mouse got undressed? Ask them to say why. |
RL.K.2, RL.1.2 |
Who are the two characters in the story? What does Mama mean when she tells Little Mouse to 'get ready'? What does Little Mouse think 'getting ready' means? | RL.K.3, RL.1.3 |
CRAFT AND STRUCTURE |
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Lead students through the segment where Little Mouse is putting on his shirt, on pages 19 to 23. Is it easy for him to put on the shirt? What are the problems he runs into? How can you tell what Little Mouse is feeling? | RL.K.4, RL.1.4 |
Tell your students about comic books. Have students identify speech balloons, pointing out that the tail of the balloon points to the person talking. Look at the part where Little Mouse is putting on underwear (page 11). How are they different from real underwear? How do you know? |
RL.K.5, RL.1.5 |
In this book, the author both writes and illustrates his work. Explain that one person both creates the words and the pictures. We don’t see Little Mouse’s mother till the end -- how do you know who’s speaking? What clues help you figure it out? | RL.K.6, RL.1.6 |
INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS |
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From pages 8 to 21, Little Mouse is getting dressed. Look especially at page 10 on the first panel -- what do you see on the ground? What do you think he will do on page 11? How do you know?
On page 13, second panel, Little Mouse says that "pants are next." Predict the steps he will take on the following pages. |
RL.K.7, RL.1.7 |
While Little Mouse is getting dressed, his mother is waiting for him. How can you tell what she's feeling (look at page 16)? How does Little Mouse feel when she tells him that mice don’t wear clothes (page 26)? What details help you draw that conclusion? | RL.K.9, RL.1.9 |
SPEAKING AND LISTENING / WRITING |
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Pair students and have one read Little Mouse’s lines and the other read Mama’s lines. Then have them switch roles and read. Ask them to act out what each character is doing and feeling | SL.K.2, SL.1.2, SL.K.6, SL.1.6 |
Ask students to describe how they get ready in the morning, listing each step in sequence. Have them draw pictures to accompany each item, and label them. | W.K.3, W.1.3, W.K.8, W.1.8 |
Lesson Plan:
Before Reading | To prepare for the lesson, complete the activity sheet yourself. Choose a process that children will be quick to grasp. You may want to transfer your four-panel strip to an overhead transparency or chalkboard. Preview Little Mouse Gets Ready by using the cover and title to encourage students to predict what the story will be about. Draw attention to the panels and the word balloon, and use them as a springboard to invite students to share what they know about comics and how they tell stories. |
During Reading | Read the entire story to students. Explain the uniquely graphic aspects of story by showing how each panel illustrates a specific action. Point out that just as Little Mouse follows a series of steps to get ready, so the cartoonist Jeff Smith tells the story one step at a time. Ask them to identify the action in each panel, Little Mouse’s expression or feeling, and how this information connects to the panels that precede or follow. As you read, write the following “order” words on the board: first, then, next, last, new, and almost. Also write the following “content” words and phrases that people use to talk about things that they do: love, I can’t wait, have to, hard, and done. Have volunteers use the items in a similar context as it relates to their own lives. Estimated time for this section: 25-30 minutes |
After Reading | Share your model of a four-panel strip that outlines the steps you take to “get ready” for an activity. Narrate your comic strip by using as many of the vocabulary items from the reading as possible. Guide students to understand how you use “order” words to link the steps in sequence. Distribute the activity sheets while explaining to students that they will create similar “pictures that tell a story in steps.” Advise students to choose a simple topic with only a few steps such as getting ready to go out on a rainy day. Emphasize that they should identify the four steps before actually drawing in each panel. Estimated time: 15-25 minutes.
Finally, have students use their personal narrative activity sheets to help present what they do to “get ready”. Review the vocabulary words listed on the board and explain how using them will help listeners follow their talks. Remind students that if they are shy, they can “read” their stories panel-by-panel while pointing to the artwork. Each presentation should take no more than one minute. Estimated time: 10-25 minutes |
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