Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of story mapping through a modern classic, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Lesson Plan:

Suggested Grades:

K-2 

Objective:

To teach the technique of story mapping so that children can use a story map to retell the tale.

Suggested Time:

40-45 minutes

Success Criteria:

Each child will create a story map of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff.  Children will then use their story maps to retell the story to a partner.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction:

Remind children that last week they learned how to sequence a story: How to put parts of a story in order using numbers.  Today they will record a story in a different way, by mapping it!  With a story map, it is easy to retell the story.

2. Main:

Teach If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (or any of the other books from the “If You Give . . . . “ series.)  Work through a few pages so that the kids get the idea of how the book is structured, then start your story map on flipchart paper.  As you scribe the story in simple illustrations, let the kids to the same thing on their papers.  Please see the attached photo for an idea of one way the story map might look.  This is not about the drawings, it’s simply an effort to capture the ideas so that the kids can use their “notes” to retell the story.

Note that in the photo I have drawn pictures for each stage in the story.  But, I have also numbered them.  The numbering should be familiar from last week’s sequencing activity.  But, we’ve also identified the beginning, middle and end of the story.  Normally a story map identifies either beginning, middle, and end or characters, setting, and plot/summary.  Because this lesson is designed for younger students, I’ve kept it very simple.

After finishing the story and the story maps, have the class retell the tale in their own words.  Usually they can do it!

After the class retells the story, have them tuck their papers and pencils away and have the class form a big circle.  Using the flipchart story map, have the kids act out the entire story in simple gestures.  The kids love to do this!  They know what is coming next and can’t wait to invent a gesture or action to fit the story.  Sometimes I have them work in pairs with one person as the mouse and one person as the child.  Again, this is a form of “retell.”  It will work for your EAL children and for very young children who don’t yet have the skills to write out the plot line or spell character names.

3. Conclusion:

Conclude by pointing out that today’s story map is very similar to last week’s sequencing activity.  The best stories are well written.  They proceed in an order that makes sense and they have a beginning, a middle, and an end.   As a listener and learner, you can figure out the order and the structure and show your thinking in a story map!

Resources:

1. Books from the “If You Give . . . . “ series by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond.
2. Laura Numberoff official web site: https://lauranumeroff.com/
3. More information about story maps: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/story_maps
4. Pencils
5. Paper
6. Clipboards (if children are sitting together on the carpet)
7. Flipchart paper and markers (for scribing the story map for the class)

Notes:

The “If You Give . . . “ books are both circular tales and cautionary tales.  They can be used for several teaching purposes but they are also great fun.  The words and illustrations fit wonderfully together to keep kids thinking and captivated.  The books have been widely acclaimed and universally loved since the first book was published in 1985.   You can use them to teach story mapping, as I’ve done here, or other literacy skills.

Recommended books for this lesson:

All books are by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond.

1. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
2. If You Give a Moose a Muffin
3. If You Give a Pig a Pancake
4. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
5. If You Give a Dog a Donut
6. If You Give a Mouse a Brownie

Key Terms:

Circular Stories, Laura Numeroff, Predictions, Cause and Effect

Story Map

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will practice making predictions based on visual clues in a text.  They will also sequence a story using an author-provided handout and extend the lesson with a simple craft activity.

Lesson Plan:

Suggested Grades:

K-2 

Objective:

To practice prediction and story sequencing using a traditional tale.

Suggested Time:

40-50 minutes

Success Criteria:

Each student will sequence Jan Brett’s The Mitten by listening to the story, marking a number on each of the animals, then cutting out the animals and gluing them to the outside of a single mitten.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction:

Introduce the idea that stories have a beginning, middle, and end, and need to be told in order.  It would not make sense to tell the ending of a story first!  In today’s story, the author gives us several clues as to what comes next in the story.  Look for the clues and keep track of this story with simple numbers written on the animal characters.

2. Main:

Teach The Mitten by Jan Brett.  You may wish to explain that Ms. Brett has adapted a Ukrainian folktale.  Point out where Ukraine is on a world map.  Explain that Ukraine receives a lot of snow in the winter.  For children who are unfamiliar with snow, you may need to describe it.  Ask children some of the following thinking questions to help them prepare for the story:

Thinking Questions:

1. If it is very cold and snowy, how must you dress if you want to go outside?
2. What does a snowy landscape look like?
3. What do you have to be careful about if you go out in the snow?
4. Do animals like to go out in the snow?
5. What is fun to do in the snow?

Make sure that every child has a handout of all the animals found in The Mitten.  I like to use the one Ms. Brett supplies directly on her website: http://janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm

Explain that as the animals appear in the story, the children should put a number on them.  Example: Mole #1, Rabbit #2, Hedgehog #3, etc.  Be sure that the children are picking up on Ms. Brett’s visual clues in the mitten page borders!  They will love watching to see what is coming next.

After the story has wrapped up, have the children retell it using their numbered animals.

Finally, let the children cut out a mitten and glue all the animals on the mitten, “stuffing” the mitten just like in the story.  If you have time and want to make this lesson extra special, pair a right mitten with a left mitten from Ms. Brett’s website.  Then, the children can place the animals inside the mitten exactly like happened in the story.  The mittens should remain white, but the children could color the animals.

3. Conclusion:

Bring the children back together to wrap-up with these big ideas:

• Stories usually have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• Stories need to be told in order, or in a sequence, to make sense.
• If we are good listeners, we can remember the sequence and then retell the story!
• It is fun to tell the Ukrainian folktale, The Mitten. Jan Brett has retold it and we can, too!
• What other stories can you sequence and then retell?

Resources:

1. The Mitten by Jan Brett.
2. Copies of the animals in the story.
3. Copies of the mitten(s) found in the story.
4. Pencils, scissors, and glue.
5. Jan Brett resources for The Mitten, found on her web site here: http://janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm

Notes

Recommended books for this lesson:

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Key Terms:

Ukraine, Folktales, Winter, Story Sequencing, Mittens, Grandmothers, Grandsons, Forests, Animals, Snow