In an effort to provide my daughter a good book with critical thinking questions during the summer at her teacher's request, I created a mini-unit, complete with higher level critical thinking questions, a dictionary of new words, and enrichment activities to go with the delightful book called A Mouse Called Wolf. (Affiliate links)
To be clear, the teacher did not request that I create a unit, but she did ask that I work with Big Sister during the summer. Big Sister is an excellent reader, but lacks the critical thinking required in her enrichment class to work without a lot of additional support (which this particular classroom is not designed to provide).
Author Dick King-Smith (who also wrote Babe: The Gallant Pig) pens an entertaining and charming tale, full of musical references from Mozart to The Beatles. A mouse named Wolf learns he can sing well and enjoys it. Wolf becomes friends with the elderly (and lonely) Mrs. Honeybee who enjoys his musical companionship and friendship.To be clear, the teacher did not request that I create a unit, but she did ask that I work with Big Sister during the summer. Big Sister is an excellent reader, but lacks the critical thinking required in her enrichment class to work without a lot of additional support (which this particular classroom is not designed to provide).
A Mouse Called Wolf
Which Level?
Please note that here I share specifically my daughter's reading level. I do not do this to brag, but to make sure you as a parent or teacher understand why this book was a good choice for her summer reading.
Before deciding what books may be good choices for my daughter to read this summer, I asked her teacher what level books we should target. (Quite honestly, she's been reading many books likely beyond her targeted independent reading level for years. BUT this time is different. She will be answering critical thinking questions about the book.) My daughter is at the instructional level Q on the Fountas and Pinnell scale, which publishers consider to be a beginning 4th grade level. Once again, this is the instructional level. My goal (and the teacher's) is for my daughter to be able to read a book and answer critical thinking questions independently. According to Scholastic, A Mouse Called Wolf has a Guided Reading Level of O, which is appropriate for independent reading (verses instructional) for my daughter.
Critical Thinking Questions
As I sought a good book, I knew I wanted a fun, but not fluffy book. I had several good ideas, but many of them were books that would be covered in her class during the coming year or ones we had read/listened to before. I went to my Pinterest Chapter Books for Kids board to see what books friends had recommended (and we had not yet read). This review from Reading to Know convinced me to read A Mouse Called Wolf. I selected a few books and looked around the internet to see what resources might already be available for free. I found some, but no free resources met the critical thinking requirement. Though it's good for students to answer the who's and what's in a story, readers can take it a step further and answer the how's and why's in a story. A Mouse Called Wolf delighted this adult reader and my daughter, too. It was an excellent choice for summer reading with enrichment questions.
Download Free
Please link to this blog post and not directly to the printable. Thank you.
Readers Response Book
Though the critical thinking questions could just be answered in a worksheet format, I used my daughter's classroom work as a model to create a reader's response book. She designed her cover all by herself.
Student reads just one chapter a day and answers that chapter's questions in a special notebook.
Create a Reader's Response Journal/Book
Cut about 10-12 pieces (per student) of regular, lined notebook paper
in half. (Use more paper if students
write largely.) Place all the papers
together and attach a cover. Staple
together to create a short, wide book.
Students should create a cover for A Mouse Called Wolf including the title, author, and an illustration. (You may opt to have the student decorate the Reader's Response Journal cover after reading the first chapter.)
Print reader’s response questions.
Do not print two-sided.
The adult, ideally (instead of the student), cuts out the questions for student to answer for
each day. In this way the student does not see the questions in advance.
Assign the chapter for the student to read. Upon completion of the chapter, give the
student the cut out question(s). The student glues the first question in
the reader’s response journal at the top of a new page. The student answers the questions in the
reader’s response journal. He or she may
use the book for assistance. After
completing the first question, he or she glues/tapes the next question in the
journal and answers it.
Students should write answers in complete sentences with proper
punctuation. If the students have time,
they can also include an illustration. Students
read ONE chapter each day. Just
one.
More
Big Sister's best friend reads at the same level so I inquired of her mom if she would like to do the enrichment unit with A Mouse Called Wolf. The girls completed their reader's response journal covers together, though they did the work independently. We hope to get together for a little wrap-up, just like a book club.
Additional A Mouse Called Wolf Extension and Enrichment Activities
Critical Thinking Questions- At link above
Vocabulary bookmark printable
Enrichment/extension activities
Vocabulary bookmark printable
Enrichment/extension activities
Please note, I created this unit for fun and enrichment for my child. I hope you can enjoy it for your own family or in your classroom. Please do so, but do not copy it to publish this on your own site though I would love for you to link to this site. Do not link directly to the PDFs. Instead, send others to the related blog post.
I should try sometime to test my kids' reading level....... Thanks for the activities for the book, I'm trying to gather chapter book activities.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the free download - the kiddos in book club is such a cute idea!
ReplyDeletePinning to my teaching board. I'm always on the look out for new literature to share!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very sweet. Critical thinking is such an important skill to work on - I'm sure your daughter's teacher will be so happy with all the work your willing to put in - it makes such a difference.
ReplyDeleteYou are a very good mommy!
ReplyDelete