“It was the Little Mouse’s birthday,” said Greg. “And she had a week to get all her chores done,” said Juan. “That little mouse was really busy,” said Katie-Erin. Lucy nodded. “She was ALWAYS busy,” she said. “If the mouse was that busy,” said Becky, “how could it be her birthday?” “I would not like to have a week that busy,” said Anya shaking her head. “This book could be called, BUSY WEEK for LITTLE MOUSE,” she said with a giggle. “I would do that many chores for my birthday, too,” said Marta, “because it is a special day for me.” “Some of my chores are washing the dishes and setting the table,” said Lucy. “My chores are recycling and taking out the garbage,” said Kurtis. “Sometimes I give my mom a surprise by cleaning up,” said Sarit. “I usually don’t do any chores,” said Greg. “I don’t do a lot of chores, either,” said Hannah, “but Little Mouse did.” “This story reminded me of the time I had a birthday party at my house,” said Kurtis. “I had my party in India,” said Pritka, “where my sister and brother did all the work.” “I would decorate my house with balloons,” said Sarit. “Balloons, music, dance . . . we had all that,” said Pritka, “but most of all, we had fun. “I would just like a chocolate cake for my birthday,” said Becky. “Usually, I have an ice cream cake,” said Greg. “Little Mouse’s cake looked delicious,” said Becky. “I think making their own hats was cool,” said Zach. “I think it’s a good idea for a real birthday party, too.” “If my birthday was in a week,” said Juan, “I would be so excited because I like the fact that I’m going to be one year older.” He continued. “And that was probably the same reason Little Mouse was so excited, too.” “This is a very creative book,” said Hannah. “The illustrations were made with clay,” said Philippe. “And they were very colorful.” “The illustrations looked cool. They were 3D,” said Zach. “This book rhymes, too,” said Anya. “And, most of the rhymes were opposites,” said Zach. “. . . so it will be easy to read,” said Hannah. “I think a teacher would like this book in his or her class,” said Becky, “because it’s good for first readers.” TEACHER TALK DESIGN-A-PARTY Language Arts Parties are fun . . . all kinds of parties. Make a list of as many parties as you and the children can think of. (Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Sleep-Over, Birthday, Swing-Into-Spring, Oktoberfest, Thanksgiving, or a Just-for-Nothing Party) Have each child decide which party they would like to help design. Then make small groups of about 3 to 4 children. Start with the INVITATIONS. What: (party) Just-for-Nothing Party Who: (names) Lucy, Zach, Katie-Erin, Philippe Where: (address) Room 333 When: (day) December 7th Time: (time) 1:00-3:00pm RSVP. by December 1st Then decide on the DECORATIONS. Streamers, Party Hats, Balloons, Noise Makers, Confetti Next, plan the ENTERTAINMENT. Games, Dancing, Singing, Clown, Magician Don’t forget the FOOD. Popcorn, Cookies, Cake, Candies, Doughnuts. Cider, Juice Okay, now it’s time to celebrate . . . . and celebrate they will! SUGGESTED WEBSITES: (Although I examined these websites and found them to be very helpful, please use them at your own discretion.) Kids Domain – Party Games Birthday Party Ideas for Kids – Party Themes SUGGESTED BOOKS: Mice and Beans by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Joe Cepeda The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Donald Carrick Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do! by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley |
< Prev | Next > |
---|