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One of our favorite books to share with  students this time of year is The Mitten, adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett. This Ukrainian folk tale can be used in a variety of ways to enrich your writing instruction. |
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Level 1 Learners
List the names of the various animals that move into Nicki's snow-white mittens. As a class, find out two to three facts about each animal, as some of these creatures may be new to children.
 mole snowshoe rabbit
hedgehog
owl
badger
Make a chart listing the unusual verbs you notice being used to describe the animals' movements.
tunneling
burrowed
hopping
wiggled
snuffling
After completing your list, have students stand up and act out the various verbs! This is great fun and helps students remember the new vocabulary.
Make a list of descriptive words or phrases found in the book that are associated with winter.
mittens
white as snow
winter coat
cozy and warm
snug
Have students add additional "winter words" to the list from their own experiences or other "winter" books. |
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Level 2 Learners
Use this story to "backward plan" a narrative. Place three 3" x 3" sticky notes on the left side of a piece of paper, one underneath the next. Have students sketch out the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Be sure to include the essential elements of fiction: characters, setting, problem, and resolution in the pictures they draw. On the right side of the paper, have them add essential words/phrases to their "plan." Use the plan to retell the story orally to a partner.
Make T-Chart notes on a sheet of paper. On the left side of the paper list the senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling. On the right side of the paper, find examples of sensory details from the story. Discuss how the sensory details add to the enjoyment of the story as we listen to it. |
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Level 3 Learners
Have students write their own personal narrative about a time when they lost something that was important to them. This can be done over a period of time or as a writing prompt.
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Warm up with this winter writing activity!