Book Title: a Busy Year
A BUSY YEAR
CHALLENGING WORDS
arrivedbeautiful
blossoms
branches
dismay
gratefully
manure
protect
returned
triumphantly
SUMMARY
Willie and Winnie, twin and mice, discover and befriend a talking tree. Through changing seasons, the mice visit and care for the tree. Beginning in January, and culminating in December, the mice and the tree share a number of experiences throughout a busy year.--- Conversation Questions---
(1) / Retell the story.(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Have you ever built a snowman?
(2) / Imagine how the mice must have felt when the tree started talking.
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Do trees really talk?
(3) / Pretend you are the tree, how might you feel when you saw the fire so near?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Name something that frightens you.
(4) / Think back to a time you helped someone or something. How do you think the mice felt about helping the tree?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / Share with me a time when you helped someone or something.
(5) / Tell me what the word autumn means?
(Answer) / The season between summer and winter. (Fall)
(Follow Up) / What is another word for fall?
(6) / Recall what the snowmouse was holding.
(Answer) / A broom/the tree.
(Follow Up) / What kind of tree do you think is in the story?
(7) / Recall the tree's name.
(Answer) / Woody.
(Follow Up) / Is that a good name for a tree?
(8) / Recall the mice's names
(Answer) / Winnie and Willie.
(Follow Up) / What might you name twin mice?
(9) / Name what was on Woody's branches when the twins returned in September.
(Answer) / Fruit.
(Follow Up) / Do you have a favorite fruit?
(10) / Recall the Christmas gift Winnie gave to Woody.
(Answer) / Manure/fertilizer.
(Follow Up) / Have you ever planted a tree?
Activities
1. / Pretend you are the tree and write a thank you note to the mice for all they did to help.
2. / Draw a picture of a tree during the four different seasons-label the seasons.
3. / List things you could do to help a tree.
4. / Draw a mouse or a tree and label the parts.
Introductions
1. / Show student pictures of different kinds of trees. Discuss the way people can help trees. Ask if student has a favorite tree or can think of a tree that might have meaning for them. Say, "Today's book is about two mice who discover and befriend a special tree."2. / Show student a picture of a tree during each different season. Ask them to tell you the seasons and discuss how they know the tree in winter is indeed a tree in winter (bare branches, etc.). Explain that today's book shows a tree throughout the year. Say, "Let's read to see what changes take place."
3. / Show student a picture of mice. Discuss how small they are compared to other animas, things, trees, etc. Ask student to share with you all they know about mice. Ask them if they think a mouse would be able to help a tree. Say, " In today's book, two mice help a talking tree. Let's read to see how they do it."
Book Title: A Busy Year
Author: Leo Lionni / Illustrator: Leo LionniISBN: / # of Text Pages: 24 AR: N/A LEX: N/A
Building Oral Vocabulary
11 / careless / 21 / bare / 23 / fertilizer
Prediction Questions
6 / How will Woody look in the spring?
16 / Do you think the twins will come back?
22 / What do you think the twins will get the tree for Christmas?