The Hatby JanBrett
Focus Trait: Ideas
Specific criteria: writing from details
Read the story, The Hat by Jan Brett. In the story Hedgehog gets his prickles stuck in the hat. The other animals laugh but in the end want to wear the other garments from the clothesline to keep warm. As a class have students list what pieces of clothing they wear to keep warm in the cold.
Focus Trait: Organization
Specific criteria: Organizing story events
Read the story, The Hat, and have each character cutout as a prop to help organize the sequence of story events. Help the students organize the events by using words like first, then, and last. As each animal approaches the hedgehog display them in order of the story. Have the small groups of students practice “retelling” the organization of the story with their own animal props.
Focus Trait: Voice
Specific criteria: voice is appropriate for purpose
In the story, Hedgie the Hedgehog, encounters many animals that mock him for having a stocking on his head. Have students give voice to new characters by drawing another animal and telling what that animal would say if saw the silly hedgehog.
Focus Trait: Word Choice
Specific criteria: striking words and phrases
Take specific words from the story that aren’t used everyday. Write out the words on chartpaper and talk about what they mean. Words you could include are: stocking, prickles, cackle, gander, cozy, woolens.
Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Specific Criteria: sentences carry meaning
After reading the story a few times, tell students you are going to write your own story of Hedgie the Hedgehog. Each student has a picture of hedgehog on it. Brainstorm some ideas about what Hedgie could do.
Examples:
The hedgehog has a stocking.
The hedgehog is pokey.
The hedgehog lives in the forest.
Tell students to draw a picture of what Hedgie is doing. Then, complete the sentence.
The hedgehog .
Focus Trait: Conventions
Specific Criteria: capitalization
Take advantage of the big book of The Hat to look for specific letters that were focused on the current Open Court unit. Students could use highlighting tape or wiki sticks to locate letters. For example, in Unit 5 students practice the sounds of c,r,b,n,h. Have students locate these letters and sounds in words like
h- Hedgie, hedgehog, hat
r- ran, ridiculous
b- brambles, barked
n- nose, noisy,
c- chicks, clucked