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Teaching with Tomie dePaola Books Part 1: Little Grunt and the Big Egg & A Giveaway

April 28 By Linda Kamp 27 Comments

Teaching with Tomie dePaola books Part 1: Little Grunt and the Big Egg
 Do you have an all-time, very favorite author?   This is
the first in a series of posts about teaching with books by
my all time, most very favorite author, Tomie dePaola.
 I adore Tomie books and they have a very special place
 in my little teacher heart!
I have so much to show you that I’ve spread it
out into several parts. And…I’ve added a giveaway,
a linky, and some freebies along the way!  It’s a GIVE-A-LI-BEE!
OK, I just made that word up but if you love Tomie books
you definitely don’t want to miss the giveaway at the end of this post!
(*Update: The giveaway is now closed)
We’re working our way through my Tomie dePaola Author Study
and started out by reading Little Grunt and the Big Egg.
We spent some time discussing
story elements and created this class chart.
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books Part 1: Little Grunt and the Big Egg- Problem/solution anchor chart
Later, during our literacy stations, the kids got to take their
ideas and make these movable dinosaur eggs.
Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola: Problem/solution dinosaur eggs craft
To extend our discussion of story elements I had my kiddos
make these story maps.
FREE story map for Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola from Around the Kampfire
You can download a copy {HERE}
This is a chart we made last year while working on drawing conclusions.
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books part 1: Little Grunt and the Big Egg drawing conclusions anchor chart
Since Little Grunt had a pet dinosaur, we realized he might
need some help learning how to take care of it.
So during our writing block we made these nonfiction writing templates
to write informational books on caring
for your prehistoric pets.  We’ve focused lot on using informational text
and the importance and purpose of its many features
so they were pretty confident about  how to go about it.
We started by doing some dinosaur research and taking notes to be able to
include truefacts in our “fictional informational” books.  One of my boys was
so excited,”Mrs. Kamp! Mrs. Kamp, I think we just created a new genre!”
Don’t you just love it when that happens?
While working with Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola, we wrote "fictional informational" books on how to care for your prehistoric pet.
Each book included a table of contents, diagrams,
multiple headings,and illustrations
with captions.They also included a glossary at the end.
During our Tomie dePaola author study we read Little Grunt and the Big Egg and wrote "ficional information" books on how to care for a prehistoric pet. Around the Kampfire blog

I love how these turned out!  My kids took this very seriously and really tried
to include everything you would need to know to care for a prehistoric pet.
Writing "fictional information" books on caring for your prehistoric pet with Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola
Almost all of them included a section on what to do if it had babies!
One of my little friends said,  “Well, in real life you should RUN!”
We’ve been talking a lot about word choice and
shades of meaning in our writing and I thought this would be a
vivid example of  how an author chooses just the right words
to help the reader “see” and “feel” the story.
Plus….my kids are OBSESSED with HOT LAVA!
After a second reading, we brainstormed words and phrases from
the text that helped us create  mental images and wrote them
on these sticky notes.
Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola. Visualizing anchor chart. Around the Kampfire blog
I have several copies of the book and in our small groups students
found and marked passages they felt provided them with a good mental
picture of an erupting volcano.  I also asked them to determine which of their
five senses added to their visualization.
They then recorded what they found.
On a side note, I’ve been doing something different with my
anchor charts this year. I love making them and my kids love it
when we use them.  They can’t wait to see what the next “picture”
is going to be! But it takes time, so in an effort to work smarter
not harder,I’ve been looking for ways to reuse them! Have you seen
these glue sticks?  Ummm… Yes, please! I cut out the shapes
I want or have my students do it and voila! instant sticky note!
Make your own sticky notes to go with the theme of your lesson with these Elmer's repositionable glue sticks!
Laminate is a valuable commodity at my school and in limited supply!
I stopped laminating charts for that reason but also because the light reflects
on the plastic and makes them hard to read from most places in my room.
I want my kiddos to refer back to them but that can’t happen
 if they can’t see them!So I started using packing tape to wrap and fortify
 the corners.  I then staple over the tape
when I hang the charts and they don’t tear when I remove them! Ha!
Here's a quick and easy tip to save your anchor charts if you don't wish to laminate them!
My kids usually need a lot of practice writing dialogue and using
quotation marks correctly.That and the fact that they love
ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that looks like a comic book
and or is remotely related to a graphic novel we wrote Cave Kids Comics!
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books part 1: Writing Cave Kids comics with Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola
Activities for teaching with Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola. Writing Cave Kids comics!
We compared a caveman to a modern man.  I’m continually
 working with my kids to go deeper and use higher level
thinking when comparing and contrasting. None of this
 “They’re both boys” stuff. or “They both have hair.”
Makes me a little crazy. I asked them to think past the
“outside” and the obvious visual information on the page
and think instead about the “inside” of a modern man
and a cave man.
Activities for teaching with Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola. Comparing a cave man to a modern man.
I was really impressed with what they came up with!
I love “goes to grocer”!Grocer was one of our spelling words
the week before(Yay! He remembered AND used it AND
spelled it correctly!) and not oneof my kiddos had ever heard it
before.  It turned into one of those”you could never
have planned it if you tried” teachable moments that we all love!
We ended up talking aboutequivalent weights and
measurement. It makes myteacher heart so happy when
that happens! Did you know that the root word
of grocery is grossus?  In latin it means “large, bulky, thick”.
The idea being that a grocer buys things in ‘grosses’ or large quantities
such as a ‘gross’. There’s your vocabulary lesson for the day!
You can find all of this and much more in my
Tomie dePaola Author Study

If you like these ideas why not share with your teacher friends or pin for later?

Teaching ideas and resources for Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola.
Click on the links below to see more posts in this series.
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books-Tony's Bread
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books-The Strega Nona books
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books: The Strega Nona series
Teaching with Tomie dePaola books-The Art Lesson
Teaching with Tomie dePaola Books: Little Grunt and the Big Egg
Teaching with Tomie dePaola Books: The Art Lesson & Tony’s Bread
Teaching with Tomie dePaola Books: The Strega Nona Series
Teaching with Tomie dePaola Books:  Writing a Response to Literature

**This giveaway is now closed**

Win a copy of my Tomie Author Study and a 10-book set of Tomie dePaola books!
PLUS…The Art Lesson Interactive CD-ROM!
I found this little oldie but goodie on Amazon and my class LOVES it!
I loaded it onto my student computers to use during literacy centers and it’s been a huge hit!
Enter below to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for stopping by! For more ideas and activities to teach with Tomie books
visit my Tomie dePaola board on Pinterest!
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    Filed Under: Reading Tagged With: book activities, Tomie dePaola, writing

    Comments

    1. Aimee V. says

      April 28 at 2:03 am

      OH.My.Gosh!! Tomie dePaola is my all time favorite children's author!! I would LOVE to win this. My life dream is to meet him!

      Aimee
      aimee@vanmiddlesworth.org
      Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks

      Reply
    2. Heidi Harrell says

      April 28 at 2:04 am

      Linda,

      This looks as fantastic as everything else you have created! You are amazing!
      Heidi

      Reply
    3. Special Teacher for Special Kids says

      April 28 at 2:32 am

      LOVE THIS… I show him as a keynote speaker at Columbia University in NYC so wonderful. This unit is super!

      Iteachkidsabc@gmail.com
      :o) V.
      Special Teacher for Special Kids

      Reply
    4. Mona says

      April 28 at 2:36 am

      Hi Linda,

      Tomie dePaola is also my all time favorite author. I've seen him once at a book signing. He did a lesson on how to draw sheep. I also own original art work from one of his books. I'm in love with his books and his art.

      I bet your students loved the prehistoric animal research. Looking forward to your next Tomie de Paola post!

      Mona

      Reply
    5. Jen R. @ The Teachers' Cauldron says

      April 28 at 2:37 am

      ooooh – I'm crossing all my fingers and toes!

      Reply
    6. Mrs. Sheehan says

      April 28 at 2:42 am

      Wow! So many things to pin here!!!
      You know I have a Tomie obsession as well 🙂 I can't wait to see the rest of the series. I think I need a Tomie board…infact I will create it right now!
      Thanks for all the ideas!
      Maribel

      Reply
    7. Rachel Lamb says

      April 28 at 2:49 am

      I must win! I must WIn! =)
      Rachel

      this looks unbelievable!!

      Reply
    8. Karen F. says

      April 28 at 2:57 am

      LOVE his books!! and your creativity (so do my kiddos 😉 ) I actually met him when I was subbing in Asheville NC .. such a nice man !! This is such an awesome giveaway!!! Thanks for the chance at winning this 🙂
      Karen
      tommysmom0206@yahoo.com

      Reply
    9. Linda says

      April 28 at 2:58 am

      Yes, I know you are a Tomie lover like me! Check out my Tomie board :0) http://pinterest.com/lindakamp/tomie-depaola/

      I'm off to find yours so I can follow!

      Reply
    10. Barbara Leyne says

      April 28 at 3:07 am

      I think I could become a new Tomie fan:).

      Barbara
      Grade ONEderful
      Ruby Slippers Blog Designs

      Reply
    11. Across the Hall says

      April 28 at 12:46 pm

      LOVE Tomie and LOVE this giveaway!!! My fingers are crossed 🙂

      Halle
      Across the Hall in 2nd Grade

      Reply
    12. Natalie says

      April 28 at 2:37 pm

      I love Tomie! I'd love to win this 🙂 nataliej728@gmail.com

      Recess and Beyond

      Reply
    13. Amanda Madden says

      April 28 at 3:27 pm

      Linda,
      You are amazing! I love everything you do! This is the cutest Tomie unit EVER! 🙂 I've never won a blog giveaway, but this would be a great one to start with! I'm going to share it on my blog (probably a bad idea if I want to win, huh?) today!

      Amanda
      Teaching Maddeness

      Reply
    14. Rosemary says

      April 28 at 3:39 pm

      Hi Linda,
      I am lucky to live and teach in New Hampshire. Tomie de Paola lives nearby. I have been able to meet him and hear him speak several times. He is always one of my "Author of the Month" stars. My kids love all of Tomie's books and like finding his stars, angels, hearts, etc. in all his books. Currently, an art gallery in the next town is having a show of Tomie's work and I need to get there soon! I would love to win your unit!
      rosemarykn at comcast.net

      Reply
    15. Debbie says

      April 28 at 6:38 pm

      I would love to win this! You are so creative, too!

      Deb

      debinderry@gmail.com

      Reply
    16. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:44 pm

      Me too, Aimee! Meeting Tomie dePaola is at the very top of my bucket list!

      Reply
    17. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:45 pm

      Thanks so much Heidi! I'm so glad you like it and hope you can use some of the ideas and the Little Grunt story map!

      Reply
    18. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:46 pm

      Oh, I would LOVE to hear Tomie present! That must have been wonderful! How exciting!

      Reply
    19. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:47 pm

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Reply
    20. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:49 pm

      Hi Mona, I wish he would come to Arizona! Do you think he still travels and does that sort of thing? I would love to own some of his original artwork! Did you purchase it from his website?

      Reply
    21. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:50 pm

      Yay! I hope you win, Jen!

      Reply
    22. Linda says

      April 28 at 6:50 pm

      Thanks, Rachel and happy birthday!!

      Reply
    23. Linda says

      April 28 at 7:00 pm

      Thanks so much for sharing this, Rosemary! The teachers in your area must love it! I wonder if he still visits schools?

      I'd love to visit a gallery of his work! I'm emailing you now to get details!

      Reply
    24. Ms Farquhar says

      April 29 at 12:35 am

      Found you via Pinterest- and you sparked my interest! This is my first year teaching first grade and I would LOVE to have all these valuable resources! I sighed up for the give-away fingers crossed 🙂 Thanks for the great ideas and inspiration!

      Reply
    25. Becky says

      April 29 at 11:58 pm

      This looks amazing! I'm your newest follower!

      -Becky
      Lesson Plans and Lattes

      Reply
    26. Heather says

      May 2 at 12:46 am

      Wow, what a post! I entered and I am your newest follower on your blog and pinterest (not sure why I wasn't already following) I can't wait to read more – your unit looks amazing!
      Heather
      Kickin' It With Class

      Reply
    27. Joan says

      May 3 at 3:56 am

      I LOVE, LOVE LOVE Tomie! I was able to meet him years ago and get my book signed. He's one of my favorite authors! Hoping to add your unit to my collection. Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply

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