Teaching Little Wolf Adventures - lernerbooks.com · 4th Grade Reading Level TEACHING ... • When...

T E A C H I N G G U I D E

4th Grade Reading Level

TEACHING

Little WolfAdventures

ISBN-10: 0-8225-6117-4 MagentaISBN-13: 978-0-8225-6117-0

T E A C H I N G L I T T L E W O L F A D V E N T U R E S2

StandardsLanguage Arts – • Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.Reading • Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of

literary texts.• Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Language Arts – • Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.Writing • Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.

• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.

Language Arts – • Demonstrates competence in listening and speaking as tools for learning. Listening and • Uses listening and speaking strategies for a variety of purposes.Speaking

Geography • Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographic toolsand technologies.

Multiple Intelligences Utilized• Linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, and naturalistic

Copyright © 2006 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may bereproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercialresale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior writtenpermission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of briefquotations in an acknowledged review.

LernerClassroom A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.241 First Avenue NorthMinneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.800-328-4929Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com

Manufactured in the United States of America3 4 5 6 7 8 — IG — 12 11 10 09 08 07

Go to www.lernerbooks.com fora list of all Little Wolf Adventurestitles.

T E A C H I N G L I T T L E W O L F A D V E N T U R E S 3

Read(students)• Read one or more of the Little Wolf Adventures

books.

Model(teacher, students)• Show students examples of formal and informal

letters and discuss their similarities and differences.• Little Wolf writes letters to various people in his

books. Choose one of Little Wolf ’s letters to readand analyze together.

• What do you notice about the format of Little Wolf ’sletter? Describe the parts of the letter.

Practice(groups, individuals)• Students will work together to develop definitions for

the types and parts of a letter. • Write the definition for each part of a letter on Types

of Letters and Parts of a Letter p. 10.• Using these definitions, students will individually

complete Letter Formats p. 11.

Discuss(teacher, students)• When would you write a business or formal letter? • When could you write a friendly or informal letter?• Is there something even less formal than a friendly

letter? What is it?• Why is attention to detail more important when you

write a business letter?

Evaluate(teacher, students)• Review Letter Formats p. 11 to assess whether or not

students have correctly labeled the parts of theletters.

Lesson 1Letter Formats Purpose: Students will learn the proper format forformal and informal letters.

Objectives • Identify the format of letters in Little Wolf Adventures

books.• Compare and contrast formal and informal letters.• Determine similarities and differences between

formal and informal letters.• Classify parts of a letter.• Compose definitions for letter formats and parts of a

letter.• Explain why it is important to know proper letter

formats.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Types of Letters and Parts of a Letter p. 10 for

each student.• Copy Letter Formats p. 11 for each student.• Gather examples of formal and informal letters.

Pretest(students)• Is there a right way to write a letter? • What are some reasons that people write letters? • Have students brainstorm the different parts of a

letter and some possible reasons for writing letters.

Materials• Little WolfAdventures books

• Types of Letters andParts of a Letterp. 10

• Letter Formats p. 11• pencils

Read(students)• Read Little Wolf Adventures books.• As they are reading, students should write down any

words that they think Little Wolf made up in the firstcolumn of section A on Word Tracking p. 12.

Model(teacher, students)• Look at one of the words that the group found.

Separate the word into its parts. • Discuss the meaning of each word part and then

create a reasonable definition for the made-up word.Use the list on the board as a reference.

• Analyze a couple of words as a class, using the formaton Word Tracking p. 12. Verify that studentsunderstand how to complete the worksheet.

Practice(students, pairs)• Students will work in pairs to complete sections A

and B of Word Tracking p. 12.• Individually, each student will write a sentence using

one of the words they created to complete section Cof Word Tracking p. 12.

Discuss(teacher, students)• How do you feel about Little Wolf creating all of

these words? • When would it be inappropriate to create a word? • What value is there in knowing the meanings of

suffixes and prefixes?• When could this be helpful to you?

Evaluate(teacher, students)• Students will give examples of created words they

found in their reading, show how they broke thewords apart, and give their definitions.

• Assess Word Tracking p. 12 for completeness andaccuracy.


Lesson 2Word Detectives Purpose: Students will decipher the meanings ofwords created by Little Wolf based on the words’constituent parts.

Objectives • Review the definitions of root word, prefix, and suffix.• Classify words as real or created (made up).• Examine the parts of a created word and create a

definition for it.• Create a word using known root words, prefixes, and

suffixes.• Write sentences using self-created words.• Assess the value of knowing the meanings of prefixes

and suffixes.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Word Tracking p. 12 for each student.• Select a section of one of the Little Wolf Adventures

books to use as an example for Word Tracking p. 12.• Locate or create a list of root words, prefixes, and

suffixes for students to use as a reference (optional).

Pretest(students, teacher)• What are the parts of a word?• What is a root word? A prefix? A suffix?• Have students generate a short list of root words,

prefixes, and suffixes. Print these on the board.• Add additional prefixes, suffixes, and base words they

will need to know for this lesson.


• Word Tracking p. 12• pencils

• whiteboard orchalkboard

• dry erase marker orchalk


Pretest(students, class)• Think about characters from movies, TV shows, or

books who act one way but believe or wish theywere a different way.

• Make a list of those characters.

Read(students, class)• Read Little Wolf’s Book of Badness (This will require

several class periods).

Model(teacher, class)• Using the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz (or

another example), complete the overhead of YouThink You’re So __________, But You’re Really__________, p. 13 as a class, describing how (lions)are perceived and how (the cowardly lion) really is.

• Discuss reasons that the character might want to beperceived in a different way than he/she really is.

Practice(students)• Referring to Little Wolf ’s character, complete You

Think You’re So __________, But You’re Really__________ p. 13.

Discuss(class)• Students will share their You Think You’re So

_________, But You’re Really __________ p. 13with the class.

• Why does Little Wolf want his parents to think thathe is different than he really is?

• Have you ever pretended to be different than youreally are? Why?

Evaluate(teacher)• Evaluate each student’s You Think You’re So

__________, But You’re Really __________ p. 13for understanding.

5

Lesson 3What Is He REALLYLike?Purpose: Students will analyze fictional charactersand determine differences in the way the charactersreally are and how they wish others to perceive them.

Objectives • Describe Little Wolf ’s character traits.• Compare and contrast a person’s character traits with

how that person wishes to be perceived.• Identify when someone might want to give the

perception that they are different than they really are. • Explain why someone might want to give a false

impression of himself/herself.• Relate a character’s experience to one’s own

experience.• Justify reasons for giving a false impression.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Prepare a character sketch, describing a fictional

character (other than Little Wolf) who acts in a waythat is not how he/she is “supposed” to be. (Forinstance, the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz.)

• Copy one overhead of You Think You’re So__________, But You’re Really __________ p. 13.

• Copy You Think You’re So __________, But You’reReally__________ p. 13 for each student.

Materials• Little Wolf’s Book ofBadness

• lined paper• pencils• overhead projector• overhead markers

• You Think You’re So________, ButYou’re Really________ p. 13

Read(class, small groups)• Read Little Wolf’s Handy Book of Poems.• Choose your favorite poem from the book to share

with the class.

Discuss(class)• Why does Little Wolf write poems?• What kinds of poems does he write?• Share your favorite Little Wolf poems.• What is a riddle? Look at pp. 21–22 of Little Wolf’s

Handy Book of Poems for examples.

Model(teacher, students)• Read your prepared riddle for the class and have

students guess what it describes. • Show students how they can use Write a Riddle p. 14

to create their own riddles.

Practice(students, pairs)• Complete Write a Riddle p. 14. Have students read

their riddles to a partner. Partners should guess whatthey are describing. Students may write several riddlesif time allows.

Evaluate(teacher, class)• Assess each student’s Write a Riddle p. 14 for

completeness and understanding.• Which was more fun, writing the riddle or guessing

your partner’s riddle? Why? How did the clues helpyou guess?

Extension (class)• On Nursery Rhyme Time p. 15 create your own silly

nursery rhymes. Use the poems on pp. 40–42 ofLittle Wolf’s Handy Book of Poems as models for yourwriting.

• Share your revised nursery rhymes with the class.


Lesson 4Riddle Me ThisPurpose: Students will write riddles and poems usingLittle Wolf ’s style as a model.

Objectives• Recall a favorite poem.• Describe an object using sensory words.• Compose a riddle.• Diagram the lines of a riddle using a graphic organizer.• Modify a nursery rhyme.• Compare a riddle and a nursery rhyme.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Prepare examples of each kind of poem the students

will be writing.• Copy Write a Riddle p. 14 and Nursery Rhyme Time

p. 15 (optional) for each student.• Prepare a riddle using sensory clues as described on

Write a Riddle p. 14.

Pretest(class)• What is a poem? What do poems sound like?• What is your favorite poem?• What are some different kinds of poems? Do all

poems rhyme?• As you read Little Wolf’s Handy Book of Poems, take

note of the poems you like the best.

Materials• Little Wolf’s HandyBook of Poems

• books or websitesfeaturing nurseryrhymes and/or otherkinds of poems

• pencils• Write a Riddle p. 14• Nursery Rhyme Timep. 15


Read(students, small groups)• Students will read one of the Little Wolf Adventures

books that contains a map. (This will take severalclass periods.)

Discuss(class)• What did you see in the map at the beginning of the

book? (landforms, scale, compass rose, roads/trails, etc.)• How is this map like the wall map? How is it

different?• How did the map help you understand what was

happening in the book?

Model(teacher, students)• Show students how to use the map in the front of

their Little Wolf Adventures book to complete MapKey p. 16.

• Show students your map of the classroom.• Ask student volunteers to add classroom features, a

scale, and a compass rose to the map. Add anddiscuss a map key.

• Is it necessary to include every detail of the classroomon the map? Why or why not?

• Why is the map key useful?

Practice(students, pairs)• Students individually complete Map Key p. 16.• With a partner, make a map of your school or

neighborhood. Be creative! • Label the map features with fun names. For example,

Little Wolf likes to use alliteration. See if you can usealliteration in the feature names on your map.

• Create a map key for your map. Add a scale andcompass rose.

Evaluate(students, teacher)• Evaluate each student’s Map Key p. 16 for

completeness and accuracy.• Display student maps in the classroom.• Explain the strongest features of each map.• Evaluate maps for general features, compass rose,

scale, and key.

7

Lesson 5Mapmaker, Mapmaker,Make Me a MapPurpose: Students will create maps with scales,compass roses, and keys.

Objectives• Describe the features of a map.• Compare different maps.• Construct an original map.• Identify a map key, a compass rose, and a scale.• Design a map key.• Evaluate a map.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Map Key p. 16 for each student.• Make a simple map of the classroom.

Pretest(students, teacher)• What is a map? Why do people use maps?• Look at a large map. What features do you see? List

these on the board.

Materials• One or more of thefollowing Little WolfAdventures titles:Little Wolf, ForestDetective

Little Wolf, PackLeader

Little Wolf’s Diary ofDaring Deeds

Little Wolf’s HauntedHall for SmallHorrors

Little Wolf, Terror ofthe Shivery Sea

• large map • poster board• pencils• colored pencils ormarkers

• chalkboard orwhiteboard

• chalk or dry erasemarkers

• Map Key p. 16

Read(students, class)• Read one Little Wolf Adventures book individually or

as a class.

Discuss(class)• What kinds of things does Little Wolf write about?• Are these formal or informal (business or friendly)

letters?

Model(teacher)• Choose one of Little Wolf ’s letters to read aloud.

What kinds of problems has he encountered? Howwould you reply to Little Wolf? What advice mightyou give him?

• Brainstorm possible responses to one of Little Wolf ’sletters and write them on the board. Follow theletter format from Letter Formats p. 11.

Practice(students, pairs)• Reread one of Little Wolf ’s letters. Write Little Wolf

a response letter.• Be sure to include all of the parts of a letter from

Letter Formats p. 11.• Exchange letters with a partner. Students read their

partner’s letter and write a letter back to him or herfrom Little Wolf ’s point of view.

Evaluate(teacher, students)• Evaluate letters for creativity and letter format.• Students may create response journals to continue an

ongoing dialog with their partner through Little Wolfletters.


Lesson 6Dear WolfiePurpose: Students will write letters of advice, usingproper letter format.

Objectives• Identify the purpose of a letter.• Articulate a response to a letter.• Employ knowledge of letter formats to write an

original letter.• Analyze a problem or issue.• Formulate a solution to a problem.• Recommend a course of action in response to a

situation.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Return students’ completed Letter Formats p. 11

from Lesson 1.

Pretest(students)• Preview the Little Wolf Adventures book you are

going to read.• What do you notice about the format?• What kinds of letters have you written? To whom?


• lined paper• pencils

• chalkboard orwhiteboard

• chalk or dry erasemarker

• Letter Formats p. 11

Book of Mother Goose: A Treasury of More than 300Classic Nursery Rhymes. New York: RandomHouse, 2003. This collection of classic Mother Goose rhymes isillustrated by Caldecott Medal-winner ArnoldLobel.

Cleary, Brian P. Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry.Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2004.This book introduces students to the world ofpoetry. Cleary uses rhyming poems and punswhile clearly explaining poetic features liketempo and personification.

DiSpezio, Michael A. Map Mania: Discovering WhereYou Are and Getting to Where You Aren’t. NewYork: Sterling Publishing, 2002.This illustrated book introduces students to floorplans and various kinds of maps—complete withactivities, quizzes, and more.

Norris, Jill. Literacy Centers, Grades 4–5 (Take It toYour Seat Centers Series). Monterey, CA: EvanMoore Educational Publishers, 2004.This teacher’s resource shows you how to createliteracy centers based on the following themes:poetry writing, creative writing, root words,compound sentences, paragraph editing, andmore.

Orloff, Karen Kaufman. I Wanna Iguana. New York:Penguin, 2004.This illustrated story features Alex, who, throughan exchange of letters, tries to convince hismother to let him have a pet iguana.

OTHER RESOURCESFlashkids Editors. Vocabulary (FlashCharts Series). New

York: Spark Publishing, 2004.This set of vocabulary charts includes lists of rootwords and prefixes that can be posted in theclassroom as reference tools.


Additional ResourcesWEBSITESGreek and Latin Base Transition Page

http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/MA/resources/greekandlatinroots/transition.htmlThis site offers very basic yet extensive lists of rootwords, prefixes, and suffixes for students of allages.

Letter Writing Contentshttp://englishplus.com/grammar/letrcont.htmStudents and teachers can use this resource tolearn about formal and informal letter formats,use of envelopes, and how to properly fold aletter.

Map Coloring: How Many Colors?http://www.nasaexplores.com/extras/maps/four_color.htmlStudents learn how maps are colored with thisresource. They also use mathematical skills todetermine how several different maps can becolored using official map-coloring guidelines.

Mother Goose Rhymeshttp://www.amherst.edu/~rjyanco/literature/mothergoose/rhymes/menu.htmlFind the words to popular Mother Goose rhymeson this site. Some are illustrated.

PoetryTeachers.comhttp://www.poetryteachers.comThis site features poems, riddles, and teachingideas by poet Bruce Lansky.

Reading a Grid Maphttp://www.nasaexplores.com/show_k4_teacher_st.php?id=030108114014&gl=k4This lesson on reading grid maps is one of manylessons available on the NASA website. Studentslearn how to read a grid map and can createoriginal maps. A worksheet is provided.

BOOKSBell, Babs, and Babs B. Hajdusiewicz. Words and More

Words. Tucson, AZ: Good Year Books, 1997.This rhyming dictionary includes references onsuch topics as word origins, prefixes, suffixes,plurals, commonly misspelled words, and more.

10

Teaching Little Wolf Adventures

Types of Letters

Name

Directions: On the lines below, explain the features of business letters and friendly letters.When would you use each one?

Business Letters

Friendly Letters

Parts of a Letter

Directions: Write a definition for each part of a letter.

Heading

Inside Address

Greeting

Body

Complimentary Close

Signature Line

11

Teac

hing

Litt

le W

olf A

dven

ture

s

12 B

ig B

ad L

ane

Fret

tnin

For

est,

Beas

tshi

re

Apr

il 1

Mr.

Peev

ish W

olfso

n th

e 3r

dEd

itor

Wol

f Wee

kly

P.O

. Box

13

Fret

tnin

For

est,

Beas

tshi

re

Dea

r Mr.

Wol

fson:

This

is th

e pa

rt o

f the

lett

er w

here

the

writ

er sh

ares

his

or h

er t

houg

hts.

Wha

t do

you

thi

nk I

have

to

say

to y

ou?

Skip

a li

ne w

hen

you

star

t a

new

par

agra

ph. D

o I f

ollo

wth

e co

rrec

t fo

rmat

for w

ritin

g le

tter

s in

my

book

s?

Go

back

and

look

.

Sinc

erel

y,

Litt

le W

olf

Litt

le W

olf

12 B

ig B

ad L

ane

Fret

tnin

For

est,

Beas

tshi

re

Apr

il 1

Dea

r Mom

and

Dad

,

You

have

pro

babl

y al

read

y re

ad so

me

of m

y le

tter

sto

you

. Thi

s typ

e of

lett

er is

cal

led

a fri

endl

y or

info

rmal

lett

er. W

hy d

o yo

u th

ink

that

is?

Skip

a li

ne w

hen

you

star

t a

new

par

agra

ph.

Wha

t di

ffer

ence

s do

you

notic

e be

twee

n bu

sines

s le

tter

s and

frie

ndly

lett

ers?

Your

s tru

ly,

Litt

le W

olf

Litt

le W

olf

P.S.

You

can

hav

e a

post

scrip

t (P

.S.)

in a

n in

form

al le

tter

.A

pos

tscr

ipt

is a

simpl

e th

ough

t yo

u di

d no

t w

rite

in t

hebo

dy.

Bus

ines

s Le

tter

Frie

ndly

Let

ter

Nam

e

Lett

er

Form

ats

12


B. Directions: Use Little Wolf ’s strategy to create some words of your own.

Word Prefix Root Suffix Possible Meaning?

C. Directions: Select one of your words and use it in a sentence.

Word Tracking

Name

A. Directions: Find words in a Little Wolf Adventures book that are new to you.Break them apart and create definitions for them.

Word Prefix Root Suffix Possible Meaning?

13


You Think You’re So __________,But You’re Really __________.

Name

Directions: Fill in your character’s name in the blank below, then complete thestatements that describe how the character pretends to be and how he/shereally is. Give several examples with page numbers.

Character’s name

This character pretends to be

by:

I know this character is REALLY

because:

14


Write a Riddle

Name

The object or person I am describing is

Directions: Write the name of the object or person in the circle below. Fill in the boxeswith sensory words to describe the person or object. Be creative!

It looks like

It feels like It smells like

It sounds like It tastes like

(object/person)

Directions: On the lines below, write your clues in full sentences. See if a friend can guessthe object or person you are describing.

What is it?

15


Name

On pp. 40–42 of his Handy Book of Poems, Little Wolf changedthe words to some popular nursery rhymes. He started with the

first line of each poem then changed the following lines. Theysounded pretty silly!

Directions: On the lines below, rewrite some of your favorite nurseryrhymes, using the original first line, followed by your own rhymes. Use themargins next to the lines to draw cartoons that illustrate your poems.

Nursery Rhyme Time

16


Map Key

Name

Directions: Draw your map features (mountains, water, forest, etc.) in the boxes on the left.Write the name of the features on the lines next to each box. Then add the letter symbols forcardinal directions to the compass rose below.

drawing feature

=

=

=

=

Teaching Little Wolf Adventures - lernerbooks.com · 4th Grade Reading Level TEACHING ... • When...

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