Name: Quinn Crawford

Reading One Reading Two Reading Three

Story Time Title: The Very Introduction of Book: Book Introduction: Book Introduction:
Cranky Bear • Today we’re going to read a • Remember this book? (Hold • Today we’re going to revisit
Plan book called The Very Cranky book up) Today we’re going the story, The Very Cranky
Characters: Bear. (Hold book up and move to read it again. It’s called Bear. The author and
Moose-Thinks his Author: Nick finger across words as you The Very Cranky Bear. The illustrator are Nick Bland.
antlers are Bland read the title) author is Nick Bland. He is
marvelous. • This book was written by Nick also the illustrator. Set Purpose for Third Reading:
Lion-Loves his Bland. Does anyone know (What will they listen for?)
golden mane. Illustrator: what we call the person who Set Purpose for Second Reading: We discussed the characteristics of
Zebra-Stripes Nick Bland wrote the story? (explain (What will they listen for?) the animal friends when we read
makes it happy. “author” if needed) Remember the four friends the the story before. This time I want to
Sheep-Sheep is • Mr. Nick Bland also drew the zebra, lion, moose, sheep, and tell me what a jungle is like.
plain and feels Short pictures. Do you know what bear? As I read the story this time
left out. Summary: we call the person who does pay attention to what each friend Reinforce Comprehension With
Bear-Bear is Four friends the drawing? (discuss thinks will make bear happy. Guided Reconstruction of Story:
cranky. go into a “illustrator”) • Zebra said they should give
Theme: cave to play • How do you think the bear bear stripes like her. Do you
Everyone can because it’s feels? (Hold book up and point remember who was next?
play an important cold and to the bear-discuss) Reconstruct Narrative and Reinforce (Discuss Moose, then lion)
part. raining. The • Look at his face. I wonder why Knowledge: • Does anyone know what a
Ideas: discover a he feels that way. Let’s read • Read the story but don’t read jungle is? This is where the
The main idea is bear who is and find out. every page. Let the children story took place. A jungle is
no matter who or cranky. They help read it. an area of land overgrown
what you are, all try to Set Purpose for Listening/First Reading: • Do you remember where the with dense forest and
you can play an cheer him up (What will they listen for?) friends went? Was it on top tangled vegetation, typically
important part. but fail until In this story four animal friends wander of the cave? Under the in the tropics. (show pictures
Plot: sheep shaves into a cave to find a warm and dry cave? Beside the cave? of jungles)
Zebra, lion, and her wool and place to play. They discover a bear Inside the cave? (spatial Discussion After Reading:
moose think they makes a who is very cranky. As I read the story awareness) • In the beginning of the story
can make bear pillow for pay attention to what makes the • (7-10) Remember what the what were the friends
happy by making bear to sleep animal friends happy. Let’s see if the zebra (moose, lion) said looking for?
him look like on. bear gets happy or if he stays cranky. would make bear happy? • Do you think they knew that
them. Sheep is (Discuss zebra’s stripes, bear was in the cave?
plain and thinks Discussion During Reading: moose’s antlers, and lion’s • How did they know that bear
she can’t PG 2 Look at sheep’s face. I wonder mane) was cranky?
contribute to the what she is thinking. I think they thought those • What did zebra, moose, and
problem. In the PG 7-8 I wonder how bear will feel things would make bear lion suggest?
end sheep is the with zebra stripes and moose antlers. happy because they made • What did bear really want in
one who comes PG 9-10 Do you think bear would like a them happy. the end?
up with the golden mane like lions? • Where else could the friends • Now bear was in a cave
solution. PG 11 I wonder sheep’s thinking here. go to play after bear chased because bears like to
Conflict/Problem:
What is the problem PG 16 Oh my goodness! Look at bear.
and how is it resolved?
I don’t think bear is happy.
Bear is cranky. PG 18 I wonder what sheep will do to
Sheep shaves her try and make bear happy.
wool to make a
pillow for bear to
sleep on. Clarification of Vocabulary:
Cranky-angry; upset
Jungle- a tropical forest where plants
and trees grow very thickly
Marvelous-extremely good or
enjoyable
Fantastic-extremely good
(Note that both “marvelous” and
“fantastic” mean almost the same
thing)
Gnashed-to grind your teeth together
Discussion After Reading:
So, it looks like bears mood did turn
around didn’t it? He went from cranky
to what?
How did the bear’s mood change
throughout the story.
What makes you cranky?
Flipping to Specific Pages for
Clarification:
PG 1-2 Who were the animal friends?
(discuss zebra, lion, moose, sheep,
and bear) They were looking for a
place to play because it was cold
and raining.
PG 5-6 They didn’t know bear was in
there
PG 7-8 Zebra and moose give bear
stripes and antlers to make him
happy.
them out of the cave?
(maybe another cave?)
Build Off Knowledge to Engage in
Higher Level Thinking:
• Now moose had marvelous
antlers. This means that
moose is a boy
(male)moose. Lion has a
golden mane. This means
that lion is a boy like moose.
His mane is like a man’s
beard.
• Moose, zebra, and lion gave
bear antlers, stripes, and a
golden mane. Do bears
normally have these? -No
what characteristics do
bears have? (Discuss color,
size, etc.)
• Animals have different
characteristics that tell us
what kind of animal they are.
(Discuss characteristics and
their relation to the animals
in the story)
Discussion After Reading:
• PG 11 Moose, zebra, and lion
had a plan to make bear
happy. It doesn’t look like
sheep has a plan here. What
do you think? Sheep looks
like she’s thinking to me.
• Which animal friend ended
up solving bear’s problem?
How? (Discuss)
• Sheep thought she was
plain. Is there anything
wrong with being plain?
(Discuss) There is nothing
wrong with being yourself
and that’s just what sheep
did.
hibernate (sleep) in the
winter time. The usually sleep
all winter and wake up in the
spring time.
• Did you know that there are
different kinds of bear?
(discuss polar, brown, black
bear) Bear is a black bear.
They live in the jungle.
Use as a Jumping Off Point to Build
Knowledge and/or Enhance Skills:
CENTERS:
Art center: Put open-ended art
materials out for children to create a
picture of a time when they were
cranky.
Literacy: Have other books about
cranky characters as well as books
about other feelings. (sad, happy,
excited, etc.)
Dramatic Play: Create a cave out of
a large cardboard box and brown
or gray paper and have zebra,
moose, lion, sheep, and bear
costumes for the children to re-
enact the story.
Music: Provide children with music
instruments and play “The Very
Cranky Bear Song” and let them sing
and play along with it.
Science: Have different jungle
animals and habitats.
Life Cycles: Interactive board with
Velcro and the black bear life cycle
for students to put in the correct
order.
PG 9 Lion plans to give bear a golden
mane like his to make him happy.
PG 16 Here is bear with his antlers,
zebra stripes, and golden mane.
PG 18 Bear tells sheep what he really
wants-a quiet place to sleep.
PG 19-20 Sheep shaves half her wool
to make bear a pillow
PG 21 Now bear is sleep and the
friends have a dry, warm place to
play.
• I wonder how bear would SMALL GROUP: Jungle animal cards
have looked if one of the with multiple pictures of jungle
animal friends was a dog, animals 1-20 with 3 choices of the
frog, or gorilla. correct number. Have the children
use clothes pins to choose the
correct number.
OUTSIDE: Jungle movement cards or
an obstacle course with children
moving like animals.
RELATED BOOK STUDY:
• If I Were A Jungle Animal by
Tom and Amanda Ellery
• Rumble in The Jungle by
Giles Andreae
• Grumpy Pants by Clair
Messer
AUTHOR STUDY: Nick Bland
Hang up a photo of author, Nick
Bland in the library area with other
books by him.
Other books by Nick Bland:
The Very Hungry Bear
The Very Itchy Bear
The Very Noisy Bear
A Monster Wrote Me a Letter
The Very Sleepy Bear
OTHER