The Elf on the Shelf: A Must Read Mentor Text and An Elftastic Freebie

Hi friends.  I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving break.  Yesterday we went to the movies and saw Frozen.  Then we did a tiny bit of shopping so that  A  could pick her ornament out for the year.  She found an Elf on the Shelf ornament and was super happy with her find.

Last night our Elf, Ms. Joy arrived.   A  popped out of bed extra early to mark the occasion.  Ms. Joy was greeted with an envelope of money and a note to bring to Santa that read, "I very, very much want a sister."  Good luck Santa!

Keeping in the spirit of the season, my must read mentor text is The Elf on the Shelf by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell.  I will be reading it Monday in class, since it will be our class elf's first day.

This book tells all about Santa's scout elves.  How they come each December and report nightly back to Santa which children have been naughty or nice.  The illustrations are charming and the story captures children's imaginations.

Since this story is written in a rhyming format, it is the perfect jumping off point for a little work with rhyming words.  It always amazes me how much students struggle with rhyming words.  More practice is almost always needed. 

Below is a rhyming word sort that I created to use on the day we read The Elf on the Shelf.  The clip art is by Melonheadz and I made the fonts.  If you would like a copy of this sort, you can click on the picture below.

If your class has an Elf, hopefully he/she will make classroom management a snap (he he he).  You can also put Elf to work in your curriculum.  Elfontheshelf.com has free resources available for teachers and of course a visit to Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration.

If you are looking for more mentor text recommendations and activity ideas, be sure to stop by Collaboration Cuties for their weekly Must Read Mentor Text Linkup. 

Thanks so much for reading and have a great week.