Hooway for Wodney Wat: A Social Studies Mentor Text

I'm hoping this post will work.  I am now on vacation and had to schedule it.  I've never scheduled one before.  But, I just hate missing Collaboration Cutie's Mentor Text Link Up.  This week's topic is social studies.

Since we are out of school, I'm thinking about social studies books I use at the beginning of the year with my firsties.  The first few weeks usually focus on getting to know you and community building.  One book I love for community building is Helen Lester's Hooway for Wodney Wat.

This book tells the story of Rodney (Wodney) who is a rodent that cannot say his R's correctly.  He is very shy because of his speech and the other students at his school are not kind to him.  The illustrations of little Wodney are very relatable and tug at the readers' heart strings.

As the story progresses, shy Wodney inadvertently stands up to the class bully and becomes a hero.

This story is great for starting a conversation about how to treat others and how to take care of each other.  As a class community, we certainly want our students to take care of each other and to be kind.  

Hooway for Wodney Wat is not only a wonderful book to use to help build community in your classroom, it also lends itself to various literacy activities.  One activity that I like to use is a comparison between Wodney at the beginning of the story and Wodney at the end of the story.  

In the past we have done this activity whole group making a T chart on some chart paper.  However, I have created a graphic organizer that basically serves the same function as the T chart, but each student can have a copy.  Students can either illustrate or write about the changes Wodney experiences.  How you use it really depends on the level of your students. 

You can have your own FREE copy of this activity by clicking on one of the pictures below. 

Here's the breakdown for this week's Mentor Text for social studies . . .

Thanks for reading.  Be sure to visit Collaboration Cuties for more social studies text ideas.  These Mentor Text Link Ups are really great resources.  I'll have to catch up with the other Mentor Text suggestions next week after I return from my trip.  

Have a great week.