WEEK 1_Mo Willems: Pigeon_April 2015
Books: The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog & Don't Let Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems
Ages: Kindergarten – 3rd grade
Duration: 4-week program (1hr 15mn/meeting)
Theme: The Words of Mo Willems
Synopsis: This program is designed to take children on a 4-week journey through a series of books written by the same author. My goal was to expose children to the idea of authorship and the versatility a writer has in creating characters and storylines - in addition to reading some great books and getting some good laughs! This program encorporates both crafts and games. Each meeting is divided into walk-in activity time, reading, crafts/games, and snacks.
Week 1:
At a Glance:
Find the Pigeons - scavenger hunt
Read Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog
Play vocab game during reading
Learn How to Draw Pigeon
Pigeon Painting Watercolor Swap
Read Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
play vocab game while reading
Pigeon Excuse Art
Snack
Provided materials:
Pigeon Pocket Template (for scavenger hunt)
Take Attendance/Record Reading Progress
Keep track of each participants reading progress with our reading log sheets!
Walk-in Activity: Find the Pigeons! Scavenger Hunt
Print out a set of three Pigeons for each child expected to participate. Make each set of Pigeons a different color. (So that “Suzy” can find all of the yellow pigeons and “John” can find all of the green pigeons… etc.”)
Attach pockets to the back of each pigeon and stuff with the following items:
Pigeon 1: place a vocab word in the pocket
Pigeon 2: place a vocab definition in the pocket
Pigeon 3: place a bookmark or small fun token in the pocket
As participants arrive, assign each a Pigeon to search for. Once all three have been found, they must find a seat at the table and pull out each hidden item from the Pigeon Pockets.
**Note: keep track of all of the hiding spots. It makes recovering extra pigeons and giving hints A LOT easier!
Reading I: The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog
Play the Vocab Game while reading
Vocab Game:
Post the words found during the Walk-In Activity on the wall in the reading room.
Hang up a Pigeon Bookmark on the wall with each child’s name on it.
Instruct children to raise their hand any time they hear a vocab word during the story. The reader will call on the student that raises their hand first. If the correct word is identified, a sticker will be earned for his/her bookmark.
At the end of the story, invite each child to roll a dice. If the child can correctly define the word from the wall with the number that corresponds to the dice, another sticker is earned!
Sensation
Morsel
Celebration
Splendor
Curious
Favor
Educational
Studies
Grand
Rate the Mo Willems Book
Dedicate a spot on a wall for the names of the books read each week.
At the end of a reading, give participants the opportunity to rate the book out of 5 Pigeons (instead of 5 stars).
Line up all of the Pigeons next to the book title on the wall.
At the end of the program, you’ll get to see which Mo Willems book was the most popular!
Activity I: Learn How to Draw Pigeon!
Prepare your craft area by laying down a tablecloth to protect your surfaces.
Set up a dry erase board, chalk board, or large notebook for all to see.
Hand out sheets of paper. (I used colored paper. It’s just more fun!)
Using the “How to Draw Pigeon Instructions,” guide the participants through the steps to draw Pigeon!
Activity II: Watercolor Swap
After going through the pigeon drawing steps one or two times, pass out some cardstock. Set the homemade watercolors out for the participants along with some paintbrushes and water cups.
Make sure students put their names on the back of their paper.
Instruct the participants that they will each complete ONE step of the Pigeon drawing process and then SWITCH places. The end result should be a lot of really silly Pigeons!
Begin drawing and rotating places as the class moves on through the drawing steps.
Allow the finished projects to dry.
Reading II: Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
Play the Vocab Game while reading “See Vocab Game above.”
When someone finds a vocab word, they get to hold Pigeon!
Rate the Mo Willems Book
Dedicate a spot on a wall for the names of the books read each week.
At the end of a reading, give participants the opportunity to rate the book out of 5 Pigeons (instead of 5 stars).
Line up all of the Pigeons next to the book title on the wall.
At the end of the program, you’ll get to see which Mo Willems book was the most popular!
Snack: Cupcakes
**Note: Make sure to check with parents about food allergies!
