Great Wolf and The Good Woodsman
Written by Helen Hoover and Illustrated by Betsy Bowen
© 2011, Carolyn Wilhelm,
Wise Owl Factory
Licensed Graphics
A story about Christmas in the forest.
LINK See also my FREE Wise Owl Factory
Inferring Lesson for First Painter
In this lesson about The Great Wolf and the
Good Woodsman, we will be using the
reading strategy of inferring.
Inferring is a thinking skill we use to figure out
what the author of the story really means.
What do the words really mean?
Author + My Thinking = Inferring
We can use the wonderful picture clues in this
book, also.
The Author + My Thinking = Inferring
Oh!
I think . . .
word, word,
word, word . .
.
What does the story mean when we THINK about it?
The author says:
Inferring:
the author plus my thinking
Great Gray Wolf stood and looked
at animals. . .
Great Wolf was thinking he had no
friends.
“. . . he was feared by all the
animals. . .”
He would probably not be making
any friends at all.
The animals were waiting for their Christmas food from
the Good Woodsman, but he didn't come out of the cabin!
"Why doesn't the Good
Woodsman come out?"
I can run there -- "
(said the deer)
"
Move me . . .
Something
Did you thinkis
of wrong!
this answer?
What do these words from the story make you think?
“ . . . a special gift to . . the Good Woodsman.”
“ . . . little chickadee flew around Great Wolf’s head,
trying to frighten him away.”
Did you infer this?
The deer and other animals want to help the
Good Woodsman.
The animals were afraid of Great Wolf, and
chickadee tried to help make him leave.
What was the author saying with these words?
“ . . . before the animals could say a word, Great Wolf
leaped away. . .”
me wait
. . . for an answer. He
GreatMove
Wolf didn’t
sprang
intoyou
action.
Did
infer this?
What was the author saying with these words?
“He dropped his ax and ran for his rifle.”
The man didn't know GreatWolf was helping.
Move me . . .
The man was scared!
What was the author saying with these words?
“The dog caught his master’s pants leg in his teeth,
and pulled toward the path.”
The dog wanted the man to
follow
him!
Did you
think
of this?
---Move Me---
What was the author saying with these words?
“The dog barked at the Good
Woodsman’s door. . .”
You
aredog
getting
The
is so
saying,
good at this, I bet you
"Open
thesays!
door!"
know
what this
---Move Me---
What was the author saying with these words?
“Perhaps one of my friends told him.”
I bet you can figure this
out, too!
He fed his Wow!
animal
friends. So, maybe they
What good inferring you are doing!
would help
him.
---Move
Me---
What was the author saying with these words?
“Great Wolf . . was filled with a great gladness for them….but
. . . he grew lonelier than ever.”
He doesn’t like
d all
the time.
Thinkbeing
hard tofeare
infer this
sentence!
What was the author saying with these words?
“. . . the Good Woodsman brought out a plate of meat.”
Slowly Great Wolf stepped from the shadows.
The Good Woodsman
it was the wolf who helped
What didknew
you infer?
him.
---Move Me--Now Great
Wolf is the one who is scared.
What was the author saying with these words?
“. . . listen very closely to the howling of a
wolf on Christmas. . .
I think you will know this!
Listen to a wolf howl and feel the warmth of Christmas.
Attachments to this file, click on
picture of PDF to open and print when in
normal mode, not slide show mode:
LINK See also my FREE
Wise Owl Factory Inferring
Lesson for First Painter
Non-fiction Reading & Inferring
LESSON GOALS:
Discuss file folders and how we learn to read for information.
Review non-fiction conventions lesson and tell what we remember.
Read non-fiction books written in a story format. Can we read
and learn from these books, too?
Select an animal page with at least 3 facts.
Write a informational STORY that gives facts that are not simply a list.
We can infer from reading nonfiction stories
about animals. (multi-genre stories about animals
with facts and a story line)
Minnesota Language Arts Standards:
Student I Can statements based on Minnesota standards:
I can use reading strategies to ask and answer questions about informational text.
I can recall and use prior learning to prepare for reading.
I can make simple inferences and draw and support conclusions.
I can write or draw a response that shows comprehension of a story that has been read.
I can relate texts to prior knowledge and experiences.
I can read and listen to text representing non-fiction.
I can write informative stories and use informal writing to record information or observations
(post-its).
Files
Our brains like new learning. We "file" new
information in our brains like computers file
new information.
Have you ever noticed files on computers?
Our Schema, what we think we
know
When we learn, we
already have some ideas
about what we are going to
learn. The new learning may
correct some of our
misconceptions.
A shark is a fish
sharks aren't fish
sharks breathe through gills
If a shark stops moving, it will die
Sharks have rough skin
they grow thousands of teeth
New Learning
Misconceptions
Information Page About Sharks, find five new facts to compare with prior learning.
Schema, what we think we know:
Learning about
Sharks . . . compare
what you thought you knew
with your new learning.
A shark is a fish
sharks aren't fish
sharks breathe through gills
If a shark stops moving, it will
die
Sharks have rough skin
they grow thousands of teeth
New Learning
Misconceptions
Did you find any misconceptions?
Beaver
American Beaver (Castor canadensis)
Our Schema, what we think we know . . .
Beaver dams are created as a protection against predators, such as coyotes, wolves and bears.
Beavers always work at night and are prolific builders.
They carry mud and stones with their fore-paws and timber between their teeth.
A beaver lodge can be about 20 feet long.
The beavers cover their lodges late every autumn with fresh mud.
The mud freezes when the frost sets in.
The mud becomes almost as hard as stone, so that neither wolves nor wolverines can get in.
The lodge has underwater entrances.
A very small amount of the lodge is actually used as a living area.
Information adapted from Wikipedia, Photos from Wikipedia
The National Emblem of Canada
Information adapted from Wikipedia, Photos from Wikipedia
It is depicted on the Canadian five-cent piece.
It was on the first pictorial postage stamp issued in the Canadian colonies in 1849.
As a national symbol, the beaver was chosen to be the mascot of the 1976 Summer
Olympics.
The Summer Olympics were held in Montreal.
The beaver is also the symbol of many units and organizations within the Canadian Forces.
Now, read a multi-genre book about an animal such as BEAVER AT
LONG POND.
Try inferring real facts from the story about beavers!
Now, try writing your own story for your classmates to infer facts about
your animal!
PDF Sample Story, can you infer the facts?