HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
Title: “Book, Book, Book”
Suggested Time: 2 days (30 minutes per day)
Common Core ELA Standards: RL.1.1, RL.1.2, RL.1.3, RL.1.7, RF.1.1, SL.1.1, SL.1.4, SL.1.5, SL.1.6,
L.1.1, L.1.2, L.1.5, L.1.6, W.1.3
Teacher Instructions
Refer to the Introduction for further details.
Before Teaching
1. Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for
teachers, about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.
Big Ideas and Key Understandings
When we are bored with nothing to do we often try to find a solution to our boredom.
Synopsis
In this fantasy story, the farm animals are bored when the children go back to school. The animals suddenly find
themselves alone with nothing interesting to do. The animals come together to find a solution to their boredom.
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HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
2. Read entire main selection text, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.
3. Re-read the main selection text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Vocabulary.
During Teaching
1. Teacher reads the main selection text aloud.
2. Teacher re-reads the selection aloud while stopping to engage students in responding to and discussing the questions and returning to the
text. A variety of methods can be used to structure the reading and discussion (i.e.: whole class discussion, think-pair-share, group work, etc.)
Text Dependent Questions
Text Dependent Questions
What is special about the characters in this story?
Animals make special sounds. According to the story, what
sound does each animal make? (Teacher Note: Go through
each animal sound to familiarize the children with animal
sounds. For these responses use face/shoulder partners.
Another sound for whinnied is neigh.)
Answers
The characters in this story are animals; hen, horse, cow, goat,
pig, bullfrog, and the librarian.
Horse-neigh, cow-moo, goat-baaah, pig-oink, hen…make her
sound close to “book, book, book” and bullfrog…make his
sound close to “read it, read it, read it” so students will be
more likely to get the joke at the end of the story.
(P.16) “Down…feathers.” (Teacher note: Emphasize ‘until’
when reading.)
‘All was well’ means it was all good, everyone was happy,
things were going great.
In the story, it stated ‘all was well until’ and then something
happened. What seems to be the animals’ problem? Locate
the sentence that tells us the problem.
(Teacher Note: Reread that part of the story and if desired,
also highlight on the Smartboard the appropriate parts of the
text.)
The children went back to school and the animals had nothing
to do.
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HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
Listen as I read the next part. Pay attention to different words
and phrases that tell us the animals were very unhappy. (P.16)
“In the…sigh.” (Teacher Note: As students orally identify
words/phrases teacher can highlight.) Have students act out
words/phrases with face partner as the class discusses
meanings.
Hung his head, complained, grumbled, pouted, dozed off,
heaved a sigh.
Sometimes an author of a story uses special words to show the
sounds animals make. (P.16) “Long…do.” According to the text,
the hen squawked, “I’m bored.” Squawked means to make a
loud, harsh voice. Why did hen squawk? What seems to be her
solution to their problem?
The hen squawked because she was bored and had nothing to
do. She told the animals she was going to town to find
something to do.
Sometimes we might go to a place in town that has lots and lots In the picture I see books on a shelf. It looks like the animals
have found the library.
of good books to read. We call that place a library. By looking
at the picture, what place does it seem the animals have
found? (Teacher Note: The story and picture could be scanned
to the Smartboard or the picture shown to students by the
teacher.)
The story says that the horse politely asked for something to
do. Politely means having good manners. Think how you
would ask a librarian for a book. Turn to your face partner and
share how you would politely ask the librarian for a book.
The librarian is the “keeper of the books.”
How did the setting change in this story?
Reviewer Note: Focus is building meaning for the word
politely. Students use good manners to politely ask the
librarian for a book.
The setting changes from the farm/barnyard to the
town/library.
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HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
(P.17) “Slowly the…friends.” Ambled means to walk slowly. In
the story, which animal ambled into the library?
The story says the pig ambled into the library.
Listen as I read to find out which animal was successful in
asking the librarian for a book. (p.16) “Neigh… hen three
books.” Why was the hen successful?
The hen was successful because she was the only animal the
librarian could understand. Her voice sounded like she was
saying… “book, book, book”.
Delight means happy. Listen to just this part of the story as I
read.
(P.17) “Back…sundown.” What does this part of the story say
about how the animals feel?
This part of the story tells us that the animals made sounds of
delight. This means they were happy.
Now listen to the end. (P17) “All the…read it.” Which animal
doesn’t seem to be happy and why not?
The bullfrog was not happy because he had already read it,
read it, read it. His voice. “ribbit” sounded liked he was saying
“read it”.
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HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
Vocabulary
TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION
not enough contextual clues provided
in the text
WORDS WORTH KNOWING
Words to be part of systematic vocabulary instruction,
not essential for understanding the big ideas of the text
Page16 - hung (his head), dozed (off), heaved (a
Page16 - pouted, squawked, politely, librarian,
sigh), complained, grumbled
whinnied
Page17 - ambled, delight
STUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANING
sufficient context clues are provided in the
text
KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING
BIG IDEAS OF TEXT
Words addressed with a question or task
Page 17 – “Book, book, book”, “Read it, read it,
Page16 - clip-clopped
read it”
Page 17 - plodded, trotted, flapped
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HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
Culminating Task
Re-Read, Think, Discuss, and Write.

Discuss with your partner the problem and solution in the story. Discuss with students that the problem in the story has
to do with the animals being bored.

Students will be given a two frame paper. Frames are labeled with “problem” and “solution”. The students will draw
pictures to show the problem and the solution in the story. The students will write a sentence to tell the problem and the
solution.

Teacher Note: A sentence frame could be used if desired by the teacher. Also, provide word bank as needed. The
problem of the story is….. The solution of the story is …..
Additional Tasks




Re-read (p. 16) “Neigh…she flapped.” Discuss how each animal entered the library: clip-clopped, plodded, trotted, ambled,
flapped. Have students act out the movements for each animal during P.E. time.
Draw a picture of the settings using the two frame paper. Write a sentence about each.
Choose your favorite character in the story. Draw a picture and write a sentence about your character. Read the sentence
you wrote to your face/shoulder partner.
Think of another way the characters could have solved the problem in the story. (Use Think/Pair/Share)
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HMH
Storytown 2009
Grade 1
Note to Teacher

Expect students to respond with complete sentences. Model and scaffold responses with sentence starters as needed. Also,
expand on student responses (when responses are short and easily expanded) and have students repeat the expanded
answer.

Engagement strategies, such as partner talk, choral responses, and signaled responses will help keep students on task and
improve time efficiency. For example, the teacher may direct students to identify a partner and then direct students to find
and whisper the answer to a partner before eliciting a choral response from the whole group. Teachers could direct students
to point to an answer on the Smartboard, thumbs up for yes and thumbs down for no, etc.

Teachers may point out that there are words in this story that represent sounds and that this is called onomatopoeia. These
are animal sounds in this story (moo, baa, neigh).

Teachers may choose to read this story aloud without use of an overhead/smartboard and should edit questions accordingly.
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