Author Study
Laura Numeroff
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Heading (Title, Grade, Disciplines, Duration, Reading Level) ……………………………………. 2
2. Description of School & Student Population …………………………………………………………….. 2
3. About the Author ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3-4
4. Content Overview …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4-6
5. Concept Webs ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7-9
6. Objectives ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
7. Story Summaries ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10-11
8. Favorite Lines from Stories ……………………………………………………………………………………. 11-12
9. Three Lesson Plans ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12-21
10. Activities ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 21-23
11. Culminating Activity ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23
12. Final Evaluation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 24
13. Additional Titles by Author ……………………………………………………………………………………... 24-25
14. Resources ……………………….……………………………………………………………………………………… 25-26
15. Additional Worksheets …………………………………………………………………………………………… 27-30
2
Heading
This Author Study was planned by Megan Weaver
Title: Author Study – Laura Numeroff
Grade: 1
Disciplines: Reading, Writing, Phonics/Word Study, Mathematics, Science
Duration: 3 weeks
Reading Level: Beginning readers (A-F)
Description of School and Student Population
This author study is intended for a first grade class in a lower-middle class, urban school setting.
This New York City public elementary school is located in the northern Bronx. The surrounding
neighborhood is highly populated with residential buildings and a low crime rate. This school is
graded at a C with all of its curriculum and initiatives aligned to the new Common Core State
Standards. There is a low absent rate of students and staff. This school has many resources that are
necessary for the completion of this author study. Resources include a school computer lab as well
as two computers per classroom. All classrooms are equipped with a smart board, leveled library,
art supplies, and math manipulatives. There are 24 students in this multicultural first grade glass
with a wide range of learning abilities and needs. Students are of African, Jamaican, Dominican, and
Puerto Rican descent. There are 13 girls and 11 boys. Three students are provided with pull out
services: occupational therapy, physical therapy, and or speech and there is one ELL who receives
weekly.
About the Author
Inductive- introduced at the onset of the author study
New York Times bestselling author, Laura Numeroff, has written over thirty-five children’s
books and is most famously known for her “If You Give A…” series. Numeroff was born
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in Brooklyn New York on July 14, 1953. As a child, she was an avid reader and by the age of nine
had decided she wanted to become a writer. Numeroff credits her current profession to two
specific childhood favorites, E. B. White’s Stuart Little and Kay Thompson’s Eloise.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985) was the book that launched Numeroff's hit "If You Give
A..." series. It was rejected by publishers nine times before finally being accepted by HarperCollins.
These stories use a circular story format, presenting to the reader a chain of if - then events. At the
end of the story, the reader discovers that the characters have ended up in the same event that they
started with. Over the course of fifteen years, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie led to numerous more
books of the same style but with different characters, including a moose, cat, pig, and dog. In 2004,
Numeroff was invited to the White House to be honored for the series at the “Laura Bush Celebrates
American Authors” event. In 2003, Numeroff released her autobiography, If You Give an Author a
Pencil. Many of her stories are printed in various languages including Spanish, Italian, and Japanese
and read by children all over the world. In addition to meeting new people and eating oatmeal with
bananas and raisins, Laura Numeroff loves film. She is hoping to eventually take on the exciting yet
difficult task of writing screenplays and adult fiction novels.
Content Overview
Laura J. Numeroff is an inspiring and creative author who has wrote many different books.
However, her most celebrated contribution to children’s literature is the “If You Give A…” series.
Our first grade class will explore Numeroff’s work in this three week author study which integrates
various content areas. Students will make new friends with these endearing characters, or perhaps
see old ones in stories they have read before either in kindergarten or at home. The teacher will
introduce this author study by having the students learn a little about Numeroff’s career and how
she became a bestselling author. Laura Numeroff has written over thirty-five children’s books. She
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was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 14, 1953 and from a very young age loved to read. She
loved reading so much that by the age of nine she decided to become a writer one day. Two
renowned childhood favorites, E. B. White’s Stuart Little and Kay Thompson’s Eloise were
influential in her desire to become a writer. Then, the students will listen to the first story, If You
Give a Mouse a Cookie, read aloud online by Laura Numeroff herself!
This author study focus on five of the eight irresistible stories from Numeroff’s “If You Give
A…” series. Each story depicts characters that will delight young readers with their antics. Mouse,
Moose, Pig, Cat, and Dog each experience everyday situations and the consequences that unravel
through the pages of the story. The recurring story lines entertain while providing students with
early experiences in sequential thought, story structure, author style, and predictability.
In the first mini-lesson, students will learn about cause-effect relationships. If You Give a
Mouse a Cookie will be used as a mentor text to show students how Laura Numeroff writes “If…
then” statements to represent the cause-effect relationships. The students will work with the
teacher to indentify all “if…then” statements in the story and then use their imagination and
creativity to create their own “if…then” statement. This lesson and follow-up activity will provide
students with a foundation for cause and effect, which will become a noteworthy concept in their
future studies across all disciplines.
All of the stories that will be read during this author study use a circular story format. In
this format, the reader discovers that the characters have ended up in the same event that they
started with at the beginning of the story. Students will understand this story writing technique by
reading If You Give a Pig a Pancake. As a visual component to this lesson, students will cut out
pictures of events from the story, lay them out in sequential order, then paste them in a circle.
Having an understanding of the circular story format and sequencing will be useful as the students
read more books from this irresistible series. Next, students will read If You Give a Moose a Muffin
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to discover story elements in a reader’s workshop lesson. The teacher will scaffold instruction as
she models how to fill out a story map using the students’ responses. This lesson will be a great
introduction to problem and solution at the first grade level.
Throughout this author study, students will also read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake and If You
Give a Dog a Donut. These stories will be used in activities to incorporate and apply science, math,
and phonics skills. Students will read If You Give a Dog a Donut then participate in an interactive
bar graph activity based on the students’ favorite choice of donut. The students will also become
scientists as they observe the changes in a cookie when it is submerged in a glass of milk for an
extended period of time. During word study, students will read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake and then
go on a word hunt for compound words in the story (ex: cupcake). The students will work with a
partner to complete a compound word picture sort using their word study notebooks.
All of the stories chosen for this author study have an underlying educational value while
being fun and engaging. The students will fall in love with the characters while participating in
differentiated lessons on cause and effect writing, sequencing, and problem and solution. All of the
lessons and activities will prepare students for the culminating activity that will assess their overall
understanding of the objectives of this author study.
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Concept Webs
Cause and
Effect
Shared Reading
If…Then t-Chart
Big Book – look for
key words (if/then)
(Teacher
scaffolds)
If You Give
a Mouse a
Cookie
If…Then sentence
starters
Science Experiment:
Observe cookies
submerged in milk
Circle Story
and
sequencing
Sentence Strips &
Pocket Chart
Picture cards,
construction paper,
cut and paste
Complete the sentence
If You Give
a Pig a
Pancake
Follow-up: Retell the
story to another
class using the circle
story
Predictions
“What do you predict
will happen after you
give a pig a pancake?”
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Story Map
Laminated with color
coded post-its
Story Elements
-
Character
Setting
Problem
Solution
If You Give
a Moose a
Muffin
Story element
skit with two
students to
open lesson
Compound
Words
Word Hunt
If You Give
a Cat a
Cupcake
Blind writing
picture sort
Word Study
Journal
Partner work
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Math Activity
Addition and
Subtraction
Interactive bar
graph
If You Give
a Dog a
Donut
Donut Box
Infer bar
graph results
Vanilla, Chocolate,
Strawberry
Objectives
By the end of this author study, students will demonstrate their ability to…
1. Recognize cause and effect relationships in a fiction text and develop personal cause effect
statements using the key words if and then.
2. Organize the events of a circular story in sequential order to retell the story to peers.
3. Define and identify story elements in a fiction text using a story map.
4. Sort compound words from non-compound words.
5. Interpret the results of a bar graph.
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Story Summaries
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985)
What happens if you give a mouse a cookie? Much more than you’d imagine!
This is the classic book that started it all. A nice young boy invites a mouse
into his house for a cookie and finds himself indulging the mouse in series of
connected requests. The requests lead us through a chain of events that
includes, among many things, a haircut, house-cleaning spree and coloring
session, returning us to the fridge where the mouse requests a second glass
of milk, and of course… a cookie!
If You Give a Moose a Muffin (1991)
If a big hungry moose comes to visit, you might give him a muffin to make him
feel at home. If you give him a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it. When
he's eaten all your muffins, he'll want to go to the store to get some more
muffin mix. In this hilarious sequel to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, the young
host is again worn out by a surprise guest.
If You Give a Pig a Pancake (1998)
If you give a pig a pancake, you’d better be prepared for the series of events
that will follow. You'll have to give her some of her favorite maple syrup.
She'll probably get all sticky, so she'll want to take a bath. She'll ask you for
some bubbles. When you give her the bubbles...how many more things will
she ask for?
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (2008)
When does a cupcake with sprinkles lead to an exciting day at the beach, the
park, and the museum? When you give a cat a cupcake! If you give a cat the
cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the
sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor. Cleaning up will make him hot, so
you'll give him a bathing suit . . . and that's just the beginning of the things
this exhausting cat will need!
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If You Give a Dog a Donut (2011)
After his host gives him a donut, the dog requests apple juice; and then
seconds. Since there isn’t any left, he skateboards outside to pick apples to
make juice. Tossing an apple to the boy makes him think of baseball, so the
two play that sport then pirates, have a water fight, and fly a kite, before the
dog is again reminded of apple juice, and donuts.
Favorite Line from Stories
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
1. “When he looks into the mirror, he might notice that his hair needs a trim. So he will
probably ask for a pair of nail scissors.”
o This line from the story perfectly depicts the cause and effect relationship theme
which appears throughout the story. The effects of the mouse looking in the mirror
and noticing his hairs needs a trim causes him to ask for a pair of scissors.
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
2. “The duck will remind her of the farm where she was born. She might feel homesick and
want to visit her family.”
o This sentence from the story takes you through the pig’s thinking. The students can
use context clues to determine what comes next in the story.
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
3. “When the scenery is finished, he will get behind the couch. But, his antlers will stick out.
So, he will ask for something to cover them up. You’ll bring him a sheet from your bed.”
o This line is a clear example of a problem and its solution. This will be a great
example to model what the students will be expected to do in the story map lesson.
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
4. “Seeing the sand reminds him of sprinkles...”
o This line at the end of the story sets the reader up for the story to come full circle
(hence the circular story format). This is a great opportunity for students to
understand the pattern and fill in the next sentence during shared reading!
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If You Give a Dog a Donut
5. “Dancing will make him hot and dusty. So he’ll need some water.”
o This line explains the rationale for the sequence of events in the story. Dancing
makes the dog hot so of course he needs water to cool down.
Lesson Plans
Lesson #1: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students to learn to recognize cause and effect
relationships in a fiction text. With teacher scaffolding, students will use If You Give a Mouse a
Cookie and context clues to indentify an effect when given its cause and vice versa.
Vocab & Key Terms:


Cause - the reason something happens
Effect - the thing that happens as a result of the cause
Skills:




Listen
Recognize
Apply
Work collaboratively
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate their ability to…
1. Identify an effect when given its cause and vice versa in a fiction text using context clues
and key words from the text.
Common Core Learning Standards:
 Reading Standards for Literature K-5
o Grade 1
 Standard 7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters,
setting, or events.
 Standard 11: Make connections between self, text, and world around them.
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Pre-Assessment: Students will have already read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and will have the
basic content knowledge of the text. This lesson will focus on looking specifically for examples of
cause and effect rather than for main idea, craft, or structure.
Lesson Presentation
A. Set-Induction:
o The students will be called to the rug by table color.
o The teacher will provide an everyday example of a cause and effect relationship.
o “If Madison is outside in the rain without an umbrella then she will get
wet.”
o The teacher will explain cause and effect in explicit terms, drawing the students’
attention to the bolded words in the sentence. Say: “Today we are going to look at
cause and effect in the story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. These
key words are going to help us when we read our stories.”
B. Procedure
o The teacher will read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie aloud using the big book. She will
invite the students to choral read along with her.
o Teaching Point
o The teacher will model how to recognize the cause and effects of giving the
mouse what he asks for in the story. The teacher will stop, chart (in the
teacher made t-chart), and explain the effects up to page 4.
o Think Check
o Ask: "Looking at our first example, how did I know this was the cause and
this was the effect?” Students will engage in a turn and talk to discuss this
question with their partner. Students should respond that you saw the key
word if and then thought about what was happening next.
o Guided Practice
o The teacher and students will continue to read the story and work together
to identify, chart, and discuss the cause and effects from pages 5 to 11.
o Independent Practice
o The students will return to their desks. The teacher will distribute a
worksheet and in pairs, the students will look at the scenarios and fill in the
missing part. To differentiate, students will have the option of writing or
drawing pictures to fill in either the cause or effect.
o During independent practice, the teacher will pull a small group to the back table for
reinforcement of the lesson.
C. Closure: To summarize the objectives of the lesson, the teacher will restate the teaching
point. One pair that mastered the objectives of the lesson will be chosen to share their
worksheet with the whole class under the gooseneck.
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Materials
 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (big book)
 Easel
 Chart paper
 Markers
 Cause and effect worksheet
 Pencils
 Smart board
 Goose neck
Follow up Activity: The following day, students will revisit cause and effect by drafting their own
“if…then” statements. Using sentence starters, students will recall If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and
make text-to-self connections to write personal cause effect sentences in their writer’s workshop
notebooks.
Assessment: In addition to observation and anecdotal records of students during the mini‐lesson,
teacher‐student conferences, independent practice and share time, the teacher will collect the cause
and effect worksheet to assess if each student met the learning objectives.
Differentiation





The teacher will scaffold instruction from direct teaching, modeling, guided practice, until
eventually independent practice.
Visual learners will benefit from the interactive shared reading using a big book as well as
from the t-chart graphic organizer.
This lesson accommodates ELL students using visual aids and small group instruction.
Interpersonal learners will be able to discuss with their partners during a turn and talk and
share out at the end of the lesson.
Intrapersonal learners will have the opportunity to work alone to complete the
independent practice worksheet.
Resources
 Common Core Learning Standards: www.engageny.org
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Lesson #2: If You Give a Pig a Pancake
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the circular story format which
exists throughout all of the If You Give A series stories. Students will read If You Give a Pig a
Pancake and represent the story’s sequence of events using a circle story diagram. The students
will use their diagrams to retell the story to a peer.
Vocab & Key Terms:

Skills:





Circle story - at the end of a story, the reader discovers that the characters have ended up
in the same event that they started with.
Listen
Predict
Recall
Sequence
Retell
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate their ability to…
1. Recall the sequence of events in a fiction text.
2. Represent a circular story format using a circle story diagram.
3. Retell a story using a circle story diagram.
Common Core Learning Standards:
 Reading Standards For Literature K-5
o Grade 1
 Standard 2: Retell stories, including key details and demonstrate
understanding of their central message or lesson.
Pre-Assessment: There is no background knowledge required for this lesson because it is an
introduction to the circular story format.
Lesson Presentation:
A. Set Induction:
o The students will be called to the rug by table color.
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o
o
The teacher will read the title of If You Give a Pig a Pancake. The teacher will ask
the students, “If you were to give a pig a pancake, what do you predict would
happen next?”
The teacher will take the students through a picture walk, pausing to allow time
for students to discuss, inquire about, and infer from each illustration what they
think the pictures suggest. Students will engage in a turn and talk to share their
ideas.
B. Procedure:
o The teacher will read the story aloud.
o The teacher will have already prepared the following two headings on sentence
strips: “If you give a pig….” and “then he’ll probably want” and phrase cards from
the story to be used for the following pocket-chart activity.
o The teacher will model how to pick a phrase card from envelope 1 and place it in
the left column of the chart. The teacher will then choose the card from envelop
2 that correctly completes the sentence.
o Invite one student to pick a phrase card from envelope 1. Then place that
sentence strip under the left column in the pocket chart.
o Invite a different student to choose the card that correctly completes the
sentence from envelope 2.
o Repeat steps 4-7 until all of the phrase cards have been used.
o Looking at the chart, the teacher and students will work together to put the
events in the order that they occurred in the story.
o The teacher will define a circle story and explain why the sequence of events in
this particular story represent a circular story format.
o Students will return to their desks.
o The teacher will choose three volunteers to help distribute a scissor, glue stick,
and construction paper to each student.
o The teacher will do a fishbowl to model the activity.
o Students will cut out each picture card and place them in a pile on their desks.
Then, they will recall the events of the story and organize the matching picture
cards into the correct sequence. (referring to the pocket chart for support)
o Once in order, the students will paste the pictures in a circle onto the
construction paper to represent a circle story.
C. Closure: To summarize the lesson objectives, the teacher will re-define a circle
story. The students will share out their circle stories with their partners. One
student who exemplified the lesson objectives will share their diagram under the
gooseneck.
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Materials
- If You Give a Pig a Pancake
- Pocket Chart
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- Construction paper
- Smartboard
- Goose neck
Follow-up Activity: The following day, each student from your class will partner with a student
from another first grade class and retell the story using their story circle he or she has created as an
illustration. Encourage students to improvise dialogue between the mouse and the boy as they go
along. Students from your class must explain the cause-effect relationship using the words, "if...,
then...."
Assessment/Evaluation: The teacher will collect the students’ circle stories to assess that the
students met the lesson objectives of correctly sequencing the story into a circular diagram.
Differentiation
- Visual learners will benefit from the pocket chart activity and conceptualizing the events of
the story in a circular format.
- Kinesthetic learner will have the opportunity to come up to the pocket chart and complete
sentences using sentence strips.
- This lesson accommodates ESL students using pictures to represent each event in the story.
- An enrichment activity for students that finish early or require a challenge is to have them
spell the words in each picture by stretching them out.
Interpersonal learners will benefit from a rug turn and talk as well as during the follow up
activity when they retell If You Give a Pig a Pancake to a peer in the other class.
- Intrapersonal learners will have the opportunity to work alone to construct their personal
circle story.
Resources
- Common Core Learning Standards – www.engageny.org
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Lesson #3: If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Purpose: This lesson focuses on identifying story elements in a fiction text. Students will identify
the main characters, setting, problems and solutions from If You Give a Moose a Muffin.
Vocabulary & Key Terms:




Skills:




Characters - important people or animals in a story.
Setting - the background against which the story takes place.
Problem - a question or issued that needs to be solved or answered.
Solution - A means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.
Listen
Recall
Apply
Write
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate their ability to…
1. Identify story elements such as the title, characters, setting, problem, and solution in
fiction text through words and/or illustrations.
2. Develop a narrative piece describing a problem and its solution with appropriately
sequenced events, transition words, and descriptive details.
Common Core Learning Standards:
 Reading Standards for Literature K-5
o Grade 1
 Standard 3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story using
key details
 Standard 11: Make connections between self, text, and the world around
them.
 Writing Standards K-5
o Grade 1
 Standard 3: Write narratives in which they recount two or more
appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what
happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some
sense of closure.
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Pre-Assessment: Students will have already read If You Give a Moose a Muffin and will have the
basic content knowledge of the text. This lesson will focus on looking specifically for story
elements. Students have been introduced to characters and setting in kindergarten.
Lesson Presentation:
A. Set Induction:
o The students will be called to the rug by table color.
o The teacher will ask for two students to participate in a skit that will introduce
the day’s lesson on story elements. First, the teacher will define characters,
setting, problem, and solution.
o The teacher will have prepared a scenario with two main characters, a setting, a
problem, and a solution to the problem.
o Student A and Student B are in school. They sit next to each other at the
blue table during book club. Student A has forgotten his book at home.
Student B notices that her classmate doesn’t have his book so she decides
to share her book with him and they buddy read together.
o The students will act out this scene in front of the class.
o The teacher and student will work together to identify the characters, setting,
problem, and solution.
B. Procedure
1. The teacher will define the teaching point of the lesson. “Today we are going to
identify story elements using a story map. Story maps help us comprehend the
parts of our story.” Ask the students, “Why is it helpful to use story maps when
we are reading?”
2. The teacher will read If You Give a Moose a Muffin to refresh the student’s
memory of the story.
3. The teacher will display the large story map chart and write the title on a post-it
and stick it to the map next to title (see attached).
4. The teacher will ask, “Who are the main characters in the story?” Students will
respond and the teacher will write their responses on a yellow post-it then stick
it next to characters on the story map.
5. Then, the teacher will ask, “What is the setting of the story?” The students will
respond and the teacher will write their response on a yellow post-it then stick
it next to setting on the story map.
6. Next, the teacher will model recalling a problem that the Moose had in the story.
7. The teacher will write the problem on a blue post it and stick it on the map next
to problems.
8. The teacher will ask the students how the problem was solved. After allowing
think time, students will turn and talk with their partner to determine the
solution to that problem from the story. One student will respond and the
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teacher will write it on a blue post-it to match the problem and the student will
stick it to the map next to solutions.
9. The teacher and students will repeat steps 6-8 with a second problem and
solution using green post-its.
10. Students will return to their desks.
11. The teacher will distribute writing paper and the students will write
independently about a time in their life when they had a problem and then
describe the solution to that problem.
Closure: To summarize the objectives of the lesson, the teacher will revisit the teaching
point. One student who exemplified the lesson objectives in their narrative story will share
with the class under the gooseneck.
Materials:
- If You Give a Moose a Muffin
- Large Story Map Chart
- Post-its
- Writing paper
- Pencils
- Story Map handout
Follow-up Activity: The following day, the teacher will read If You Give a Dog a Donut. The teacher
will distribute a story map to each student. The students will work with a partner to complete the
story map and indentify characters, setting, a problem and its solution. Simultaneously, the teacher
will pull a small group to re-teach the lesson from the previous day.
Evaluation & Assessment: The teacher will assess the students understanding of the lesson
objectives through observation and anecdotal records of students during the mini‐lesson,
teacher‐student conferences, independent practice and share time.
Differentiation:
 The teacher will scaffold instruction from direct teaching, modeling, guided practice, until
eventually independent practice.
 Visual learners will benefit from
 This lesson accommodates ESL students using
 The teacher will pull a small group for reinforcement of the lesson objectives.
 An enrichment activity for students that finish early or require a challenge is to
20
 Interpersonal learners will be able to discuss with their partners during a turn and talk and
share out at the end of the lesson.
 Intrapersonal learners will have the opportunity to work alone during the independent
worksheet.
Resources:
Common Core Learning Standards – www.engageny.org
Story Map Graphic Organizer –www.library.thinkquest.org
Activities
Activity #1
Title: Donut Graphing
Purpose: Students will practice the concepts of addition and subtraction and graphing during this
interactive bar graph activity representing their favorite flavor of donut (based on If You Give a Dog
a Donut).
Content Area: Math
Materials:
-
If You Give a Dog a Donut
Smartboard T-Chart
Graphing worksheet
Pencils
Procedure:
1. The teacher will read If You Give a Dog a Donut.
2. The teacher will present the three options of donut flavors – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry
and the students will choose a favorite.
3. One at a time, each table will be called up to the Smartboard. Each student will drag their
favorite donut (from a donut box at the bottom) to the appropriate spot on the pre-labeled
bar graph.
4. The students will add the total number of donuts in the bar graph to determine which flavor
is the most popular among the class. Three students will be chosen to write the total
number for each flavor on graph.
5. Students will return to their desks and re-create this bar graph independently on the
provided bar graph template.
6. Based on the bar graph, the teacher will ask:
a. How many more people like chocolate donuts than strawberry?
b. How many people like vanilla and chocolate donuts?
c. What can you tell me about the class based on the results of this bar graph?
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Activity #2
Title: The Effect of Milk on Cookies
Purpose: Students will complete this science experiment to observe how long before one chocolate
chip cookie breaks down when submerged in a 12 oz. class of whole milk. Students will record
their observations in their science notebooks.
Content Area: Science
Materials:
- 1 package of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies (1 cookie per pair)
- 2 gallons of whole milk
- Glasses
- Science notebooks
- Pencils
- Colored pencils
- Timer
Procedure:
1. Students will hypothesize what they think will happen to a cookie when placed in a glass of
whole milk. They will write their hypothesis using a sentence starter handout that will be
stapled into their science notebook.
2. Each pair of students will receive 1 Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie and a 12 oz. glass of
whole milk.
3. In their science notebooks, the students will draw what the cookie and milk look like
individually before put together in the glass.
4. The students will drop the cookie in the milk, observe the changes, and record their
findings.
Activity #3
Title: Compound Words Sort
Purpose: Based on the story If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, students will identify compound words in
the story during a word hunt and then complete a picture sort in pairs.
Content Area: Shared Reading, Word Study
Materials:
- If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (big book)
- Easel
- Markers
- Word Study Notebooks
- Picture card envelop
- Pencils
Procedure:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
The teacher and students will choral read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake aloud.
The students will be on a word hunt for compound words like cupcake.
The teacher will make a list of the compound words on the easel as they read.
The students will return to their desks and take out their picture card envelop and word
study notebook.
5. In pairs, the students will complete a picture card sort separating the compound words
from non compound words.
6. The students will stretch out and spell each compound word in their Word Study
notebooks.
Culminating Activity
As a final activity to celebrate the end of our Laura Numeroff author study, utilizing a choice board,
each student will apply their creativity to create their own version of a If You Give A circle story.
The students will have two options to choose from based on student interest as to how they would
like to complete this activity.
Choices:
1. A new animal story. (Ex: If You Give a Bear a Banana, If You Give a Turtle a Taco)
2. A personal circle story.
The teacher will provide each student with a writing packet containing an appropriate number of
pages for that particular students writing ability (3-7 pages). After the initial draft has been
completed, edited, and revised, the students will be ready to write their final draft and add
illustrations. Then, each student will sit in the author’s chair and read their story to the class. The
following day, families will be invited to a publishing party! The students will display their stories
on their desks. Each student will have to write one positive comment on a post it about a
classmate’s story. Students and their families will enjoy refreshments, including cookies, muffins,
cupcakes, and donuts in honor of our favorite Laura Numeroff If You Give a story books and
characters!
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Assessment/Evaluation
The final evaluation of this author study is the students finished If You Give A story. Students will
be expected to write their stories in a circular format using the words if and then. Students will be
expected to recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding
what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. This
completed memoir will be a good indication for whether or not the students grasped all of
the concepts from each of Laura Numeroff’s books and the lessons and activities aligned
with them.
Additional Titles by Author
The “If You Give A…” series
1. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985)
2. If You Give a Moose a Muffin (1991)
3. If You Give a Pig a Pancake (1998)
4. The Best Mouse Cookie (1999)
5. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (2000)
6. If You Take a Mouse to School (2002)
7. If You Give a Pig a Party (2005)
8. Merry Christmas, Mouse! (2007)
9. Time for School, Mouse! (2008)
10. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (2008)
11. Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! (2009)
12. Happy Easter, Mouse! (2010)
13. If You Give a Dog a Donut (2011)
14. If You Take a Mouse to Chick-fil-A (2012)
15. If You Give a Mouse a Hot Dog (2013)
16. If You Give a Moose a Collard Green (2014)
The What People Do Best series
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What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best
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What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best
What Aunts Do Best/What Uncles Do Best
Other books
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Beatrice Doesn't Want to
Sometimes I Wonder If Poodles Like Noodles
Monster Munchies
The Chicken Sisters
Laura Numeroff's Ten Step Guide to Living with Your Monster
Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers
Chimps Don't Wear Glasses
Two For Stew
Why a Disguise?
When Sheep Sleep
The Jellybeans and the Big Dance
Emily’s Bunch (with Alice Richter)
Walter
Amy for Short (1976)
Does Grandma Have an Elmo Elephant Jungle Kit
You Can’t Put Braces on Spaces (with Alice Richter)
Phoebe Dexter Has Harriet Peterson’s Sniffles
If You Give an Author a Pencil
Resources
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
Numeroff, Laura Joffe., and Felicia Bond. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. [New York]: Laura
Geringer, 2008. Print.
If You Give a Dog a Donut
Numeroff, Laura Joffe., and Felicia Bond. If You Give a Dog a Donut. New York,: Balzer + Bray,
2011. Print.
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Numeroff, Laura Joffe., and Felicia Bond. If You Give a Moose a Muffin. [New York]:
HarperCollins, 1991. Print.
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If You Give A Mouse a Cookie
Numeroff, Laura Joffe., and Felicia Bond. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. New York: Harper &
Row, 1985. Print.
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
Numeroff, Laura Joffe., and Felicia Bond. If You Give a Pig a Pancake. New York: Laura
Geringer Book, 1998. Print.
If You Give Series Teaching Guide
http://www.mousecookiebooks.com/pdfs/IfYouGiveSeriesTeachingGuide.pdf
Laura Numeroff’s Website- http://www.lauranumeroff.com
You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysHwsI_82nw
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Lesson Attachments
Lesson #1
If
(cause)
Then
(effect)
If you give a mouse a cookie
then he will ask for a glass of milk
If you give him a glass of milk
then he will ask for a straw
If he notices his hair needs a trim
then he will ask for a pair of nail scissors
If he made a mess while cutting his hair
then he will ask for a broom to clean up
If he becomes tired
then he will want to take a nap
Notes:
Bold text is charted by the teacher during direct teaching/modeling.
Italicized text is charted with the class during guided practice.
Pictures will be used to support the cause and their effects for ELLs.
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Lesson #1
Name _________________________________
Date _____________
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Cause and Effect
Direction: Fill in the missing pieces using the key words if and then.
Cause
If you give a
mouse a
cookie
Effect
Cause
Then he will
ask for a
glass of milk
If you give if a
glass of milk
If he noticed
his hair needs
a trim…
Effect
Then…
Then he will
want a nap
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Lesson #3
29
Lesson #3
30