The Mitten
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Author: Jan Brett
ISBN: 039921920X |
Unit by Ginger A. and Kelly
Cooper
Lapbook and Printables
**these minit books can be used
with the supplemental title, Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
Printables from Other Sites
Animal Masks
Mitten
Pattern and Animals - you can use this for a story sequencing activity
with your student
Design Your Own
Mitten
Mitten Mini Book
Language Arts
Story Sequence
After reading The Mitten
color the mitten and animal pages [cut out the animals]. Practice story
sequencing by placing the animals onto the mitten in the correct order.
Don’t glue these down yet, so that this can be practiced and reinforced
during the unit study. At the end of the unit glue the animals to the
mitten.
Drama
Use the masks to put on a play
or skit of The Mitten. An older child could write character names to
be taped to the actors’ t-shirts.
Genre: Folktale
This is a retelling of a
Ukrainian Folktale. What does retelling mean? What is a folktale? Is this an
original story? You may want to include reading another variation of
this tale, The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt.
Discussion
Did grandmother give Nicki good
advice? Why do you think Baba made the white mittens for Nicki?
Sayings
What happens after all the
animals crawl into the mitten? Have you ever heard anyone use the phrase
“the straw that broke the camel’s back”? How is this saying similar to the
story of The Mitten?
From GoEnglish.com -- The
straw that broke the camel's back is the last thing you are willing
to accept after which you will not put up with any more. Example: "You broke
a lot of rules and we tried to ignore it. But stealing money from us was
the straw that broke the camel's back. We're sending you home to your
parents."
You are at the last straw when you are just about to lose your
patience. The straw that broke the camel's back is the last
thing that that happened that finally made you upset. Example: "He came to
work late every day that week. Then on Friday, he didn't show up at all."
Reply: "That was the straw that broke the camel's back."
There is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel
can carry on its back. If you keep putting more straw on top,
it will finally break the camel's back. When you are at the
last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.
Example: "You have been rude to me all day. I've had it. That's the last
straw!"
Computer Skills
Type a letter to your
grandmother using this
special mitten greeting card and envelope.
Social Studies
Read more about Ukraine then
tell your student the information he would find interesting.
Where does this story take
place? What language is spoken there? What does Baba mean? What do you call
your grandmother?
Symbols of Ukraine
Map Printout
Flag
Printout [note: The flag is two broad
stripes of color and would be a good sewing project.]
Recipes from other cultures are
always fun to try. This Ukrainian recipe (from Ukrainian Daughter's
Cookbook) for sweet nothings sounds good.
Khrustyky (Sweet
Nothings)
Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1 cup flour
1tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt
- Beat the egg yolks well, add sugar, vinegar and flour.
- Mix well, then knead dough until smooth, on a lightly floured board.
Cover with a warm bowl, let stand 10-15 minutes, and no longer (I
once let the dough sit for a time, and they didn't turn out well at
all).
- Roll the dough out paper thin and cut, diagonally, in 1" wide
strips. Then, cut these strips into diamond pieces about 2" long (See
Figure 1).
Slit each piece in the centre. Take two of the corners, bring them up
and pass them both through the slit (Figure 2). Pull the corners tightly
through (Figure 3 - a side view) until the corners are back at
their original position. This is hard to describe, but you'll know it's
right when the bow doesn't pop back out of position, it should stay as
is when its done right. Alan Granofsky says his Lithuanian family only
tuck one corner into the slit and pull firmly through, so you can try
that too!
Fry in deep fat, 350° until very lightly brown. Drain and sprinkle with
icing sugar.
Math
Counting
Count the number of
animals that are inside the mitten.
Compare
Look at a real mitten.
Compare the size of the mitten to the animals pictured in the book.
Which animals could really fit into a mitten?
Observe a mitten and a glove.
How are they alike? Different?
Matching
Work on matching skills. Gather
all the mittens [and gloves] in your home. [or cut out several pairs of
paper mittens] Mix them up and let your child match the pairs. How
many is a pair? Or make a mitten folder game.
Patterns are available
at this site.
Size
Put the mitten pairs [used above] in
order form smallest to largest.
Measurement
Discuss the word stretch. The
mitten in the story stretched a lot. Name some items that can stretch.
[tee-shirts, socks, pony tail holders, etc.] Measure a rubber band
and record its length. Now stretch the rubber band and measure it
again. Compare the numbers. What happened?
Science
Predictions
Make a prediction.
Gather some small plastic or stuffed animals. Predict how many will fit into
the mitten. Count the number of animals that fit. Compare the
number that fit into the mitten to your prediction. Are the numbers close?
Animal Tracks
Study the animal tracks in the
story. Which animal made the tracks? Paint some animal tracks onto dark
colored construction paper using white paint. Explore outside, try to find
animal tracks. Pour a little Plaster of Paris into a track and make a mold
of the track. [You can also make a track with your own footprint if animal
tracks aren’t found].
Simple Animal
Tracks Sheet from Kizclub
Animal Tracks
(simple) from bry-back manor
Camouflage
Talk about camouflage. Name
some animals that are protected in winter due to their white fur. Why was
the mitten so hard to see? It blended in with the snow. Why are animals with
white fur hard to see in the winter? They blend in with the snow. Try this
game to learn more about camouflage.
Cover a table with a white
sheet. Put a variety of solid white items on the table. Let your child study
the table for a minute or two then leave the room. How many items does he
remember? Repeat the game but this time put a variety of brightly colored
objects on the table. Which was easier to remember?
Cut out a mitten and a rabbit
from white construction paper and glue to a piece of white paper. Your child
can write or trace the word camouflage at the top of the paper.
Animals with “snow camo”
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/fox/Arcticfoxprintout.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/lagomorphs/Hare.shtml
Fibers
Introduce the term fiber to your student
[show him different materials]. What type of fiber do you think
was used to make these mittens? [wool] Go to a craft store or fabric center
and look at some skeins of wool. [not all craft stores have wool so call and
ask before you go.] Does the wool feel the same as cotton and synthetic
fibers?
Animals in the Story
The Mole
A mole is characterized by a
pointed snout; thick, soft fur; short legs; and long, powerful claws on
the front pair of legs. They dig underground for food (mostly earthworms
and animal larvae). The y also dig tunnels to live in several chambers
underground like a house with many rooms.
In The
Mitten, the mole is characterized as “the mole was tunneling along….”
Snowshoe
Rabbit
In winter the rabbit is pure white except for the tips of his ears-they
are black. It weighs only 3ounces at birth but it grows so quickly that it
can crawl when it is only 2 days old and hop after it is 3 days old. They
usually eat plants, but an adult will occasionally eat small mice.
In The
Mitten the rabbit is described as having “big kickers.”
Hedgehog
They are characterized by spiny fur that covers their body. When they
feel threatened, they will curl themselves up into a ball and this makes all
the spines poke out. They eat insects, worms, frogs, snakes, mice, and
birds' eggs. Some of these species hibernate (sleep in the winter).
In The
Mitten the hedgehog is described as being “covered with prickles.”
Owl
Owls have
little eye movement to see and so they are able to rotate their long
flexible neck 270 degrees! They are nocturnal (awake at night) and eat
small living creatures from insects to small mammals like mice and
rabbits. They also have sharp talons to grab their food.
In The Mitten
the owl is described as having “glinty talons.”
Badgers
Badgers are strong short animals that also like to burrow underground are
primarily nocturnal. They have a very distinct face that has a white
stripe on it. (jut like a skunk, they have white on their face and have a
stinky smell too) It has really long front claws to dig with. Depending on
where it lives, the badger eats anything from plants and roots to bird eggs
and small animals.
In The Mitten,
the badger is described as having “diggers.”
Fox
The fox is
the smallest member of the dog family. They are characterized by short
pointy ears, thick fur, and long bushy tails. They like to jump and pounce
on their prey (mice, rabbits, birds, eggs, and even fruit.) They also like
to hunt and live in packs.
In The Mitten,
the fox is described as having “shiny teeth.”
Bear
Bears have huge paws-each front paw
has five claws to help it dig. Bears hibernate in the winter, but they
aren’t considered “true” hibernators. They eat fish, berries and small
animal. The brown bear can weigh from 200lbs-1,760 lbs!
In The
Mitten, the bear is described as “a great bear-who would argue with a
bear?”
Meadow
mouse
Mice are characterized by their long tail, sharp pointy teeth,. The
constant gnawing keeps their teeth sharp. These animals are very small and
will eat just about anything. It grows to only 6 1/2 inches long and that
is including its tail.
In The
Mitten, the field mouse is described as being “tiny enough to fit on the
bear’s nose.”
Art
Let your
student design his own mitten
Purchase some iron on transfer
paper and print the transfers for this story.
Decorate a book bag or
sweatshirt following the directions at Jan Brett’s site.
Cut out mitten shapes
from white felt. Purchase a length of polar fleece [any color but white] and
make a no-sew scarf. Hand sew the mittens on each end of the scarf [you can
add pony beads to the fringe]. Hancock’s Sewing center and Hobby Lobby have
free instructions for lots of no-sew fleece items.
