Valentine by Carol Carrick - Teaching Ideas

Even though this story takes place on Valentine's Day and is titled Valentine, it is a story that can be read any time of year because the ultimate message is one of love and caring.

Valentine is a beautifully written wonderfully illustrated story about a girl, a grandma and a baby lamb. Heather's mom has to leave for work on Valentine's Day and Heather is very sad about that. Heather's grandma decides that baking valentine cookies would be a good idea. While the cookies were baking they went out to check grandmas favorite lamb Clover. When they got to the barn they noticed that Clover had her babies, but one little one was not moving and barely breathing. Grandma quickly scooped her up and took her inside. They gave her a warm bath, dried her with a hair dryer and fed her with a bottle. Heather fell in love with this little lamb and decided to call her Valentine.  At the end of the story, Valentine looked around the kitchen and said, "M-a-a". Did she think Heather was her mom?

Here is some more info on this story that might be helpful to you.

Reading level: 3.5-3.99

Theme: animals (pets), families (love)

Genre: holiday (Valentine's Day)

Suggested Vocabulary: pen (as in animal pen), clutched, just barely, cradled, bleating sound

Reading skills and strategies:

• asking questions - {before} Why is the book called Valentine? Is the book about Valentine's Day? {during} Why does Heather's mom have to work? Why does Heather and her mom live with Heather's grandma?  How come the little lamb was not moving in the barn? {after} What was Valentine looking for at the very end?
• author's point of view - 3rd person
• author's purpose - entertain
• beginning, middle, end - {beg}It was Valentine's Day and Heather's mom had to go to work. Heather was sad. Heather and her grandma made valentine cookies.  {mid} While the cookies were in the oven they went to go check on the sheep. Clover had her babies, and one would not get up. Heather and her grandma brought the baby to the house and put it in warm water. They dried her off with a towel and made her warm with a hair dryer. Grandma and Heather fed the baby with a bottle. {end} Heather and her grandma finished baking their cookies and Heather's mom came home. The baby sheep called for her M-a-a.
• cause and effect - Why was Heather so sad? because Heather didn't want her mom to go to work. Why were grandma and Heather making cookies? because it was Valentine's Day. Why did the first batch of cookies get too brown? because Clover had her babies and one was hardly breathing. Why did grandma put the baby lamb in warm water? because she was trying to warm her up. Why did Heather get to hold the baby sheep? because grandma had to take the cookies out of the oven. Why did Heather make a heart shaped cookie for her mom? because she loved her. Why did Heather name the baby Valentine? because it was Valentine's Day.
• characterization - describe Heather, describe grandma
• compare & contrast - compare you and Heather. Compare your grandma to Heather's grandma.
• connections - text-to-self - My mom has to work. My grandma takes car of me. I have fed an animal with a bottle. I have made valentine cookies. I live with my grandma. I have held a baby lamb.
• predict - Will grandma and Heather be able to save the baby lamb?
• problem & solution - {problem} The baby lamb is not eating and barely breathing. {solution} Grandma put her in warm water then dried her with a hair dryer to warm her up. They fed the baby lamb with a bottle of milk.
• sequencing - Heather's mom went to work. Heather and grandma started to make cookies. They put a batch of cookies into the oven. They went to go check on Clover. Clover had baby lambs. One baby was barely breathing. They brought her inside and gave her a bath. They dried her with a hair dryer. They fed her with a bottle. They finished making cookies. Mother came home. Valentine said M-a-a.
• story elements - List title, author, genre, characters, setting, beginning, middle and end.
• strong thought - Your kids might have a strong thought when they think the baby lamb might die. 
• summarize  - {somebody}Heather {wanted} wanted her mom to stay home for Valentine's Day {but} but she couldn't {so} so Heather and her grandma made cookies for Valentine's Day. {Then} While the cookies were baking they went to check on Clover and found that she had her babies. One baby was barely breathing but they saved her.

I have created a true and false comprehension game to go with this book.

 Happy reading!