When will it be Spring? by Catherine Walters - Teaching Ideas

Who doesn't love spring? Butterflies and flowers, birds in the trees and the sun is bright and warm in the sky. Sadly, it is almost winter and little Alfie needs to go in his cave to hibernate. Alfie is so anxious for spring to arrive he wakes his mama up three times thinking, and oh so hoping that it is spring. Unfortunately for Alfie it is never spring. Finally, on the fourth time he wakes mama, it is spring! As mama slowly merges from the cave to find Alfie, she can't...what has happened to him? You will just have to read the story to find out!!

Here is a bit more information about this book that might be useful.


Reading level: 2.0-2.5

Theme: animals, winter

Genre: animal stories

Suggested Vocabulary: bleary eyes, mumbled, swallows (the birds), icicles, burrowed, padded {as in walked}, hustled

Reading skills and strategies:

• author's point of view - 3rd person point of view.
• author's purpose - to entertain
• beginning, middle, end - {beg} It is time for Alfie to hibernate but before he does he wants to know when it will be spring. His mother tells him when the butterflies come looking for flowers. {mid} Alfie falls asleep but soon wakes up and sees butterflies, but they are really snowflakes and bats. He asks again when spring will come and his mama tells him when the sparrows come. He goes back to sleep but wakes up again! This time he sees birds in the trees, but they are really leaves and icicles. Again, his mama tells him to go to sleep, but he still wants to know when it will be spring. His mama tells him when the sun shines bright. For the third time he wakes up, this time seeing a big warm sun, but it turns out to be the hunters' campfire. {end} Alfie's mama makes him go to sleep for the last time. When Alfie finally wakes up again it is spring. When mama comes out of the cave to see spring, she can't find Alfie. Alfie is asleep in the flowers.
• cause and effect - Why was it time for Alfie to go sleep? because it was almost winter. Why did Aflie think it was spring? because he saw butterflies, because he saw birds in the tree, because he saw the big bright sun, because it was spring. Why was Aflie asleep in the flowers? because he woke up too many times during the winter.
• characterization - describe Alfie
• classify & categorize - things you would see in the winter and things you would see in the spring.
• compare & contrast - spring and winter
• drawing conclusions & inferencing - How do you know Aflie is excited about spring? {clues from story} He keeps asking when it will be spring, he keeps waking up to see if it is spring. Why do you think Alfie is so excited for spring to come? {clues from story} Alfie keeps waking up to see if it is spring - {things I know} bears only sleep in the winter. They don't eat or play in the winter. I know I like to eat and play so Alfie probably wants spring to come so he doesn't have to sleep anymore and he can go play. How does mama feel after the last time Alfie wakes her up? {clues from the story} the picture of mama looks like she is not happy. {what I know} I know that when I get woken up I feel grumpy. I think mama is frustrated and grumpy that Alfie keeps waking her up.  {Included in packet}
• fact & opinion - {FACTS} When bears wake up from hibernating it is spring. Butterflies look for new flowers in the spring. Birds fly south for the winter. The air is bright and the air is warm in the spring. {OPINIONS} Alfie is excited about spring. Hunters are dangerous. It is very cold in the winter. Bears don't like winter.
• main idea & details - {MI} When will it be spring? {Details} seeing butterflies, seeing birds, seeing the sun, feeling a drip of water.
• predict - How many times to you think Alfie will wake up. Do you think he is really seeing butterflies? What do you think they are? Do you think he is really seeing birds? What do you think they are? Do you think he is really seeing the sun? What do you think it is? What do you think Alfie will do when it is spring? {Included in packet}
• problem & solution - Alfie kept waking up thinking it was spring. Alfie's mama kept telling him to go back to sleep. When it finally was springtime Alfie was too tired to enjoy it.
• sequencing - It was time for Alfie to hibernate. Alfie asked when it would be spring and his mom said when then butterflies come. Alfie woke and saw butterflies but they were really snowflakes and bats. Alfie asked again when it would be spring and his mom said when the Sparrows come sit in the trees. Aflie woke again to see birds in the trees but they were really leaves and icicles. Alfie asked a third time when it will be spring and his mom said when the sun is big and warm. Alfie woke for a third time to see a big warm sun but it was really the hunter's fire. Aflie went to sleep for the last time but woke up because freezing cold water touched his nose. When Alfie went outside for the last time, it really was spring. Alfie's mama was looking for Alfie.  Alfie was asleep in the wild flowers, too tired to enjoy spring.
• story elements - title, author, theme, genre, characters, setting, BME.
• summarize - {somebody} Alfie {wanted} wanted spring to come {but} but he kept waking up from his hibernation thinking it was spring. {So} His mama had to keep telling him to go back to sleep. {Then} Then it really was spring and {in the end} finally Alfie fell asleep. He was too tired from waking up so many times during the winter to enjoy spring. 
• visualize - have students visualize what spring looks like. {included in packet}

I created this packet of activities to go with this book. Included are a predicting worksheet, visualizing worksheet and 2 inferencing worksheets {one for younger students and one for higher students}. Also included are an -ing word slide and recording sheet as well as a days, months, seasons word sort and recording sheet.

Happy reading!