Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini - Teaching Ideas

I love this book! Moose works so hard to make his Christmas so perfectly perfect, until he forgets one thing. Will Moose be able to make a perfectly perfect Christmas for his family? Your students will LOVE this book, the illustrations are wonderfully bright, and colorful and incredibly silly and the writing just flows off your tongue with wonderful alliterations and rhymes.

I hope you have this book and share it with your students, if you don't have it, you might be better off borrowing if from and fellow teacher or the library, considering the price.

Below is a strong thought writing freebie I created to go with this very fun book!

Reading level: 2.6

Theme/subject: Christmas

Genre: Christmas

Suggested Vocabulary or descriptive phrases: tickled the ivories with a tuneful of tidings, moosetache, regimentation, probability, hauled, galore, decked the halls, spruced up, garland, bountiful, galoshes

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what this story is about. What is a Mooseltoe?  Why does Moose have Christmas decorations all over him? {possible questions during} How did Moose forget to get the Christmas tree? I wonder why nobody else in the family said something about the Christmas tree. {possible questions after} I wonder if Santa was afraid when he saw Moose as the Christmas tree. **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
• Author’s point of view – Third person. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this.
• Author’s purpose – entertain {evidence} Moose don’t live in a house or talk. Moose don’t usually have wild and crazy mustaches and they don’t celebrate Christmas. The author put a lot of rhyming in the story and the illustrator made the pictures silly. All of these make a very entertaining story.
• Beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} Moose had his list ready so he would be all ready for Christmas. {most important event from middle} Moose realized that he had forgotten to get the Christmas tree so he when out to find one. {most important event from end} Moose couldn’t find a tree and he didn’t want to disappoint his children so he became the Christmas tree.
• Cause and effect – Why was Moose so merry? Because it ‘twas the season. Why would Moose be ready for the big day? Because he would have orderly organization, imagination and Moose know-how to be ready for the big day. Why did Moose’s hooves hurt? Because of the cards and letters he wrote. Why did Moose head for the kitchen? Because he baked cookies, cakes, breads and sweets. Why was Moose singing Noels? Because he was decking the halls. Why did Moose pull on his galoshes and put on his hat? Because he had to go out and find a tree. Why was Moose sad when he got home? Because there was not a tree to be found. Why were the children putting an X on the floor? Because there was no tree so they were showing Santa where to leave the presents. Why was Moose an incredible sight? Because he looked like a Christmas tree that glowed and was really bright. Why was Christmas not so perfectly perfect? Because he forgot the Christmas tree and had to stand in the corner decorated like a Christmas tree instead of going to bed.
• character analysis - describe Moose {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• classify & categorize – Things you do at home to get ready for Christmas and thing you do outside of the home to get ready for Christmas (example: at home – decorate tree, outside of home – buy Christmas tree or at home – bake cookies, outside of home – buy gifts, etc.)
• Compare & contrast – Moose to your mom or dad. The things you do to get ready for Christmas and the things Moose did.
• Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} Getting ready for Christmas – hanging stockings, shopping, baking, decorating, singing songs, etc.
• Fact & opinion – {facts} 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms. In 2012, 46 million Christmas tree seedlings were planted. Live Christmas trees have been sold in the United States since about 1850. There are approximately 350 million Christmas trees growing on U.S. farms. {opinions} Fake Christmas trees are the best. The prettiest trees are the ones with only white lights. The best Christmas tree topper is a star. Decorating the Christmas tree is my favorite part of Christmas.
• Main idea & details - {main idea} Moose is getting all ready for Christmas. {details} He decked the halls and sang Christmas songs. Moose hung the stockings and wrapped the presents. Moose baked goodies and sent out Christmas cards and notes.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when Moose realizes that he forgot the Christmas tree.
• Predict – What do you think this story is going to be about? What do you think was on Moose’s list of things to do? What was the minor problem? Do you think Moose will find a Christmas tree? What do you think the Christmas tree will look like? What do you think they are going to do with no Christmas tree? What do you think Santa will do when he sees Moose as a Christmas tree?
• Problem & solution - {problem} Moose forgot to get the Christmas tree and there are none to be found. {solution} Mrs. Moose and the children decorate Moose and his mustache to look like a Christmas tree.
• Sequencing – Moose makes a list of things to do to get ready for Christmas. Moose writes notes and cards for Christmas. He shopped till he dropped. Moose baked lots of goodies. He decked the halls and hung the stockings. Moose noticed that there was no Christmas tree. Moose went to find a tree. Moose came home with no tree so they decorated him to look like a Christmas tree.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – Moose’s children looked so disappointed when Moose came home with no Christmas tree. Instead of having a Christmas tree they decorated Moose to look like one. What would you do for a Christmas tree if your family forgot to get one?
• Summarize - {someone} Moose {wanted} wanted a perfectly perfect Christmas {but} but he forgot the Christmas tree {so} so he tried to find one on Christmas Eve and couldn’t. {then} They then decided to decorate Moose to look like a tree and then they were {finally} finally ready for Christmas. 
• Visualize – Visualize what Santa’s face would have looked like when he saw Moose standing there as the Christmas tree. What do you think he would have said or done? 

Here is the FREEBIE just for you :)

IT'S FREE!!

Happy Holidays!