The Teeny Tiny Ghost by Kay Winters - Teaching Ideas

The teeny tiny ghost is so timid, he even scares himself. He goes to a teeny tiny school and practices his booes and his whooes but yet he is still so timid. On Halloween night there is a loud knock at the front door and the teeny tiny ghost is so scared he hides in the grandfather clock. This doesn't work, because the bing bong of the clock is so loud he has to get out. The teeny tiny ghost sees that his teeny tiny cats were scared so he decides that he must be brave enough to protect them. So he huffs and puffs and he yells BOOOO as loud as he can. On the other side of the door the teeny tiny ghost hears clapping and cheering. His friends from school are all there and they are so excited to see the teeny tiny ghost so brave.

Listed below are all the reading skills and strategies and ideas you can use to create a fun and meaningful lesson using this super cute book.

If you don't want to create something on your own I have created a cause and effect FREEBIE.

Reading level: 2.8

Theme/subject: being brave, friends and friendship

Genre: Halloween

Suggested Vocabulary/phrases: timid, rafters, wailed, rapped           

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what the story is about. I wonder why the ghost is so teeny tiny. {possible questions during} I wonder why the teeny tiny ghost was so afraid. I wonder if the teeny tiny ghost will ever be brave. {possible questions after} I wonder if the teeny tiny ghost is still going to be scared.  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
• Author's point of view – Third. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this (his, he, the teeny tiny ghost).
• Author's purpose – entertain {evidence} the story is about a ghost that is scared. The illustrations are very silly. All ghosts were dressed in costume for Halloween. All these things are very entertaining for the reader.
• Beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} We learned that the teeny tiny ghost was very timid.{most important event from middle} The teeny tiny ghost became brave to protect his cats. {most important event from end} The teeny tiny ghost’s friends surprised him with a Halloween party.
• Cause and effect – Why did the teeny tiny ghost shiver at spooky stories?  Because he was a timid ghost. Why did the teeny tiny ghost hide his teeny tiny head? Because he scared himself when he booed and whooed. Why did the teeny tiny cats climb on the teeny tiny ghost's lap and lick his face? Because the teeny tiny ghost was crying. Why did the teeny tiny ghost hide in the grandfather clock? Because he there were voices at his door saying, “Let us in”. Why was the grandfather clock not a good hiding place? Because the teeny tiny ghost thought his head would explode from all the BING BONGS. Why did the teeny tiny ghost decide to be brave? Because he wanted to protect his cats. Why did all the ghosts from school clap and cheer? Because they heard the teeny tiny ghost being brave. Why were all the ghosts dressed up? Because it was Halloween.
• Character analysis - describe the teeny tiny ghost {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• Character changes – at the beginning of the story the teeny tiny ghost was timid and afraid but by the end of the story he was brave. The change happened because the teeny tiny ghost wanted to be brave for his cats.
• Classify & categorize – Halloween things: things that are scary and things that are cute.
• Compare & contrast – you and the teeny tiny ghost.  
• Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} being smaller than other kids. Being afraid of things. Having cats. Wanting to protect something. Being brave when you really didn’t want to. Having others be happy when you showed courage. {possible text-to-text connections}
• Drawing conclusions & inference – Why do you think the teeny tiny ghost giggled at the end of the story? {text clues} He looked happy. He just spent Halloween evening with his ghost friends tapping on windows. The teeny tiny ghost was always afraid to go out on Halloween because it sounded scary. {what I know} I know that when you do something that you thought was scary and really isn’t scary it always makes me happy. {my conclusion} I think the teeny tiny ghost giggled at the end of the story because he was happy that he finally wasn’t scared on Halloween and got to have fun.
• Main idea & details - {main idea} the story is mostly about teeny tiny ghost being so timid. {details} the teeny tiny ghost was had never been out on Halloween because it sounded so scary. Teeny tiny ghost scared himself when he practiced his booos and whooos. 
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when the teeny tiny ghost decided to be brave for his cats.
• Predict – what do you think the story is about? Why do you think the teeny tiny ghost was so timid? What do you think the teeny tiny ghost is going to do when after he hears the voices say “let us in”? How do you think the teeny tiny ghost is going to be brave? Who or what do you think is on the other side of the door?
• Problem & solution - {problem} The teeny tiny ghost was so timid. {solution} The teeny tiny ghost’s friends came to the door on Halloween night and scared the teeny tiny ghost. The teeny tiny ghost decided he needed to be brave for his cats so he huffed and he puffed and sounded very loud he booed and whooed at whatever was on the other side of the door.
• Sequencing – Teeny tiny ghost was very timid. He went to a teeny tiny school. He had two teeny tiny cats. The teeny tiny ghost tried to do his homework but he scared himself. There was a knock on his door and they said “let us in”. The teeny tiny ghost hid in a grandfather clock. The teeny tiny cats got scared. The teeny tiny ghost got brave for the cats. He huffed and he puffed and booed and whooed very loud. Everyone on the other side of the door started clapping and cheering. The teeny tiny ghost went out on Halloween night with all his teeny tiny friends. The teeny tiny ghost giggled and whispered Happy Halloween to his teeny tiny cats.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought - The teeny tiny ghost was so afraid. What would you tell him about being afraid?
• Summarize - {someone}The teeny tiny ghost didn’t {wanted} want to answer the door {but} they wouldn’t go away {so} so he told his cats he would be brave {then} then he huffed and he puffed and boooed and whooed super loud. He was {finally} not afraid anymore.
• Theme – You might surprise yourself when you decide to try something new.
• Visualize – Visualize something that scares you and then think of what you can do try to not be afraid of it anymore. 

Happy planning!