The Grumpy Morning by Pamela Duncan Edwards - Teaching Ideas

This is a super cute book that is written in rhyme. Your students will be able to help out while reading the story when you let them fill in the word for how the animals talk (horse - neigh, goat - bleat, pig - squeal, etc). The animals on the farm are grumpy because they have not been fed their morning meal. They walk around the farm looking for the farmer, only to find her sound asleep in her bed! She wakes up to a room full of farm animals and greets them with a smile asking the question "...isn't it a HAPPY morning?" The animals are soon happy as she feeds and milks and cuddles them.

Reading level: 1.9

Theme: animal stories

Genre: fiction

Suggested Vocabulary: bleat, slop, pellets, doze

Reading skills and strategies:

• asking questions - {possible questions at before} Why are the animals so grumpy? {possible questions during} Where is the farmer? Where are all the animals going? {possible questions after} Were the animals happy after they got fed and milked?
• author's point of view - 3rd person
• author's purpose - entertain {evidence} the animals were talking and they all went into the house these things are silly therefore it is an entertaining story.
• beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} The animals were hungry. {most important event from middle} The animals woke the farmer up. {most important event from end} The farmer woke up and fed and milked all the animals.
• cause and effect - Why were the animals so hungry? because the farmer did not feed them. Why did the farmer not feed the animals? because she overslept. Why did the animals go inside the house? because they were looking for the farmer. Why were the animals finally happy? because the farmer finally feed the animals.
• characterization - describe the farmer {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• classify & categorize - animals you find on a farm and animals you find in a zoo.
• plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when the animals find the farmer in bed.
• predict - Will the animals get fed? Will the animals find the farmer? Where is the farmer?  Why did the farmer over sleep?
• problem & solution - {problem} The animals are hungry. {solution} The animals went looking for the farmer and found her in bed.
• sequencing - The cow needed to be milked. The dog wanted his breakfast. The goat wanted her oats. The pig needs his meal. The rabbit wanted some pellets. The horse was hungry for hay. The duck needed a snack. The cat needed a cuddle. The hen's grain was late. The animals walked into the farmers house. A moth landed on the farmers nose. The farmer woke up and said good morning to the animals. The farmer fed the animals. She milked the cow and loved them all.
• story elements - list title, author, character's, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• summarize - {someone} The animals {wanted} wanted to be fed {but} but the farmer was missing {so} so they went into her house {then}then woke her up.  {finally} She finally fed, milked and loved them.

Here is a FREEBIE prediction activity you can download to use with this book. Just click on the picture to get it.

I have also created a fun rhyming game to go with the book.

Happy reading!