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Read
To prepare for this activity, place the following objects in a
box:
a pair of mittens, a winter hat and scarf, a pair of boots, a
flashlight, a sealed envelope labeled INVITATION, a handwritten invitation
card or letter with words such as those below, and the book, Owl Moon by
Jane Yolen.
Whooo!
Whooo! Whooo’s Invited?
You’re Invited!
Get ready for Wintry Walk in the Woods.
We’re going OWLING!
Wrap the box with decorative paper, ribbons, and a bow.
Gather the class for a read-aloud story. Set an anticipatory
mood for the story Owl Moon by presenting the gift-wrapped
box to the class. Unwrap the box and reveal the sealed envelope
labeled INVITATION. Do not open the envelope yet. Reveal
the winter hat, mittens, scarf, and boots. Invite students to
ask questions and make predictions based on the envelope and
the winter clothing: Why do you think this gift box was
left for our class to find? What do you think is inside the sealed
envelope? Why do you think the hat, mittens, scarf, and boots
were placed inside the box? What else do you think is inside
the box? Reveal the flashlight. Invite students
to generate more predictions: Why do you think the flashlight
was in the box? When would you use a flashlight? How do you think
the objects are connected: winter clothing, a flashlight, and
an invitation? Open the envelope and read aloud the invitation.
Reveal the book from the box.
Read Owl Moon aloud to the class. Share the illustrations.
Encourage students to imagine crunching through snow on a moonlit walk
in the woods.
Revisit
Invite students to share personal responses to the story and illustrations.
(This book won the Caldecott, an award for extraordinary picture books.) Do
you notice the the fox, junco, mouse, raccoon, deer as the story unfolds?
Do you think the little girl noticed them looking at her? What
sounds could you hear in your imagination?
Could you hear the silence?
Explore author’s purpose: Why do you think the author, Jane Yolen
wrote this story? Do you think she goes owling? Where do you think she
lives? What do you think she hoped readers would say after reading her
book?
Share biographical information about
the author and illustrator with students: Yolen
was inspired to write Owl Moon because her husband
often took their children owling in the woods
near their farm in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Her
husband, a birdwatcher in real life, is portrayed
as Pa in the story. The young girl in the book
is based on her daughter, Heidi, who is now an
adult with her own daughters, Glendon and Maddison.
The illustrator, John Schoenherr, lives on a
farm in New Jersey.
Explore author’s craft. Collect descriptive
phrases Jane Yolen used to help readers paint
pictures in their mind. What similes and metaphors
are in the story? What words and phrases give sensory details? How
did
the author create a quiet tone for the story? What techniques did she
use to make it sound like a poem as well as a story? What lines are
your favorites?
Reflect
Jane Yolen lives in rural Massachusetts. What kind of owl would she see
on a walk in the woods? John Schoenherr lives on a farm in New Jersey.
What kind of owl would he see on a walk in the woods? Why did the characters
go owling at night? Research different kinds of owls to find the facts
about owl habits and habitats. Related Journey North Link:
In Owl Moon, the characters walked through the wintry
woods with woolen hats, scarves, and mittens to protect them
from the cold. What physical and/or behavioral adaptations help
owls survive subzero temperatures?
The author wrote, "…the owl pumped its great wings and lifted
off the branch like a shadow without sound." She also wrote, "…flies
on silent wings…" Research facts about how owls fly to answer
the following questions: Why did the author, Jane Yolen, describe an
owl’s flight as silent? Why would owls need to fly on "silent
wings?"
The story tells us: "Sometimes
there's an owl and sometimes there isn't." It also says "When
you go owling you don't need words or warm or anything
but hope." When
have you done something that you knew might not turn out like
you wanted? Seeing things in nature can take longer than seeing
things in a nature show on TV. How is hope part of the magic
of being in nature?
Owl Moon describes the sounds to listen
for when you go owling. Find facts about owl
calls to answer: What kinds of calls do owls
make? See Related Journey North Links:
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