Hooway for Wodney Wat
By: Helen Lester
Wodney Wat was a very sad “wodent” who couldn’t pronounce
his “r’s.” His classmates at school would always make fun of him for the way he
talked.
“ “What’s your name, Wodney?”
asked the other rodents.
“Wodney Wat,” whispered Wodney.
“What’s another name for a
bunny?” they asked knowingly.
“Wabbit,” he mumbled.
“And how does a train travel?”
They winked at each other.
“A twain twaveles on twain
twacks.” Wodney replied miserably.”
One day Wodney’s class got a new student, Camilla Capybara,
who was very intelligent and intimidating. Every time the teacher would ask a
question Camilla would be the first to answer, she would even provide more than
enough information.
“ “What’s 2+2?” asked Miss Fuzzleworth.
“FOUR!” shouted Camilla Capybara without even bothering to
raise her paw. “And furthermore, 4+4 is 8, 8+8 is 16 and 243+ 125 is 368.” ‘’
Each day at recess Wodney’s class would play a game of Simon
says and of course today was the day Wodney was picked to be Simon. He was terrified
of talking in front of the new student because he knew she would make fun of
him. Expecting the worse he started the game.
“ The tiny, trembling leader of the game stood before the
eager players, his head well inside his jacket, and squeaked,
“Wodney Wat says weed the sign.”
While the other rodents read, “P.S. 142 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
FOR RODENTS.” Camilla began pulling weeds around the sign and wildly flinging
them hither and yon till she was clear up to her teeth in dirt. The other
rodents began to smile.”
He soon realized that didn’t understand what he was saying
and would do everything wrong. Using this to his advantage he told her to “Go
west” and his classmates sat down to rest, but not Camilla. She left and began
walking west, never returning. The class was thrilled that the annoyingly
intelligent, Camilla , was gone forever. They were so excited that they made
Wondey Wat a hero. He was so happy that he could finally use his speech
impediment to his advantage.
This humorous book is full of suspense and wonder and makes
this visualizing activity perfect for students. A read aloud snap shot is where
there are six boxes divided on a piece of paper. While the teacher is reading
he or she can pause and have the students draw what has happened, what they
think will happen or an event that has happened to them that is relatable to
one in the story. This keeps the readers engaged while reading and requires
them to think and respond visually. This will also help them to create better
“mental images” while they read books on their own.
This book could be a really good read to use in a classroom when you do have a child with a speech problem and to show that it is okay to have one. I've never heard of the "snap shot" activity and it sounds like a good activtiy to use to help students start visualizing things by drawing it instead of just writing it. It might even help students express themselves more, especially those that can't express themselves verbally. great idea! -Mary-Ann
ReplyDeleteThe snap shot activity seems like a great way to keep the students engaged while reading the story. This activity will also tell give the teacher an idea about how the students are visualizing by having them draw a picture.- Kayla
ReplyDeleteThis is a very detailed blog, very thought out. I really like the read-aloud snapshot. I think its such a good idea because it does show the teacher if the kids have been understanding what they were doing/reading.
ReplyDelete-rachel
This sounds like such a cute book. When I was little I could not say my "r's" either so I can relate to Wodney Wat. I think that the activity really will help the students be able to visualize what is happening in the story and help them relate to their own experiences. This would be a good book to use if you have a student with a speaking problem.
ReplyDeleteJordan
I really like the idea of using the snap shot activity while doing a read aloud. I think it ties in a lot of reading strategies that kids need to know such as visualising, making connections and making predictions. I also really liked to book you chose for this activity. I think students would be able to relate to it because at this age they are still trying to fit in and a lot of them have speech problems of some sort.
ReplyDeleteNicole