Subject Area: Language Arts

Book Summary
Poor little Wemberly worried about everything! Now this adorable little mouse has the biggest worry of all to overcome, the first day of nursery school.

Objective
Children will develop language, literacy, problem-solving, and social skills as they engage in activities and discussions about the book.

Before Reading
Show the children the book Wemberly Worried . Tell the children that the story is about a little mouse named Wemberly who worried about everything, especially about the first day of school. Ask them if they remember how they felt before their first day of school. Did they feel worried? Did they feel excited? Encourage them to share their feelings with their friends.

Teaching Plan

Wemberly Worried Booktalk
Materials

• Chart paper
• Marker

Activity

1. Read the book Wemberly Worried. On a sheet of chart paper write the question What did Wemberly worry about? A sk the children to recall the different things that Wemberly worried about in the book. Record their responses.
2. Review the list with the class. Ask them if they ever have similar worries. Engage the class in a discussion about their worries.
3. Next, solicit opinions about Wemberly's experience at school. What caused Wemberly's worries about school to go away? Ask the class to recall events that helped their worries about school to go away.
4. Do they think that Wemberly will continue to worry? What might she worry about now that she has completed her first day of school?
5. Invite the children to share their thoughts about why they think this is a good story for children. Record their responses on chart paper.

Wemberly Worried "W" Words
Materials

• Chart paper
• Drawing paper
• Markers and crayons

Activity

1. Write Wemberly Worried About… on a sheet of chart paper. Ask them to identify the first letter of Wemberly Worried and the sound of the letter. Invite them to think of other words that begin with the letter w (work, writing, walruses, etc). List their words on the sheet of chart paper. Review the list with the class.
2. Explain that they will choose one or more of the "w words" and create a drawing about Wemberly worrying (Wemberly worried about wind; Wemberly worried about wool wigs). Encourage the children to create interesting and fun sentences to illustrate. Provide them with a sentence strip to write their sentence. Offer assistance if needed.
3. Distribute the suggested art materials to create their illustrations. Attach the sentence strip to the bottom of their drawings. Invite them to share their completed work during group time. Display their work.

Other Books About Worries
Ira Sleeps Over
by Bernard Waber
Ira worries about bringing his teddy bear to his very first sleep over.

The Very Worried Sparrow
by Meryl Doney
Little sparrow worries about everything until an important event changes his life forever.

The Kissing Hand
by Audrey Penn
A warm story about a young raccoon's reluctance to begin school and his mother's special way of helping him cope with this new experience.

Other Books by Kevin Henkes
Lilly's Purple Purse
Sheila Rae, the Brave
Owen
Chester's Way

Teaching plan written by Risa Young