Title – Activities to use with story “Mitchell is Moving”

By – Scott Dan

Subject – Language Arts, Social Studies

Grade Level – 2nd

Mitchell is Moving:

Review and Think Questions: To be asked orally before activity.

1. Who are the two characters in the story?

2. What animal do the characters look like?

3. What did Mitchell want to do?

4. How did Margo feel about Mitchell’s decision?

5. What did Margo do about her feelings (What did she say she was going to do vs. what she actually did)?

6. How did Mitchell feel about leaving Margo behind? How do you know this? Did Mitchell still leave even though he felt sad about leaving Margo behind?

7. Why do you think he still left if he felt so sad about leaving Margo behind?

8. How did Mitchell first feel when he reached his new home?

9. What did he do about his feelings?

10. Then what happened?

11. What do you think the author was trying to tell us about moving to new homes and friends?

Activities:

Goals: To have students think about what they would feel like if their only friend were

moving away.

Objective: Students will make a list of 4 things they would say to their friend to encourage them not to move away from them and to create one or more pictures to illustrate at least one of the items in their list. The students will be provided with both the drawing and writing paper and are expected to be done before lunch.

Preparation: Create your own example of the activity below.

1. Ask the review questions stated above as a review for the children.

2. Ask the children to close their eyes while you tell them a story: They are all alone on a far away land and the only other person that lives on this land with them is their best friend, who also happens to be their next door neighbor. Many years pass, and the two friends do almost everything together. They play sports together, read books together, eat together, exercise together, and even clean their houses together. They listen to the same music, dance the same way, and sing the same songs. But one day, your friend surprisingly tells you that they are moving far away. They tell you that they really, really like you, but they just have to move. Please imagine how you would feel about this. What things would you say or do to try to make your friend not move.

3. Open your eyes.

4. Explain that you have created a page shows what you would say or do to your friend to make them live near you. While showing the students a blank piece of paper, with only the title located at the top, explain that your finished paper has five sentences. Each sentence is a complete thought that tells the reader what I would say or do to make my friend not move. Then explain when they are done, they are to create either one large picture with lots of detail about one of their sentences, or to create a box like the one below that will allow them to draw four smaller pictures; one for each sentence that they created.

5. When the students are finished, allow time for them to share with the rest of the

group what they created.

Alternatives:

1. Provide students with photocopies of a person to use in their illustrations for the above activity.

2. Brainstorm as a class what steps a person would have to take to move from one house to another. Write these down on large chart paper. Make a few example sentences with the students input. Example: If I were moving (title).I would have to sell my house. I would have to pack my bags. I would have to say goodbye to my friends. Provide lined paper for students to create a book with either their own ideas, or the ideas that the class suggested as a class. Their final projects, along with the class list (on chart paper) will be posted outside in the hallway.

3. Have students review the story “Mitchell is Moving,” and talk about what the author’s main point to the story. Ask the children what the author was trying to tell you as you read the story. If the students struggle with this concept, then do the worksheets provided by Mr. Manning pertaining to main idea. Then go back to the story (possibly rereading it) and discuss. Have students write down on a piece of lined paper what they believe the author’s main idea was and to provide a picture that illustrates that point. Share with the rest of the group or class when they are all finished.

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