Guided Reading: Mrs. Wishy Washy
A week of lessonsDay 1: Props: Bring in a scrub brush, soap, and maybe even an apron and slippers. Dress a child up in them and talk about what these things are used for.
Picture Walk: Notice the scrub brush and soap again, then read the title. What are the animals doing? Do they look like they are having fun? How can you tell? Notice the duck's big feet. What do you think Mrs. WW is saying on pp. 9, 10? Stop on p.15 and predict what the animals will do next. Then go back to the beginning and read the book straight through.
Day 2: Invite the children to join in the reading. After reading aloud, ask them to identify the *characters* and discuss the following questions: When did the animals get back in the mud? What might happen next? If you were Mrs. WW, what would you do? Which animal is your favorite? How do you think the animals feel when she speaks to them? Does Mrs. WW remind you of anyone you know? How?
Day 3: Ask the children to listen for patterns of repeated words, in the story today. Prompt them as needed. After reading aloud, have them point out the s's--introduce the /s/ and /sh/ sounds. When they find a word with an s, say it aloud and have them make the shh! gesture if they hear a /sh/.
Day 4: Together, plan a motion for each character getting in the mud and for the wishy washy phrase. During reading, the children do the motions. Afterwards, divide the children in teams and give each team a sentence strip to match to the book.
Day 5: Choral read together, then act out the story. You can use masks for fun or omit them. Have one group of children be the cows, one the pigs, one the ducks, and make 3-4 children Mr. and Mrs. Wishy Washy.
Afterwards: Add the props of the soap, brush, apron, and small beanie baby animals or stick puppets to a basket for retelling the story. There are other Mrs. Wishy Washy books to read and add to this basket as well.
