Spring Wake-Up Call
Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min
- spring 10: “wake up. It is spring!”
- melting 11: “The snow is melting.”
- meadows 13: “We will skip through the meadows and run through the woods and swim in the river.”
- lonely 16: “I will be lonely until then.”
- Show the word card 'spring' alongside a picture of flowers blooming.
- Students chorus each word, then act it out: 'melting' with slow dripping hands, 'meadows' with arms spread wide.
- Point to the word on the page before reading it aloud together.
- spring means flowers come
- melting is when snow turns to water
- lonely is when you miss your friend
Fast finishers: find the words on each page. Quiet kids: partner-whisper the word before chorusing.
Tap shoulders twice — Reading Time.
Don't define every word — let pictures carry meaning first.
Reading in Class· 10 min
- Picture-walk pages 10-18: Frog outside, Toad in bed, covers over head, calendar trick, both friends outside.
- Read aloud once at storytelling pace, pausing at Toad's grumpy lines.
- Read again with students chorusing Frog's wake-up calls.
- Toad, Toad, wake up. It is spring! 10: “"Toad, Toad," shouted Frog, "wake up. It is spring!"”
- The sun is shining! The snow is melting. Wake up! 11: “"The sun is shining! The snow is melting. Wake up!"”
- wake up Toad
- it is spring
- the sun is shining
Struggling readers: echo one line at a time. Fast finishers: add Toad's grumpy voice on his lines.
Close the book slowly — Questions Time.
Don't rush the calendar trick on page 17 — kids need time to see Frog tearing pages.
Questions Time· 7 min
- Why does Toad want to stay in bed? 14: “"You can count them, Frog," said Toad. "TI will be too tired. Iam going back to bed."”
- How does Frog trick Toad into waking up? 17: “Frog tore off the November page. He tore off the December page. And the January page, the February page, and the March page. He came to the April page. Frog tore off the April page too.”
Draw what Toad sees when he finally wakes up.
18: “Then he and Frog ran outside to see how the world was looking in the spring.”
What students produce: Spring scene with two friends outside
- Toad is too tired
- Frog changes the calendar to May
- Frog tricks him by tearing pages
Quiet kids: draw first, then tell one detail. Fast finishers: add speech bubbles showing what Frog and Toad say.
Hold up drawings high — Wrap-Up Time.
Don't accept 'Frog woke him up' — push for HOW with the calendar.
Conclusion· 3 min
Take-home: Ask someone: What would you do if your friend wouldn't wake up?
- I wonder why Toad was so tired
- I wonder why Frog didn't just leave him alone
- I wonder if Toad was mad about the trick
Struggling speakers: offer two choices to complete the wonder stem. Fast finishers: write their wonder question on paper.
Don't let one loud wonderer dominate — count to three before accepting shares.