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DODO Learning
Think Once. In Both Languages.
Lesson 11
Little DODO · Phase 3

Mouse Soup: Stories Save the Day

Mouse Soup · pp. 8-13 · Format A · Disposition: Wondering & Questioning · 25 min
Mouse Soup
Pages this lesson: 8-13
Fluency · Fable
Students build fluency by reading a classic fable about kindness and unexpected help.
Oral Reading Fluency · Fable Structure · Dialogue Reading · Story Retelling
Introduce

Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min

Target words
  1. weasel 9: “A weasel”
  2. caught 9: “caught the mouse”
  3. soup 10: “mouse soup”
  4. stories 12: “stories in it”
Today we meet a mouse who gets caught by a weasel. The weasel wants to make mouse soup! But the mouse has a clever idea about stories. Let's learn the words we need to understand this tricky situation.
Exploration steps
  1. Show the word card 'weasel' and point to the weasel on page 9
  2. Students chorus 'weasel' three times, then make a pouncing motion
  3. Show 'caught' and act out catching something quickly
  4. Show 'soup' and 'stories' together — ask what stories could do in soup
Expected responses
  • A weasel is like a long skinny animal
  • Caught means grabbed
  • Stories go in the soup to make it taste good
Differentiation

Fast finishers: draw the weasel catching the mouse. Quiet kids: whisper-chorus with partner first.

Transition cue

Stir invisible soup three times — Reading Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't skip acting out 'caught' — the motion makes the word stick.

Why this matters: Acting out each word protects kids who need movement to remember.

Reading in Class· 10 min

Required reading pages: 8-13
Opening move: Point to the mouse under the tree on page 8 — he looks peaceful reading his book.
Let's read how the mouse uses his brain to stay safe. Listen for the mouse's big idea — he tells the weasel that soup needs stories. Watch how the mouse talks his way out of trouble.
Read-aloud steps
  1. Picture-walk pages 8-13: mouse reading, weasel pouncing, cooking pot, mouse talking fast
  2. Read aloud once at storytelling pace, using different voices for mouse and weasel
  3. Read again with students chorusing the mouse's lines: 'WAIT!' and 'This soup will not taste good'
Call-and-response refrains
  1. WAIT! 12: “WAIT!”
  2. This soup will not taste good. 12: “This soup will not taste good.”
Expected responses
  • The mouse is smart
  • The weasel is hungry and wants to eat the mouse
Differentiation

Struggling readers: point to each speaker as you read. Fast finishers: practice the weasel voice during second read.

Transition cue

Tap head three times — Thinking Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't rush the picture-walk — kids need to see the cooking pot before the problem makes sense.

Why this matters: Different voices for mouse and weasel help kids track who is speaking.

Questions Time· 7 min

Comprehension questions
  1. What does the weasel want to do with the mouse? 10: “IT am going to make mouse soup.”
  2. What does the mouse say the soup needs? 12: “Mouse soup must be mixed with stories”
Extension

What story would you tell the weasel?

13: “Here are four stories to put in the soup,”

What students produce: Students draw one story they would tell to save themselves, then share in pairs.

The mouse is in big trouble, but he has a plan. Let's think about what he does and why it might work. Then you'll imagine your own story to tell the weasel.
Expected responses
  • Make mouse soup
  • The soup needs stories to taste good
  • I would tell a story about my pet
Differentiation

Quiet kids: share story idea with partner before drawing. Fast finishers: draw two stories instead of one.

Transition cue

Close book gently — Wrap-Up Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let one loud story idea drown out the quiet kids — count to three before accepting answers.

Why this matters: Talk-first protects kids who freeze at a blank page.

Conclusion· 3 min

Routine: I Wonder · Disposition: Wondering & Questioning
Student-facing prompts
Recap: I wonder why the mouse...
Take-home: Tell someone: What would you put in soup?
Today we wondered how the mouse would get out of trouble. He used his words and his brain. Tomorrow we'll read the four stories the mouse tells. Think about what stories you would tell if you were the mouse.
Expected responses
  • I wonder why the mouse said stories go in soup
  • I wonder if the weasel will let him go
Differentiation

Struggling wonderers: offer sentence starter on anchor chart. Fast finishers: write their wonder in journal.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't answer the wonders — let them hang in the air until tomorrow's lesson.

Why this matters: Same wonder stem every day so kids own the question.