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DODO Learning
Think Once. In Both Languages.
Lesson 12
Little DODO · Phase 3

Question-Answer Rhythms in Mouse Soup

Mouse Soup · pp. 8-13 · Format B · Disposition: Observing & Describing · 25 min
Mouse Soup
Pages this lesson: 8-13
Fluency · Chant
Children practice fluent call-and-response reading with a rhythmic farm chant featuring question-answer patterns.
Call And Response · Question Answer Pattern · Oral Fluency · Rhythmic Reading
Introduce

Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min

Sound focus: question words
Target words
  1. WAIT 12: “"WAIT!" said the mouse.”
  2. soup 10: “mouse soup.”
  3. stories 12: “It has no stories in it.”
  4. hungry 13: “I am very hungry.”
Today we meet a mouse and a weasel. The mouse needs to WAIT before becoming soup. Let's chorus these story words together.
Exploration steps
  1. Show each word card and point to it on the page together
  2. Chorus each word three times with clapping rhythm
  3. Act out the weasel being hungry and the mouse saying WAIT
Expected responses
  • WAIT
  • the mouse says wait
  • the weasel is hungry
Differentiation

Fast finishers: find question marks on pages; quiet kids: whisper-chorus first.

Transition cue

Tap pot three times — Reading Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't skip acting out WAIT — it's the kids' entry to the mouse's cleverness.

Why this matters: Clapping rhythm anchors kids who struggle with question-word recognition.

Reading in Class· 10 min

Required reading pages: 8-13
Opening move: Point to the mouse under the tree on page 8 — he's reading a book, safe and happy.
The mouse is in trouble. But he's clever. Let's read how he talks his way out of the pot.
Read-aloud steps
  1. Picture-walk pages 8-13: mouse reading, weasel jumping, cooking pot, mouse talking fast
  2. Read aloud once at storytelling pace with dramatic weasel and mouse voices
  3. Read again with students chorusing the question-answer pattern: navigator asks weasel's questions, students answer as mouse
Call-and-response refrains
  1. What does the weasel say? 10: “"Ah!" said the weasel. "IT am going to make mouse soup."”
  2. What does the mouse say back? 10: “"Oh!" said the mouse. "IT am going to be mouse soup."”
  3. What does the mouse tell the weasel? 12: “Mouse soup must be mixed with stories”
Expected responses
  • Ah I am going to make mouse soup
  • the mouse says oh
  • stories go in the soup
Differentiation

Struggling readers: point to speech bubbles during chorus; fast finishers: add gestures for weasel and mouse.

Transition cue

Close book — Questions Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let one loud kid chorus over the group — count to three before accepting answers.

Why this matters: Question-answer chorus protects kids who can't track dialogue tags yet.

Questions Time· 7 min

Comprehension questions
  1. What word does the mouse shout on page 12? 12: “"WAIT!" said the mouse.”
  2. What does the weasel say he will make? 10: “"IT am going to make mouse soup."”
Extension

Make a sentence: The mouse said ___.

12: “"WAIT!" said the mouse.”

What students produce: Complete sentence using mouse's words from the story

The mouse is so clever. He stops the weasel with one word. What word? Let's build sentences like the mouse.
Expected responses
  • WAIT
  • the mouse said wait
  • the mouse said this soup needs stories
Differentiation

Quiet kids: draw mouse first, then say sentence; fast finishers: add weasel's answer.

Transition cue

Hold up four fingers — Conclusion Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't accept one-word answers — model the full sentence frame first.

Why this matters: Sentence frame protects kids who freeze at open-ended prompts.

Conclusion· 3 min

Routine: I Noticed · Disposition: Observing & Describing
Student-facing prompts
Recap: I noticed the mouse ___.
Take-home: Tell someone: the mouse stopped the weasel by ___.
Today we noticed how the mouse used words to stay safe. What did you notice about the mouse's plan?
Expected responses
  • I noticed the mouse was clever
  • I noticed the mouse told stories
  • I noticed the weasel listened
Differentiation

Quiet kids: turn-and-tell partner first; fast finishers: notice two things.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't rush the noticing — let three kids share before closing.

Why this matters: Same frame daily so kids own the noticing habit.