Lynn Ann Post

EDUC 432: Childrens Literature in the Writing Curriculum

June 22-26, 2015
Book Talk
Walk With A Wolf, Janni Hawker, 1997 Candlewick Press: MA
Summary: Walk With A Wolf is a story about the life of a female wolf. She moves
quietly, hunts alone, howls at the moon, raises her pups and runs with the pack for a kill.
This book is a non-fiction narrative written with beautiful sensory language enabling you
to be there with the wolf.
Genre: Non-Fiction Narrative
Mini Lesson:
1) Simile (Ex. She moves as quiet as mist)
2) Sensory Details
3) Alliteration
4) Dash Usage (Ex. Theres danger in hunting----- a kick from a moose can break
a wolfs ribs.)
5) Italic Usage ( Facts are given about wolves in italic throughout the story)
6) Verbs (Using as a lead)
7) Repetition
8) Sequence

Lynn Ann Post

Sensory Detail Mini-Lesson for Walk With A Wolf
Hook- After reading, Walk With A Wolf, and discussing sensory details the class
before, you will set up a display with brown paper bags. Students will wonder what is in
the bags. ( You will need enough paper bags one for each group with different objects
inside. Try to get objects that have different feels to them to make it interesting.)
Purpose/Domain Focus- The purpose of this activity is for students to reach into a bag
without knowing what is inside and to list as many sensory details as they can. Make
sure they do not peek inside since the groups will switch bags. Domain:Content
Brainstorm- Ask students to talk amongst their groups about what sensory details are
and what difference they make in their writing. Why do authors use them? Have
students write a short statement about these questions in their Writers Notebook. Share
and write ideas on a tablet or type them on your SmartBoard.
Model- If I were to describe my pillow in bed with sensory details I could say soft,
fluffy, comfortable, puffy and silky, and allow students to guess. Tell students that they
will be dividing a clean sheet of paper in their Writers Notebooks into sixth blocks and
label one block: seeing, tasting, hearing, feeling and smelling. They will title it,
Sensory Details. In this activity they will only be using the sense feel, but will be using
the other senses over the next few days.
Shared/Guided Writing: Pass out the bags to each group reinforcing the need to not
peek in the bags and to just feel. After they have had a chance to feel the object they
should list as many sensory details that they can on their sheet under feel.
After each group have had a chance to feel the object and write their details switch bags.
Do the same thing again. You can do this until each group has had a chance or stop and
share sensory details with the class and write them on a chart for everyone to copy.
Independent Writing: Ask students to write in their Writers Notebooks about feeling
the items in the bags and why they think an author might want to use the sense of feeling
in their writing.
Reflection: Have students share their responses about why an author might want to use
sensory details to show any of the five senses. How can they use these in their writing?