A LINKS Lesson on Winnie

the Witch
Adapted and updated from a sample integrated lesson sequence by M. Dela Paz and N. Hermosa. From
NNHermosa (1997) Literature and skills: An integrated framework. In Ocampo, D. Trends in Reading Education.
UP Open University. This updated version is part of the BEST teacher resource package in English Grades 4-6.

OBJECTIVES

A. Realize that solutions to a problem sometimes lead to complications.

Understand the love sometimes entails sacrifice.
Admire a character’s concern for another character and for arriving at a
creative solution to a problem.
Appreciate and enjoy aspects of humor in the story.
B. Form a semantic map for witch
Fill in a problem-solution chart
Dramatize portions of the story
Fill in speech/thought bubbles
Write a diary entry
Write a letter giving advice
C. Predict “what the character will do next” while listening to the story Infer
characters’ emotional reactions by matching feelings cut-outs to events
Identify likenesses and differences in short passages
Compare and contrast characters, events, and settings

SUBJECT MATTER & MATERIALS

Main Text: Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas & Korky Paul (Oxford University Press, 1993)
Materials: Two puppets (that could somersault)
Problem-Solution flow chart
Cartolina cut-out of Winnie’s house
Face cut-outs of Winnie and Wilbur showing different emotions
Poster of Wilbur up the tree with the birds
Manila paper charts for diary and advice column activities
Crayon, paint, Manila paper, crepe paper, colored chalk
Comparison-contrast teaching charts and worksheets

PROCEDURE were used in the exchange between Tommy

and Anna. Ask a volunteer to do a somersault.

A. PRE-READING
1. Developing vocabulary/concepts

a) Tell the following dialogue using two

puppets. Write the underlined words/phrases on
the board or present them on cards/strips.
b) Have the children read the word/phrase then give
their meanings based on the way they
 These are Tommy and Anna.
They are friends.

Tommy: Hey, Anna, why do you look miserable? Anna: Yes, I’m
very unhappy. I broke Nanay’s favorite vase and she is furious
with me.

Tommy thought that something had to be done so that Anna

will stop feeling miserable. He started doing somersaults
(have the puppet do somersaults).

Anna: (laughs) What are you doing? You look so ridiculous

doing that!
Tommy: Aha, but I made you laugh, didn’t I?”

(Show puppets). Figure 1. Teacher's puppet story to unlock vocabulary 1

NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson

c) Anna is always absent from her class. Her teacher decided something had to be done
about it. What do you think will the teacher do?

2. Activating prior knowledge / Developing a purpose for reading

a) Develop a semantic map for witch. Guide the children in categorizing the words they have generated.
Possible words are shown in Figure 2.

can fly haunted house

wicke
black pointed
WITCH
hat drink long black
dress

lemonade

d
Figure 2. Semantic Map for WITCH

b) Based on the semantic map, draw a story-related concept and use this as a basis for making predictions.
For example, on the item that witches like the color black.
Why do you think witches like black? In the story we are going to read, Winnie the Witch
has a black house full of black things. What problems do you think will she have because
of this?

B. DURING READING
(The format used here is a read-aloud by the teacher.)

Winnie the Witch lived in a black house in the forest. The house was
black on the outside and black on the inside… One day, after a nasty
fall, Winnie decided something had to be done. (STOP) Ask the class:
What do you think would Winnie do? Why do you think so? What are
the clues that tell you she will do that?

…She picked up her magic wand, waved it once and ABRACADABRA! Wilbur was a black cat
no longer. He was bright green! . . . This time, Winnie was furious. She picked up her magic
 wand, waved it five times and . . . (STOP) Ask the class: What do you think would Winnie do?
Why do you think so? What are the clues?

…ABRACADABRA! Wilbur had a red head, a yellow body, a pink tail,

blue whiskers, and four purple legs!...
… She loved Wilbur and hated him to be miserable. (STOP)
What do you think would Winnie do? What are the clues?
(FINISH READING THE STORY.)

C. POST READING

1. Engagement Activities I (Small groups)

Divide the class into five groups. Assign each group to do one of these tasks. Give directions and

guidelines. a) Present black cartolina cut-out of Winnie’s house, similar to Figure 3.

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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson
Here is an outline of Winnie’s house. Using white chalk
or crayon, draw the things found inside Winnie’s
house. Label them.
b) (See Figure 4)
Here’s a poster of Wilbur up the tree with the birds.
What do you think are the birds saying? What do you
think is Wilbur thinking? Fill in the speech/thought Cartolina cut-out of WtW's
bubbles.
c) (See Figure 5)
When Wilbur became rainbow-colored, he felt
miserable. How did Winnie feel? Write a
diary entry for Winnie that night. What do
you think was she thinking house
then? Write it on this Manila paper.
d) (See Figure 6)
Pretend you are a writer of an advice
column. If Winnie wrote to you when she
kept tripping over Wilbur, what advice
would you give her? Write what Winnie
might have written. Then write down your
advice.
e) (Provide materials)
Dramatize how Winnie turned Wilbur into
a green multi-colored cat, then to a black
cat once more. Make and wear costumes
for this task
Note: Guide the groups while they work on their
engagement activities. Give enough time for
children to work on their tasks. When they finish,
put up their work on the board or walls. Leave
some space for the Problem-Solution Flow Chart.
Figure 3.
Then proceed to the discussion.
Figure 4. Poster for
writing speech/thought of characters

Figure 5. Poster
for Winnie's diary entry
Figure 6. Sample Advice Column poster
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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson
2. Engagement Activities II: Discussion (Whole class) Did this solve the problem? Why?
What was the next problem?
Put up a properly labeled flow chart like the one shown in Figure
7. As each situation is discussed, have pupils tape appropriate
Winnie and Wilbur cut-outs, with different emotional
Winnie lived in a
expressions beside the appropriate portion of the chart.
black house with
a black cat
Where did Winnie live? Group A, can you tell us more named Wilbur.
about Winnie’s house.
▪ Group A presents output: Things in Winnie’s black house.
Problem 1
What could be the reason why everything in Winnie’s
house was black?
Solution 1
▪ Present a cut-out of Wilbur. Put it in different parts of the
house cut-out.
Was It easy to see Wilbur in this house? Problem 2
Why did Wilbur’s color present a problem?
How do you think Winnie felt every time she sat on or
tripped over Wilbur? Solution 2
How do you think Wilbur felt?

▪ Face cut-outs with appropriate feelings are pasted on the Problem 3

chart.

What did Winnie do to solve this problem? Group E Solution 3

will show us.
▪ Group E dramatizes/pantomimes the scene where Winnie
turns Wilbur into a green cat. They wear the costumes they have Figure 7.
made. Problem-Solution Flow Chart

What did Winnie do to solve the second problem? Group E will show us.

▪ Group E dramatizes/pantomimes the scene where Winnie turns Wilbur into a multi-colored cat.
How did
Wilbur feel?
Why?
▪ Face cut-outs are pasted on the chart.

What did Wilbur do? Group B, can you tell us what the birds might have said about
Wilbur? And what Wilbur might have been thinking?
▪ Group B presents output: Bird Tweets)

What was Winnie’s problem now? How did

Winnie
feel? Group C will tell us.
▪ Group C presents their output: Winnie’s Diary Entry

▪ Face cut-outs
 Group D, what do you think Winnie could have done
about her problem?
▪ Group D presents their output: Advice Column
Who else have ideas other than those presented by
Group D?
What did Winnie decide to do?
How does Winnie’s house look now? ▪ Present an uncolored house and have children color the
Figure 8. Poster of Winnie's new house to be colored

different things in the house according to the descriptions given in the

book.

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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson
We know that Winnie likes the color black. Was it easy for her to turn her house into
many different colors?
Why did she do it? In a scale of 1 to 10, how much would you rate Winnie’s love for
Wilbur? Why?
What can you do to show your love for someone?

▪ Call children’s attention to the flow chart.

How many problems were met by Winnie in the story?
How many solutions did she think of?
Was there a solution to every problem in the story?
Would a solution always make sure that it would be the end of a
problem? What does the story show us about problems and solutions?
(Guide the discussion such that children arrive at the realization that, sometimes, a solution causes
another problem. Real life problem situations could be discussed, with children sharing their experiences
on this issue.)

▪ Did the story make you laugh? Which parts of the story were funny? Flip through the book,
showing the pages. By looking at the pictures even before reading the story, can you tell
it’s going to be a funny story? Why?

▪ (Go back to the semantic map that the class made in the pre-reading part of the lesson. Guide the children
in expanding it with new insights from the story. In the example shown in Figure 10, the entries with
asterisks were added to the semantic map made during the pre-reading part. )

What witches
can do
fly
cast spells

Words that *funny

describe make magic
witches drink lemonade *love a pet witches
bad/evil/ How witches look long wrinkled face
wicked black pointed hat
clever, long black dress long nose
smart warts
ugly, crooked bent body
*loving, caring *colorful costume

What witches use broom

cauldron forest
wand castle
cane haunted house
spiders, lizards
*black house
Where witches live cave
*multi-colored house

Figure 9. Sample revised semantic map after discussion

3. Enrichment/Extending the Literary

Experience/Curriculum Connections (Individual
Students/Small groups)
Here are possible activities which may be done as individual or small group projects to
extend the literary experience and make connections across the curriculum.

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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson
WRITING
▪ House’s Story: There’s another story in the book. Make the house tell the story again
from its point of view. (“I was an elegant black house. . .)
▪ Abracadabra!: Invent your own magic words. You could write them at the back of
your Witch Hat.

ART
▪ Construction and coloring activities

Figure 10. Winnie hat and Wilbur headdress;

Coloring Winnie
MUSIC (https://youtu.be/EsHWZDeZyNA?t=5) The lesson on adjectives (arrangement
song can be taught in the music of two adjectives before a noun)
▪ Singing Winnie’s Song
class. It can also be used in a
SOCIAL STUDIES
▪ Research/Read about
superstitions about black cats
▪ Research/Read about how
Halloween is celebrated in
different parts of the world.

SCIENCE
▪ Science Experiments
These simple experiments
can be done in the Science
class/Reading class. They
review the concepts of
chemical reaction, and
camouflage, respectively.

Figure 11.
Winnie's Song
 Winnie’s Song
A big tall hat
Ten long toes
A black magic wand A long
red nose.

She’s Winnie
Winnie the Witch.

A long black tail Big green

eyes
He goes with Winnie When
she flies.

He’s Wilbur
Wilbur the Cat.

Figure 12. Science experiments on the concepts of chemical reaction

and camouflage

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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson
4. Explicit Teaching of a Reading Comprehension Skill: Comparison-Contrast

Step 1: Introduction/Warm Up What do we do when we compare?

What do we do when we contrast?
Remember the story of Winnie the Witch and her pet The sentences that you read about Wilbur and the
cat, Wilbur? Here are some sentences about it. Let’s house make comparisons. When we make
read them. comparisons, we compare and contrast. Being able to
Which sentence tells how the house and Wilbur are make comparisons will help us understand better
alike? what we read.
Which sentence tells how they are different? Which How do we compare and contrast? Here’s a strategy
clue words helped you decide? (both / but) Today, we we can use (show chart in Figure 13).
will use clue words or signal words to help us tell how
Have children read the steps for comparing and contrasting. Use
people, things, or events are alike or how they are the sample paragraph in Step 1 to illustrate the steps, if needed.
different.
Present the Practice Chart or Worksheet.
Read the paragraph in the Teaching
Step 2: Teaching/Modeling
Chart/Worksheet. Which sentences tell how Winnie
Refer the children to the compare-contrast chart, Figure 13.
and Wanda are alike? Which sentences tell how they
are different?
Let us see what clue words helped you decide when
the witches are alike and when they are different.
“Both have pets.” Here, both is the clue word. When
you see the
word both, How to Compare
you
In the and Contrast
beginning,
1. Think of ways that things, people, or events are alike.
Wilbur and the
2. Think of ways that they are
house were
both black. In different.
the end, Wilbur 3. Use clue words to help decide if things are alike or
was black but different.
the house was yellow. 4. When you have decided, read to see if you are right.
TEACHING CHART/WORKSHEET

Winnie and Wanda are witches. Winnie lives in a black

house but Wanda lives in a cave. Both have pets. Winnie
has a black cat named Wilbur while Wanda has a black wolf
named Woof. Like Winnie, Wanda can cast spells.
However, while Winnie casts good spells, Wanda casts evil
ones.
COMPARISON TABLE
Alike Different
know that the sentence tells how two persons are being compared in Both are witches.
things or persons are alike. What the sentence? Winnie lives in a black house; Wanda
lives in a cave.
Follow this rest of the sentences, pointing out the clue words as you go
procedure for the along: like, also,
Both have pets. Winnie has a cat; Wanda has a wolf.
while, however. Both witches can cast spells.
Let us summarize the Winnie casts good spells; Wanda casts
information in the evil ones.
paragraph by completed comparison table will look like the one in Figure 13.
filling in the Figure 13. Sample teaching
charts/worksheets for Steps 1-2 of the explicit teaching of
comparison compare-contrast
table. The

Before going on, have pupils review the strategy for making
comparisons.

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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson
a device for like the one witches
showing in have black pets can cast spells
similarities
and
differences. WANDA
Draw it on
the board lives in a
then guide Figure 14. caved pet wolf – Woof casts evil
children in spells
filling it up
Step 3: Guided Practice with the same WINNIE
information found in the
comparison table. The lives in a black house pet cat –
Introduce the Venn Diagram as
completed diagram may look Wilbur casts good spells
Provide a practice exercise with another compare-contrast the
paragraph, preferably an informational material in the content
areas. Guided practice is usually done with the whole class, with Figure 14. Venn Diagram showing the same
information shown in the comparison table

children reading
aloud the
sample text, and the teacher guiding the
discussion on the compare-contrast points. This will give an
idea
which students are understanding what is being taught and if
there is
a need for re-teaching, e.g., going back to Step 2. The sample
worksheet for Guided Practice shown in Figure 15 is a text that
might
be taken from a Social Studies book.

Step 4: Independent Practice

Review why readers make comparisons. Then give exercises
for
independent practice. These may include worksheets, Venn
Diagrams, writing, e.g., children can make diagrams/tables or write
paragraphs comparing two things/persons/animals. Give each child a
copy of the Compare-Contrast Tool Kit to guide them in doing the
practice exercises. See sample paragraph below.
Figure 15. Sample worksheet/chart
for guided practice

Directions: Read the paragraph comparing nests and houses. Do you see any
clue words?
Underline them. Use your Compare and Contrast Tool Kit to help you locate
the clue words.
Then make a comparison table or a Venn Diagram to show how nests and
houses are alike,
and how they are
different.

Nests and Houses

You already know that there are major differences
between a house and
a nest. In contrast to a house, a nest is small and has
only one room.
Another difference is that a house is usually for people
while a nest is for
birds. However, you might be surprised to find out that
nests and houses
have some things that are the same. For example, both nests and houses
provide shelter. Another similarity is that both use trees in their
construction. Birds use sticks and twigs while people use lumber from
trees. Last, they are alike because they take up space, although a house
usually takes up more space than a nest!
(Slightly adapted from ReadWriteThink. Copyright 2007 IRA/NCTE. All rights
reserved.ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes)

Figure 16. Compare-Contrast Tool Kit

and sample text to be used for independent practice

Step 5: Application
This step goes beyond the lesson sequence described above. The skill of comparing and contrasting should
transfer to different texts that children read across different subject areas, both narrative and expository
materials. Opportunities for writing using the comparison-contrast text structure may also be provided within
the language arts classroom. Below are some worksheets that provide additional practice for using the skill
of compare-contrast for writing (see Figure 17), and for comprehending content area materials. As the
children master the skill, they can move on from making comparisons within texts to comparing a text with
 another (see Figure 18).

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NTOT Gr4-6 English_Sessions 7&8_LINKS Lesson

Figure 17. A sample Venn

Diagram comparing and
contrasting
dogs and cats as pets

Figure 17 shows a Venn Diagram generated from a discussion comparing dogs and cats as pets. It can
serve as a pre-writing activity and a guide to help students write an essay on comparing and
contrasting.

Figure 18. Sample charts/worksheets for

comparing across texts
 Figure 18 shows compare-contrast charts that provide students ways to apply the skill (and advance in it)
that are natural outgrowths of their reading experiences. These grids can be completed individually, in pairs,
or by groups, and they can be used by students at any grade level.

Acknowledgments
Some of the materials used to exemplify parts of this LINKS lesson were taken from the following sources:

Read-Write-Think. International Literacy Association & National Council for Teachers of English (2017)
http://www.readwritethink.org/
Scoula via Conforti. Winnie’s Song (subbed)
https://youtu.be/EsHWZDeZyNA?t=5, May 22, 2013
Twinkl Educational Publishing
http://www.twinkl.co.uk/
Teacher Created Resources
https://www.teachercreated.com/

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